What did you read in ~~ April 2021

[Alias Reader]

Here is the Folder to tell us what your monthly reads for April 2021 were.

Please provide:
~ A GoodReads link
~ A few sentences telling us how you felt about the book.
~ How would you rate the book

[Alias Reader]

My April reads:


A Bookshop in Berlin by Françoise Frenkel
Non fiction - Memoir
Rate: 4/5
Audio Book- Narrator: Jilly Bond
I enjoyed this memoir and the narrator was very good. It's about a Jewish women from Poland whose dream is to open a French book shop. She opens one in Berlin. Then in 1938 she is forced to flee. Her tale is harrowing and inspirational.

The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas
Fiction- Young Adult
Rating: 3/5
The Hate U Give” takes its title and central philosophy from a concept espoused by Tupac Shakur, who had “THUG LIFE” tattooed in capital letters on his torso, that phrase was an acronym for a vicious cycle of societal violence. Stands for “The Hate U Give Little Infants F***'s Everybody. The book is a 5 star amazon book and also was made into a movie. The novel was good but being a YA book it was too simplistic and lacked nuance. I also thought it should have been edited down from almost 500 pages.
The story revolves around the main character, Starr, who is with a friend when they are pulled over driving home from a party. The police officer shoots and kills her unarmed friend who was driving the car.

Keep Sharp: Build a Better Brain at Any Age by Sanjay Gupta
Audio book- Narrator: Author
Non Fiction-
Rate: 3/5
Good book on what to do to avoid declining brain health. You basically already know the drill: sleep, exercise, reduce stress, eat well etc. This book gives you the facts and motivation to do it. It was the perfect book to listen to while on the treadmill at the gym.

The 30-Day Alzheimer's Solution: The Definitive Food and Lifestyle Guide to Preventing Cognitive Decline Dean Sherzai
Rate: 3/5
Non Fiction
Book includes vegan recipes and what to do to help you avoid cognitive decline. There are many YouTube videos by the authors. Here is one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymvn4...

The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
Fiction- Thriller
Rate: 3/5
I read this for the NY Times book club. It's an interesting book. Though it dragged in parts and became a bit repetitive. I found the ending to be unsatisfying. Also it was a bit too unbelievable. The main character is a sociopath who murders and takes on the identity of one of his victims.
I would not read more in the series. However, I did enjoy the YouTube discussion given by the NY Times.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uizi_...

Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future by Elizabeth Kolbert
Non Fiction
Rate: 5/5
This book is by the Pulitzer Prize winning author of the excellent
The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History.
Under a White Sky is about people trying to solve problems created by people trying to solve problems. The result is environmental disaster. The book is well written, informative and eye opening. A must read.

[Petra]

Alias, you've had an interesting month of reading.

I'm intrigued by Under A White Sky and A Bookshop In Berlin. I'm so far behind my TBR list that I haven't read The Sixth Extinction yet.

[Alias Reader]

Petra, I promise you won't be disappointed in The Sixth Extinction: An Unnatural History or Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future

A Book shop in Berlin was good. However, if you haven't read Suite Française by Irène Némirovsky I would read that first.

[Petra]

Here are my reads for April:

Jonny Appleseed (audio; 3-star) - a young, two-spirited Indigenous man tries to make the best life for himself that he can and learn to understand his world with acceptance.
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Tricky Twenty-Two (audio; 4-star) - I haven't read a Stephanie Plum book in quite some time now. I really enjoyed the antics in this book as I jogged about town.
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

A Quiet Place (4-star) - I enjoy the stories told by Japanese authors. There's a lot of culture, social structure and way of thinking in these stories that bring an exotic twist to the story telling.
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Ilsa (3-star) - I enjoy a good Southern story. This one started out strongly but stalled a bit by the end. It seemed that the characters weren't moving forward with life.
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The Cancer Code (audio; 4-star) - filled with newer revelations about Cancer, how it works, the treatments, new discoveries. Told in a straightforward manner and very interesting to read.
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Alias Reader]

The synopsis of A Quiet Place sounds very interesting, Petra. I'm adding it to my TBR notebook. Thanks !

