April 2020 Monthly Reading Wrap Up

[Jessica]

It’s time for another Monthly Reading Wrap Up! I definitely put a dent in my TBR pile with the extra time at home!

This month I read…

Infinity Son by Adam Silvera- I’m a huge fan of Adam Silvera, but this one was a little disappointing. One of the things Adam has always done best in my opinion is adding a small element of sci-fi into a world we already know, the memory erasing procedure in More Happy Than Not for example. I expected a fully fleshed out sci-fi world in this book, but I got a large amount of sci-fi placed into our world. Adam would have done better to create a whole new world rather than place the lore of phoenixs and spell casters into our world. It wasn’t terrible, but I don’t know that I’m hooked enough to read the sequel.

Beartown by Fredrik Backman- Another book by an author I’m a huge fan of, but this one didn’t disappoint at all. This was a little different than Backman’s other titles, but it was just as good. I love the way he writes his characters and that he is able to show how events in someone's life build into who they are as humans. I highly recommend this one.

This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen- What I can say about this one other than that it’s a Sarah Dessen novel? Girl meets boy that isn’t who she would normally go for, they fall in love, have a falling out, and come back together for a happy ending. I’ve begun to realize Dessen’s novels are quite formulamatic, but she does write fun stories and likeable characters that make for a nice light read every now and then.

A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult- For a book about an active shooter/hostage situation this book lacked suspense and forward plot movement, however it does start at the end and works its way backward through the story. It was interesting to see the events that led each character to the clinic that day, however after a while it got repetitive and stale plot wise and just didn’t keep my interest.

What did you read this month? Be sure to share down below!

Happy Reading!

[Erin]

According to the goodread count, I did ten in April. The two which got five stars are:

The Immortals (Olympus Bound #1) by Jordana Max Brosky - This was read for my book club. I loved how it could be read at two level - one action-pack punching and the other a exploration of literary themes, historical myths, and emotional connections overriding better judgement. Usually you got to trade of "candy book" for "brain book" - it is not often both are together for a good balanced meal!

Weathering the Storm by Dylan Birtolo - I've enjoyed the novellas as they were released individually and am glad they've been released in one collection (Saga of Ichirin) - if you are going to start now, you should just get the whole collection in one go. I love the Urban Fantasy action team with a FEMALE lead that isn't about sex and romance, but about the monster smashing. In addition, it is a PoC story with the lead being of Japanese descent and the monsters fought likewise.

[Jessica]

Erin wrote: "According to the goodread count, I did ten in April. The two which got five stars are:

The Immortals (Olympus Bound #1) by Jordana Max Brosky - This was read for my book club. I loved how it could..."

The Immortals sounds particularly interesting! I love your review, you are correct that it's hard to find books that balance between a "candy book" and "brain book". (Love these terms you used! I'm going to start using these descriptors myself!)

Thanks so much for sharing Erin!