What did you read in April?

[ufcasey]

What books did you read in April? Any you would particularly recommend? Which was the worst read of the month?

[CrazyLucky]

Working from home gives me a lot of time to read. In April, I read
The Dry - a mystery 4*
Sometimes I Lie - psychological thriller - 2* I hated this one, only the twist kept it from being 1*.
If the Creek Don't Rise - 5* This was a really good book.
The Revisioners - 4*
Just Mercy - 5* A fantastically written book. Puts the problems of the death penalty in easily understandable and relatable true stories. I doubt it would convince any pro-death penalty people, but it's a really strong argument. Also somewhat depressing as far as how screwed up the justice system is.
Mantle: The Best There Ever Was - 3* The author was too much of a fanboy

Right now I'm reading Priestdaddy.
I have two books on hold that I need to pick up - Behind Closed Doors and Hid From Our Eyes.

[wesleycrusher]

-Mr. President and Commander in Chief both by Katy Evans
-This Time Together: Laughter and Reflections (audio) by Carol Burnett
-Over the Top: A Raw Journey to Self-Love (audio) by Jonathan Van Ness
-Good Vibrations: My Life as a Beach Boy by Mike Love
-Lit: A Memoir (audio) by Mary Karr
-Little Weirds (audio) by Jenny Slate
-Cancer Schmancer by Fran Drescher
-A Year Without a Name: A Memoir (audio) by Cyrus Grace Dunham- WORST
-All Systems Red by Martha Wells
-Tweet Cute (audio) by Emma Lord
-Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History (audio) by S.C. Gwynne
-The Return of the King (audio) by J.R.R. Tolkien
-Funny, You Don't Look Autistic: A Comedian's Guide to Life on the Spectrum (audio) by Michael McCreary
-Bamboo & Lace by Lori Wick
-Me (audio) by Elton John- BEST
-The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (audio) by L. Frank Baum
-Heart Berries (audio) by Terese Marie Mailhot
-You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) (audio) by Felicia Day
-Drug Dealer, MD: How Doctors Were Duped, Patients Got Hooked, and Why It's So Hard to Stop by Anna Lembke
-Unspoken by Dee Henderson
-An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States (audio) by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
-Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex by Mary Roach

[Vespasia]

I've been reading more since we've been stuck home. I don't necessarily have more time but it's been a coping mechanism. I read for a while on our back porch almost every evening. It gives me some quiet time and helps transition from work at home to life at home. 

Deathless Divide (Dread Nation, #2) by Justina Ireland - 4.5* (Highly recommend this duology!)

The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel - 4.5*

Timebound (The Chronos Files, #1) by Rysa Walker - 3*

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix Harrow- 3.5*

We Sold Our Souls by Grady Hendrix - 3.5* (not my favorite by this author)

[meowmaps]

The Night Watchman 4*
The Yellow House 4*
The Ten Thousand Doors of January 4*
The Glass Hotel 5*
The Guest List 4*
Tightrope: America Reaching for Hope 4*
New Waves 4*
The Girl with the Louding Voice 4*
Like Water for Chocolate 4*

New Waves by Kevin Nguyen was particularly interesting and unique. I'd recommend it.

[litskispeciality]

I only completed Saving Megan 3.5*'s starts out better than it ends, but good if you liked "The Act"

[mie]

The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary 4*
If I Never Met You by Mhairi McFarlane 4*
The Happy Ever After Playlist by Abby Jimenez 4*
Just One Night by Lauren Layne 3*
American Panda by Gloria Chao 4*
Rainy Day Friends by Jill Shalvis 4*
The Good Luck Sister by Jill Shalvis 3*
Just One of the Groomsmen by Cindi Madsen 3*
Beard Science by Penny Reid 4*

[litskispeciality]

I've never heard of the Beach Boys book, just ordered a copy to send to my dad. I hope to borrow it when he's done.

[wesleycrusher]

May 1, 2020 14:00:28 GMT -5 litskispeciality said:

I've never heard of the Beach Boys book, just ordered a copy to send to my dad. I hope to borrow it when he's done.

 I am sure there are more impartial books of the Beach Boys history out there- Mike Love has definitely caused some controversy over the years- but I always prefer memoirs.   I read I am Brian Wilson a year or two ago, which wasn't that insightful, but if you know anything about Brian Wilson and where he's at now, the book is exactly like I would think a book written by him would be.

[travella]

5*
Boy; Tale of Childhood by Roald Dahl
The kids and I both really enjoyed this book.

3*
This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger 3.5*
The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell
The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

1*
The Mother in Law by Sally Hepworth

DNF
The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix Harrow

[meowmaps]

May 1, 2020 15:49:40 GMT -5 travella said:

5*
Boy; Tale of Childhood by Roald Dahl
The kids and I both really enjoyed this book.

3*
This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger 3.5*
The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell
The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

1*
The Mother in Law by Sally Hepworth

DNF
The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix Harrow

Can you tell me about This Tender Land? Would you recommend it? I have it on my hold list but I’ve been on the fence about it.

