Books Read in April:
I Have Lost My Way by Gayle Forman - 4.5 stars This follows three teenagers from very diverse backgrounds who have all lost their way in life.Forman is known for writing contemporaries that sucker punch the soul and this was no exception. It can be a little dark and hopeless, but I absolutely adored the journey. Check out my review here. (First to Read ARC)
School for Psychics by K.C. Archer - 1.75 stars This one follows Teddy, a gambler with the uncanny ability to know when people are lying. She finds herself attending a school for psychics and this may be her one chance to redeem herself and save her family. I wasn't a fan of this one. The writing was juvenile and it was just cringey. Check out my review here. (Netgalley ARC)
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien - 4 stars I listened to the BBC dramatization and it was fantastic. I do have a soft spot for LOTR, but there is just something about the story that always makes me pull away. I always lose interest before the end and I don't know what it is. However, I do still enjoy LOTR and it was a fun listening experience.
Gerald's Game by Stephen King - 5 stars This is one of my favorite books of the year hands down! Jessie's story and journey were intense, heartbreaking, heart stopping, and emotional. I felt so many things while reading this novel. Terror, panic, disgust, sorrow, and hope. King is a master storyteller and only he would be able to convey a woman's journey of finding herself and accepting the horror of her past while being handcuffed to a bed while her husband is a three course meal for a dog. This is one of my favorite King novels and it was so feminist. Love it!
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien - 4 stars I really enjoyed this one. The audio experience is absolutely stunning and it was a wild ride.
Love and Death in the Sunshine State: The Story of a Crime by Cutter Wood - 1.25 stars This says story of a crime in the subtitle, but really it's a nonfiction/introspective journey into Wood's relationship with a girl and it just so happens that he has a connection to a crime in Florida that he becomes enamored with. Wasn't a fan of this one at all. Check out my review here. (Netgalley ARC)
Coraline by Neil Gaiman - 4.5 stars I love the movie Coraline, but I had never read the book before and I wanted to check out a Gaiman audiobook because he narrates them himself. The experience was haunting and eerie. I am a fan of Gaiman and his odd worlds that are incredibly unique and horrifying. I really loved this one, but I found the ending to be a little... boring. I wanted more and that's the only reason that this isn't a five-star read for me, but it's pretty close.
Song of Blood & Stone by L. Penelope - 3.25 stars This is an adult fantasy and the premise is so interesting, but this just didn't live up to expectations. Also there were a lot of tropes I hate that this story heavily relies on and I just wasn't living for it. However, the themes Penelope discusses are so important and a lot of them are hardly touched upon in a fantasy setting. It was refreshing to see, but the love interest was a creep. Check out my review here. (Physical ARC/won from GR)
Click-clack the Rattlebag by Neil Gaiman - 4.25 stars I love creepy stories that are weird and remind me of creepypastas.Check out my review and a link to the story can be found here.
Hello, Motto by Nnedi Okorafor - 3.5 stars Wigs that turn the wearer into power hungry maniacs? Sign me up. Plus, I love Nnedi Okorafor. However, I want this to be longer because it can't just end like that. Check out my review here.
Murder in the Bayou: Who Killed the Women Known as the Jeff Davis 8? by Ethan Brown - 4 stars Jeff Davis Parish isn't far away from where I live. I actually heard about this case from a native to Jennings when I used to work in sales. They lived on "the wrong side of the tracks" and they told me all about the corruption in the police force. I was shocked and when I saw that my library carried the novel that discussed the corruption and murders of 8 prostitutes, I picked it up ASAP. This isn't perfect, but it's a solid true crime novel.
Dimension Drift Prequel by Christina Bauer - 2.5 stars This is a YA dystopian novella. It has an interesting premise, but seems inconsequential for the validity of a dystopian world. Check out my review here. (Netgalley ARC)
Pygmy by Chuck Palahniuk - 3 stars This is my first Palahniuk and it won't be my last. I definitely enjoy his satirical style. My biggest problem with this one was the gratuitous depiction of sex and rape. It was uncomfortable to listen and if I had read it, I may have not been as affected or squeamish, but I listened to it.
Ashes to Ashes by Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian - 3.5 stars This was a fun wrap-up to the trilogy, but the writing is so juvenile. The characters are unbelievable and it is just so dramatic. Of course, I did love the drama, but it was a little much at times.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King by J.R.R. Tolkien - 4.25 stars This is my favorite of the trilogy. There's just something about it that I love and adore. It isn't amazing to me, but I have a love for it. Also, I finished the entire trilogy in a month. Wow! I never do that!
2018 Goals:
-I want to finish at least three series (five doesn't seem doable). COMPLETED 3/3
*I finished The 5th Wave Trilogy with reading two novels!
*Burn for Burn trilogy was finally finished!
*I read and started The Lord of the Rings trilogy in one month!
