april reads

slow productivity, a deep dive and an unexpected redemption arc

Just a quick note to say I’ll be landing in your letterbox a bit more often over the next couple of weeks¹ as I start pimping Hazel. Yes!! The book is finished!! Huzzah and hallelujah!! Now comes the less exciting bit where I need to tell people about it. My apologies in advance…it’s just the thing you have to do if you want to sell books - which I do, because that means I can keep on writing them. So please bear with, I’ll try to make it interesting and not at all salesy because that’s icky. Right, on with the books…

Given that I’ve been up to my eyes in edits and final publishing preparations, I read a surprisingly large amount of books in April. Granted, many of them were fairly quick reads, but still, I’ve done my bit to keep up the circulation numbers at my local library.

I will say that the general feeling I have for most of these books - with a couple of notable exceptions - is a kind of ambivalence: they were ‘okay’, and also ‘nothing to get excited about’, and also they sort of just passed the time until I was sleepy enough to turn out my light.

I suspect this was because I was firmly in editing brain, that I was reading a bit too…critically?….not as in being actually critical, but I had some mental chatter that was observing technique and structure and other behind-the-curtain elements. It could also be that the stories weren’t compelling enough to draw me in deeper, under that layer of outsider observation and into the world of the story. Either way, it’s not altogether an enjoyable experience. I hope it isn’t a permanent state….or else I pick up something a bit more engrossing in May.

Anyhoo — on with the recap.

War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy

Still working away at this one. I’ve completely run ahead - no apologies - and am almost at the point where I set it aside last year. I’m very much enjoying this book - it’s my regular breakfast companion and an entertaining one it is at that. I also really appreciate the weekly round-up that Simon sends out and although I don’t keep up with the daily threads, I enjoy having a summary of the weeks’ chapters. I wish I’d joined in with the Wolf Hall readalong now but perhaps that would’ve been a bit to ambitious.

Slow Productivity - Cal Newport

Let me just preface this by saying that I’ve developed a bit of a bee in my bonnet about white men writing productivity books - I find them to be fundamentally unrelatable in that they completely overlook/by-pass/ignore the reality of life of those who are not white men. Do I need to elaborate? Probably not. I think most of my readers are women. Anyway - Mr.Newport, although his previous books (the couple that I’ve read) gloss over these facts, does in this case, acknowledge the privilege afforded him by his position, marital status and domestic arrangements. He gets points for that.

So - my non-fiction book for this month is the newest volume by the anti-hustle-bro (sorry, the snark sneaks in sometimes). There’s a lot in this book that isn’t a new concept to me….most of it, actually…and I struggle to imagine persons for whom this was revelatory, though I know there are lots and lots. I suppose I’ve been advocating stepping off the hamster wheel for so long, I forget what it’s like to believe the hamster wheel is a good place to be.

BUT - for those who are still indoctrinated, or even those who are already converted but need some practical steps towards a slower, more intentional way of working, this is an excellent glimpse at what life could look like. He has a very spare, declarative writing style - he tells you what he’s going to write, he writes it (furnishing proofs and evidence) and then tells you what he just wrote - which is quite refreshing, if not a tiny bit wooden. You can’t not understand it. I suspect he’s an excellent professor.

I also really enjoyed how he structured the book - into Principles of slow productivity. My favourite section was the Work At A Natural Pace section which spoke of observing seasons of work. This is something that I’ve been ruminating on a fair bit over the last year or so, as I try to figure out my own creative rhythms in an effort to build a sustainable way of weaving my writing into my daily life.

Something that he doesn’t really touch on, which is crucial to being able to work like this, is having a certain measure of self-knowledge. That isn’t necessarily an easy thing to access when you’ve been brainwashed into the predominant captialist overculture and its ideas about productivity (ask me how I know) - so it can seem a bit oversimplified. Then again, I default to overthinking so maybe those preferences are easily identified for other people!

Anyway, I think this needs to be required reading for anyone in any kind of management position.

