Which books are worth the read and which should you skip? Find out what books I’ve been reading lately and whether I recommend them.
Did you know that I have a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics?
Growing up, I always wanted to be a mathematician. I loved the concrete nature of math – how answers were so black and white in a grey world.
It’s not something I talk about much because I don’t use it much, other than to tutor the neighborhood kids from time to time. So why am I mentioning it now?
My April reading list might give you a clue. As a book blogger, I do my best to stay up-to-date on all the hottest new releases. However, I’ve found that if all I do is read new releases (with the deadlines that come with them), I start to lose the joy of reading.
That’s why my monthly reading list always has several backlist books. These are the books I read just for me. So, while you might not care about a 500-page statistics primer or an explanation of the 2008 financial crisis, I found them fascinating.
So this is my reminder to read what you want despite what anyone else thinks!
April Reading List
Mother May I
Joshilyn Jackson
Bree Cabbat wakes up one more to find a witch looking in through her window. She shakes it off as a nightmare, but then she experiences every mother’s worst nightmare: her baby boy is abducted. Instead of a ransom note, she finds a message telling her to follow the instructions to get him back, forcing her to decide how far she will go for her child.
Mother May I starts strong, with great twists and shocking moments, and then settles into an investigation story that, while more predictable, was still compelling enough to carry me through the story. A fun little thriller perfect for a quick summer read.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from William Morrow Books. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
My Rating:
Publication Date: 6 April 2021
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Margreete’s Harbor
Eleanor Morse
When Margreete’s dementia becomes too bad to allow her to live alone, her daughter Liddie moves her family from Michigan to the coast of Maine. There they struggle with the changing family dynamics and the tumultuous events of the 1960s. Margreete’s Harbor is a literary family drama with a pace so slow that I found it downright boring. Although many reviewers love this character-driven story, I felt the narration jumped too frequently between characters, leaving me with just a glancing understanding instead of the deep connection I craved.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
My Rating:
Publication Date: 20 April 2021
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Sustainable Minimalism
Stephanie Marie Seferian
Instead of simply decluttering and then refilling your house only to declutter again, Seferian wants you to break the consumption cycle. Blending minimalist living with an eco-friendly lifestyle, Sustainable Minimalism gives tips and suggestions to lower your carbon footprint and reduce the amount of waste you produce.
Similar to Bea Johnson’s Zero Waste Home without being quite as judgemental, Seferian acknowledges the privilege needed to enact many eco-friendly measures, yet encourages you to start with small affordable steps. While some of her remarks are pretty extreme (no more air travel, foraging for food), she focuses her attention on more actionable items like composting and alternatives to single-use plastics.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
My Rating:
Publication Date: 19 January 2021
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When the Stars Go Dark
Paula McLain
After a personal tragedy, Anna Hart leaves her life as a missing persons detective in San Francisco to return home to Mendocino, California. When she arrives, she gets drawn into the case of a local missing teen, one that is hauntingly similar to an unsolved murder from her childhood.
Known for her historical fiction (The Paris Wife, Circling the Sun), Paula McLain successfully tries her hand at the mystery & thriller genre. When the Stars Go Dark is a character study of a cop haunted by her own traumas who sees herself in the victims. Instead of page-turning action, you get a slow atmospheric build-up similar to Liz Moore’s Long Bright River.
My Rating:
Publication Date: 13 April 2021
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From the Backlist
Rules of Civility
Amor Towles
On New Year’s Eve 1937, Katey Kontent and her roommate Eve Ross meet a handsome young banker named Tinker Grey. Over the next year, Katey’s friendship with Tinker will introduce her to the upper echelons of Manhattan society, altering the course of her life. Despite its gorgeous prose and enveloping setting, I didn’t love this one quite as much as I expected, feeling it lacked the spark of A Gentleman in Moscow. Don’t get me wrong, Rules of Civility is certainly worth a place on your reading list.
My Rating:
Publication Date: 26 July 2011
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The Big Short
Michael Lewis
The U.S. stock market crash in 2008 sparked a great recession that affected a generation. Michael Lewis explains that the real crash came a year earlier in the bond and real estate derivatives markets. The Big Short follows four Wall Street outsiders who predicted the credit and housing bubble collapse and made loads of cash doing so. At first, I had a hard time keeping the characters straight while listening to the audiobook. However, once I got into it, I was hooked. Michael Lewis does an excellent job taking dense material and turning it into an easily understood, compelling character-driven drama.
My Rating:
Publication Date: 15 March 2010
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The Signal and the Noise
Nate Silver
Why do most predictions, even those from experts, fail? From earthquakes to poker to political elections, statistician Nate Silver uses interesting case studies to explain probability and uncertainty and to demonstrate why predictions are often wrong. Though the book is numbers-heavy and a little too long, Silver does a great job simplifying the information for the average reader.
