April 2020 Reading Wrap-Up

Here’s a snapshot of what April brought me:

• My birthday! While it was very different than past birthday’s that included dinners out and a trip to the bookstore where I have no limits … it’s the best … but I still had a great day! My favourite restaurant reopened for takeout and I made the most amazing gluten free, vegan orange cake with chocolate ganache. I’m currently still filling my online carts with books …

• Warm weather returned and I was able to throw open all the windows. In this time of always being home, it was so lovely to get some fresh breezes flowing through these stale walls.

• My daughter’s homeschooling officially began and she has thankfully taken to it so, so well. She is much more technologically able than her momma. Has it been without stress and a few tears? … no. But it could’ve been A LOT worse, and I am so proud of that girl!

• Started teaching my little how to bake. It’s a passion of mine and one I shared with my beloved grandma, excited to see if she takes to it.

• Rearranged my bookshelves … again. This time alphabetically. I hate it so very much, I can’t even … thinking I’ll try by genre next.

High

The Ten Thousand Doors of January

Written by Alix E. Harrow

Published by Redhook

(Audiobook)

The combination of knowing this would be a slow read, me really enjoying slow reads, and one of my favourite audiobook narrators resulted in a fantastic experience. I loved January’s journey of self discovery and finding her voice in an impossible time. The magic and romance take a backseat to January and I’m fine with that. I loved the exploration of love in its many forms.

Full review HERE.

You can find it here: Bookshop.org

Himself

Written by Jess Kidd

Published by Washington Square Press

(Audiobook)

This is my favourite read this month, which just proves great things lie outside your comfort zone because this horror/thriller/historical fiction is way outside my normal. But the combination of humour, heart, fantastic leading women, and a crackling pace kept me riveted.

Full review HERE.

You can find it here: Bookshop.org

Notes From My Captivity

Written by Kathy Parks

Published by Katherine Tegen Books

So close to being a perfect pickle, I didn’t enjoy the way the book transitioned from part one to part two. A story of harsh survival, wilderness, shared humanity and grief … it is a read I won’t forget.

Full review HERE.

You can find it here: Bookshop.org

City Spies

Written by James Ponti

Published by Aladdin

An incredibly fun read for any fan of young spy adventures. It requires the suspension of belief that kids are always able to outsmart adults and killers … but isn’t that the point? My daughter and I had fun with this read.

You can find it here: Bookshop.org

Woven in Moonlight

Written by Isabel Ibanez

Published by Page Street Kids

(Audiobook)

I finally read this! This book has been travelling along my TBR stack since January and it was a sparkling Central American historical fiction fantasy. I loved the strong voice of our main character and her journey from annoyingly selfish and naive to humbled.

Full review HERE.

You can find it here: Bookshop.org

Beasts of Extraordinary Circumstance

Written by Ruth Emmie Lang

Published by St. Martin’s Griffin

Oh how I loved this story that wasn’t at all what I expected! It was a such a joyful treat to read, leaving me lightened and hopeful. While characters voices did have a tendency to sound the same, I think this is an excellent pick me up with heart and an excitingly different premise.

Full review HERE.

You can find it here: Bookshop.org

The Cottingley Secret

Written by Hazel Gaynor

Published by William Morrow & Company

(Audiobook)

A light and bright historical fiction – I really enjoyed this lighthearted clue-hunting mystery with a touch of whimsy.

Full review HERE.

You can find it here: Bookshop.org

Middle

All the Stars and Teeth

Written by Adalyn Grace

Published by Imprint

It was a fine read, but maybe it just wasn’t the right “fine” read for me at the time. It shares many elements with other YA, but it’s drawn out battle sequence had me skim reading the majority of the last half.

Full review HERE.

You can find it here: Bookshop.org

The Kingdom of Back

Written by Marie Lu

Published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

Oh boy, still forming my opinions here … and really this should be in the low category. The combination of historical fiction and fantasy did not work here. The more it was forced together, the more I struggled to finish. Very disappointed in this read.

Full review HERE.

You can find it here: Bookshop.org

Low

The Animals at Lockwood Manor

Written by Jane Healey

Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

(Audiobook)

There are slow moving books and then there are books that are just standing still … this unfortunately fell into the latter. Nothing happens. Nothing. I don’t know why I continued to listen to this, a testament to my sheer stubbornness.

You can find it here: Bookshop.org

In the Light of the Garden

Written by Heather Burch

Published by Lake Union Publishing

This wasn’t bad, it wasn’t great. It is from the small amazon publishing house of Lake Union and unfortunately it read like it. While starting out as a great beach read, the story lines and characters began to drown in cliche and predictability to an incredibly annoying degree.

You can find it here: Bookshop.org

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