A quarter of the year has come and gone. It has gone by pretty quickly although there were times when it felt glacial. April was a good month though, although the weather more times than not, made it feel more like January. But inclement weather is always good for reading, and it shows in this month’s total. I managed to read 18 books this past month, which is amazing to me. Although I did read several that were fairly short, there were also some long ones.
As usual I will be listing the books in the order that I read them. If I wrote a review I will link it to the title (look for the *), otherwise the title will be linked to its Goodreads page. I am also going to do something new this year and at the end tell you which one or two were my favorites of the month. Well let’s get to it!
*The Malevolent Seven was such a lot of fun, even though it was very dark and there was lots of violence. I still enjoyed the main character and the story. I really hope there will be another one.
A Ghost of Caribou is the third in the Alex Carter series. This one was set in Washington state, and it was pretty good. I love how Alex is able to get herself out of some pretty tough situations.
Beautiful Darkness is the second book in the Caster chronicles and was just as enjoyable as the first one. I really like the audiobooks, they are really well done.
Disaster Inc is the first book in the Bunny McGarry Stateside series and was really quite amusing. The plot was well done and I hope to get back to this series soon.
Standing by the Wall feels a little bit like a cheat and maybe I shouldn’t count it. I had read many of the short stories previous to this coming out and so skipped them. So I technically only read 1/3 of this one at this time. But I did read all of it over time.
*The Late Mrs Willoughby was the second in the Mr Darcy and Miss Tilney series. I think I might have liked this one a bit more than the first, as I don’t think you needed to really know the characters from Jane Austen as much this time around.
The Librarian’s Vampire Assistant bk 2 was just as much fun as book one. Although Michael did get on my nerve a bit more this time around.
*Marion Lane and the Midnight Murder was a reread, but I did the audiobook this time. It was just as much fun as when I first read it. I am reading the third book in the series in May, so wanted to refresh my memory and I am glad I did, I had forgotten so much.
The Librarian’s Vampire Assistant bk 3, got a little tiresome, but I still enjoyed it. I loved the little twist in the story line, but the dialogue needs a lot of work. Two more books to go, but I needed a little bit of a break.
*Perilous Times was good, but suffered a bit with the length and with the continuous preaching about climate change. But I liked the premise and the execution was quite good.
The Adventures of Amina Al-Surafi also suffered a bit because of the length. But I still enjoyed the characters and the story. I am undecided about continuing the series if there is another one.
The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet was a bit of a disappointment. I did enjoy learning about all of the different species and their cultures, and the author was quite creative with them, but there really wasn’t any kind of plot? Or at least an overall one. I just needed more than what I got to really enjoy this one.
Stealing Infinity was a lot of fun, even though it was a bit dark. I especially liked the idea of going back in time to steal important art works. I have started book two and so far I am liking it.
*Witch King was wonderful in that it totally immersed you in a world unlike our own with characters that you like immediately and a plot that will keep you guessing and reading long into the night.
A Rover’s Story was a middle grade book that I listened to and enjoyed. I liked the descriptions of what it is like on Mars for rovers, and it was a nice touch to have a young girl writing to the rover over the course of the book.
It Ends at Midnight was a great book to end the month on. It was another one that I had a hard time putting down, and it kept me guessing as to who dies until the very end.
My Favorites of the Month
It was tough to choose as I read a lot of good books this month. But I finally settled on these two for their dark setting and characters that you really didn’t like, but couldn’t get enough of.
If We Were Villains is about a group of theater students who are very self absorbed and are not really very likable. One of them ends up dead and there is a slow build up as to who is to blame. I really liked the Shakespeare analogies and quotes that really fit in with the story as well as the dual timelines of past and present. The audiobook was well done and the narrator was perfect.
*Bad Summer People also gets a nod for the best this month, because of really unlikable characters and the multiple points of view that often showed the same event from the different perspectives. It was another book in which we know someone dies at the start of the book, but we don’t know who or why or even how until the end. It was a lot of fun guessing who it might be and my choices changed over the course of the book. This would make a perfect beach read as it is fairly short, but totally riveting. This one also got a few extra points for that cover!
I hope you have enjoyed taking this trip down memory lane with me. I am looking forward to my reading in May as I have many fine books sitting on my bedside table and ARCs on my ipad, just waiting for me to dive in. I hope you all had a fantastic reading month both in April and upcoming in May. Until next time…
Confessions of a Serial Reader 