April and May were really busy months for me, so my reading slowed down just a bit more than it has in the past. I was a little disappointed in how long it was taking me to get through books because that meant I had to go back and re-read for context or to jog my memory about something. All that to say, I enjoyed some great books, though One by One was my favorite from April and Did You Hear about Kitty Karr? was my favorite from May. Keep scrolling for a synopsis of each book and my rating for each.
See my favorite reads from 2022 here and check out all of what I’ve read here.
Photo by Carolina for Tabletop Media at Renaissance Raleigh Hotel
7 Books I Read in April & May 2023
3 Books I Read in April 2023
I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai
Synopsis
A successful film professor and podcaster, Bodie Kane is content to forget her past–the family tragedy that marred her adolescence, her four largely miserable years at a New Hampshire boarding school, and the murder of her former roommate, Thalia Keith, in the spring of their senior year. Though the circumstances surrounding Thalia’s death and the conviction of the school’s athletic trainer, Omar Evans, are hotly debated online, Bodie prefers–needs–to let sleeping dogs lie.
But when the Granby School invites her back to teach a course, Bodie is inexorably drawn to the case and its increasingly apparent flaws. In their rush to convict Omar, did the school and the police overlook other suspects? Is the real killer still out there? As she falls down the very rabbit hole she was so determined to avoid, Bodie begins to wonder if she wasn’t as much of an outsider at Granby as she’d thought–if, perhaps, back in 1995, she knew something that might have held the key to solving the case.
Meghan’s Thoughts & Rating
- I liked the mention of current events and social issues. It was a bit slow, especially in the beginning, and the ending was underwhelming. Parts were enjoyable, though I did struggle with the changing audiences at times.
- ⭐️⭐️⭐️
One by One by Ruth Ware
Synopsis
Ruth Ware follows a group of employees trapped on a snow-covered mountain. Getting snowed in at a luxurious, rustic ski chalet high in the French Alps doesn’t sound like the worst problem in the world. Especially when there’s a breathtaking vista, a full-service chef and housekeeper, a cozy fire to keep you warm, and others to keep you company. Unless that company happens to be eight coworkers…each with something to gain, something to lose, and something to hide. When the cofounder of Snoop, a trendy London-based tech start-up, organizes a weeklong trip for the team in the French Alps, it starts out as a corporate retreat like any other: presentations and strategy sessions broken up by mandatory bonding on the slopes.
But as soon as one shareholder upends the agenda by pushing a lucrative but contentious buyout offer, tensions simmer and loyalties are tested. The storm brewing inside the chalet is no match for the one outside, however, and a devastating avalanche leaves the group cut off from all access to the outside world. Even worse, one Snooper hadn’t made it back from the slopes when the avalanche hit. As each hour passes without any sign of rescue, panic mounts, the chalet grows colder, and the group dwindles further…one by one.
Meghan’s Thoughts & Rating
- This book got better as it went on. It started off pretty slow at first and then dramatically picked up steam. Definitely has Agatha Christie vibes!
- ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
While Justice Sleeps by Stacey Abrams
Synopsis
Avery Keene, a brilliant young law clerk for the legendary Justice Howard Wynn, is doing her best to hold her life together–excelling in an arduous job with the court while also dealing with a troubled family. When the shocking news breaks that Justice Wynn–the cantankerous swing vote on many current high-profile cases–has slipped into a coma, Avery’s life turns upside down. She is immediately notified that Justice Wynn has left instructions for her to serve as his legal guardian and power of attorney. Plunged into an explosive role she never anticipated, Avery finds that Justice Wynn had been secretly researching one of the most controversial cases before the court–a proposed merger between an American biotech company and an Indian genetics firm, which promises to unleash breathtaking results in the medical field. She also discovers that Wynn suspected a dangerously related conspiracy that infiltrates the highest power corridors of Washington.
As political wrangling ensues in Washington to potentially replace the ailing judge whose life and survival Avery controls, she begins to unravel a carefully constructed, chesslike sequence of clues left behind by Wynn. She comes to see that Wynn had a much more personal stake in the controversial case and realizes his complex puzzle will lead her directly into harm’s way in order to find the truth. While Justice Sleeps is a cunningly crafted, sophisticated novel, layered with myriad twists and a vibrant cast of characters. Drawing on her astute inside knowledge of the court and political landscape, Stacey Abrams shows herself to be not only a force for good in politics and voter fairness but also a major new talent in suspense fiction.
Meghan’s Thoughts & Rating
- I had no idea that Stacey Abrams wrote novels as well. This gave me John Grisham vibes with the suspense and details of judicial thrillers. It started a bit slow for me and then picked up towards the end. There were times where the voices were a bit too similar to distinguish between the two so I was having to re-read to confirm that I understood who was talking and the context. I definitely enjoyed it and look forward to reading more of her novels!
- ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
4 Books I Read in May 2023
Hang the Moon by Jeannette Walls
Synopsis
Sallie Kincaid is the daughter of the biggest man in a small town, the charismatic Duke Kincaid. Born at the turn of the 20th century into a life of comfort and privilege, Sallie remembers little about her mother who died in a violent argument with the Duke. By the time she is just eight years old, the Duke has remarried and had a son, Eddie. While Sallie is her father’s daughter, sharp-witted and resourceful, Eddie is his mother’s son, timid and cerebral. When Sallie tries to teach young Eddie to be more like their father, her daredevil coaching leads to an accident, and Sallie is cast out.
