April Wrap Up

Holy cow, April was a big reading month! I mean, we’re all stuck inside, so I’m not sure what I was expecting. But this particular April, I actually reached my reading goal for the whole YEAR! Read nine books in the last thirty days.

Yes, I have a lot of rereads, but there’s only so much you can do when you’re a nostalgic person.

I’ll preface my list by saying that, yes, I’ve been really motivated to read and write and be creative during this time, but I know many people who aren’t feeling that way. The days of lockdown, safe-at-home orders, and COVID-19 are strange for us all, and it’s not wrong to feel lost and unmotivated. I’m shocked I’m not with you on that. I wish I could give some advice or wisdom, but all I can say is: remember the things that make you smile, talk to the people who matter to you, and you’re not lazy for just laying around–you’re trying to cope, and that’s okay.

Also, yes, the rereads are what’s keeping me going right now. I love getting back into the world’s I feel in love with years ago. If you think that might help get your booty in gear, then try it! I highly recommend.

So let’s get down to it! Thoughts (not really reviews) on my April reads:

Defending Jacob by William Landay – 4 Stars

This slow burning thriller has been on my list for years, ever since my college roommate read it, and I have to say that I was not disappointed. It was smart, it was mysterious, it was moody. And while I did sort of guess the twist, it was certainly not in the exact direction I thought it was going. This one left me feeling unsettled–but in a good way, if that makes sense.

Also, Chris Evans in the Apple TV adaptation (that I can’t watch because I don’t have Apple TV, but I’ve seen the screengrabs on Twitter)?? Boy, oh boy.

Winterborne Home for Vengeance and Valor by Ally Carter – 5 Stars

I mean, it’s Ally Carter, what do you think I thought of it?

But really, it was fun, sassy, mysterious…all the things I love so much about her books. It was fun guessing where April’s story was headed and why she was plucked from her unfortunate life to begin this new one at Winterborne. She’s extremely fun to read about, and I love her. I’m excited to see where April finds herself in the next one! And I don’t feel weird being an almost-twenty-five-year-old reading a middle grade novel at all. Nope.

Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella

I don’t usually rate my rereads, so I didn’t rate this one officially, but I’d say it’s a 4 Star. I loved this one a lot before, and I loved it even more this time. My college friends and I started a little virtual book club, and I got to choose the book we read first. I picked this one because it’s fun and quick. Luckily, everyone else seemed to like it too!

I always love the heart that Kinsella puts in her characters and the wild antics they get into. Lara and Sadie are headstrong and stubborn and bold (though in different ways at first), and they’re characters I sort of look up to in a way. I mean, I read most of Kinsella’s books for the first time when I was in middle school, so if that doesn’t tell you something about my current personality…

This was a good one to share with my friends, for sure.

The Splendor Falls by Rosemary Clement-Moore

Another reread that I’m not sure I can rate. When I first read this book, I was very into the cover (which isn’t the one on Goodreads). It’s a grayscale image of a beautiful girl in a princess-type gown looking rather dead on a stone wall. It gave me Vampire Diaries vibes, which was what I was very into at the time.

I loved, loved this book in high school: it had a love triangle where the villain was pretty much set, a mysterious group of teens who were definitely up to no good, ghosts that may or may not be real, and a girl trying to find herself after losing the things so vital to her existence (dance and her father). Being older and reading this one, I did still feel the pull to it, and I do still love it. I can see more of the clues woven into the story, and I definitely know who I’m rooting for in the love triangle, no question about it. I wouldn’t say I love, love it anymore, but I do still love it and think it’s an excellent rainy-day read.

Nowhere Man by Aleksandar Hemon – 4 Stars

This one has been on my list for about as long as Defending Jacob. I finally decided to put it on my “short list” for Christmas, and I unwrapped it this past holiday season. I knew it was one I’d really want to focus on, so I’d been putting it off. I’m so glad I saved it for this time because I really was able to soak it all in.

First of all, Hemon’s writing is spectacular. He makes all the everyday happenings of life seem like the most beautiful experiences. I loved it.

The narrations were very interesting to me because I felt like I was seeing two very different sides of Jozef. I’m not sure how I feel about that, since I like knowing who my characters are; however, part of me read too much into it, thinking that this is how different people see the same person. Shy and reserved to one but confident to the other. It made me wonder which was the real Jozef. It was something I was able to relate to real life. Something to think about.

This was a good one for me.

What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty – 5 Stars

I’ve read enough of Liane Moriarty to understand her style, and I really enjoy her writing. She is able to bring to life the emotions of her characters through comparisons, similes, and just snarky comments. All of that really stuck out to me in this one, and I loved it.

I really like amnesia stories where the protagonist wakes up however many years later and is a completely different person because I get to see how they reconcile the two sides of themselves. There are pros and cons to each version of them, and it’s interesting to see where they end up.

Something about Alice and her sister’s stories really, really resonated with me, and I just loved this one a bit more than the others–even Big Little Lies!

Princess Diaries 1-3 by Meg Cabot

So I read the first one before What Alice Forgot, but I wanted to keep them grouped together.

Okay, I read these forever ago. I loved them then, and I LOVE them now. I think Mia is so funky and relatable and over-the-top. I adore Michael Moscovitz. I love the movies, yes, but nothing compares to the books. They’re fun and wacky.

The Buffy references? Excellent. The algebra struggles? I. Get. It. Mia’s anxiety? I FEEL IT. I can’t believe it took me so long to actually get a reread in, but since it’s been so long, it’s harder to remember everything that happened. It feels just a little like I’m reading for the first time, content-wise, but all the warm and fuzzies are loud and proud.

~~~

So there you have it! Such good reads this month, and I’m very happy about that.

My goal for the year was twenty books, since that’s what I was able to reach last year with my lower goal of twelve. I can’t believe I got there already! Granted, nine of the twenty are rereads, but I don’t think I’ll have a problem finding 9 new reads for the rest of the year. Already working on one now!

Currently burning through The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena.