Books I Read in April

 I read a dozen great books again this month.  I was pleasantly surprised when so many of them fit into some of the 52 books challenge too!  Though I am definitely getting to the point in the challenge that I'll have to start picking 1 or 2 books a month intentionally to fill the remaining categories.  I'm enjoying a fun, eclectic reading list with the mix of audio, Kindle, and paper books.  



1. The Dutch House by Ann Patchett-- I really enjoyed this audiobook narrated by Tom Hanks.  Told from Danny's perspective this story is about his family; his sister Maeve, his father, his step-mother and two step sisters.  Maeve and Danny are thick as thieves despite the rather large age difference they share.  Having grown up without a mother and a father that is often distant and quiet, Danny relies on Maeve more than he realizes. When his father meets and marries another woman shortly before Maeve leaves for college the two experience a series of changes and events that neither saw coming.  Tossed out of the only home they've ever known and cut off from almost all of their father's money, the two become even closer with Maeve literally being Danny's stand in parent and emergency contact.  The story takes us through their lives and I found both the story and Tom's narration to be quite captivating. 


2. Herons Landing by JoAnn Ross--Brianna Mannion is working as a concierge in a posh Las Vegas hotel but fondly remembers her childhood dream of opening up her own B&B using an old Victorian house she fell in love with back in her home town.  Sure that she has outgrown those plans, Brianna is set on making the most of her job. But a visit home turns permanent when she remembers all that she's missing.  Seth Harper is Brianna's best friend's widower and had been Brianna's secret crush since girlhood. Since losing his wife, Seth has kept himself busy running a construction business and he is the perfect person to help Brianna turn her dream into a reality.  Working side by side the two feel an undeniable attraction.  A cute little romance novel that was a bit of a slow burn. 


3. Dear Body: What I lost, What I Gained, and What I Learned Along the Way by Brittany Williams-- I downloaded this book from Amazon and read all about Brittany William's story.  Apparently she is famous for having lost well over 100 lbs in one year following a whole foods plant-based diet and she shared her life story and how she learned to listen to her body and use foods to heal her autoimmune disease.  It was a quick and easy read and pretty interesting. 


4. Hello, Beautiful by Ann Napolitano-- William Walters grew up in a very silent house.  Both his parents never fully recovered from the loss of his older sister that happened when William was just a baby; he learns to live in silence and finds solace in basketball.  When he meets Julia in college and is introduced to her whole family-- 3 sisters, mother, and father he is bowled over.  Julia has big plans and William is happy to go along; he loves her family and how close the three sisters are to one another but then a series of events creates rifts in the family and William begins to pull away, lost in his own head and quite literally drowning in his own depression.  The family keeps splintering apart and one begins to wonder how they will ever make their way back to one another.  I wasn't 100% sure I was going to like this story when I first started but I soon found myself compelled to see how it all plays out.  I enjoyed the story of this unusual family. 


5. This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub-- I normally don't enjoy books with time travel but I've seen so many positive reviews of this book that I decided to give it a shot.  Alice is perfectly content with her life, she has a nice boyfriend, a nice apartment, a perfectly fine job, and while her father is gravely ill, Alice still finds little reason to worry or complain.  She does marvel at how quickly the years have passed and on her 40th birthday is struck by the idea that so many decisions about life have just passed her by without her even being aware.  When she wakes up the morning after her 40th birthday she's amazed to find that she's 16 again.  I thought it was a pretty far-fetched but enjoyable enough story.  


6. Independent Study by Joelle Charbonneau-- The second book in the series was just as good as the first!  Now that Cia has made it through the testing process she's set to start learning at the elite university.  However, nightmares plague Cia and as she witnesses more injustices in her first weeks at the university. Soon she is drawn into the forbidden course of study about the commonwealth's secrets that could get her killed. 



7. Beaches, Bungalows & Burglaries by Tonya Kappes-- When Mae West's husband gets arrested for his Ponzi scheme the only two items left are an old yellow camper and a trailer park in Kansas.  Faced with bankruptcy and being homeless Mae takes off in the camper for the park; only to find that park is not at all like it was advertised.  Within just a matter of days the FBI shows up looking for her husband who has escaped from jail.  When they find his body in the lake Mae becomes their prime suspect. A cute little murder mystery that reminded me a bit of the Cupcake Bakery Series meets The Newcomer


8. The Mother In Law by Sally Hepworth-- I read this book in just under 24 hours.  When Diana turns up dead the police aren't sure if she's committed suicide or not.  Told in alternating view points between Diana and Lucy (the daughter in law) we learn about their lives together starting from when Lucy began dating Diana's son Ollie.  It was a fun story and there were lots of juicy family secrets and twists and turns. 


9. Gone Missing by Linda Catillo-- In this 4th book of the Kate Burkholder series, Kate is asked to join John and the state in a series of missing Amish teen girls.  When one of the Amish girls turns up dead the team begins a murder investigation with very little evidence.  A local Amish teen that Kate knows goes missing next and the team are in a race against time to find any clue that will lead to her whereabouts. 



10. Graduation Day by Joelle Charbonneau-- I had to read the 3rd and final book in the series!  While I can't say I found it as riveting as the other two books I just had to know how it ended.  Cia is only in her first year of her university program when she gets assigned to work directly with the president for her internship... and learns of an opportunity to end The Testing once and for all.  It was a very satisfying ending to a fun dystopian trilogy. 


11. American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins-- I started listening to this book on my Libby app and was just riveted from the very beginning. Lydia and her son Luca are the only surviving members of an attack by the drug cartels.  Knowing that they are now in danger of being hunted down Lydia and Luca are on the run, hoping to flee their hometown of Acapulco and find safety in the United States with her distant uncle. 


