April was a busy month, with family and friends visiting, then I got sick for the last part of the month, which meant a lot of sleepless nights with lots of reading. My laptop charger died, which kept me from working on the blog (it’s just within the warranty, I’m waiting on a repair). I was hoping to attend readings of two authors this month, Melissa L. Sevigny and Justina Ireland, but didn’t make either one. Sigh. The Women’s Prize shortlist was announced this month and I haven’t read any of them, and I’m having trouble even finding copies.
Here are the books I read this month:
- Between Us by Mhairi McFarlane
- The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England by Brandon Sanderson (audio)
- Ghost Station by S.A. Barnes
- Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monoghan (audio)
- Isn’t it Bromantic? by Lyssa Kay Adams (audio)
- Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver
- Hard By a Great Forest by Leo Vardiashvilli
- The Road to Oz by L. Frank Baum
- Real Americans by Rachel Khong
- That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon by Kimberly Lemming
My favorite reads:
I reread an old favorite, Animal Dreams, and thirty years later loved it just as much, though I saw a lot of it in a different light. I can see where it may lack some of the strengths of Kingsolver’s later works, but makes up for it with deep characters and emotional impact.
Hard By a Great Forest was excellent, though on the violent side. Real Americans was also very good, and I’ve got a review of that coming soon.
It was a good month for “fun” reading. I loved Isn’t it Bromantic?, the fourth in the Bromance Book Club series (highly recommended, especially by audiobook). Adams took one of the cheesier characters from the earlier books and created a beautiful love story. I also loved That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon – this is pure fun, super-steamy with fantasy, humor, and lots of creative swearing. The Frugal Wizard had a lot of humor and was a fun story. Nothing serious but clever.
Disappointing reads:
Between Us was good but certainly not my favorite by McFarlane. The story and the romance felt a little underdeveloped.
I had a mixed reaction to Nora Goes Off Script. It’s a well-written and well-developed romance, and I enjoyed the story. But t had some plot elements I just didn’t care for. Some I can’t explain without giving things away, but I don’t love over-the-top celebrity romance stories, and I also don’t love the use of adorable children (reminded me a bit of Jerry Maguire).
I didn’t get a chance this month to write about our fifth Oz book, but it’s my least favorite in the series and that didn’t change with the reread (my other least favorites are Dorothy and the Wizard, and The Magic of Oz). I had a slightly less negative a reaction to the Shaggy Man than I did as a child, finding him more sympathetic, but he does come off as creepy in the beginning (hiding Toto in his pocket, for example). Perhaps he’s meant to show that rough or poor-looking people might be good at heart. I loved Polychrome as a child but I’ve seen some reviewers react negatively to her (because she’s lovely but is there more to her? I think she has a larger role in other books). Other than that, this entry in the series is surprisingly dull.
Books for challenges:
- Rereads: Animal Dreams, The Road to Oz
- Around the World: Hard by a Great Forest (Georgia), Real Americans (China)
On the blog:
I posted reviews of Cascade Failure, Ghost Station, and Brave the Wild River. I also wrote a Top Ten Tuesday post about books on my shelf I need to read.
What I’m reading now:
I’ve been taking my time with Patrick Stewart’s memoir, Making It So, partly because I own the audiobook and partly because I want to make it last. I could listen to him all day.
I’m also (finally) reading Geraldine Brooks’ Horse, which is so far very good although I have a real issue with one of the audio readers which might make me pitch the audio version.
What’s coming up next:
I have three ARCs to read in May, Lavash at First Sight by Taleen Voskuni, Long After We Are Gone by Terah Shelton Harris, and Lost Ark Dreaming by Suyi Davies Okungbowa. I’ll also be discussing The Emerald City of Oz, one of my favorites, with gorgeous illustrations and lots of wordplay. I hope you’ll read along with me!
Things that made me happy this month:
I celebrated Independent Bookstore Day by visiting my favorite local bookstore, Old Town Books. I visited memorials and museums with my niece and nephew, and we saw the baby goslings in the park. I’m growing lot of greens and radishes in my garden. And I’m happy it’s nearly summer.
This weekend we’ll be seeing my in-laws in Mystic, Connecticut (I made my husband watch Mystic Pizza to prepare). And then at the end of the month we’ll be traveling to Southern California for my husband’s college reunion.
Wishing you a good month and good reading!
