April Reading!⛈️🌬️📚

[sudsy]

I need something mind-blowingly 5 stars. I need another The Nightingale or The Women. Something that sticks with me.

[emma]

Apr 1, 2024 18:34:57 GMT -6 sudsy said:

I need something mind-blowingly 5 stars. I need another The Nightingale or The Women. Something that sticks with me.

if you’re ok with something incredibly heartbreaking but amazing I’d recommend A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

[sudsy]

Apr 1, 2024 18:46:39 GMT -6 emma said:

Apr 1, 2024 18:34:57 GMT -6 sudsy said:

I need something mind-blowingly 5 stars. I need another The Nightingale or The Women. Something that sticks with me.

if you’re ok with something incredibly heartbreaking but amazing I’d recommend A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

I’m ok with having my soul crushed, as long as it is by a book. I put this on hold. It’s 25 weeks 😬

[emma]

Apr 1, 2024 18:54:43 GMT -6 sudsy said:

Apr 1, 2024 18:46:39 GMT -6 emma said:

if you’re ok with something incredibly heartbreaking but amazing I’d recommend A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

I’m ok with having my soul crushed, as long as it is by a book. I put this on hold. It’s 25 weeks 😬

oh wow, it’s an older book so I’m surprised it’s such a long wait

[willow]

Apr 1, 2024 18:34:57 GMT -6 sudsy said:

I need something mind-blowingly 5 stars. I need another The Nightingale or The Women. Something that sticks with me.

Two 5 star stick with me books from the last year or so for me were Warmth of Other Suns and Homegoing. Warmth of Other Suns is narrative nonfiction but one of the individuals profiled in the book lives in Chicago so it goes through Chicago integration history if that might interest you as a Chicagoan.

[snowyowl]

Apr 1, 2024 18:54:43 GMT -6 sudsy said:

Apr 1, 2024 18:46:39 GMT -6 emma said:

if you’re ok with something incredibly heartbreaking but amazing I’d recommend A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

I’m ok with having my soul crushed, as long as it is by a book. I put this on hold. It’s 25 weeks 😬

If soul crushing but so, so worth it is ok, then I recommend Half of a Yellow Sun, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche. 

[thatgolfb]

Apr 1, 2024 16:20:25 GMT -6 imapenguin said:

thatgolfb, if it’s a rerelease publishers will often do that to try to create buzz. Did you request it or did they send a widget to your email?

I honestly don’t remember. 😂 I think I may have requested it. I just saw Frieda McFadden probably. I think I just saw that it was a book I hadn’t read so I assumed it was new.

[byjove]

Apr 1, 2024 18:34:57 GMT -6 sudsy said:

I need something mind-blowingly 5 stars. I need another The Nightingale or The Women. Something that sticks with me.

The Book of Longings

[angelashly]

Apr 1, 2024 18:34:57 GMT -6 sudsy said:

I need something mind-blowingly 5 stars. I need another The Nightingale or The Women. Something that sticks with me.

I’ve liked all her stuff. My first book by her was Night Road. It wasn’t quite as intense as the women but still make you think.

Or old school Jodi Picoult

[byjove]

March was a little slower for me too- but it was all 3 CC books, which are long, so I read more than reflected! Can't wait for a CC4.

I really enjoyed the latest Veronica Speedwell. It seemed fresh and had Veronica be a bit more vulnerable, which was REALLY needed. I adore her and Stoker.

I also really enjoyed Bride, but that last chapter was TOO MUCH. My gosh.

Rounding out the month was This Is Awkward- about puberty. Some good info, and kind of like a technical companion to The Emotional Lives of Teenagers.

Currently listening to some of the Cleopatra Fox mysteries (historical cozies, just a little light murder). Reading the book right now whose name escapes me that is a romantic not comedy of sorts where they are reporters and have linked type writers.

ETA Divine Rivals! It just came to me lol

[starrynight]

I finished 8 books in March. That's a pretty solid month for me. I enjoyed the Rachel Hawkins ones, The Villa and The Heiress. They were what I needed when I was reading them. I also thought Unorthodox by Deborah Feldman was really interesting. I don't know much about the Hasidic sects.

[starrynight]

I still read aloud at night with my 10yr old, but I've been dreading bedtime with our current read: The Sixty-Eight Rooms by Marianne Malone.

The series is inspired by the Thorne Miniature Rooms atvthe Art Institute of Chicago, which she likes to visit when we're at the museum. (They are small and doll house-like, but everything is recreated authentically and accurately to depict what rooms looked like in different periods and places.) This is so poorly written with no plot. We will not be reading the rest of the series. We're almost finished, and I'm not even sure I should put it in a little library or donate it. Might go straight into the recycling bin!

I hope whatever we read together next is better.

[cakewench]

March got me out of my reading slump! Here's what I finished:

The Teacher by Freida McFadden (audio) - 2.5 stars
This was just ok for me, saw one twist coming and the other was kinda WTF in an icky way

The Mask of Mirrors by M.A. Carrick - 4 stars
Took me a bit to get into but payoff was so worth it! May bump to 4.5 stars - the world building is excellent!

