I saw this gif a few weeks ago while searching for the perfect Harry Potter gif for Alice's readalong. It's no more appropriate now than it was for Harry Potter, but it's so cute I had to use it. Found it here, but I don't think it's her image, either.
April was an entirely average reading month for me: a little fiction, two works of non-fiction, some audio books, some fan fiction, and even one e-book. I am thankful because I think my temporary reading slump is behind me. In chronological order:
1. Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Excellent work of literary fiction. Slightly disappointing ending.
2 & 3. The Way We Get By and Drop Dead Gorgeous by Maya/Mistful. These are, without a doubt, some of the finest pieces of Harry Potter fanfiction that I've ever read. Humorous and angsty and romantic in equal measure. If you can find them, read them. This is a pair of novel-length twin stories.
4. The Son by Philipp Meyer. Review here. Excellent but troubling epic set in Texas.
5. Let's Explore Diabetes With Owls by David Sedaris. His trademark humor. Very good. Review here.
6. The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells byAndrew Sean Greer. The writing was good, but I never did cotton to the author's time travel justifications.
7. A Week in Winter by Maeve Binchy. I listened to this audio book in my car. Review here.
8. Anne of Avonlea by L M Montgomery. Re-read this book for the nth time, this time as an e-book. Still love this story.
9. Mom and Me and Mom by Maya Angelou. Another audio book, which I hope to review one of these days.
10. The Resurrectionist by Matthew Guinn. Debut novel, rich with atmosphere and full of promise. And it has a great story behind its publication. Incidentally, Matthew used to be a customer of mine when I worked at Lemuria Bookstore in Jackson, MS.
What about you? What did you read last month that you loved?
April was a great reading month for me. (The read-a-thon helped!) I don't know if I can pick a favorite but The Snow Child was quite amazing ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear that your reading slump is over! Here's to May!
I've been wanting to read the Snow Child (even pre-Pulitzer publicity) but never have gotten around to it. Glad to hear you liked it so much!
DeleteThere wasn't anything that lit me on fire, but I did enjoy After Visiting Friends by Michael Hainey very, very much. Some of his passages about the way it feels to lose a parent at a young age were so spot on to my experience that it was a little eery.
ReplyDeleteOoh, I liked that one. I remember being surprised how much I enjoyed reading that one because I do not usually spend much time on memoirs. Sorry to hear that his early loss resonated with you for that reason.
DeleteI read one of Adichie's stories in the New Yorker's 20 Under 40 collection. I've been meaning to read something else by her, but I didn't realize she had a new novel out. Have you read anything else by her?
ReplyDeleteYes, I read Half of a Yellow Sun, which is one of the best books I've read in the last decade. It's truly fine.
DeleteSounds like a great month! And The Resurrectionist sounds really good.
ReplyDeleteAlso, this kitty IS adorable :)
I love David Sedaris and will probably look for this one in audio.
ReplyDelete