My April Reads: Everything I Read in April 2021

I asked on Instagram if people want to read posts where I discuss everything I read each month. Surprisingly a lot of you said yes so I thought this was a good idea to actually follow through. The idea of this is to have a few details of what I read with a brief synopsis. I might recommend some of them or say I didn’t like some of them but I don’t want this to discourage you. Reading is so personal if it looks interesting please try it out even if I didn’t like it – you might!

To make it easy to distinguish between months, I only include the books, articles etc. that I actually finish in that month. So this included everything I finished reading in April – my April reads. I also wanted to start with April because on average I read more really good books in April – more 5 and 4 stars than usual. This also might be due to the fact that a lot of these books are Reese Witherspoon’s book club picks.

Another thing I should mention is my rating system – this is how I see the ratings:

***** absolutely loved it

**** great book, enjoyed it

*** good book

** meh

* hated it

I also discuss books I read on my podcast (you can listen in Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts) so if you want more chat about the books I mentioned, listening to the podcast is a great way to go about it.

Books

Solar by Ian Mc Ewan ****

This is only the second Mc Ewan I have read and its got pretty bad reviews – at least compared to most of his other books. Honestly, I didn’t mind at all. Its a ridiculous read and I enjoyed it and found it immensely readable. Its a bit of a random plot but Mc Ewan is a master – the details he mentions, the vibe he creates, the complete change in the scenes of where the book is based (posh residential London to desert in Texas) which he manages to create so effortlessly impressed me.

Girl A by Abigail Dean *****

Can’t say I loved this book because its such a intense and hard read it feels odd to say I loved it. But I did. Lots of trigger warnings going in so please be careful before you pick it up. I cannot believe this is her debut!

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware ***

Interesting enough setting and premise but I thought the execution was quite disappointing. The ending was so unrealistic and random, I thought it did take away from the well written parts of the book.

The Last House Guest by Megan Miranda ***

A little more substance than the normal psychological thrillers. Loved the small tourist town life depicted – especially how the people there live and feel once the tourists have gone and winter is here. Reminded me very much of my favourite series of books as a teenager.

His Only Wife by Peace Adzo Medie ****

There is this illness in the publishing community of talking about a book in the context of a famous book in the same genre. For instance, I think about for upto two years after Gone Girl, every psychological thriller or a book about a dysfunctional marriage was billed as the ‘new Gone Girl’. I have always thought of this as a poor marketing ploy since it keeps readers away from it if they didnt enjoy Gone Girl and for those who did, it never lives upto the expectation.

This book was billed as the ‘African or Ghanian Crazy Rich Asians’. It is not. It is a fantastic book in its own right. I love the depictions of life in Accra since it is not a city I knew too much about.

Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid *****

Loved it! Completely gobbled it up in a day or two. I want to read everything by Taylor Jenkins Reid right now.

I guess my review is not surprising given the very positive reception this book has received but it surprised me how much I liked it. Its about the 70’s music scene which isn’t a subject I am particularly interested in but realise a great book is a great book and maybe the nostalgia factor did work in its favour for me.

Luster by Raven Leilani ****

I have been waiting to read this book since it came out. Its got rave reviews and support from Zadie Smith. Very subtle but insightful depictions of race as well as class. This book could probably even make it to the young adult section in the bookshop and the writing is at par with all the fantastic YA fiction around now as we discuss in this episode.

Untamed by Glennon Doyle ****

I am not a ‘self-help’ reader. I don’t really read that genre at all. Now strictly this is a memoir but can move towards the self-help side but very very inspiring.

The Other Passenger by Louise Candelish ****

Psychological thrillers are my palette cleanser books. I read these between really heavy books or while I am on the tube or otherwise busy and need to pass time. Enjoyed this one with its description of east London life and commute.

Short Stories/ Short Story Collections

My Son the Fanatic by Hanif Khureishi ****

This short story manages to be immensely readable, provide an insight into its characters lives and provide a though provoking twist on the concept of fundamentalism. This story has definitely encouraged me to seek out some of his books.

Homeland by Barbara Kingsolver ****

This is another one of the series of short stories published by Faber, just like the one above. I have read about 4 of these and they are all of such excellent quality. What I love about these series is that it introduces me to new writers whom I would never have known about.

Standing By by David Sedaris *****

I hate the fact that I discovered David Sedaris so late in my reading life. I started looking for everything he has written once I finished his collection of stories last month, Calypso. His rant about Americans from the USA and flying and politics was equal parts funny and insightful. I would recommend reading this story right now – its available on the New Yorker to read for free so just click on the name.

Men Without Women by Haruki Murakami ***

With this one, I read a Murakami after a long time. This is also probably one of his few writings not under the magic-realism genre that I read. This is a collection of short stories obviously about men without women. I did find that odd since without the title as such, this is not how I would have characterised the stories. Its about men of different kind dealing with different aspects of their life. The best part is of course the writing where Murakami manages to create such detailed scenes in your mind’s eye.

Articles

You Can Be A Different Person After the Pandemic by Olga Khazan in the New York Times

I found this article about personality traits and what can be changed quite interesting. It would be interesting to know if anyone has had drastic changes in their personality. Personally, I feel I have hunkered down even more into the kind of personality I am during the lockdown. Read the article and let me know what you think.

I hope you enjoyed this post. I would really enjoy hearing about your reading experience in April as well as if you have any thoughts on the books I have mentioned. As you can tell, I love chatting about books! Make sure you are following me on Instagram. I also have a book highlight which is useful.

– Anisha