Cutting for Stone - Abraham Verghese

A brilliant book - just as immersive as Convenant of Water - where the land, the setting is as much a character as the humans who inhabit it. This one is set in Ethiopia - Addis Ababa - and is the story of twins, Marion and Shiva Stone, who are raised in a mission hospital by two doctors (after being orphaned by their mother’s death and their father’s abandonment).

It’s truly lush and compelling and the background of medical history adds a fascinating layer. The whole thing is gorgeously sprawling and so vivid - again, so immersive - that you really feel as if you’re part of the story. The author picks you up and drops you into each scene - it’s mesmerizing and, from a writer’s viewpoint, awe-inspiring.

The Cactus - Sarah Hayward

This came from the recommendations for ‘books about families’ and is a wonderfully enjoyable book. It has a “quirky” main character - very Eleanor Oliphant in narrative style and from the very beginning I was engaged.

It’s the story of a very controlled, very shut-down woman who finds herself pregnant and simultaneously fighting over her mother’s will with a hateful younger brother. The story is essentially her unfolding - her cactus-in-bloom, as it were. The metaphor of the cactus is perfect — she was starved of love and friendship (mostly of her own choice after a difficult childhood) and then when she receives both in unconditional quantities, she blossoms.

It’s a beautiful re-coming-of-age type story of personal redemption, the healing of old wounds and the behaviour that gets built around them. It’s also quite funny. Definitely recommend this one.

Belladonna - Adalyn Grace

I think I picked this one up on the premise it had a Gothic vibe — seeing as my curent fascination is with all things Gothic literature - though this is YA Romantasy.

It isn’t awful - it’s quite engaging in a way, but I’m starting to get the distinct impression that YA isn’t quite the same as it was when I was reading it years ago. It could be, again, that I was too much in editing mode when I read it, but the tricks and tactics seem too evident to me right now...the character arcs are too obvious, the tropes too noticeable…Or, I could just be over YA.

This one has plenty of Gothic tropes - dark, brooding, mysterious male lead, scandals, secrets, mysterious deaths and illnesses and, of course, the sinister mansion. There’s also a young woman realizing who is is, coming into her power and discovering the things she thought she wanted, the things she’s expected to want, are anathema to her actual desires. In that regard, it’s pleasingly feminist as well as being a Heroine’s Journy - so on that score, I approve.

A Court of Mist and Fury - Sarah J. Maas

This one could be an entire post in and of itself.

Well.

Let me just say, if you can get through the first one without hurling it across the room, you will be rewarded by this second one.

I can’t go into too many details without spoilers - but suffice it to say, much of what was aggravating in the first book, has been ‘corrected’ in the second. It feels like the author took a couple of about-turns in character development and I can almost hear her saying “just kidding!!” a few times, but that was fine. It worked out so we won’t split hairs.

Is it brilliant? Depends on your definition. Did it sweep me along and keep me turning the pages? Yes. So in that regard, all other possible flaws aside, it’s a success.

It just feels like a much more well-written effort —- the characters feel more substantial, their motivations more consistent and believable (given what we know about them)..they’re just more. The world-building also takes off here and I was left caring about the various factions and actually giving a sh*t if things worked out or not, unlike the last time.

One of the things that I really appreciated about this book — and scored MAJOR points with me — is the author’s acknowledgement of the trauma experienced by the characters in the first story (and before it) and how that would impact them. Too often in the fantasy genre, terrible trials occur then everyone carries on like nothing happened. Yes, it’s fantasy, but it also needs a thread of reality to make the story feel believeable (I think, anyway). Because of this treatment of the emotional/psychological damage that’s inflicted on the characters, it offers that ever-important mirror to readers who may have experienced something of the same…or, provides insight and therefore an opportunity for compassion, for those fortunate enough not to have been harmed in similar ways. It show what their experiences have done to them, and how they overcome those consequences…it’s in the overcoming where the growth lies.

Anyway.

One more thing….I’m thinking a lot about how when books become really popular, there’s a tendency to want to knock them down. A bit of tall-poppy syndrome occurs….especially — and I’m working on a deeper dive into this — when it comes to certain genres of books. Like, say, romance, for instance. People want to belittle and scorn and nit-pick them apart and point out all the ways they’re terrible.