I follow Jason Fung, author of The Cancer Code, on YouTube. I follow him for his Time Restricted Eating videos and it's health benefits.

[madrano]

Alias, it looks as though you had a healthy reading month. I liked Bookshop in Berlin but didn't love it. Like you, i feel Nemirovsky's book was better. Frenkel's journey was good, however.

I won't even tell Dan your thoughts on the Highsmith novel. That book set him on a Highsmith journey he is still traveling. He's read all in that series, several other novels and a couple of collections of short stories. He really, really likes her. Me? More along your thoughts. Shhh...we won't tell. :-)

From the Goodreads write up of the Kolbet book,
"...engineers who are turning carbon emissions to stone in Iceland..." I'm in, just for that!

[madrano]

Petra, i'm pleased to see you enjoyed the Seichō Matsumoto as much as i did. From there i read Inspector Imanishi Investigates. He wrote deliberate, contemplative mysteries, which continue to intrigue decades after his death.

I'm drawn to the Joshua Whitehead book, thanks to your review. Thank you.

[madrano]

In April i completed one DL and others i'd been awaiting over a month.

The DL was The North Water--Ian McGuire. This storytelling reminded me of Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian, or the Evening Redness in the West, with its graphic descriptions of blood and gore. The story was a good one and i do so enjoy whaling books. :-)

Barbara favorably reviewed The Rose Code--Kate Quinn, so i tracked it down. This is about WWII women who worked at Bletchley Park. I felt Quinn gave great descriptions of the work, the requirements and the women. Overall, my only complaint is that at times i felt as though it rambled. Fortunately not too often...or, it could be i was just impatient. That happens of late.

Eartheater--Dolores Reyes is a short coming-of-age book set in modern day Argentina. A brother & sister live alone, as the adults in their lives leave or die. They are teens and manage. The title character (that is the only name readers are given) has an ability to be able to see what has happened to missing people by eating a bit of dirt they frequented. Some people pay her for that. Different story, i must add, which kept me with it.

In my continuing effort to read books i own that i don't believe i want to keep, i read Stars in Your Eyes by Emilie Loring, who was a popular writer in the 40s and 50s. This book is mostly set in Mexico where the lead character, Kay, is helping her just divorced brother and US consul, with his young daughter. On her way there, Kay is forced to marry when she runs into some bandits. Was the marriage legal? Will Kay end up falling for her new husband? Set just prior to WWII, it was interesting to read about some of the intrigue Germany was trying to ply in order to turn Mexico against the US as a distraction to the action in Europe.

Finally, i just ran across The Bone Collector and decided to read it. It was the first in Jeffery Deaver's series about Lincoln Rhymes. I'm not a fan of remarkably informed detectives, so didn't love this one. However, the notion of a detective who is paralyzed was interesting to explore.

[Hailey]

Hello everyone. In April, I finished reading two books. The Titan's Curse and A Silent Voice Volume 1.

With The Titan's Curse, I thought there were quite a few great twists that I legitimately didn't see coming.

With A Silent Voice, I really liked how well it set up everything and how interested the main character is in redeeming himself. I'm definitely interested in picking up the next volume.

[Simon]

I managed to read three (3) books in April. They are:

- The Royal Governess: A Novel of Queen Elizabeth II’s Childhood by Wendy Holden

- Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

- Remember Me: A Spanish Civil War Novel by Mario Escobar

[Petra]

madrano wrote: "Petra, i'm pleased to see you enjoyed the Seichō Matsumoto as much as i did. From there i read Inspector Imanishi Investigates. He wrote deliberate, contemplative myste..."

Deb, I read Inspector Imanishi a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it. Seichō Matsumoto is a good author who writes interesting, involved stories.

[Alias Reader]

madrano wrote: I won't even tell Dan your thoughts on the Highsmith novel. That book set him on a Highsmith journey he is still traveling. He's read all in that series, several other novels and a couple of collections of short stories. He really, really likes her. Me? More along your thoughts. Shhh...we won't tell. :-)
==========
From the Goodreads write up of the Kolbet book,
"...engineers who are turning carbon emissions to stone in Iceland..." I'm in, just for that!
--------------------------------------

:) Since he is a big fan, you should share the NY Times discussion of the author with him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uizi_...

As to Kolberts second book, just to read about the idea of "seeding the atmosphere with something like diamonds or other compounds into the stratosphere to stop global warming is fascinating to read about. Apparently this is seriously under consideration and has received funding. Though it would have to be done continuously and forever. The cost? Don't ask. What if at some point we would stop ? Really, don't ask. What if we over did it ? Nope, super don't ask.

[Petra]

madrano wrote: "Eartheater--Dolores Reyes is a short coming-of-age book ..."

I first read that title as Ear Heater. LOL!

Deb, you've had a great reading month.

The North Water sounds interesting. I'm sometimes put off with too much blood and gore....but I may have a look for this one and give it a try.

Many years ago, I read through the Lincoln Rhyme series (as far as it went in those days) and quite enjoyed them. I enjoyed the interactions between the team members and watching their relationships grow as they (and we) got to know each other.

[Petra]

Hailey, it sounds like your books really pulled you in. That's wonderful.

[Petra]

Annie, that's an incredible listing! I'm glad you had the time (and energy) to read this much last month.

[Petra]

Simon, Before We Were Yours has been on my radar. I hope to pick it up soon.
Is the book about Queen Elizabeth the memoir recently written by one of her ladies in waiting?
Nice list of books.

[Alias Reader]

madrano wrote: "In April i completed one DL and others i'd been awaiting over a month.

The DL was The North Water--Ian McGuire. This storytelling reminded me of [author:Cormac McC..."

I shy away from gore so have taken a hard pass on McCarthy.

You had nice eclectic month, deb. Congrats on completing another DL (Determination List) book.

[Alias Reader]

Hailey wrote: "Hello everyone. In April, I finished reading two books. The Titan's Curse and A Silent Voice Volume 1.

With The Titan's Curse, I thought there were quite a few great twists that I legitimately di..."

Cute cover on The Silent Voice.

[Alias Reader]

Annie wrote: "I read many books this month April that I'm very proud of cuz I had school and I was doing Camp NaNoWriMo and didn't have enough time... (I didn't study much tho...) I mostly read Middle- Grade the..."

Wow ! You certainly had a good April. How you managed that and school, I can't imagine. Congratulations.

[Alias Reader]

Simon wrote: "I managed to read three (3) books in April. They are:

- The Royal Governess: A Novel of Queen Elizabeth II’s Childhood by Wendy Holden

- Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

- Remember Me: A S..."

Simon, what did you think of Before We Were Yours ?

I know it's a bestseller and has a incredible 31,000 plus reviews on Amazon.

[John]

madrano wrote: "Petra, i'm pleased to see you enjoyed the Seichō Matsumoto as much as i did. From there i read Inspector Imanishi Investigates. He wrote deliberate, contemplative myste..."

I bought the Imanishi book a while ago when you referenced it, hoping to get to it this year!

With your strong interest in whaling, have you ever been to Nantucket (home of writer Nathaniel Philbrick)? The Whaling Museum there seems right up your alley! My mother likes to remind tourist that the town is an example of women running the show almost 200 years ago while so many men were away.

[Hailey]

Alias Reader wrote: "Hailey wrote: "Hello everyone. In April, I finished reading two books. The Titan's Curse and A Silent Voice Volume 1.

With The Titan's Curse, I thought there were quite a few great twists that I ..."

Hi Alias. I know right? This year, to help me meet my reading goal, I've decided to read some of the books that have been on my TBR list for quite some time for various reasons (i.e time constraints, unable to get my hands on a copy, etc). A Silent Voice Volume 1 has been on their since about 2018.

I'm currently reading Simon Vs. The Homosapians Agenda (another book that was on my TBR list) and when I finish it and I'm able to get my hands on a copy, I would really like to check out the next volume of A Silent Voice.

