April Wrap Up | Not the Best Reading Month

These are the books that I read in April! It wasn't the greatest reading month for me so I'm hoping that May is better.

Books I Mentioned:
Momo by Michael Ende
The Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis
Titanic : A Survivor's Story by Archibald Gracie IV
The Deep by Alma Katsu
Beasts of a Little Land by Juhea Kim
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

Social Media:

[LittlePrairieLibrary]

Okay, I actually can't even imagine it being so dark that you wouldn't even be able to see the Titanic. That sounds horrifying, on top of the tragedy that was already happening.

[Shellyish]

Your comments about two timelines made me laugh so hard!

[SarahAsYouWish]

I had a similar experience with Pachinko. It kept me at such a distance from the characters that I just didn’t care. I don’t understand the hype. If you want a beautifully written more character-focused book which covers some of the same subject matter, I recommend Garden of the Evening Mists by Tan Twan Eng.

[RaineyDayReads]

I’ve learned about myself that I don’t like literary fiction either. I find that when someone says something is “important” I immediately don’t want to read it.

[josmith]

Learning what you really do or don’t like in your reading is always a good thing. I’m pretty sure I’m not a family saga person either- I love reading about families but not over decades and decades, I’d rather read a novel set in one day, month or year so perhaps Pachinko isn’t for me either. Wishing you some great reads in May Jennifer!

[lalita]

I completely agree with you about dual timelines. The historical fiction sections are pretty much always the most interesting part but then the rest of it is usually a total snoozefest. I really liked Pachinko when I read it a few years ago but now looking back on it I can barely remember it, and I think it's because of how disconnected the reader is from the characters

[ChristyLuisDostoevskyinSpace]

Family sagas...you'd think they WANT you to know the family 🤣 I'm nervous about Pachinko, but I'm 30 pages in and so far so good!

[klauslispector]

My mom read Momo to me and my brother when we were 7 y/o (in german). I remember absolutely loving it- might pick it up again!

[myworldinbooks]

I don't know if a child would enjoy Momo right now, but I read it when I was 11 or 12 and I really enjoyed it. I re-read it as an adult (I'm 42)and I really enjoyed it too.

[dqan]

Glad you enjoyed the Titanic memoir. I'm still finding it hard to even pick up a book. Haven't slept well the last two nights either (at least according to my smart watch).

[kimcampoli]

It's ok. You'll pull out of the slump. Be kind to yourself.

[katherinejung]

Hi, Jennifer! I respect your opinion, but Pachinko is a book about the history of my ancestors and the heartbreaking story of my country that Japan refuses to accept..

[cloudy]

Jennifer give Momo a chance pleaseee! Read it nearly two years ago and I loved it. The ending was so great but and kinda sad.

[SpringboardThought]

Really neat reading a book with that lens applied to it. Too bad it wasn’t exciting to pick up, but what a cool project.
I’m pretty done with dual timeline too. Reminds me of Great Circle, with one being so so so boring.
Very interesting about the titanic. I haven’t read anything about it… maybe I’ll start there.
I really didn’t like Beasts of a Little Land either… I dnf’d it, but early on, close after the sexual assault as a plot device occurrence. Pachinko benefited from my not having read many of those kinds of stories and listening to it rather than reading it.

[Gillian.Ashcroft.]

I thought I was alone in not liking one bit Pachinko .

[melissahouse]

Im the only one in my family that liked Pachinko lol you are definitely *not* the only one. I gave it 5* because it was a page turner / i enjoyed it (v impulsive straight after reading 😅), but on reflection it was a 4 (family sagas are my jam though), however it *definitely* had its imperfections. Re literary prize winners; Hamnet.. 3* 😐 despite being set in Tudor England 🙁 The Man On A Donkey.. now there's a saga 💚March was a stinker for me.. things will change for you.. bookish ups n downs 💙🌺🙂

[Lu.G.]

I'm right there with ya on the dual timeline thing! 😆 I read Pachinko a while back and liked it overall, but I do remember feeling like it was written by more than 1 person, which left me feeling a little unsatisfied and confused. 🤷🏼‍♀️

[apocalypsereading]

oh this is the first negative take i've heard on Pachinko, now i'm even more curious to try it myself hehe
no family sagas? =O that's fascinating. one of the things i loved about the Metamorphoses (and admittedly there are many things to love about it) was how it unexpectedly read like a family saga to me in lots of ways~

[elisasofis]

Hi Jennifer, I agree with you 100% on Pachinko. I thought it fell very flat and it was a huge letdown. Definitely nothing special from a plot or literary angle. I think I also agree about family sagas. I end up not caring about the characters and maybe it just is that it’s too broad a story so detail and characterization get sacrificed.

[morganb]

Yeah the ending of the deep was rushed and disappointing considering the rest of the book was good!