My Rating:
Publication Date: 27 September 2012
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Work Optional
Tanja Hester
You don’t have to wait until your 65 to live the life you want. Blogger Tanja Hester teaches you how to reach financial independence and retire early without pinching pennies, going into detail on things like health insurance and investment options. If early retirement is something you’ve considered, Work Optional will answer all your questions, and even some you hadn’t thought to ask.
Although Work Optional didn’t exactly get me fired up, it did a great job explaining the practical details of early retirement. I loved that she begins by forcing you to consider what you want your life to look like, giving you alternatives to full-on early retirement and helping you tailor your plan to your unique vision. The book is extremely numbers-heavy, so I would suggest a physical copy over the audiobook.
My Rating:
Publication Date: 12 February 2019
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Getting Things Done
David Allen
David Allen suggests that your productivity is directly related to your ability to relax. By clearing your mind and organizing your thoughts into lists, you can get more done, all while staying stress-free. Getting Things Done is referenced in almost all the productivity books I’ve read. While the core advice is solid, the book strongly shows its age, spending an inordinate amount of time on filing cabinets.
My Rating:
Publication Date: 2001
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The Wild Robot Escapes
Peter Brown
After being shipwrecked on an island, Rozzum Unit 7134 became a wild robot. After being severely damaged in The Wild Robot, Roz returned to the factory for repairs and is then sent to work on a farm. Roz still remembers all her time on the island and desperately plans her escape so she can return. Although I thought it lacked the originality of the previous book, my kids loved the continuing adventures of Roz and her daring escape and were content with the happily-ever-after ending.
My Rating:
My Kids’ Rating:
Publication Date: 2017
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My To-Read List
What’s up next for me? Before I let you go, here are a few of the titles I’m hoping to get through this upcoming month.
Be sure to come back in May to see which ones I read.
Which Books Did You Read in April?
What books did you love this month? Which books did you hate? As always, let me know in the comments!
More Book Lists to Enjoy:
Ann says
I read What’s Mine And Yours by Naima Coster. It was my March BOTM, but I have been slower reading because my daughter had flown home from Brazil to get vaccinated. We have been doing some “running around.” I just realized I had not reviewed it yet on my bookshelf ratings and when I went to do so, I almost could not remember what it was about. That’s never a good sign! Quite frankly, that title kept eluding me. I liked it okay, but haven’t been really enthusiastic about a book in a while. Currently reading Good Company by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney and feeling about the same. Will read Home by Marilynne Robinson soon. That is part of the Gilead series that Oprah’s Book Club is reading. Gilead was the best thing I’d read in a while. I like that the books are about the same characters from different perspectives. Oprah poses the question: Can we go home again? That is a whopper. So you see a trend in my reading. Maybe I am being a little too influenced by recent releases and book club reads & need to just branch out. Although I do enjoy a good book club recommendation. I have People We Meet On Vacation and Fire Keeper’s Daughter (which was supposed to be for my 19 year old) sitting in the wings. About to go for my second vaccine today. Scared! Hope I’ll feel up to reading.
Rachael says
I know exactly what you mean by being swayed by celebrity book club picks. You assume they must be amazing since they were hand selected, but they are generally a little more hit or miss than I’d like. Hope your second vaccination went well!
Deanna says
In April I read, “The Winemaker’s Daughter” by Timothy Egan. He’s a local author from Seattle. Next I read, “The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires” by Grady Hendrix”, which was a fun read with a friend. Now I just started Kristin Hannah’s “The Four Winds”
Terra W says
April for me was…
– ReRead a fav… I changed this one to be a “book about Sports” as its the theme I missed last year and read “Lift: Fitness Culture, From Naked Greeks and Acrobats to Jazzercise and Ninja Warriors” By Daniel Kunitz
– Own Voices Story : “Six Of Crows” by Leigh Bardugo
– Published in the 1800s : “Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” by Robert Louis Stevenson
– Local Author.. Changed this one. I was looking at another book theme list and I came across one that said “Passes the Bechdel test”.. Omg what the heck is that?!? lmao… So I googled it, read the description and found a book list of said books – on that list was “Case Histories” by Kate Atkinson and I have that book so that’s what I chose to do – I’m about halfway done 🙂 (still on track! LOL)
Rachael says
I love that you are switching out categories from the Reading Challenge!
Deborah Austin says
“Broke” by Jenny Lawson
“Migrations” by Charlotte McConaghy
“Echoes of Home” by M. L. Rayner