[Alias Reader]

Hailey, good for you for tackling your TBR list. Good luck with your reading goals.

[madrano]

Hailey, the Yoshitoki Ōima manga story sounds very good. Thanks for calling it to our attention. Bullying is something we need to explore to find remedies and/or coping skills.

[madrano]

Annie, you had a great reading month. How you managed to do Camp NaNoWriMo as well as read so much is beyond me. Congratulations. My daughter used NaNoWriMo for a couple of years, getting in the habit of writing regularly. While that was fiction, she did write a nonfiction, as a result of the steady writing habits of the NaNo project. Well done, Annie.
https://ywp.nanowrimo.org/pages/camp-...

And thanks for sharing about the Scarlet & Ivy series by Sophie Cleverly. Sounds good. Same for Kristin Mahoney's Annie's Life In Lists. It sounds like a good book for an inveterate list maker such as myself. :-)

[madrano]

Simon, your reviews of those books you read were informative. I wish GR had one link for each person who wrote reviews. It would be so handy. ANYway, thanks for the post & reminder of the quality books you read in April.

[madrano]

Petra wrote: "I first read that title as Ear Heater. LOL! ..."

LOL--this year we could have used some ear heating!

I agree with your comment on the Deaver book. Watching the understanding between team members was a highlight of Bone Collector.

[Hailey]

Alias Reader wrote: "Hailey, good for you for tackling your TBR list. Good luck with your reading goals."

Thanks Alias!

[madrano]

Alias, thanks for that link. I passed it on to Dan. I hope he watches, as i think it would be neat for him to hear what others thought of that book.

Alias Reader wrote: "As to Kolberts second book, just to read about the idea of "seeding the atmosphere with something like diamonds or other compounds into the stratosphere to stop global warming is fascinating to read about. Apparently this is seriously under consideration and has received funding. Though it would have to be done continuously and forever. The cost? Don't ask. What if at some point we would stop ? Really, don't ask. What if we over did it ? Nope, super don't ask. ..."

Wow. The idea alone is remarkable. That governments consider it intrigues. But that it would need to be ongoing at super-expense? Anything to control our use, right? Yikes!

Btw, i usually feel the same way about blood & gore books. And i don't enter them lightly. The McCarthy b&g took me by surprise but by that point i was in love with his use of our language, i wasn't willing to stop. PattyMac warned about the b&g of North Water, so i knew what was ahead, although i didn't expect the crudeness of the characters. But it seemed reasonable acts to me, so i understood. An Ugly Reality.

Ultimately, i'd rather pass on b&g, but here i sit with Blood Meridian, or the Evening Redness in the Westas one of the best books i've read.

[madrano]

John wrote: "With your strong interest in whaling, have you ever been to Nantucket (home of writer Nathaniel Philbrick)? The Whaling Museum there seems right up your alley! My mother likes to remind tourist that the town is an example of women running the show almost 200 years ago while so many men were away...."

We haven't been to that museum, but it's on our list. We hope to see it this summer, as we are spending time "up north", away from Dallas humidity.

I'm a sucker anyway for maritime museums. There was a small one in Carmel, California, which charmed me due to it's whale rib hanging from the ceiling. :-)

[John]

Here are my April reads, other than ones in my challenge thread linked to reviews there:

In My Mind's Eye: A Thought Diary by Jan Morris ⭐⭐⭐

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...



Up From the Blue by Susan Henderson ⭐⭐⭐

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
w_page=1



A Chip Shop in Poznań by Ben Aitken ⭐⭐⭐⭐

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...



Paper: Paging Through History by Mark Kurlansky ⭐⭐⭐⭐

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...



Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata ⭐⭐

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Alias Reader]

I see it was a mixed month for you, John.
I enjoyed reading your reviews as they are honest and help to steer me away from books that wouldn't be for me. With so many books and so little time, as they say, that is a big help.

[madrano]

Your comments on Paper hit upon something i have mixed feelings about as i read such books. I come to such a book with the idea of learning about a specific topic, such as Paper, in this one. I'm fine if an author strays usually, and often find those bits as appealing as the original topic itself. However, there is a limit. It sounds as though Kurlansky may have crossed that line too often with this one. Well written, John.

