March 2023 Reads

I went back to the land of the employed the last week in March and have been busy ever since! I started my March reads recap back *in* March, but never had time to finish it, so here it is...

Ah, March. My last month of funemployment. I've been holed up in NC enjoying a mix of Spring and Winter weather and reading books that have been sitting on my Kindle for an inordinate amount of time. I hope you enjoy these as much as I did!

I adored this book. The book is mainly set in Japan just post WWII. Eight year old Nori is brought to her grandparents' home in Kyoto by her mother and abandoned there. We come to learn that Nori is the product of an affair her mother had with a Black American GI and her birth brought disgrace to her Royal family. Her grandmother treats her as a third class citizen, banishing her to the attic, forcing her to have chemical baths in the hopes that it will lighten her skin.

Nori only finds any relief and real life and care when her older brother is sent to live there as well after his father dies. Her brother, the heir to her grandparents' legacy, is revered and he is able to get Nori more freedom simply because he demands it.

Fifty Words for Rain takes you on a journey through Nori's life and the lengths that powerful people will go to in order to get what they want. I couldn't put this book down - I hope it gets made into a movie or series!

I loved My Year of Rest and Relaxation, but it isn't for everyone. It's an odd little book, but I thought it was brilliant. The protagonist is a 24 year old woman who is in need of a break from life and reality. With the help of possibly the worst doctor on earth, she begins to use various prescriptions to numb herself throughout the day before ultimately deciding, with the help of an artist friend, to basically manage herself into a long term coma like state in order to 'rest'. It's bizarre and I loved it.

If you're a reality TV addict like I am, you may know Julia Haart from her Netflix show My Unorthodox Life. If you have no idea who she is her book is still worth the read. As someone who was raised Roman Catholic (and no longer identifies as such) I know a *whole lot* about Catholicism and a little about Judaism and almost nothing about extreme the Ultra-Orthodox sect of Judaism. I found her story fascinating. While in Russia, her parents chose Judaism and when they immigrated to the US they chose to join a very religious sect of the Jewish community.

This book is about how Julia grew up, married, had children in this community and ultimately decided to leave. I found her background story so interesting, but it pales in comparison to how she left the community and became not only a shoe designer, but CREATIVE DIRECTOR AT LA PERLA in a few short years.

Julia is honest and forthcoming in all aspects of her life and those with sensitive ears may be a little shocked at how she describes her sex life - vividly and well, often. That's just a small part of the book overall but I wanted to mention it as a warning to any of my more conservative followers (and Mom, if you read this book, do not bring this up to me!)

This book was recommended to me by a friend I can appreciate it, but as someone who is immersed in print news and political podcasts it wasn't anything new to me. The author is a historian of fascism and the book is set out in twenty one 'chapters' guiding his readers through lessons on the current times (i.e., America's bend towards authoritarianism) and offers up ways to personally fight the movement. I'd recommend this to anyone who would like to learn more about the current climate and for ways to work against it, but if you're neck deep in news you may find it redundant.

CRH is one of my favorite authors and I was so looking forward to Run Time, but for me it fell flat. CRH is the queen of psychological thrillers, in this one a young actress whose rising star has fallen in recent times is offered a last minute movie role and she jumps at the chance. As soon as she's on set weird things start happening and you're taken on a ride to the end when all is revealed.

If this was written by another author I probably would have rated it higher, but I have such high expectations for CRH books and this one didn't quite hit the mark for me. If you like thrillers and need a new one, if you haven't read CRH try one of her other books first, 56 Days might be my fave!

xoxo,

iamfunchris