12. Strawberried Alive by Jenn McKinlay-- I enjoyed this latest book in the cupcake mystery series a lot. Mel is enjoying being married and spoiling Angela's new baby. When someone tries to shoot Mel one night her life is turned upside down.  Since no one is sure if Mel was an intentional mark or just in the wrong place at the wrong time all her friends decide to circle the wagons and the extra attention and restrictions are slowly driving Mel crazy plus she's pretty sure if she cant help solve this case soon her bakery will be out of business.



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Comments

  1. It's great that you read so many books that you enjoyed! I love it when I discover new authors whose works I like. I really enjoyed The Dutch House and anything by Ann Patchett that I've read. I've read books by Emma Straub (didn't care for the last one of hers I read) and Ann Napolitano (I think I liked the book of hers that I read- now I'm curious!). The non fiction book you read sounds good. I may check that out.

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    1. I loved Ann Napolitano's other book (about the boy surviving the plane crash) and so I think my expectations for this current book were really high; which is why I wasn't sure I was going to like it at first but it really did grown on me.

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  2. Your reading always inspires me. I am reading Hello Beautiful right now for Book Club and although I don't love it I am doing what you did and finishing as I want to see how it all plays out. I think I should grab The Mother In Law- sounds like I would like it!

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    1. I honestly just felt bad for everyone in Hello Beautiful! LOL.

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  3. The Dutch House is a favorite, a true classic. I was captivated from cover to cover.

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    1. I could have listened to Tom Hanks reading forever.

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  4. I loved This Time Tomorrow. I do like time travel books though! I tried The Dutch House and couldn't get into it. :(

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    1. Did you try listening to it? I love Tom Hanks and I think the fact that he was narrating it really helped me enjoy it.

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  5. Your reading challenge is filling in nicely! I haven't read any of these so I'm adding a few to my list!

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  6. I'm reading thrillers most of the time. I'm now reading Jo Nesbo.

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    1. I'm not really a thriller fan since I'm such a big chicken-- if I read them I have to read them early in the day and pair them with some fun/lighter reading before bed.

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  7. I would love to find time to start reading again. The Beaches, Bungalows, and Burglaries book looks like a fun read!

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    1. It was really cute (though I listened to it on audiobook and wasn't a huge fan of the voice).

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  8. Oh, that Dear Body book sounds so interesting. I'm such a believer that our food can be our medicine.
    XOXO
    Jodie

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  9. The Dutch House looks so good! I need to put that one on my reading list!

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  10. Thanks for sharing all these reads! Dear Body sounds very interesting.

    https://www.kathrineeldridge.com

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  11. Joanne, you've read so many books in April. I read the Dutch House and liked it too. I will be adding these to my reading list.

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    1. I did read a lot; I feel like 2023 has been a really great reading year for me so far.

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  12. Thanks for sharing this post at #WWBloghop. I'll pin it so I can check out some of your recommendations. Have a fun day. Nancy Andres @ Colors 4 Health

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    1. You're welcome! Thank you so much for the pin too.

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  13. American Dirt was gut wrenching and kept me going. I really enjoyed This Time Tomorrow. I had to pay lots of attention to keep the premise in mind, though.

    https://marshainthemiddle.com/

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    1. Yes! I think one reason I'm not a huge fan of time travel as a whole is that it can get confusing jumping back and forth.

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  14. The reading challenge looks fun, I may try it next year! Lots of your books read appeal to me. I was thinking about taking a couple of audio books to Greece, The Dutch House sounds perfect. Thanks for linking.

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    1. You're welcome! I hadn't thought of it; but I definitely need to download a few additional audiobooks for vacation.

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  15. Looks like a really nice mix of books last month. Thanks for linking up with me!

    Lauren @ www.shootingstarsmag.net

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  16. I also really enjoyed The Dutch House.

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    1. It was so good. I've been Googling to see what other books Tom Hanks has narrated/voiced.

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  17. You are powering through the 52 Book Club Challenge, Joanne and I can see a couple that I might read to complete my list. Love the mix in what you've been reading and thanks for sharing with us at the WOYBS linkup. Are you finding you are looking at the prompts and then selecting the book or vice versa?

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    1. A little of both; I try to select at two books a month based on a prompt but then find that some books I pick to read just because I wanted to fall into other prompt categories by chance!

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  18. I haven't read any of these books, but am keen to read The Dutch House. I've added it to my list, along with Dear Body. Well done on getting through the 52 Book Challenge books.

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  19. You've read so many this year!! You'll have done 52 by June! A lot of my freinds are reading Hello Beautiful at the moment.It seems to be hugely popular atm. We did American Dirt for book club a few years ago now. Very popular title.

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    1. There are a few categories I've been putting off for the 52 book challenge so I'm thinking it could take me the full year-- as the categories narrow it's less and less likely I'll just stumble upon a book that fits in so the rate at which I fill then in will slow but I'm okay with that.

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  20. Hi, Joanne - Thank you for being a regular at What's On Your Bookshelf. You are doing well on your 52-Week Challenge. I have read 'This Time Tomorrow' and really enjoyed it. 'Dear Body' also sounds like a book that I would find interesting. I am off to check to see if our library has a copy. :D

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  21. A great eclectic mix this month. I really need to read The Mother-in-Law - it's been on my TBR for so long...

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    1. It was a good one. I'm reading Soulmate right now and even though I'm only on page 7 I am really enjoying it already.

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  22. A great post Joanne, so many good books you've read this month and I must say, I like anything by Sally Hepworth! Thanks for joining us for WOYBS.

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