Quick Lit April 2022 Archives

Perfect Black

by Crystal Wilkinson

From the publisher: "Crystal Wilkinson combines a deep love for her rural roots with a passion for language and storytelling in this compelling collection of poetry and prose about girlhood, racism, and political awakening, imbued with vivid imagery of growing up in Southern Appalachia. In Perfect Black, the acclaimed writer muses on such topics as motherhood, the politics of her Black body, lost fathers, mental illness, sexual abuse, and religion. It is a captivating conversation about life, love, loss, and pain, interwoven with striking illustrations by her long-time partner, Ronald W. Davis."

The No-Show

by Beth O'Leary

You may know O'Leary from works like The Flatshare and The Switch; I've been looking forward to her latest. This is a tricky one to discuss without sharing massive spoilers, which also means it would make an excellent book club read! The premise is this: three women are stood up by the same guy on Valentine's Day—one for breakfast, one for lunch, and one for dinner. As the story unfolds, the reader gets to know each woman, plus the no-show, and slowly begins to figure out what might have happened on that terrible day. This felt like a romantic comedy in the beginning, but gradually gave way to a deeper and surprisingly touching story of love, forgiveness, and second chances.

The Swimmers

by Julie Otsuka

This 2022 release made me an instant Julie Otsuka fan: I laughed, I cried, I dove into her backlist. This slim story begins with the collective narrative of the devoted regular swimmers at a community pool. But one day a crack appears in the bottom of the pool and it's soon closed to the swimmers. No longer able to gather for their laps, the swimmers are forced to individually deal with the grave disruption to their routine, and no one is affected more than elderly Alice, whose story takes over the narrative. The surprising pivot from snappy social commentary to a devastating portrait of encroaching dementia is effective and moving. Otsuka is a master of the tiny details throughout, be they witty or heartbreaking.

The Sign for Home

by Blair Fell

When Adah at Main Street Books in Davidson told me this book forever changed the way she sees the world, I couldn't start reading fast enough. This is the story of Arlo, a 23-year-old DeafBlind man whose world opens up when he meets his new interpreter Cyril as he begins courses at the local community college. Arlo's devout Jehovah's Witness guardians disapprove of Cyril because he's agnostic, gay, and inexperienced with DeafBlind clients, but Arlo takes to him immediately; he's never had such a fierce advocate in his corner. Thanks to Cyril, Arlo soon learns that the love of his life, who he never expected to see again, may not be out of reach after all. Fell has been an ASL interpreter for the Deaf for nearly twenty years; his fascinating and enlightening descriptions of the methods and ethics of interpretation absolutely made the story for me.

I Guess I Haven’t Learned That Yet: Discovering New Ways of Living When the Old Ways Stop Working

by Shauna Niequist

An all-too-relatable exploration of how to find new ways to live, work, and be in the world when our long-held beliefs and methods fail us. In this warm and wise collection of essayettes, Niequist relates the midlife circumstances that forced her to reconsider many things she thought she knew for sure, and to find new ways of living when the old ways broke down. Along the way she discusses love and friendship, trauma and loss, parenting and being parented, reading (so much reading!), and moving from the midwest town she thought she’d never leave to Manhattan at age forty. I inhaled it in one big enjoyable and occasionally teary gulp, while highlighting it to pieces and texting friends quotes with the caption Weren’t we just talking about this? Comforting, practical, and wise, with meditations of faith and a chapter or two on Christian prayer; this reads like the kind of girls’ night conversation that keeps you out too late because you can’t bear to leave. For fans of Kelly Corrigan’s Tell Me More and Brené Brown’s Rising Strong.

What the Fireflies Knew

by Kai Harris

A tender coming of age story that unfolds over the course of a single summer. Our narrator is 10-year-old Kenyatta, whose family is in upheaval. After her father dies from an overdose and the family loses their Detroit home, her mother sends her and her older sister to live with their grandfather in Lansing, for reasons that, though unclear, are plenty scary to young KB. While Nia seems to slip easily into Lansing life, KB struggles to find her place, unsettled by the discovery her world and her family are more complex and frightening than she once believed them to be. A moving exploration of family, identity, and race that piercingly evokes the pains and pleasures of childhood summer days. Harris beautifully voiced her young book-loving protagonist and the many references to Anne of Green Gables were apt and touching. Content warnings apply. For fans of Jesmyn Ward’s Sing, Unburied, Sing and Gail Godwin’s Grief Cottage.

The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet

by John Green

I went into this not knowing much about John Green’s personal history. I was surprised to learn that he’d nearly become an Episcopal priest, and that he held an early and formative job at Booklist magazine. Each topic he reviews here—Canada geese, sunsets, the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest—is a leaping off point to reflect upon something else, something deeper. Green’s lifelong struggle with anxiety and depression is thoroughly and tenderly documented. It was these moments of deep personal reflections that I enjoyed the most. I’m glad I read it in the audiobook format; Green is an excellent reader of his own work, and the audiobook contains several essays that don’t appear in the print edition. I’ve often said the sign of a great book, to me, is that, long after I turn the final page, I keep thinking about it. I’m still thinking about this one.

Quick Lit April 2022

Perfect Black

The No-Show

The Swimmers

The Sign for Home

I Guess I Haven’t Learned That Yet: Discovering New Ways of Living When the Old Ways Stop Working

What the Fireflies Knew

The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet

Find your next read with:

100 Book recommendations
for every mood

Quick Lit April 2022

Perfect Black

The No-Show

The Swimmers

The Sign for Home

I Guess I Haven’t Learned That Yet: Discovering New Ways of Living When the Old Ways Stop Working

What the Fireflies Knew

The Anthropocene Reviewed: Essays on a Human-Centered Planet

Find your next read with:

100 Book recommendations for every mood

100 Book recommendations
for every mood