Luck and Judgement by Peter Grainger (audio) - 3 stars
Another in the "DC Smith" series, solid story

House of Sky and Breath (Crescent City #2) by Sarah J. Maas - 4.5 stars
I really enjoyed this, especially the end. Can't wait for book 3, I'm #9 on the list!

King's Cage by Victoria Aveyard - 3 stars
Book 3 in the Red Queen series; this was good, still some pacing issues though. I enjoyed having chapter perspectives from other characters besides Mare, the FMC.

I'm currently reading Liar's Knot, book 2 of the Rook & Rose series (sequel to Mask of Mirrors) and I am really into it. For audio, working on Persons of Interest by Peter Grainger (next book in the series - they're good stories and no wait so going through them while I wait for other audio titles to become available).

[junch817]

I started Inside the O’Briens yesterday. It was my pick for the ICYMI Challenge for April for the year 2015. I’m already 30% through. It’s very good. It’s about a man who gets diagnosed with Huntington’s Disease in his 40s, and his 4 adult children who watch as the disease slowly takes their father from them. They also are faced with whether or not they want to test themselves for the gene or live without knowing.

[Yogurt]

I haven't read for leisure in literal years, but I've been reading more since Christmas. My little sister gave me a book called The Coworker by Frieda McFadden and I read it in one day. After that I reread a few of those 1990s female detective type books that I remember my mom always reading when I was a kid. (Janet Evanovich, Sue Grafton, Diane Mott Davidson, etc). They are apparently total comfort reading for me still

[dc2london]

Apr 1, 2024 19:33:02 GMT -6 willow said:

Apr 1, 2024 18:34:57 GMT -6 sudsy said:

I need something mind-blowingly 5 stars. I need another The Nightingale or The Women. Something that sticks with me.

Two 5 star stick with me books from the last year or so for me were Warmth of Other Suns and Homegoing. Warmth of Other Suns is narrative nonfiction but one of the individuals profiled in the book lives in Chicago so it goes through Chicago integration history if that might interest you as a Chicagoan.

Homegoing was so, so good

[dc2london]

Actually, Homegoing features a character who works on ships in Baltimore Harbor so just FYI with recent events. As someone who really likes Baltimore, I enjoyed learning more about its history during Abolition

[willow]

Apr 2, 2024 13:08:29 GMT -6 dc2london said:

Apr 1, 2024 19:33:02 GMT -6 willow said:

Two 5 star stick with me books from the last year or so for me were Warmth of Other Suns and Homegoing. Warmth of Other Suns is narrative nonfiction but one of the individuals profiled in the book lives in Chicago so it goes through Chicago integration history if that might interest you as a Chicagoan.

Homegoing was so, so good

It should be required reading for seniors in high school. Such a beautiful novel that perfectly represents generational trauma.

[angelashly]

I finished Everyone is watching and it was ok. I guessed the twist early but it was semi entertaining getting to the reveal

[cdnfroggy]

March was a decent month quality wise for my reading, just not for quantity. I read 5 books, but DNF'd/put aside a couple. Hoping to read a few more this month so I don't fall behind on my yearly challenge.

March reads:
When We Lost our Heads by Heather O'Neill - 5 stars, new favourite
The Sanctuary by Gustavo Eduardo Abrevaya - 3.5 stars, solid horror novella, TW for many things
Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver - 4 stars, give me all the horrormance
This Wretched Valley by Jenny Kiefer - 5 stars, rock climbing/dark forest survival horror, would make a great movie
Chain-Gang All Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah - 4.5 stars, sad, troubling but super engaging read

There's quite a few April releases I'm looking forward to, even if I don't actually read them soon:

Cranberry Cove - Hailey Piper
Bless Your Heart - Lindy Ryan
Ghost Station - S.A. Barnes
Immortal Pleasures - V. Castro
The Day of the Door - Laurel Hightower

I skipped BOTM this month - I wasn't interested in any of them, but I did order Diavola, The Reformatory and A Sweet Sting of Salt from Aardvark. I'm about to start Flawless by Elsie Silver because I want something light and fluffy and smutty.

[loony]

Plantains and Our Becoming: Poems - 5* (So, so powerful)
Bittersweet in the Hollow - 5*
The Library at Mount Char - 3.5*
Are you there God, it's me Margaret - 4*
A Long Stretch of Bad Days - 4.5*
Summer Sons - 5*
Saint X - 3*
Yellowface - 3*
Those We Drown - 3*
I'm not Done with You Yet - 4.5*
Vicious Creatures - 4.5*
When we were Birds - 4*
Breakup from Hell - 4*
Very Bad People - 4*
The Heir: Kingmakers Year 1 - 4*
The Rebel: Kingmakers Year 2 - 4*
The Bully: Kingmakers Year 3 - 4*
The Spy: Kingmakers Year 4 - 4*

[DGM]

