What I Read: May 2020

Box Cake absolutely cut into my reading time last month lol. I managed to finish two books since my April blog post, and am now deep into a third :)

  

Recipe for a Perfect Wife, by Karma Brown

The internet is very persuasive.

Weeks ago, seemingly out of nowhere, I kept coming across tons of write-ups and mentions about this book. Perhaps I'm very susceptible to marketing, because despite the dozens of titles already on my wish list, I went ahead and bought a copy of Recipe for a Perfect Wife.

The story toggles back and forth between two time periods, following a central female character in each era as they struggle with love, secrecy, and autonomy. It was... fine. Painless to get through but not quite mind-blowing. The last hundred pages were entertaining and made the journey worthwhile enough.

Circe, by Madeline Miller

VERY pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Circe!

I am decidedly NOT into Greek mythology. Beats me why a feminist retelling of The Odyssey piqued my interest at all. Maybe I'm still a Liberal Arts student at heart?

Anyway, I devoured this book and would have very happily continued to read more! The writing is excellent -- smart, moving, beautiful but not flowery -- and the story itself rolls along super smoothly. Google helped me fill in gaps (and there were MANY) about the different gods and titans and monsters that show up. Personally, I grew to care for Circe and was really rooting for her well-being.

The Alice Network, by Kate Quinn

The Alice Network is another account of two women whose fates intertwine over the course of history. I'm only halfway through. So far, the storytelling is keeping my interest high, and with all the twists and revelations, I suspect it'll stay that way until the last page.

This book also reminds me a lot of another painful favorite, All The Light We Cannot See.

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Next, I have Ask Again, Yes and My Dark Vanessa coming down the pipe. What else do you think I should be ready? What are YOU reading? I'd love to hear about it :)

Image credit (top): What The Book

Image credit (book covers): Indigo