April 2022 books

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I liked this book but did not LOVE it - food-based memoirs are extremely my jam but there were a few levels where this book didn't quite connect with me. Still, I read it in a freaking DAY and I was thrilled when Maangchi made an appearance. Jeremy makes her cheese buldak recipe all the time and it is amazing.

This memoir was at its strongest when it talked about her looking for all her favorite Korean snacks from when she was a kid. This is a woman who could listen to me talk about looking for Gushers or outlandish Oreo varieties when we go to the US and not only would she not judge me...she would help me find them.

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The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

An unusual little book but extremely engaging and complex.

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Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead by Elle Cosimano
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Not as fun as the first book...but still LOTS of fun!

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Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I liked it, but only just. Once I saw Hazel as a Manic Pixie Dream Girl, I couldn't unsee it and that kind of ruined the book for me.

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The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Cloud Cuckoo Land reminded me of this same author's Station Eleven, and this book reminds me of Cloud Cuckoo Land. So we've come full circle. And with all these books, I'm left wondering: what was the point? With the other two, I think I found enough THERE there. With this one, I don't think I did. It's beautifully written and engrossing in a way that sort of washes over you but at the end I was kind of like, oh, so...that was the plot. The book...was about that. And the longer it sits, the more I think there is less to this book than meets the eye. But it was interesting to read!

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