Below are the first lines of the books I finished reading in April. Seven outright books, one short story of note, and one DNF.
Book 1
The Three States of Ignorance
Imagine a hypothetical job applicant. He can’t spell the simplest words, such as “heal” and “tap.” Confused by geography, he thinks there’s an African country called “Nambia.” As for American history, he’s under the impression that Andrew Jackson, who died in 1845, was angry about the Civil War, and that Frederick Douglass, who died in 1895, is still alive.
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| Andrew Jackson, being angry about the Civil War. Statue in Washington DC, 2017 |
Book 2
Villon-sur-Sarthe, France
July 29, 1714
A girl is running for her life.
The summer air burns at her back, but there are no torches, no angry mobs, only the distant lanterns of the wedding party, the reddish glow of the sun as it breaks against the horizon, cracks and spills across the hills, and the girl runs, skirts tangling in the grass as she surges toward the woods, trying to beat the dying light.
Book 3
My name is Riad. In 1980, I was two years old and I was perfect.
Book 4
The Queen of Mold
This is a true story.
Imagine a New York City apartment at six in the morning.
Book 5
The Haunted House
Nancy Drew began peeling off her garden gloves as she ran up the porch steps and into
the hall to answer the ringing telephone.
Book 6
At last, on Monday around ten or half past, Sybil Van Antwerp carries the mug of Irish breakfast tea with milk to her desk.
Book 7
1. Apparent age 32, height 169…
ICPC to PJ Paris Xvzust Krakow vimontra m ghks triv post uv Pietr-le-Letton Bremen vs tyz btolem.
Detective Chief Inspector Maigret of the Flying Squad raised his eyes.
Short Story
It was a time of great and exalting excitement. The country was up in arms, the war was on, in every breast burned the holy fire of patriotism; …
Did not finish
Chapter I: Paris: September, 1792
A surging, seething, murmuring crowd of beings that are human only in name, for to the eye and ear they seem naught but savage creatures, animated by vile passions and by the lust of vengeance and of hate. The hour, some little time before sunset, and the place, the West Barricade, at the very spot where, a decade later, a proud tyrant raised an undying monument to the nation's glory and his own vanity.
The titles and authors revealed:
Book 1
Profiles in Ignorance: How America's Politicians Got Dumb and Dumber
Andy Borowitz
320 pages • 2022
nonfiction politics
Andy Borowitz is some kind of brilliant. In this book (which is not satire but does highlight ridiculousness) he draws the straight line from Reagan all the way through to Trump. Because he published it in 2022, it ends with hope, acknowledging that US democracy is worn out but still functioning. He exhorts his readers to do more than just shake our heads at the national news, but to jump in to protect democracy locally.
There is not one single mention of Epstein in this book. So it gets only 3 stars instead of 4 from me.
Quote:
“The braking system of democracy is in ragged condition right now, but it’s still there. The brakes work every time we register to vote and help others do the same. … The brakes work when we go to town meetings, make our voices heard, and listen to the voices of others. The brakes work when we organize, fundraise, and canvass. The brakes work when we march, protest, and vote. The brakes work when, against the odds, we change one voter’s mind.
We’re the brakes.”
Andy, the odds are much more against us now than they were in 2022. And I’m trying, Andy. I appreciate that you know how to spell canvass (Google spell-check does not).
Book 2
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
By V.E. Schwab
511 pages • 2020
For TOS book club
fiction fantasy historical literary
Please don’t take this the wrong way, Addie, but the title should be “The Interminable Life of Addie LaRue”. This book got lots of praise, and if you loved it, that’s excellent. It was a slog for me. I am just not fond of the fantasy genre.
The focus on identity and memory should be fascinating, but it was just overworked, in my opinion. I finished the book because the person who tentatively promised to lead the discussion for book club declined, and so I knew I would have to lead. The Common Household Husband, who likes the fantasy genre, loved this book. I will admit that, with the discussion, I warmed slightly to the book, and saw some of the merits. Still rating it 3.0 out of 5, because it needed an editor.
Book 3
The Arab of the Future: A Childhood in the Middle East, 1978-1984: A Graphic Memoir (The Arab of the Future #1)
By Riad Sattouf, translated by Sam Taylor
160 pages •first pub 2014
nonfiction, graphic book, memoir
Well told and well drawn, although the frames and drawing were a bit small for my eyes. The main lessons I take from this book were ones I already knew intellectually, but the story and art reinforce: people were and are living in all kinds of terrible circumstances. Bullies and prejudices exist in all societies. Dictators cannot stop themselves from plastering their image all over every public space. Content warning: the father is a prejudiced jagoff. There are bullies galore, young and old. So, because of the subject matter, it was not an enjoyable read.
The story does not end with the end of this book – just when the family seems to have resettled in France, the last frames say “Of course, the summer’s not over… You can’t spend your whole life on vacation! The Arab of the future goes to school!” and then they are getting on a plane again with “To be continued…” However, my library system does not have the other 3 books in the series so I will not be reading the rest of his story.
