I’m still chugging away at pleasure reading. I make myself read for 20 minutes a night, which doesn’t sound especially pleasurable but I’m always happy I did it. When my timer goes off, if I want to keep going, I do. If I don’t, I can put the book down without guilt.
Here are the books I finished in March.
It All Felt Impossible: 42 Years in 42 Essays by Tom McAllister
McAllister is a local guy who uses each year of his life as a springboard to explore larger themes. Life is messy. Life is complicated. We all make mistakes but most of us are doing the best we can with the tools and genetics we have. I enjoyed the local flavor, and I definitely kept reading past my 20 minutes. Four and a half stars.
Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-Reum
A cozy Korean novel, and easily one of the sweetest, warmest books I’ve read in a long time. Another “read past the timer” book. Five stars.
Violet Thistlewaite Is Not a Villain Anymore by Emily Krempholtz – A sweet fantasy about trying to escape — and atone for — your past. I learned that this romance trope is called grumpy/sunshine, which feels extremely accurate and right up my alley. Also a “kept reading” book. Three and a quarter stars.
Audition by Katie Kitamura – That was a hell of a read. I was not 100% sure what was going on, but man, it’s something being an aging woman, isn’t it? I keep thinking about this one, which I think is a sign of compelling art. This was a strict 20-minutes-only book for me. No more, no less. Three and a half stars.
I am currently tearing through Wuthering Heights, my first time reading it.
If you want to follow along with what I’m reading in real time, I’m on Goodreads and The StoryGraph.
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