April was a great reading month for me! I didn’t start the year strong but am back in the swing. Here are my stats for April. By the way, I used the Bookly app to keep track of all my reading. My only monthly goal is to read at least 20 minutes a day. I am a strong mood reader, too. There are books I would like to get to throughout the month, but honestly, the library determines what books I read when the library loans come through.
I read a lot of good books this month. I read eight books and listened to one audiobook. Count My Lies was my audiobook, which I would have read, but I wasn’t going to pay that much for a thriller. Count My Lies was a book club pick and a relatively new book. Yes, I joined a book club to discuss books with others and start making bookish friends. I can’t believe I read 43 hours during this busy month, but I enjoyed most of the books I read.
I already wrote a post about Say You’ll Remember Me, so that I won’t discuss it that much here. I’m glad I’m not the only one who felt that way about the book. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t the best book. I did DNF Body Check by Elle Kennedy because it wasn’t giving me the hockey romance I wanted or needed. It wasn’t a bad book, and I wasn’t enjoying the story’s start.
Here are the best books I read in April:
- Yellowface by R.F. Kuang (4.75⭐) had me in a chokehold, giving me a five-star feeling until I read the last page. It covered all the bases with mystery, deceit, and beautiful writing. I like a complete ending, and I don’t like ambiguity. I know this doesn’t bother most people, but I would have loved it much more if this book had a definitive ending.
- Beg, Borrow, or Steal by Sarah Adams (4.5⭐) made me warm and fuzzy. I loved the main characters because they were both filled with personality. The relationship was well-fleshed out and natural. The author wanted to add depth to Jackson with his family issues, which fell flat with me but didn’t ruin the character for me. Jackson’s family struggles were just a way of presenting a conflict that wasn’t very high stakes, which shouldn’t have been because this is a light romantic comedy book. This book was my favorite of the When in Rome series. I must add this to my bookshelf or at least my Kindle.
- Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (4.5⭐) stuck with me long after I finished. The book’s pacing moved slowly, keeping me interested the whole time. It was interesting to go through the different stages of Demon’s life and see how all the people he met along the way made a difference in his life. I’ve been told this is a retelling of David Copperfield, but I never read that, so I can’t compare this book to the source work. I loved how I was rooting for a character, even when he was making stupid decisions. I loved how this story is rooted in how the opioid crisis has destroyed middle America, and how sometimes people don’t matter in the corporate scheme. Demon Copperhead is a story of mistakes, redemption, perseverance, and real life that will stay with you long after you close the book.
- Collide by Bal Khabra (4.5⭐) is a hockey romance that surprised me. I will admit I love a hockey romance because these books tend to be a bit smutty, and there’s no greater boyfriend than a hockey boyfriend. I love seeing a hockey man being humbled by a woman and becoming a golden retriever love interest. But this book took me by surprise because there was a lot of depth to both main characters. Outside of the romance, the story was engaging and fast-paced, and of course, there were lots of smutty scenes for me. I couldn’t put this book down. I came across this book by accident, but I loved it. I would recommend it to anyone who loves romance. Now I’m sucked into another hockey series, but I’m not mad about this one.
- Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros (4 ⭐) was a solid book. I HATED Iron Flame, and it had us questioning why I was reading this series. I was in no hurry to read Onyx Storm, but my library loan came through early, so I took a chance. This book didn’t feel like 758 pages because it started right where we left off in the last book. In the previous book, I thought we were going nowhere in the plot, but this book kept things moving forward. Don’t get me wrong, there were parts of this book that could have been cut, but I felt a deeper connection to all the characters, their motives, and what was happening in the world. I became invested in the story with this book.
My final thoughts
April was a solid reading month. Even when I was super busy, I was still thinking about reading. It’s been a long time since I had to make myself stop reading for the night. It’s nice to have that feeling back. It’s also nice to have some books that made me think about life and our interactions with others. But at the same time, I could enjoy some lighter reads that just made me giggle and laugh. It’s all about balance, and I had a balanced reading month this month.
