April Wrap Up

 Wow, this month has been a fantastic reading experience. I have read 13 books. I finished all 6 prompts for Archmage. I look forward to continuing the career in August.

I read Mickey7 by Edward Ashton. This book was about clone iterations on a colony planet made for doing the most dangerous missions. I wanted more info about the life on the planet rather than the conflict of having more than one clone active at one time. Still it was interesting and I gave 3 stars.

I listened to Ten Steps to Nanette by Hannah Gadsby. After seeing her Netflix special, I knew I had to pick up this book. She is autistic and incredibly blunt and talks about her struggles with mental illness, violence because she is lesbian, and her journey into comedy. So much of what she talks about is triggering but such an impactful read and at times, hilarious. I gave it 5 stars.

For my short-story prompt, I read The Secret Lives of Church Ladies by Deesha Philyaw. I don't typically like short stories because as soon as I am attached to the character, the story ends. However, these were really well written and I enjoyed almost all of them. I gave it 4 stars.

I finally read 84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff. At the risk of offending some, I don't really see the hype with this book. It just a collection of letters between a reader and a bookstore owner from the 1960s &70s. I gave it 3 stars.

I finished an essay collection called Between Certain Death and a Possible Future edited by Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore. Some of these essays were incredibly powerful, some were repetitive and poorly written, and others didn't seem to really need to be included. People wrote about their experiences growing up queer during the AIDS epidemic. I gave the collection 3.5 stars.

I was eagerly awaiting the release of True Biz by Sara Novic. It was set at a Deaf boarding school. Both are tropes I love! There was some really important discussion of cochlear implants, lack of language skills when Deaf can't sign, and the importance of accessibility. The book focused on three characters which showed different sides of Deaf life. The ending was not what I expected and was a bit of a bummer. I gave it 4 stars.

I finished the Wizards of Once series by reading the fourth book Never Forever by Cressida Cowell. This was a fun casual read that was improved by David Tennant's narration. I gave it 3.5 stars and found it to be a satisfying conclusion.

For my romance prompt I read The Romantic Agenda by Claire Kann. This was an entertaining story of two asexual best friends and their foray into relationships with others. It was easy to read and shed light on the asexual spectrum. I gave it 4 stars.

On a whim I listened to Finlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano. This was a complete impulse check out of the library. While this was completely unbelievable, I found myself laughing and enjoying it. A writer and stay-at-home mom is paid to kill an awful man, mistaken for a hitwoman. A plan coalesces and she is drawn into organized crime. I gave it 3.5 stars.

After hearing a ton about Elena Knows by Claudia Pineiro from Jen Campbell I finally read it. It was very slow and not at all what I was expecting. However, the last 30 pages really make the story and tie together things that didn't seem related at first. I gave it 4 stars because I'm still thinking about it.

I picked up another new release about Deaf people and culture called The Sign for Home by Blair Fell. This was about a Deafblind man who gets a new interpreter who shows him he's capable of more than what his caregivers let on. They are deeply religious and intentionally cut him off from accessibility. I was excited to learn about the different forms of accessibility are available to the Deafblind community and felt compelled to keep turning the pages. 4 stars.

I listened to Wil Wheaton's annotated memoir I'm Still Just a Geek. This is an update of his memoir where he addresses his problematic thinking and also is more honest to his real feelings. He focuses on his abusive relationship with his family, his mental illness, and how he navigated his young life. There are times when he literally cries from addressing trauma or when talking about departed friends. It felt authentic, like I really got to know him. However, the writing is often chaotic, his apologies go on too long, and some of the material was repetitive. I decided not to rate it because of my mixed feelings. I'm glad I read it but be forewarned, it can be triggering.

And barely under the wire, I finished We Are Legion (We Are Bob) by Dennis E. Taylor. This is a fun space opera series where a human is given eternal life by being programmed into an AI. He makes several copies of himself (although they do differ) and he tries to help humanity find a livable world. This book was narrated by Ray Porter who also narrated my favorite Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. Because they are both the same voice, similar humor, and focus on first contact with aliens, I would think many who enjoyed Weir will enjoy this too. I gave it 4.5 stars because a few of the perspectives were not as exciting but I'm hoping the next three books will be 5 stars.