Twilight, anyone?²

And I freely admit to having done that myself — though I am, by and large, a generous and forgiving reader, I will still view 'trendy’ books with a bit more suspicion than if they weren’t so trendy. (that’s a Four thing, though, so…).

I don’t know…anything that keeps people reading and writers writing can’t be a bad thing. If anyone else has read these books (it’s going to take me ages given the hold queue at the libary though I might…might…consider buying the series) and wants to have a natter about them (especially if you’re a writer too), let me know, we’ll gather together a book club. :)

Foxglove - Adalyn Grace

Yes, this became a bit of an author deep-dive. No real reason beyond my own completionist tendencies and the fact my library had them all.

This is the second book following on after Belladonna. One of the things I enjoyed about these books is that they have a bit of everything - romance, mystery, magic, the paranormal. I like a bit of genre-blurring. As enjoyable as the first, I really appreciated the three-dimensional characters…they have very believable arcs, even when they’re of demi-god status. This one builds on the last and expands upon the world-building - there’s a bit of gas-lamp influence here which is a nice touch.

Do I sound convincing? I feel like I don’t. They’re just….not bad.

There’s a third one and yes, I’ll probably read it when it arrives at the libary. :)

All the Stars and Teeth, All the Tides of Fate- Adalyn Grace

The deep-dive continues.

These aren’t long books — easily read over the course of a couple of evenings, which is why I was able to get through them all. The first one was the author’s debut, and it was apparently well-received. I read the second one because…it exists.

Here’s where I really started questioning my reading preferences — which, it seems, are changing….or am I just not very enthused about the current YA climate? I seem to recall them being more….well….more…? If you read YA, do you have any recommendations?

I feel just kind of meh about these. They’re very character-driven, more so the second one, we get a lot of internal narrative/thought processes from the main character to the point where I got a bit fed up with the minutiae of it all. The plot is very swashbuckle-meets-magic in flavour - not one of my favourites, I’m not all that into pirates - and the magic system…well, it’s bit bloodthirsty at times.

I can’t really put my finger on why I didn’t enjoy these more…I just didn’t. Maybe the feel a little same-y? I have the feeling that might just be the nature of traditional publishing right now…very algorithmic? I’m talking out of my butt here, I have no idea at all about the state of traditional publishing. 🤓

I thought I might like to write YA again one day, but now I’m not so sure.

The Summer Book - Tove Janssen

I waited for an age to get this book from the library…almost a year. I don’t know why it took so long to come in but it was a pleasant surprise when it did. It’s a bit early to be reading a ‘summer’ book, but who cares?

It’s quite short, but every sentence is rich and deep. On the surface, it’s slice-of-life which in and of itself is fascinating - because who wouldn’t want to read about life on a remote island in the Finnish archipelago? - but it’s also about grief and loss and family and tradition…yes, it’s a lot packed into a short book.

What I found even more interesting than the book itself, was the brief biographical information in the Introduction. I know nothing about Tove Jansson (or the Moomins for which she’s so famous) but that small glimpse makes me want to know more. I love reading about the unconventional lives, upbringings, family dynamics that produce artists and writers. I find them endlessly fascinating - so I’ll be seeking out more.

Right, that’s it for this month. I’m feeling myself tugged in a variety of directions, reading-wise, at the moment so who knows what May will bring? Probably because April was a bit hit-and-miss. I’m slowly building a book fort of Gothic fiction (which I will save for the autumn…I’m thinking Goth-tober will be a thing..hit me up with your favourite Gothic suggestions) and also find myself craving the classics a bit. I did Jane Austen July last summer so that could be a thing. I often go for cosy mysteries in the summer months as well….perhaps a variation on that theme as well? It might be time to revisit Miranda Mill’s YT channel for some recommendations.

Do you read seasonally? What’s on your TBR right now? Favourite recent read? Most disappointing read of late? Tell me everything!

See you next week!

~m. xo

1. By stating this out loud I’ve committed myself to doing it…otherwise I’d probably just quietly get on with my life without bothering to mention I’ve published a new book.

2. I haven’t actually read Twilight, though I will be doing so in the interests of research.