The 13 Books I Read in April
I’m slowing down on my reading progress and it’s starting to bum me out… but then I remember I still read 13 books this month and several of them were real favorites... so I want to celebrate that! Slow and steady is the name of the game right now, and I’m giving myself grace that it’s okay to not be flying through books all the time.
Some stats:
• 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ reads.
• 2 books by Black authors.
• 2 library books.
• 1 was gifted from publishers.
• 5 nonfiction, 8 fiction, 13 total.
Here are the 13 books I read in April:
East of Eden
by John Steinbeck
review:
My main reading goal for my getaway was to reread East of Eden (a classic favorite) and it was so good to spend time with this gem.
I just truly love this book— a retelling of Genesis that’s complex and layered and wholly human, and masterfully crafted, and 100% worth a read (and a reread).
The line from this one that this enneagram 1 will never get over: “And now that you don't have to be perfect, you can be good.” 😭
The Green Earth: Poems of Creation
by Luci Shaw
★★★★★ // amazon
review:
this book was gorgeous. i sat outside during my little @getawayhouse trip and read every one of these poems out loud to myself (and the birds 🙃) and it was... incredible.
poetry touches a place deep within me, and calls me to a true and rich place of beauty, and sparks such wonder on me. this was the perfect collection to read while surrounded by nature!
Bandersnatch: An Invitation to Explore Your Unconventional Soul
by Erika Morrison
review:
i first read this one in april 2016, and this was my (pre-bookstagram!) review: I could swoon about this book for days, and I have been. It was beautiful. Stunning. Engaging. Magical. Powerful. Inspiring. Challenging. Convicting. Life-changing. This book awakened things in me and in my faith that I hadn't ever known how to name or identify before, and it spoke so clearly to my soul and the way my heart and mind work. It was AMAZING.
and now, my april 2021 reread review? all of that holds true, and i found myself highlighting and latching onto a whole new thread about identity throughout this one that i needed now and didn’t notice as much then. One quote I can’t get over: “Finding my true self was a pilgrimage back to the garden, a return to being held in the eyes of the divine.” 😭
i guess this is the beauty of re-reading beautiful books 😉
How to Get Away: Finding Balance in Our Overworked, Overcrowded, Always-On World
by Jon Staff and Pete Davis
★★★★☆ // amazon
review:
When your @getawayhouse comes stocked with a book about how to get away by the creators of Getaway, you read it! 😂
Loved this one— a great, easy read that blended stories and science and information and inspiration, and totally convinced me that getaways are essential.
Definitely worth a read if you’re feeling burned out and in need of refreshment and better balance in your life!
People You Meet on Vacation
by Emily Henry
review:
It’s official: I’m a big fan of @emilyhenrywrites! Both Beach Read + this one were suuuuch fun reads, with such heart in them, such lovable characters, such sweet and just delightful storylines and relationships. I flew through this one this weekend and enjoyed it all and was just so HAPPY reading it!!!
Life’s Too Short
by Abby Jimenez
review:
WE ARE THREE FOR THREE HERE, PEOPLE. every book authorabbyjimenez has written has been a five star fave for me!!! gahhh i just love her storytelling, her characters (such realness! such heart! such warmth! so swoon worthy!), her way of totally sucking me in and melting my heart.
i said it with books 1 and 2 and i’ll say it again, WHERE ARE THE REAL LIFE MEN LIKE THE ONES IN THESE STORIES bc hellooooo i’m single and would totally date a guy like adrian 😍
okay anyway read these!!! (you don’t HAVE to read them in order, the characters just all loosely connect and are mentioned in the other books so you’ll get some spoilers if you don’t go in order but nbd).
The Good Sister
by Sally Hepworth
review:
i don’t know what i expected from this one (creepier? more thriller-y? twister?) but it didn’t really nail it, nor did it really intrigue me... it was fine but not great? mostly i just felt bothered by the treatment of the two sisters from their mother and from one another... it just all was pretty okay for me. (ps— trigger warnings for murder by drowning, infertility, addiction and overdosing, murder, etc...)
Romancing Mister Bridgerton
by Julia Quinn
review:
this book was good i guess but honestly all the bridgerton books are kind of blending together in my mind at this point and this one felt especially slow and not that romantic? oh well. at least lady whistledown was revealed for real!
Finding Freedom: A Cook’s Story; Remaking a Life from Scratch
by Erin French
review:
memoirs of cooks/chefs/etc are always SO fascinating to me (even if my food-allergic self can’t eat any of the things they so beautifully wrote about). there’s something about the way they both create food and then write about food that feels so mesmerizing and intriguing to me, like some kind of total magic. erin’s story here isn’t an easy one, and trigger warnings abound, but i was cheering her on and invested in her story as i read, even when it frustrated and even confused me. it wasn’t as flowery as other foodie memoirs have been, but had a bit more grit and raw honesty too it, which sounds reflective of her food and story and personality, too.
The Authenticity Project
by Clare Pooley
reviews:
took me a while to get into/through this one (which i think was more about me than the book). it was a cute idea (someone writing their honest story in a journal, leaving it for someone to find, then it continues through people who end up all connecting IRL) but the execution fell flat for me. i wanted it to be charming and winsome, but it felt more cliche and left me wanting more. 🤷🏼♀️
Of Women and Salt
by Gabriela Garcia
review:
This book was really layered and richly woven and written but something about the tone or writing style didn’t totally vibe with me. Like, maybe I wasn’t deep enough to get it? Or it was too elevated/flowery/etc for me? 🤷🏼♀️ Strong female leads though? Here for it. Immigrant stories and deportation and multi-generational plot lines? Yes plz. Overall, it just wasn’t a slam dunk for me.
Concrete Rose
by Angie Thomas
review:
Angie Thomas is the QUEEN. The GOAT. The master of powerful, raw, vibrant stories. This one was incredible and I couldn’t put it down— it was so strikingly written and so immersive. Loved the backstory of Maverick and the honest, unflinching way his story was told. So, so good.
