Books of April 2022
April was a crazy month, but not really any more than normal. Trips, school, work, podcasting, sickness, and all the other things that make up a normal (and not-so-normal) life swirling around and all getting done. Oh, and lots of reading too.
I normally get a bit less reading done than usual when I travel, and since I dedicated pretty much every spare moment on my trip to work or homework, I definitely didn’t get many chances to pick up a book. But despite that, this month I read 13 books. They seemed to start out mediocre (some even bordering on 2-star territory), but luckily seemed to improve as the month went on:
Call Us What We Carry - 3 Stars. Every time I read poetry I am reminded why I don’t read poetry while simultaneously being left with the feeling that I should read more of it. There are some powerful lines in this book that struck me or stuck with me, but most of it I had a hard time focusing on, even as it depicted events we have collectively lived through in the last several years.
Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle - 3 Stars. Since I am in a pretty intense season of life right now, and this book had been highly recommended to me, I figured I should read it to ensure that I am not unknowingly flirting with burnout. From what I read, I don’t seem to be, and while the book was an interesting analysis of what leads to burnout, how to handle it, and how to prevent it from happening in the first place, most of the information already seems to have left my brain. Whether that is because I’m not burnt out and don’t need to remember it, or because I am, I’ll leave up to you to decide.
In My Dreams I Hold a Knife - 3 Stars. This book had quite a title, although since the murder weapon in the story happened to be scissors, I was left pretty confused through most of the book (and honestly, I’m still not sure if I missed something). There were a lot of main characters in this book and all of them were unbelievably inconsistent. It was almost impossible to understand them, their motivations, and their behaviors at just about any juncture. I enjoyed the story, for the most part, but when it got to the end and attempted to wrap things up with a nice bow, I felt disappointed and a bit annoyed. Normally I like happy endings, but I am willing to admit that not every story warrants them.
The Book of Cold Cases - 3 Stars. I wanted to like this book so much, and it started out well. I shouldn’t have been too surprised that I almost didn’t like it, since when I first saw the title I expected it to be a nonfiction collection, but it isn’t, it is pure fiction, and not all that well-constructed fiction at that. Rather than being a thriller, this book should fall into the horror category - not because anything in the book is actually all that scary or creepy, but because of the supernatural occurrences that it fundamentally relies on. Since I expected this to be a normal thriller, I kept waiting for those aspects of the book to be explained away, but they weren’t, so I was left annoyed and disappointed, with the writing and character composition being the only saving graces of this story.
Ordinary Heroes: A Memoir of 9/11 - 3 Stars. This is, unsurprisingly, a very intense book. I appreciated reading about the experiences of that fateful day from the perspective of Joseph Pfeifer, who was the first fire chief on-site on 9/11, and who is responsible for much of the rescue that occurred. This book conveyed a powerful perspective of the events of that day, as well as the aftermath, and I appreciated being able to learn more about it from that perspective. There were parts of the book, discussing occurrences after 9/11, which at times felt a bit extraneous, but this remains a very powerful read.
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory - 3 Stars. One category of books that I’ve been really enjoying this year are memoirs of people in a particular profession where the book seems to be as much about their jobs as their lives. The last book also falls into that category, and so does this one. Although I don’t necessarily agree with Caitlin Doughty’s perspectives on life and death, I did appreciate her insights into the death industry, especially as she shared how they evolved the longer she worked within it. This is a dark book with dark humor and but the fact that I found myself laughing out loud at parts I think is likely attributable to how well written the book is. After Caitlin Doughty left the crematory, the content seemed less clear, and linear, even though I’m sure it was, and it still had good insights on a tough topic.
The Most Dangerous Animal of All: Searching for My Father . . . and Finding the Zodiac Killer - 4 Stars. I enjoy reading true crime books, but many are largely the same. This one, however, had a shockingly different purpose and perspective. I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect, since the title seemed kind of unusual, but the book is exactly what it says it is. Some parts of the story seem so unbelievable that it’s hard to believe it was real, and part of the unbelievability is the surprise that it may not have been. Until the ending I didn’t realize that this case is still considered unsolved and that the evidence presented in the book (at least according to the book) hasn’t been compiled and examined in this way. Since the book was largely centered on the alleged Zodiac Killer, it didn’t feel like quite enough focus or respect was given to the victims, but I understand the reason for this, given the nature of the book. Overall, I enjoyed this surprising approach and have to admit that based on the evidence presented therein, I am convinced.
