April 2022 in Books

Another shorter list this month.  A few 'meh' books bookended by some really good ones.  Here's the rundown:

Project Hail Mary - Andy Weir - science fiction - five stars - I never actually read The Martian, but I really enjoyed the movie, so when I saw this book, I wanted to read it before a movie came out.  It's about Ryland Grace the only survivor of a one way rescue mission to a distant star to save the earth.  He wakes up aboard a spaceship with no recollection of why he is there.  The memories slowly come back as he explores his environment, and he makes an unlikely friend in Rocky, from another planet who is on a similar rescue mission to save his home.  I really enjoyed this.  There were a couple slow super sciencey parts, but I really loved the friendship between him and Rocky as well as the story of how he came o be on the rescue mission.  There were definitely some unexpected twists, and both he and Rocky are characters you are rooting for.  I don't read a ton of science fiction, but I loved this one.  Highly recommend.

Shadows of Pecan Hollow - Caroline Frost - fiction - three stars - The story of Kit Walker, a 13 year old runaway who takes up with a much older con man Manny who grooms her to be his partner in both crime and life.  When he is arrested she starts over, but 13 years later he's released and comes to find her upending the life she's built with her daughter.  It had a good start, but honestly I just didn't find any of the characters particularly compelling or likable.  I also thought it was too predictable.  Just OK.

On a Night of a Thousand Stars - Andrew Yaryura Clark - historical fiction - three stars - Paloma's father Santiago Larrea is an Argentine diplomat with a secret past.  Paloma meets an old acquaintance of his who says something to pique her interest and she sets off digging.  She discovers his connection to the Argentinian freedom movement in the 1970s, and learns about the crimes the government committed during that time.  Just like the previous book, to me this one was just too predictable, and I also thought the characters were not fully fleshed out.  Just OK.

The Tobacco Wives - Adele Myers - historical fiction - four stars - Maddie Sykes' mother unceremoniously dumps her with her Aunt Etta in Bright Leaf, NC shortly after her father dies in the war.  Aunt Etta is a seamstress and has been teaching Maddie the ropes through the years.  Maddie shows up in the 'busy' season to help, but becomes MUCH more involved after Aunt Etta is unexpectedly hospitalized.  Maddie stumbles upon a cover up involving the local physician and owner of Bright Leaf Tobacco, the main industry in town.  This book had a lot of promise, but I feel like it tried to tackle too much and thus was kind of shallow.  The situation itself also seemed somewhat unbelievable, that all these rich women would trust a young girl with their gowns.  I also thought that the wrap up of her relationship with her mom was far too pat.  Three and a half stars rounded up to four.

The Maid - Nita Prose - fiction - five stars - I really enjoyed this one.  It's about Molly, a maid in a fancy hotel who becomes embroiled in a murder mystery as the main suspect.  The book reminded me a lot of The Rosie Project.  Like Don, Molly appears to be on the spectrum, but very high-functioning.  She recently lost her beloved Gran who raised her and helped explain the vagaries of life to her - what certain words/phrases/actions actually mean, how to handle the unkind, etc.  While not particularly socially adept, Molly is kind, and a good friend.  When she is arrested for the murder of Mr. Black, one of the hotel's frequent and most wealthy visitors, she finds she is not as alone as she had felt.  I really enjoyed Molly's personality and unique take on things, and how she helped others and was helped as well.  It was a quick and happy read.

Clearly my favorites this month were Project Hail Mary and The Maid.  I'm currently reading Tell Me an Ending.  After that it's either Four Treasures of the Sky or Crying in H Mart.  Would love to hear what you all have been reading!