As we've discussed on one of this threads, i liked the Murata but, for some odd reason i didn't see her as on the Spectrum. This may be why i was more pleased with the book, because i kept trying to figure her out. To me she just seemed like a very lost young woman.

As usual your direct comments are useful to us all. Thanks.

[John]

Thanks for your comments! Paper challenged my attention-span, which is more my issue than his writing.

[Marie]

Well these are my April reads and I had 10 that I read this month.

The House on Fisher Street by Amy Cross - 4 stars. This one is about three friends that break into a house and the house is booby trapped.
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Shadows and Blood by William Massa - 5 stars.
This Hexecutioner series is really good and this installment was about vampires.
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Haunted: Possession by Lee Mountford - 5 stars. Another creepy book in this series which was about a priest that was possessed and the paranormal investigators had to figure out what to do for the priest.
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Grad Night by - 5 stars.
This story was about teenagers that do some twisted things on graduation night.
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

A Place So Wicked by - debut author - 4 stars. Haunted house story with some twists!
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The Pope Lick Massacre by - debut author - 5 stars. This story was about a camp for boy scouts and things go wrong quick.
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The Devil's Apprentice by - 5 stars. This installment was about a psycho that collects heads. (Sounds bad I know but the hero of the story dishes out justice).
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

by Jeff DeGordick - 3 stars. This book is in a series and the first two books were really good - this one not so much, but I read it anyway as I wanted to see what would happen. It is more or less about a man that can change the reality of what is within his house to another reality. Kind of like a twilight zone take with this story.
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Dark Halls by Jeff Menapace - 5 stars. This story is about a haunted school and an entity that resides there.
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The Horror of Devil's Root Lake by Amy Cross - 3 stars. (Been reading Amy Cross more as I have a friend that really likes her books so we have been buddy reading some of her work). This one fell off the mark though as for one thing there is lots of time jumps and I thought the book would be spooky, but there are no spooks here! lol
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

That is all the reads this month but some good ones and a couple of iffy ones. lol :)

Well I see I accidentally linked the pics of some of the authors - normally it automatically goes to their links. Oh well - sorry about that. lol

[Alias Reader]

Thanks for sharing, Marie. Your list will be a good resource for those that like the genre.

[madrano]

What a crop of books for April, Marie! The series called "Hexecutioner is a wonderful title.

Of course i liked the "Five "teacher twisted" stars!" rating for Grad Night.

Only having two 3-star books out of 10 books is pretty darned good. Reading one of them (Dark Halls) in 24 hours tells us it's a goodie!

Glad you shared with us.

[Marie]

Alias Reader wrote: "Thanks for sharing, Marie. Your list will be a good resource for those that like the genre."

You are welcome, Alias! I hope so Alias as I don't think there are many horror readers within this group. 😁

[Marie]

madrano wrote: "What a crop of books for April, Marie! The series called "Hexecutioner is a wonderful title.

Of course i liked the "Five "teacher twisted" stars!" rating for Grad Night.

Only having two 3-star b..."

That series of the Hexecutioner is a really cool series as it combines magic and might within its pages. The character that is the Hexecutioner is able to perform some fantastic feats to accomplish his goals of seeing justice served. I have really been enjoying reading that series. :)

The Grad Night book definitely was twisted and I literally flew through that book! lol

Always fun to post my reads in this group! Thanks for letting me share my twisted reads in here - you guys rock! :)

[madrano]

Right back at ya, Marie. I used to read horror but I scared myself silly, so slowedway down. Actually, the turn of events began with my husband and i moving into old homes. LOL —too real to me!

[Marie]

madrano wrote: "Right back at ya, Marie. I used to read horror but I scared myself silly, so slowedway down. Actually, the turn of events began with my husband and i moving into old homes. LOL —too real to me!"

No spooks for you, Madrano! lol 👻👻

[madrano]

Indeed!

Five cowardly stars for me!