Welcome to Quick Lit: April 2024 Edition where I share books that I chose for my own reading enjoyment in a mini-review format. These are not books I received for review, but books that I’ve been wanting to read or that have caught my attention. Most of them have been talked about ad nauseam or have been on my to-read list for a long time so they don’t really need a full review. But, I’d still like to give them some space here on the blog, so instead, I’m offering mini-reviews of the books that won’t get full-page space here.
I’ll be linking up with Modern Mrs. Darcy and her monthly Quick Lit link-up. Be sure to head over to see others share their Quick Lit posts.
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I recently reviewed A WILD AND HEAVENLY PLACE and I PROMISE IT WON’T ALWAYS HURT LIKE THIS.
I’m currently reading SHE COME BY IT NATURAL, THE BACKYARD BIRD CHRONICLES, and listening to THE MAN WHO DIED TWICE. My husband and I just recently started watching The Chosen. I can’t believe how well done this whole series is. I highly recommend it.
Quick Lit: April 2024 Edition
VERA WONG’S UNSOLICITED ADVICE FOR MURDERERS
By: Jesse Q. Sutanto
Narrated by: Eunice Wong
Published: March 14, 2023
Publisher: Berkley
Mystery
Format: Audiobook through Libby
I saw a few people share that this was a fun read so I added it to my Libby holds. I was looking for something lighter and fun and this was the perfect palette cleanser. Vera Wong is the owner of a tea shop in San Francisco’s Chinatown. But, the tea shop hasn’t been very busy for years. If you know anything about Chinese mothers, you know that they stick to a routine and tend to be a bit overbearing. When Vera comes down to open her tea shop one morning she finds a dead man on the floor of her tea shop. She thinks that this might just be the best thing to happen to her and her tea shop. She calls the police but only after she does her own investigation (she has watched CSI numerous times). When several people start coming into her shop after the murder, she treats all of them as suspects and starts her own investigation into who was the murderer in Chinese Intruding Mother fashion.
I found this book to be quite hilarious. Vera was a delight and I loved all the ways she inserted herself into the lives of the people connected to the murderer. They become part of her family, but at some point, she may have to turn one of them into the police.
If you love lighthearted mysteries with no gory details and characters to root for, definitely give this one a read or listen. The audio narration was excellent.
THE WOMEN
By: Kristin Hannah
Published: February 6, 2024
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Historical Fiction
Format: Hardcover purchase
This was an automatic pre-order for me. I was so glad our book club chose to read it so I was able to read it right away. This book was full of sadness and heartbreak. It made me angry and made me weep. But, it brought to light so many parts of history that I knew very little about. It made me think about my own dad’s service in Korea during the war and how he was treated when he returned home. My uncle served in Vietnam and I know nothing about his time over there. I was a young child during the Vietnam War and honestly, it isn’t a time in history I have read much about. I’ve read THE THINGS THEY CARRIED but that might be the only one set during that time in history.
“We’ve developed skills to save their bodies, but not their lives.”
Kristin Hannah shared the story of military nurses during combat and the reality of wartime service. Her stories never cease to amaze me. Her level of research makes the story seem like I’m reading about a real person. The setting she creates makes me feel like I’m right there with the characters. The emotions that come to the surface while reading and the surprise twists create a story I don’t want to put down and can’t stop thinking about long after reading.
“War was full of goodbyes, and most of them never really happened; you were always too early or too late.”
THE POSTCARD
By: Anne Berest
Translated by: Tina Kover
Narrated by: Barrie Kealoha
Published: May 16, 2023
Publisher: Europa Editions
Historical Non-Fiction
Among the usual holiday cards in January 2003, the author notices a postcard with the names of her great-grandparents and their children written on the back. The mysterious thing is that all four of them died in Auschwitz. The book shares the story of Anne’s great-grandparents and her family’s time during WWII and how they ended up in Auschwitz. The timelines travel back and forth a bit as Anne and her mom try to figure out who sent the postcard while also sharing their family history. I was quickly immersed in the mystery of who could have possibly sent the postcard and how they all ended up at Auschwitz.
The narration was excellent and all of the French words were pronounced without fault which really helped immerse me into the book. The translation was smooth and fans of WWII fiction will love this real-life story and how the author was able to piece together her family’s story and the mystery of the postcard.
“A true friend isn’t the one who dries your tears. It’s the one who never causes them to be shed.”
“How can you tell you’re alive when there is no one to witness your existence?”
Thanks for all the suggestions!