Deep into the Dark - 3 Stars. This thriller was one that I didn’t know much about and wasn’t too intrigued to start, but since Flicker In The Dark last month surprised me so much (and trust me, I laughed when I noticed the similar names), I was willing to give it a shot. This one, however, did not quite live up to that one. Rather, it was slow, with several main characters, none of whom I particularly connected with. Although I didn’t necessarily see the resolution coming, I wasn’t surprised, and even at the climax, did not feel a lot of suspense. I realized when I finished that this is the start of a series about one of the (what I considered to be) secondary characters, but who was better than the others, and thus, I would consider reading another with her in a more primary role. Honestly, I almost stopped reading about halfway through since it hadn’t really caught my attention, but I stuck it out and enjoyed the end. It was a thriller, but I wasn’t left feeling particularly thrilled.
The Weekend Away - 4 Stars. Since the last thriller was a bit of a letdown, I dove right into another one that I did enjoy quite a bit more. I had seen the preview for the Netflix film based on this book but knew I was much more likely to read the book upon which it was based than watch the film (although I will admit, I just may do both). From what I knew of the story before I even started, it reminded me a lot of We Were Never Here (which I also gave 4 stars), and while some of those similarities endured, this book did differentiate itself quite a bit. The characters were well written and there was considerably more suspense in this story than the last, although I did see one of the major twists coming. The ending was abrupt and honestly exactly what I expected, but the opposite of what I hoped for. Few books answer all the necessary questions and leave as open of an ending as this one does.
Blue on Blue: An Insider's Story of Good Cops Catching Bad Cops - 3 Stars. I don’t watch a lot of cop shows, but I certainly watch enough to know that the characters from internal affairs always cause trouble, never bring good news, and are on the receiving end of plenty of eye rolls from the main characters. Not only do they often get the short end of the stick on TV, however, but frequently they are despised by fellow cops and sometimes even looked down on by the public. With that as my baseline knowledge, I was intrigued by the concept of this book and started it as soon as possible. It did not disappoint. Learning from Charles Campisi, the Chief of the Internal Affairs Bureau of the NYPD for almost 20 years, helped me gather a much broader data set on what actually goes on in their ranks and the necessity of the work that they do. This book relays much of the history of New York over the last several decades by examining the crimes its cops were committing. While I ended the book still understanding the stereotypes and public perceptions, I have a much deeper respect for the work done by internal affairs and the impact it can have on the rest of the department and the city within which it operates.
Member of the Family: My Story of Charles Manson, Life Inside His Cult, and the Darkness That Ended the Sixties - 3 Stars. Going into this book, I certainly knew about the Manson Family, but I knew little about what actually went on within. In this book, Dianne Lake shares what led her to the family when she was just 14, everything she experienced during her time with them, and how she managed to move past that and get on with the rest of her life. It is heartbreaking to see how this young girl was forced to live and what she was forced to accept as she sought the love and acceptance she desired. It also provides a first-hand look into the family that few other sources would ever be able to provide. What I appreciated most, however, was how Dianne Lake was able to share her story from the perspective that she has now, how she was able to weave her faith into it, and how she has recognized that what she experienced then, led her to where she is today.
My Mess Is a Bit of a Life: Adventures in Anxiety - 3 Stars. I knew basically nothing about this book going in, but I was looking for something short, light, and preferably funny - particularly after several of the other denser books I’ve read this month. This book fits the bill, mostly. Through a series of anecdotes that increase in length (seriously, some at the beginning are more like one-liners), Georgia Pritchett shares about growing up, building a career, and starting a family, all with anxiety as her constant companion. There were some humorous moments, but they were equally weighted by serious and heavy ones or things that were supposed to be funny but which fell mostly flat. It was definitely a change from most of what I have been reading, but it wasn’t quite what I was looking for.
Killing Floor - 4 Stars. After watching the new Amazon show based on the Jack Reacher character, and this book, in particular, I knew I wanted to give the literary version a try. It did not disappoint. Although it was a lot like reading the screenplay for the show (the two were very similar, but that did make the few differences all that more noticeable), since it’s a fascinating story, I didn’t mind too much. Of course, that also eliminated any real suspense, but again, that was okay - I just got all the suspense when I watched the show. Now, however, I am faced with the dilemma of whether to wait for a new season for a new story (and have the suspense then), or dive into the next book now to see what lies in store.
I mentioned last month that I suspect finding a life rhythm for this year and returning to the gym have impacted my reading time, and now that I am spending so much more time reading books that I enjoy, it is great to have even more time to read them.
As such, I’m even more excited for a new month and more books.
Until next time,