My BookStack, March and April
A "stack" of books I've read, reviewed, and might recommend.
Hello friend,
In case you missed my first ever BookStack (Jan-Feb), here’s a link and a recap of what it’s all about.
“My BookStack (an offshoot of my “Substack”) is the stack of books I’ve read, reviewed, and might recommend to you. Even though many of the books I “read” are audiobooks or on my Kindle, I like to imagine a BIG stack of books I’ve finished on my nightstand or bookshelf at the end of each month.”
In March and April, I finished eight books, and I’m four ahead of schedule for meeting my 36-book goal for 2024! Let’s see if I can keep this going!
My March-April BookStack includes two non-fiction, one memoir, and five fiction reads. There’s quite a mix, with a dystopian classic, time-travel story, 1950s murder mystery, present-day “Romantic Comedy”, and a historical fiction account of a 1960s rock band.
Will one of these be your next read?
BookStack, vol. 2. Mar-Apr, 2024.
Holy Unhappiness: God, Goodness, and the Myth of the Blessed Life (Amanda Held Opelt) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Recommend. We read this book with our church small group, discussing one chapter each time we met. The book led to some great discussions about our religious upbringings and beliefs. Opelt deconstructs the prosperity gospel beliefs she was raised with and helps Christians find meaning in their less-than-prosperous experiences. Her writing style is honest, open, and refreshing. (Kindle)
Fahrenheit 451 (Ray Bradbury) ⭐️⭐️⭐️
You might like it, but it wasn’t for me. I’ve wanted to read this classic for a long time and saw it on the shelf at our library, so I picked it up. At first, I was intrigued by how Bradbury almost predicted facets of our society today (e.g. screens to virtual worlds and plugs in our ears that bring voices and music). However, as the book went on, it became darker and weirder for me. Having watched Oppenheimer the night before I finished this book, I couldn't escape imagining atomic bombs, the end of the world, and humanity’s dark side. Since it's a classic, I'm glad I read it. But it’s not really my style. ( Hardcover)
Everything Sad is Untrue: (A True Story) (Daniel Nayeri) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Highly Recommend. I wasn’t sure about this book at times, but by the end, I was taken with Nayeri's story. I didn’t realize it was a middle-grade/young adult book, so when he went on about poop and other juvenile subjects, I was a little put-off. (It made sense later when I realized his intended audience!) Overall, I loved his vulnerability in writing a memoir about life as an Iranian refugee growing up in Oklahoma. He didn’t fit in and was teased and bullied as a middle schooler. But his belief and confidence in his story (his ancestors and his past), his strong, Christian mother, and his gift in story-telling carried him through. This is a wonderful book for anyone looking to expand their world and grow in empathy (but especially middle schoolers who like to talk about poop 💩). (Audiobook)
This Time Tomorrow (Emma Straub) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Recommend. I read this book for
’s online book club. It was a fun and touching read. Fun, because time travel can be fun, especially when 40-year-old Alice travels back to her 16-year-old self. (Yikes!) And touching, because of Alice's relationship with her aging and ailing father. I don't usually read time travel books, but I thought this one was easy enough to follow or imagine. Although Alice made some questionable choices as her teen self (don't we all?), I mostly enjoyed the character development and relationships in the story. (Kindle)Romantic Comedy (Curtis Sittenfeld) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Recommend. Hmmm…what shall I say about this one? Set in a fictitious late-night comedy show studio (based on the real SNL) before and during the pandemic, with a steamy romance that keeps the pages turning, I confess, I enjoyed this book! I checked it out because I planned to see Curtis Sittenfeld at the Festival of Faith & Writing. After hearing her talk about her books and writing life, I appreciated the book even more. She was funny, modest, and grateful for the opportunities she’s been given. Romantic Comedy has a cast of believable, flawed human beings who struggle with real human emotions and insecurities, yet they build each other up in many beautiful ways. (Content warning: language and explicit love scenes.) (Kindle)
Start with Hello (Shannan Martin) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Highly Recommend. I recently joined
's online book club (yes, my second new club), in part, because I wanted to read this book and it was next on the club’s docket. The author, , who lives in Goshen, Indiana (near me), has a beautiful way with words and, through her book, motivates readers to get out and meet their neighbors. In our society, where people have become so insulated from each other, and where echo chambers keep us from diverse interaction, Martin shows us how to meet, greet, and love our neighbors, even those we are very different from. Through moving personal stories and plenty of practical ideas, Martin makes difficult interactions possible and rewarding. (Kindle)The River We Remember (William Kent Krueger) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Recommend. William Kent Krueger was introduced to me by my husband’s cousin (thanks, Nancy!) when we bought our cabin in Minnesota. Krueger writes prolifically and most (if not all) of his books are set in Minnesota. Like others I’ve read, Krueger’s books touch on sensitive topics of racism, Native American history, and American life during or shortly after wartime. The murder mystery at the center of this book’s plot kept me intrigued and wanting to know “whodunit”. The only reason this book gets four stars instead of five is that although I liked this well-told, at times heart-breaking story, I didn’t love it like Ordinary Grace—the last book I read by Krueger. (Audiobook)
Daisy Jones & the Six (Taylor Jenkins Reid) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Highly Recommend. This is such a good book. It’s hard to capture the book’s essence in a paragraph and even harder to explain why I loved it. Yes, it has drugs and alcohol and some pretty loose living (it’s about a rock band in the 60s, so duh). But this character-driven book’s real story is about the struggle of addiction and staying sober, regret and repentance, trust and forgiveness, commitment and fidelity. It’s about art and music and poetry. The unique way it’s told, through a journalistic interview style, draws the reader in. The audiobook with its cast of several voices, made it come to life even more. (I also strongly recommend the miniseries, streaming on Amazon Prime!) (Audiobook)
And that’s the Stack!
What’s next? I brought home a pile of new books from the Festival of Faith and Writing, so I’ll get started on them and report back to you in two months!
Now it’s your turn! I’d love to hear what’s on your nightstand!
What are you reading? Got any recommendations?
Have you read any books from my stack? What did you think?
I'm glad you like William Kent Krueger. I loved Ordinary Grace too. I also read (and watched) Daisy Jones and the Six. Very good! I recently read Remarkably Bright Creatures and Lessons in Chemistry. You may have recommended both. Both had long waits at the library, but both were really good!
I liked the book by Daniel’s sister Dina Nayeri. The Ungrateful Refugee.