Mini Book Reviews: May 2022

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. I received a PRC of Sweet, Soft, Plenty Rhythm from Net Galley and the publisher in exchange for my review.

I'm wrapping up another good month of reading! At one point, I had 5 library holds come in at once--why does that happen? I had to let one of them go--I just couldn't read them all in the time I had. Fellow bookworms, do you get me? It's hard to pick a favorite this month. I went into a couple of the books not knowing much about them and not expecting much (Remarkably Bright Creatures, I'm looking at you) but after I finished, I had to stop once again to savor what I had just read. 

I hope you find something here that you might want to pick up!

Memphis is a multigenerational saga about a black family of women making it in spite of the unreliable and violent men in their lives. At times heartbreaking, the author showcases the individual and collective strength of the women as they persevere. The narrative travels back and forth over the years, something that I often find disorienting, but in this case, it all works. The story always comes back to Joan, the young girl who wants to become an artist in spite of her mother's dream that she become a doctor. The writing is gorgeous and I took my time with this one, savoring every phrase. 

Circus Palmer is a jazz musician who loves his trumpet as much as he loves women. He's a charmer and has women in every city where he plays. Married once, he has a daughter who he treats like these women as he comes and goes out of her life. As he ages, his life begins to catch up with him and he's forced to deal with the consequences of his behavior. Sweet, Soft, Plenty Rhythm is beautifully written. While the story focuses on Circus, the author takes the reader on a ride into some of the women's lives, showcasing the impact Circus had on them. It was a little disorienting but as I finished the book, it all came together. Expected release date: September 20, 2022.

This was a very timely book to read in light of the current potential to see Roe vs Wade overturned. Mercy Street is the story of a women's health clinic that provides a variety of services including abortion. The book follows the stories of several people: the social worker who assists the women who come to the clinic, the religious fanatic who obtains pictures of women entering the clinic and posts them on his internet 'wall of shame', and the weed dealer who interacts with all the characters. You might not want to read a book about an abortion clinic, but trust me, the writing is so good and the stories are compelling. The author does a really good job navigating a very polarizing topic. This isn't a book you can skim through--it's a little slow going--but I am so glad I picked it up.

I went into Remarkably Bright Creatures blind and when I first started to read it, I thought really? An octopus who communicates with a human? I kept turning the pages and then I couldn't put it down. The narrative alternates between the octopus, who leaves his tank at night to explore the aquarium, and the cleaning lady, Tova, who has a special relationship with him. There is a subplot about a young man struggling to figure things out which ties the story together nicely. The writing is absolutely gorgeous and kudos to the author, who made this improbable plot sparkle. I absolutely loved this and was sad to see it end. This sweet story is the book we all need to read right now.

True Biz is a coming-of-age novel about a community of deaf adolescents and their families. It was a real eye-opener! A young woman, who was born to hearing parents, transfers to a deaf school after attending a hearing school her whole life. Her behavior issues that led to the transfer were attributed to her difficulty communicating with hearing students. She never learned to communicate using ASL, instead can read lips and has a cochlear implant. I also did not know that the deaf community takes pride in their deafness; that children of deaf adults are called 'CODA's (did you see the movie?); and that the deaf community does not like cochlear implants. The story alternates with vignettes about ASL, which has way more nuances to it than I imagined. There is a lot to unpack in this book, but it was not preachy. Instead, I found that I didn't want to put it down. And now I understand a lot more about the deaf community. 

Cover Story is unabashedly inspired by the story of Anna Sorokin (aka Anna Delvey from Netflix's Finding Anna) and OMG! is it a wild ride of a page turner. A young woman, struggling with her studies at NYU, drops out of school to become an intern at Elle Magazine. She meets another intern, Cat Wolff, who turns out to be an Austrian heiress. Cat convinces her new friend to move in with her at the Plaza Hotel and help her write her first novel, as a ghostwriter. I was sucked into this story and couldn't put it down. The ending completely surprised me and had me feeling like a sucker, though! 

What have you read lately? Have you heard anything about these books? Do you follow me on Goodreads? It's a great place to share what you're reading and find good reads... pun intended!

True story!

I'm linking up with Kim and Zenaida for Tuesday Topics.