[rootbeerfloat]

The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates - 4*
The Rosie Result (The Rosie Project #3) by Graeme Simsion - 3.5*
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern - 3.5*
The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker - 3*
Trade Me (Cyclone #1) by Courtney Milan - 3*
Hold Me (Cyclone #2) by Courtney Milan - 3*
The Year of the Crocodile (Cyclone #2.5) by Courtney Milan - 3*
The Cactus League by Emily Nemens - 3*

[AJL]

I read a lot more during April than I thought I did (Thank you, pandemic!)

The Star and the Shamrock by Jean Grainger, 4/5* (historical fiction/WWII/Ireland)

The Emerald Horizon by Jean Grainger, 4/5* (sequel to The Star and the Shamrock; same genre)

Scandal in Spring (The Wallflowers #4) by Lisa Kleypas , 3/5* (historical romance)

Open Season by Linda Howard, 3/5* (romantic suspense)

Mr. Perfect by Linda Howard, 4/5* (romantic suspense)

Troublemaker by Linda Howard, 3/5* (romantic suspense)

All the Flowers in Paris by Sarah Jio, 4/5* (historical fiction/romance)

[minzy]

April was slow for me. I read Little House in the Big Woods (3*) and Little House on the Prairie (4*), both by Laura Ingalls Wilder, to my kids. And then Who Do You Love (romance, 4*) by Jennifer Weiner.

[tcu2003]

Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes 4*

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by JK Rowling (read aloud to my son - we started awhile ago but finished this month) 5*

Small Fry: A Memoir by Lisa Brennan-Jobs 4*

Summer of ‘69 by Elin Hilderbrand 2*


Outside of Harry Potter which I love and will always recommend, I’d also recommend Small Fry. I’d definitely heard that Steve Jobs could be a total jerk, but reading some of the stuff he did to his daughter is just crazy.

[mrspez07]

Audio:
Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo 4*
Finding Dorothy by Elizabeth Letts 4*
Last Black Unicorn by Tiffany Haddish 3*
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins 4*

Read:
Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah 4*
Summer Wives by Beatriz Williams 3.5*
CrookedLetter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin 4*

I don’t feel like I’m reading that much, but apparently I am!
Last Black Unicorn was my least favorite. I think I need to stop reading memoirs by comedians, they just aren’t that good to me. Didn’t like Bossy Pants either.


If you like historical fiction, I recommend Finding Dorothy. I’m not a huge Wizard of Oz fan, but liked this book a lot. Apparently it is strongly tied to actual events and people, more closely than many more recent historical fiction.

[tacokick]

I read less in April. I blame Animal Crossing. Plus I read like 50% of several books before giving up. The Gossip Girls books were so weird. The Jennine Capó Crucet book really hit home in a lot of ways.


Wow, No Thank You. by Samantha Irby

Darling Rose Gold by Stephanie Wrobel

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

Make Your Home Among Strangers by Jennine Capó Crucet

I Will Judge You by Your Bookshelf by Grant Snider

Redhead on the Side of the Road by Anne Tyler

Gossip Girl by Cecily von Ziegesar

You Know You Love Me (Gossip Girl, #2) by Cecily von Ziegesar

Pretty As A Picture by Elizabeth Little

The Escape Artist by Helen Fremont

White Ivy by Susie Yang

Invisible Girl by Lisa Jewell

Missed Translations: Meeting The Immigrant Parents Who Raised Me by Sopan Deb

My Wife Said You May Want to Marry Me by Jason B. Rosenthal

My Favorite Half-Night Stand by Christina Lauren

[ohgillian]

Oona Out of Order for book club. It was a Good Morning America bookclub pick, and it involves time travel, and I hated it. I'm a linear thinker and I was so confused for most of the book. I was in the minority; the rest of the club liked it.

www.amazon.com/dp/B07QPGS5QJ/

[rainbowchip]

The Sinner by J.R. Ward 3*
Frankly in Love by David Yoon 4*
Whisper Network by Chandler Baker 4*
The Gravity of Us by Phil Stamper 3*
The Duke and I by Julia Quinn 3*

They were all fine. Nothing earth shattering. Nothing horrible.

[travella]

May 1, 2020 15:57:24 GMT -5 meowmaps said:

May 1, 2020 15:49:40 GMT -5 travella said:

5*
Boy; Tale of Childhood by Roald Dahl
The kids and I both really enjoyed this book.

3*
This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger 3.5*
The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell
The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware

1*
The Mother in Law by Sally Hepworth

DNF
The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix Harrow

Can you tell me about This Tender Land? Would you recommend it? I have it on my hold list but I’ve been on the fence about it.

Sorry, I didn't see your question until just now. The book starts out a lot like Nickel Boys- boys abused at school. I didn't like Nickel Boys so I almost didn't finish the book. However, once the kids start on their journey the book picked up. I really enjoyed reading about their journey and the people they meet along the way. It was really well written. I'm not really religious. The book does deal with religion (they spend some time with a traveling tent revival); however, it wasn't so overly religious as to be off putting for me.

[wkatie]

The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion - 4* (cute)

The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo - DNF (maybe I didn't get it?)

The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin 3.5*

A Beginners Guide to Free Fall - 3.5* (amazon freebie, it was pretty good)

Normal People by Sally Rooney - 4.5*

All Adults Here by Emma Straub - 4.5*

Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner - 3.5*