—> Grump alert! —> Here is my major gripe about the phrase “graphic novel”, the term Storygraph uses for this book’s format. I object. High school English class taught me that a novel is a particular kind of literature, which excludes memoir. A novel is fictional, has characters and a plot, through which at least one of the characters develops and changes in some way - a deeper understanding of life, of others. Some change in the character should occur. The publishers got this one right, putting “Graphic Memoir” right in the subtitle.
Book 4
Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table
Ruth Reichl
320 pages • 1998
nonfiction food-and-drink memoir
In the author’s note: “This book is absolutely in the family tradition. Everything here is true, but it may not be entirely factual.”
I read this so that I could read a book by the author selected in Book Club #2. I could not read the book selected, The Paris Novel (published 2024), because it portrays ℙ€ dØ ρʮ!Lia in an early chapter. I have not personally experienced that, but I spend some time every week calling my electeds, furious at their protection of rich and powerful ℙ€ dØ ρʮ!L€s. (I am fearful of algorithms picking up that word so I’ve font-disguised it, although I have no idea if that actually works.)
For the record, many in the book club did finish The Paris Novel and appreciated it. Having read this memoir, I can understand how the author developed the characters and plot lines in the novel, at least as far as I read.
Ruth Reichl is a good writer and I was interested to read about the start of her career in writing about food and cooking. The memoir includes mouthwatering recipes which I will never make.
Content warning: mental illness and alcoholism. She grew up in the 1960s so there is plenty of drug use and communal living.
Book 5
The Hidden Staircase (Nancy Drew Mystery Stories #2)
Carolyn Keene
193 pages • first pub 1930, but I am pretty sure this was the 1957 revision.
fiction middle-grade mystery
Valiant Nancy Drew, a perfectly clad 18-year-old, provides steady leadership in a creaky old house inhabited by worn-out women. Nancy and her lawyer father are on the side of truth, justice, and the rights of the railroad. I enjoyed reading this, but I do wish I could easily get ahold of the original 1930s version, so I could get reacquainted with the real Nancy Drew.
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| Staircase, not quite hidden |
Book 6
The Correspondent
By Virginia Evans
304 pages • first pub 2025
fiction contemporary literary
Epistolary novel. Not my favorite genre/style, but it mostly worked. The book is immensely popular – the book club scheduled it in January for discussion in May.
It improved as I progressed with reading, but for me it does not rise to the 4.5 rating on Storygraph. The way each character dealt with a difficult and grievous event seemed an accurate portrayal of humans. The sadness was tempered with the sometimes outlandish behavior of the central character. The author deftly shows the increased lack of inhibition as the main character ages.
The Common Household Husband did not like it, and stopped reading. He much preferred this month’s book The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue, which was fantasy (Book 2 above).
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| Epistolary election communications: 58 letters to voters which I sent out on April 25th. |
Pietr the Latvian (Inspector Maigret #1)
Georges Simenon with David Bellos (Translator)
161 pages • first pub 1931
fiction crime mystery
Older Daughter is reading her way around the world, continent by continent, with a focus this year on Europe. She read this book for her Belgium entry but did not like it much -judged it to be just a bland police procedural (but probably the first one of its kind!). I plunged in, because the book is short, Inspector Maigret is famous, and I had never read anything by Simenon. I thought it was pretty good, although it is violent. I liked the main character, but am marking the book down for prejudice and antisemitism.
For a book written in the 1930s with such a laconic main character, it seems to have an excessive number of exclamation points.
An aside: Older Daughter is also reading Marcel Proust’s In Search of Lost Time, for her entry for France. Despite being a French major, I’ve never read that one either, and I never will. As Trevor Noah said, Ain’t nobody got time for that. I did warn her against attempting it, and suggested instead:
The President's Hat by Antoine Laurain. 2012. 208 pages.
The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery. 2006. 325 pages.
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. 1943.
Asterix the Gaul by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo. 1959. Comic book.
The Bald Soprano (La Cantatrice Chauve) a play by Eugène Ionesco. 1952. Theater of the absurd.
Candide, by Voltaire (1759) Satire.
Cyrano de Bergerac, Edmond Rostand (1897). Theater.
But my children tend to not listen to me.
Short Story
The War Prayer (short story)
By Mark Twain.
Written in 1905, published posthumously, probably in 1923. 5 pages
Twain withheld it from publication during his lifetime, saying: "Only dead men can tell the truth in this world."
You can read it at this link.
Does not really count as a book, but it is remarkably relevant, so I am including it here.
Did not finish
The Scarlet Pimpernel
By Baroness Emmuska Orczy
182 pages • first pub 1905
This book was mentioned in TWO other books I read last month, so I had to try it. It didn’t take. And only partly because I was trying to read it on my tablet, rather than on my kindle.
Author’s full name: Baroness Emma Magdalena Rozália Mária Jozefa Borbála Orczy de Orci.
23 September 1865 – 12 November 1947. Hungarian-born British novelist and playwright.
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