I don't use goodreads anymore and libby isn't as user-friendly to see what I read in March vs other months plus my kids' kindle books are in my borrowed tag LOL. Anyway, here's what I for sure read in March...
- All four books of Before the Coffee Gets Cold series (really enjoyed them and the intertwining storylines)
- A Million Little Choices by Tamera Alexander (faith-based book that I loved)
- Well-said by Sara Moliter (just ok, very repetitive of herself and other authors)
- Dreamland by Nicholas Sparks (pretty good, different than his previous books in a positive way)
- The Women (absolutely amazing in spite of the very heavy subject matter)
- Hotel 21 by Senta Rich (just ok, not what I originally expected)
- Between You and Me by Susan Wiggs (tough storyline but beautifully written)

I started No Two Persons yesterday for myself and am lightly re-reading through Harry Potter 3 and 4 as my DD reads them. I am almost done reading Charlotte's Web aloud to my DS.

[dc2london]

Apr 2, 2024 15:35:06 GMT -6 loony said:

Plantains and Our Becoming: Poems - 5* (So, so powerful)
Bittersweet in the Hollow - 5*
The Library at Mount Char - 3.5*
Are you there God, it's me Margaret - 4*
A Long Stretch of Bad Days - 4.5*
Summer Sons - 5*
Saint X - 3*
Yellowface - 3*
Those We Drown - 3*
I'm not Done with You Yet - 4.5*
Vicious Creatures - 4.5*
When we were Birds - 4*
Breakup from Hell - 4*
Very Bad People - 4*
The Heir: Kingmakers Year 1 - 4*
The Rebel: Kingmakers Year 2 - 4*
The Bully: Kingmakers Year 3 - 4*
The Spy: Kingmakers Year 4 - 4*

I would love to hear more about your 5 stars, if you feel like expounding. I can, of course, google, but I trust you more tgan Internet randos

[byjove]

DGM, I have a 4 year long note on my phone where I just keep a month/year list.

[MelanieCarmichael]

Apr 1, 2024 18:34:57 GMT -6 sudsy said:

I need something mind-blowingly 5 stars. I need another The Nightingale or The Women. Something that sticks with me.

Have you read KH's Winter Garden? After The Nightingale and The Women, it's my next favorite and one I've remembered several years later.

[sudsy]

Apr 3, 2024 8:24:59 GMT -6 MelanieCarmichael said:

Apr 1, 2024 18:34:57 GMT -6 sudsy said:

I need something mind-blowingly 5 stars. I need another The Nightingale or The Women. Something that sticks with me.

Have you read KH's Winter Garden? After The Nightingale and The Women, it's my next favorite and one I've remembered several years later.

Not yet! I will look into that one.

[junch817]

I would add The Great Alone to the list of amazing reads, especially Kristin Hannah ones. That one does come with some trigger warnings though

[angelashly]

Apr 3, 2024 9:17:39 GMT -6 junch817 said:

I would add The Great Alone to the list of amazing reads, especially Kristin Hannah ones. That one does come with some trigger warnings though

Yes!

[loony]

Apr 2, 2024 19:01:52 GMT -6 dc2london said:

Apr 2, 2024 15:35:06 GMT -6 loony said:

Plantains and Our Becoming: Poems - 5* (So, so powerful)
Bittersweet in the Hollow - 5*
The Library at Mount Char - 3.5*
Are you there God, it's me Margaret - 4*
A Long Stretch of Bad Days - 4.5*
Summer Sons - 5*
Saint X - 3*
Yellowface - 3*
Those We Drown - 3*
I'm not Done with You Yet - 4.5*
Vicious Creatures - 4.5*
When we were Birds - 4*
Breakup from Hell - 4*
Very Bad People - 4*
The Heir: Kingmakers Year 1 - 4*
The Rebel: Kingmakers Year 2 - 4*
The Bully: Kingmakers Year 3 - 4*
The Spy: Kingmakers Year 4 - 4*

I would love to hear more about your 5 stars, if you feel like expounding. I can, of course, google, but I trust you more tgan Internet randos

Plantains and Our Becoming - Listen if you can, the author reads her poems about being an Afrolatine woman.  I cried multiple times and will never forget it.

Bittersweet in the Hollow - If you liked Weyward, this feels similar in a YA version.  Dark and enthralling, witchy and female rage set in Appalachia.

Summer Sons - LGBTQ+ supernatural thriller.  I just really enjoyed the use of language, teen boy love story and throw in some creepy curses and I was sold.

[cnf]

I finally finished Broken Earth. It was really good, but damn did it take me a month to read three books!? I usually read so fast!

I DNF whatever romcom I was reading and kept falling asleep to multiple nights in a row and started Theorem Of Love last night, which is much cuter and more my speed than the one I ditched. I loved cheesy romcoms, so it takes a lot for me to dump one. This one is a four part series though, should it should keep me engaged for a bit.

I also started listening to The Longest Run. I don't audiobook, but I think it's because I basically only read fiction. This being a memoir feels more podcast adjacent and I'm enjoying listening.

Not sure what other daytime read I'm going to start next. I need to comb through my TBR and find something.