Nine years later, she returns, determined to reclaim her place in the family. That’s a lot more complicated than Sallie expected, and she enters a world of conflict and lawlessness. Sallie confronts the secrets and scandals that hide in the shadows of the Big House. She navigates the factions in the family and town, and finally comes into her own as a bold, sometimes reckless bootlegger.
You will fall in love with Sallie Kincaid. She’s a feisty and fearless, terrified and damaged young woman who refuses to be corralled.
Meghan’s Thoughts & Rating
- This started slow and at times, details felt a little too nuanced for the story. However, I thought the author did a *great* job connecting the dots at the end of the story. Sallie Kincaid is a badass and I love that she did not need a man to take care of her. She defied family toxicity and gender roles. A true icon.
- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Lost Summers of Newport by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White
Synopsis
2019: Andie Figuero has just landed her dream job as a producer of Mansion Makeover. It’s a popular reality show about restoring America’s most lavish historic houses. Andie has high hopes for her latest project. The once glorious but gently crumbling Sprague Hall in Newport, Rhode Island, summer resort of America’s gilded class–famous for the lavish “summer cottages” of Vanderbilts and Belmonts. But Andie runs into trouble: the reclusive heiress who still lives in the mansion, Lucia “Lucky” Sprague, will only allow the show to go forward on two conditions: One, nobody speaks to her. Two, nobody touches the mansion’s ruined boathouse.
1899: Ellen Daniels has been hired to give singing lessons to Miss Maybelle Sprague, a naive young Colorado mining heiress whose stepbrother John has poured their new money into buying a place among Newport’s elite. John is determined to see Maybelle married off to a fortune-hunting Italian prince, and Ellen is supposed to polish up the girl for her launch into society. But the deceptively demure Ellen has her own checkered past, and she’s hiding in plain sight at Sprague Hall.
1958: Lucia “Lucky” Sprague has always felt like an outsider at Sprague Hall. When she and her grandmother–the American-born Princess di Conti–fled Mussolini’s Italy, it seemed natural to go back to the imposing Newport house Nana owned but hadn’t seen since her marriage in 1899. Over the years, Lucky’s lost her Italian accent and found a place for herself among the yachting set by marrying Stuyvesant Sprague, the alcoholic scion of her Sprague stepfamily. But one fateful night in the mansion’s old boathouse will uncover a devastating truth…and change everything she thought she knew about her past.
As the cameras roll on Mansion Makeover, the house begins to yield up the dark secrets the Spragues thought would stay hidden forever….
Meghan’s Thoughts & Rating
- This would be a fun beach read for the summer. I enjoyed the storyline of three women across three different time periods and each other their narratives. I do think it could have been a bit juicier–felt like it fell a tad short.
- ⭐️⭐️⭐️✨
Paper Names by Susie Luo
Synopsis
Set in New York and China over three decades, Paper Names explores what it means to be American from three different perspectives. There’s Tony, a Chinese-born engineer turned Manhattan doorman, who immigrated to the United States to give his family a better life. His daughter, Tammy, who we meet at age nine and follow through adulthood, and who grapples with the expectations of a first generation American and her own personal desires. Finally, there’s Oliver, a handsome white lawyer with a dark family secret and who lives in the building where Tony works. A sudden attack causes their lives to intertwine in ways that will change them forever.
Taut, panoramic and powerful, debut novelist Susie Luo’s Paper Names is an unforgettable story about the long shadows of our parents, the ripple effect of our decisions and the ways in which our love transcends difference.
Meghan’s Thoughts & Rating
- This book was quite a ride. From the immigrant experience to complicated relationships with family members, I enjoyed the complexities of human nature. There were some awkward moments from the dog situation to Oliver’s feelings for Tammy. Then, the ending with Kip & their newly signed client. I would like to have seen a bit more of that wrapped up in the end. It felt a little disconnected and incomplete.
- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Did You Hear about Kitty Karr? by Crystal Smith Paul
Synopsis
When Kitty Karr Tate, a White icon of the silver screen, dies and bequeaths her multimillion-dollar estate to the St. John sisters, three young, wealthy Black women, it prompts questions. Lots of questions.
A celebrity in her own right, Elise St. John would rather focus on sorting out Kitty’s affairs than deal with the press. But what she discovers in one of Kitty’s journals rocks her world harder than any other brewing scandal could. Between a cheating fiancé and the fallout from a controversial social media post, there are plenty.
The truth behind Kitty’s ascent to stardom from her beginnings in the segregated South threatens to expose a web of unexpected family ties and debts owed. Including debatable crimes that could, with one pull, unravel the all-American fabric of the St. John sisters and those closest to them.
As Elise digs deeper into Kitty’s past, she must also turn the lens upon herself. She confronts the gifts and burdens of her own choices. Also, the power that the secrets of the dead hold over the living. Did You Hear About Kitty Karr? is a sprawling page-turner set against the backdrop of the Hollywood machine. It’s an insightful and nuanced look at the inheritances of family, race, and gender. Also, the choices some women make to break free of them.
Meghan’s Thoughts & Rating
- I absolutely loved this book! I was thinking it was going to give Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo vibes. It was a book I devoured, too. This one was an amazing storyline. I’m a born & raised North Carolinian and was surprised to see historical connections throughout the storyline. It is an important novel, with important pieces of US History represented a historical fiction novel. I definitely recommend reading it.
- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