-I want to read five sequels (I don't have to finish the series). COMPLETED 7/5
-I want to read five sequels (I don't have to finish the series). COMPLETED 7/5
*Flawless by Sara Shepard is book 2 in the PLL series.
*The Infinite Sea and The Last Star by Rick Yancey are the 2nd and 3rd book in The 5th Wave series.
*The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon is the fifth book in the Outlander series.
*The Lord of the Rings: The Towers and The Return of the KIng are the first and second in the LOTR trilogy.
Ashes to Ashes by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian is the last book in the Burn for Burn trilogy.
-I also want to read four short story collections. COMPLETED 5/4
-I also want to read four short story collections. COMPLETED 5/4
*Harry Potter and Philosophy.
*Manga Classics: The
Jungle Book
*Starlings
*Manga Classics: The Stories of Edgar Allan
Poe.
*The Merry Spinster
-I want to read three classics that are not Stephen King novels. COMPLETED 8/3
-I want to read three classics that are not Stephen King novels. COMPLETED 8/3
*Manga Classics: The Jungle Book
*Anne Frank Remembered
*The ABC Murders
*Manga Classics: The Stories of Edgar Allan Poe
*The Master Plan of Evangelism (Christian Classic)
*The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
-I want to read five Stephen King novels (I've already read one in 2018). 2/5
*The Long Walk (5 stars)
*Gerald's Game (5 stars)
Read 2018 ARCs. Read 17/18!
Books I Posted on End of the Year Survey. YES! 3/18
*The Fiery CrossBooks I Posted on End of the Year Survey. YES! 3/18
*Ashes to Ashes
*Gerald's Game
Overall Thoughts:
I read 15 books in April. Seven of those fifteen were on my to be read. This is amazing because I didn't read much during the last week of the month because I was preparing for finals week. I'm pretty happy with all that I read! I only had one 5 star read, but it was amazing and nothing measured up to my love for Gerald's Game so it was hard to beat. I Have Lost My Way and Coraline were excellent novels that I do highly recommend! I completed my goal of finishing 3 series and it's only April, so I may actually have to raise my goal. I also completed my goal of reading five sequels!
Currently Reading/ Hoping to Finish in May:
Already Finished: Pretty Girls, The Mars Room, and Blonde Hair, Blue Eyes
Netgalley ARCs: The Mars Room
I'm currently reading God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater and it's my first Vonnegut since 2016 and I have missed reading his work. It's nice to be back. I'm still reading A Wilderness Station, Helter Skelter, Against Forgetting, A Darker Shade of Magic, Amity, and East of Eden.
Books I'm Thinking About Picking Up:
ARCs
I received The Game of Hope and The Mermaid for review from Penguin's First to Read program and they release in June. I'm really excited about both of them! I didn't get to The Luck of the Bride in April like I wanted to, so it's my first priority read. I also need to pick up The Paper Magician, which I have had an ARC of for way too long. I would love to get to Furyborn and It's All About the Duke before their release dates in May! Hopefully, I can knock all of these out of the way!
Audiobooks:
I'm still on hold for The Hollow, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and The Woman in the Window. The Lightning Thief, The Lovely Bones, and It are all in my queue. I've already read It when I was in middle school, but I've always wanted to reread it and I feel like the audiobook would be a fun medium to try!
Books I Own:
I didn't get to You or The Shining and I still really want to pick both of these up soon. I'm going to try to get to them in May, but I'm a mood reader when it comes to my book shelves. Also Peter Likes Books is reading Heaven from April 29- May 13 and I love Peter so much. I just want to be apart of a a book club and interact with a bunch of people. So, I'm planning on starting this pronto. I don't own A Court of Frost and Starlight yet, but I will soon because I need this book in my life.
What did you read in April? Have you read any of these books? What were your thoughts on them? Let me know down below in the comments!
ARCs
I received The Game of Hope and The Mermaid for review from Penguin's First to Read program and they release in June. I'm really excited about both of them! I didn't get to The Luck of the Bride in April like I wanted to, so it's my first priority read. I also need to pick up The Paper Magician, which I have had an ARC of for way too long. I would love to get to Furyborn and It's All About the Duke before their release dates in May! Hopefully, I can knock all of these out of the way!
Audiobooks:
I'm still on hold for The Hollow, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and The Woman in the Window. The Lightning Thief, The Lovely Bones, and It are all in my queue. I've already read It when I was in middle school, but I've always wanted to reread it and I feel like the audiobook would be a fun medium to try!
Books I Own:
I didn't get to You or The Shining and I still really want to pick both of these up soon. I'm going to try to get to them in May, but I'm a mood reader when it comes to my book shelves. Also Peter Likes Books is reading Heaven from April 29- May 13 and I love Peter so much. I just want to be apart of a a book club and interact with a bunch of people. So, I'm planning on starting this pronto. I don't own A Court of Frost and Starlight yet, but I will soon because I need this book in my life.
What did you read in April? Have you read any of these books? What were your thoughts on them? Let me know down below in the comments!
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