April was a relatively light reading month – I only read 4 books. Work was insane, and still is tbh, and I found myself in a reading slump again. I’m thinking my slump is because I don’t have enough time to read like I did and I somehow keep picking books that are slow and tough to get through. Nevertheless, I’m 26 out of 36 books for the year.
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THE BULLET BY MARY LOUISE KELLY
Caroline Cashion, a professor of French literature at Georgetown University, is stunned to learn that she has a bullet lodged near the base of her skull. It makes no sense: she has never been shot. She has no entry wound. No scar. When she confronts her parents, they initially profess bewilderment. But then, one awful evening, she learns she was adopted when she was three years old – 34 years ago – after her real parents were murdered in cold blood. Caroline was there the night of the attack and was hit by a single gunshot to the neck. Buried too deep among vital nerves and blood vessels, the surgeons had left it, and stitched up the traumatized little girl with the bullet still inside.
Now, Caroline returns to her hometown to learn whatever she can about who her parents were and why they died. Along the way, she meets a cop who worked the case, who reveals that even after all these years, the police do not have enough evidence to nail their suspect. The killer is still at large. Caroline is in danger: the bullet in her neck could identify the murderer, and he’ll do anything to keep it out of the police’s hands. Now Caroline must decide: run for her life, or stay and fight?
This was an easy read that I thought was a good start to get me out of my reading slump. I absolutely loved the premise of the book – the main character learning something about herself in the beginning and the rest of the book unfolds as both she and the reader learns what’s going on. While I was rooting for Caroline the entire time, some of her decisions shocked and annoyed me. By inserting herself into the investigation and putting herself in danger, I was annoyed that she didn’t realize how dangerous that all was. The ending was unexpected and I was happy to see it work out for Caroline.
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
THE LOST APOTHECARY BY SARAH PENNER
I’m not all that into historical fiction books. Why would I be when a lot of American history – tbh world history – deals with the suffering, racist, and sexist treatment of my people? Needless to say, I try to avoid them at all costs. However, when I read the synopsis for this book, I was intrigued. And it did not disappoint.
Nella, a female apothecary in 18th century London, secretly dispenses poisons to liberate women from the men who have wronged them with two rules – One, the poison must never be used to harm another woman and Two, the names of the murderer and her victim must be recorded in the apothecary’s register. One cold February evening in 1791, Nella awaits her newest customer. Once a respected healer, Nella now uses her knowledge for a darker purpose – selling well-disguised poisons to desperate women who would kill to be free of the men in their lives. But when her new patron turns out to be a precocious twelve-year-old named Eliza Fanning, an unexpected friendship sets in motion a string of events that jeopardizes Nella’s world and threatens to expose the many women whose names are written in her register.
In present-day London, aspiring historian Caroline Parcewell spends her tenth wedding anniversary alone, reeling from discovering her husband’s infidelity. When she finds an old apothecary vial near the river Thames, she can’t resist investigating, only to realize she’s found a link to the unsolved “apothecary murders” that haunted London over two centuries ago. As she deepens her search, Caroline’s life collides with Nella’s and Eliza’s in a stunning twist of fate – and not everyone will survive.
This is a mutlinarrative book that jumps across centuries featuring the voices of Caroline, Eliza, and Nella. It was a delicious mystery with a great ending that I was not expecting. I loved that the book focused on the relationships that women have and the secrets they keep. I also enjoyed the self-discovery journey that Caroline was on as she processed her husband’s infidelity. It was easy to root for her as she found her voice to stand up for what she wanted and needed. I highly recommend this book.
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
THE THURSDAY MURDER CLUB BY RICHARD OSMAN
The last book I read about retired women trying to solve a mystery did not go well for me. So imagine my horror when I picked up this book, that a lot of people have been raving about, and it started off incredibly slow. After the first 10 chapters, the book finally picked up both in speed and humor and I was able to get through it quickly.
In a peaceful retirement village, four unlikely friends meet up once a week to investigate unsolved murders. But when a brutal killing takes place on their very doorstep, the Thursday Murder Club find themselves in the middle of their first live case. Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim, and Ron might be pushing eighty but they still have a few tricks up their sleeves. Can the unorthodox but brilliant gang catch the killer before it’s too late?
This was a multinarrative book that was sometimes a little confusing. It didn’t always identify which character’s perspective it’s from until it’s an entry in Joyce’s diary. Despite this, I thoroughly enjoyed the mystery. For me, it was a bit tricky to solve. Y’all know I love a good mystery that keeps me guessing. I was excited to learn in the end how off I was about who did it and why. There are a total of 4 books in this series and I can’t wait to read the rest of them.
My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
LEAVE THE WORLD BEHIND BY RUMAAN ALAM
Amanda and Clay head out to a remote corner of Long Island expecting a vacation: a quiet reprieve from life in New York City, quality time with their teenage son and daughter, and a taste of the good life in the luxurious home they’ve rented for the week. But a late-night knock on the door breaks the spell. Ruth and G. H. are an older Black couple—it’s their house, and they’ve arrived in a panic. They bring the news that a sudden blackout has swept the city. But in this rural area—with the TV and internet now down, and no cell phone service—it’s hard to know what to believe. Should Amanda and Clay trust this couple—and vice versa? What happened back in New York? Is the vacation home, isolated from civilization, a truly safe place for their families? And are they safe from one another?
I put this book down so many times. Honestly, this is the one book I really wish I DNF. Ugh. For a short book, it really dragged on. I really disliked this book! Especially the ending. When I read the synopsis, the plot makes sense. However, as I kept moving through the book, all I kept wondering was what’s the point of this book?! I also didn’t care to read about white people saying and thinking racist things but also convincing themselves that they were not racist. The skepticism that Amanda had about this Black couple being the owners of the house was triggering, yet annoying. There were clear signs that this was their house but the idea that Black people can’t have nice things or are inherently dangerous was so pervasive. Another thing I dislike? The fact that the author didn’t capitalize the b when referring to Black folks. That’s a big pet peeve of mine and was a large part of the reason I kept putting it down.
Like this review, the book kept rambling on for a lot longer than it should have. It also hopped between the character’s voices without warning. It was all a bit too much for me. I was so relieved when I was able to finish though there were times when I considered giving up.
My Rating: ⭐️
