What Alyssa Read In April
TNB owner Alyssa here! April was a slower reading month for me. Part of that could be due to the fact that it was INSANE in the store all month - thank you to everyone who came to see us for the Greater Charlotte Book Crawl!
But it was also partly because I had some trouble getting into the books I picked up. Throughout the month I started and then paused or DNF’d several stories just because they weren’t grabbing me the way I wanted them to. That’s okay, though! Everyone has a bit of a slump like that occasionally.
Even so, I read 6 great books last month. Check out my thoughts on each of them below!
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Trigger warning: this is a very, very heavy book, but one that I think is so important for folks to read. Chanel Miller is the woman who was sexually assaulted by Brock Turner, who was eventually found guilty but only served 3 months in jail. Chanel, who was anonymous at the time of the case, tells her full story, from the event to its aftermath and the brutal judicial process. I highly recommend, but please ready only if you are in a good space.
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This was my first Ursula K. Le. Guin novel, and I’m so glad I picked this. The story is fascinating: it follows an envoy on a brand new planet as he tries to get them to join essentially what is an intergalactic UN. The interesting thing about this planet, though, is that the beings are genderless. The story follows the envoy throughout his mission, which gets very harrowing at times. At it’s core is a friendship he develops with one of the local beings, and their journey together. The ending was beautiful. I cannot wait to read more Ursula K. Le Guin, and I’d strongly recommend this to any sci-fi lovers.
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Baby’s first dark romance! I was lovingly guided to this one by our store manager, Eboni, after I asked her to help me find a dark romance to dip my toes into that genre. I ended up really enjoying Lights Out, I think because even though it was a dark romance, the MMC provided a lot of levity and lightness to the story. His banter was adorable, and ultimately I really enjoyed the entire book. This is a great dark romance to start with if you, like me, want to get into the genre but are also a little scared!
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This was one of the most beautiful novels I’ve ever read. I fell in love with Kaveh Akbar’s poetic writing style. The entire book feels like you are living in the main character’s head, and it’s not necessarily the most stable place to be. I think Martyr! is a piece of art in the literary scene. It might not be for everyone, but this is a great read for anyone who loves a book to chew over, think about, and consider. The way it ends will drive you crazy in the best way!
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This was an absolutely bizarre book that I ended up not being able to put down. The story follows two women from girlhood. Each of them is deeply messed up in different ways - one is narcissistic, one skews more towards psychopathy, but they befriend each other for better or worse, and end up hurting a lot of people throughout their lifetime, which ultimately comes back to them. If you love a weird girl book, this one’s for you.
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This nonfiction book follows the story of two teenagers in California who find their lives changed forever after one sets another one on fire. This book is a fantastic look at Queer communities in Oakland, the juvenile justice system and its faults, and how a story can be so much more complex than it seems on the surface.
Need other recommendations? Ask me for some ideas!