Books I Read in April

 I have really been on quite the reading streak lately! It's a good thing too as my "want to read" pile just keeps growing.  My two favorites this month would be Shadow Box and The Sweetness of Forgetting; both very different stories but I just could not put them down.  All 11 books I've read this past month are listed below though I have already started three more!! 

1.  Shadow Box by Luanne Rice-- I had such a hard time putting this book down to get anything done!  It was a fantastic mystery with lots of twists and turns and storylines.  Claire makes Shadow Boxes and her plan for her latest art show is to out her husband for the monster she knows him to be but someone attacks Claire before her show and she never makes it there.  I can't really do justice in explaining it all but it was fantastic!

2. The Giver by Lois Lowery-- Alec was reading this dystopian novel for school and I thought it sounded intriguing.  I flew through the book in just a few short days.  I did enjoy it.  Jonas turns 12 and meets the Giver.  Jonas becomes the receiver of memories and begins to feel dissatisfied with his life now that he realizes how much has been taken away from them all by the elders of the community.  He sets off to find Elsewhere while also saving a baby the community was set to Release. 

3.  Darkness of Dragons (Wings of Fire book 10) by Tui T. Sutherland-- I really enjoyed the last book in the mini series (within the much larger series!) where Qibli must use his brain to outwit one of the oldest and most powerful dragons in all of Pyrrhia. With the help of his friends they all try to stop the horrible prophecy from coming true and keep Jade mountain and the school intact. 

4. The Tyrant's Tomb (Trials of Apollo book #4) by Rick Riordan-- Apollo, who has been made mortal by his father, finds himself back at Camp Jupiter with Meg.  They meet up with Reyna and go on a quest together to find the forgotten tomb of a Roman ruler.   My boys and I have been listening to this entire series on CD whenever we're in the car and like it just as much as all of other Riordan's books.

5. Death by the Dozen By Jenn McKinlay-- In this next book of the Cupcake Bakery Mysteries Mel and Angie are participating in a mystery ingredient bakeoff when one of the judges turns up dead.  Mel takes it upon herself to try and solve the mystery. 

6. Beyond the Point by Claire Gibson-- I enjoyed this book about three female West Point cadets going through their second year of training just as 9/11 happens which causes them to take their studies a bit more seriously.  The book then goes on to their post year lives and how the bonds they formed in school link them together... or not.  They do drift apart but then come back together again when it really matters.  A bit slow in parts I did find it interesting to read about West Point and other military procedures but all in all it wasn't a favorite read. 

7. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig-- I wasn't so sure about this story at first but it really grew on me! Nora is depressed and hates her life and when she feels at her very lowest she decides to end it all... only she finds herself in the Midnight Library; a place between life and death.  All of Nora's life choices and the different variations they'd bring lay out before her in neat rows and all she has to do is pick a book and join that life.  Trying a whole bunch of alternate realities, Nora finds that no life is perfect.  I can't say much more without giving away some major plot points but it was a great story that really makes you think about every decision big and small that brought you to where you are now.  

8. I Thought You Said This Would Work by Ann Garvin-- Samantha is a widow who's only child is leaving the nest, her best friend Katie is facing a cancer diagnosis for a second time, and Samantha is often hampered by a sleeping disorder brought on by stress.  When she discovers that Katie is determined to leave the hospital, go across the country, and pick up her old dog, Samantha offers to go in her place but soon realizes that she's going to need the help of Holly.  Holly and Samantha and Katie used to be best friends and roommates until Holly and Samantha had a falling out-- one that Samantha can't even remember.  Determined to put Katie's needs first Holly and Samantha head out on a trip that turns out like nothing either one of them ever imagined. It was funny, it was sad, it was so sweet and I just loved this story!

9. The Secret, Book & Scone Society by Ellery Adams-- A cute little murder mystery book.  Nora is something of a loner and contents herself with her simple life running a bookstore in a quiet tourist community.  When one of the tourists turns up dead Nora finds herself combining forces with the baker, the hairdresser, and the pool lady to play amateur detectives.  When another tourist turns up dead and one of their group is accused of the murder, Nora must work extra hard to uncover the real murderer.  

10.  The Sweetness of Forgetting by Kristin Harmel-- I had no idea how much I was going to love this book until I began reading... it was the most touching story.  Hope is struggling to raise her daughter Annie after her divorce while running her family's struggling bakery after the death of her mother and the slow decline of her grandmother with Alzheimer's.  In short Hope feels like she is drowning and is completely out of hope.  One lucid evening her grandmother hands Hope a list of names and implores her to go to Paris and find what happened to these people.  At first Hope balks at the thought of dropping everything to head to Paris but slowly she begins to unravel a family secret her grandmother has been holding onto for more than 70 years.  Secrets that find Hope questioning everything she ever thought she knew about her grandparents, about who she is herself, about love, and even about life.  It certainly didn't hurt that lots of yummy recipes were sprinkled throughout the book. 

11. Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry-- I hadn't realized that The Giver was part of a series until after I read it and then requested book #2... now while I really did enjoy Gathering Blue I can't understand why it's considered part of a series as I see no connection to the first book; maybe the connection will be apparent in later books as it is part of a 4 part series? I don't know...  In this book Kira finds herself facing The Council after her mother dies.  Women in her tribe of hunter/gatherers want to turn her away and take over her land because she is crippled and unable to help with household chores. The Council instead decide that Kira has talents that would be best put to use elsewhere.  

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