The beginning of April was a bit of a whirlwind, so I never managed to make up a TBR for the month. It was interesting to not have the guidance of a list for the month—and even more interesting to realize how much I enjoy having a TBR list to follow!
April still ended up being a fairly successful reading month, in my opinion. Here are the books I finished last month:
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For May, I’m wanting to read all the books, but I know that’s impossible. I am expecting to have a little more reading time than I had over the first few months of the year, so that should be fun! I’m also coming out of a bit of a reading slump (a couple of the books I read this past month weren’t the most gripping/fun reads for me), so I want to read at least a few books that I know I’ll probably love.
New Releases/ARCs:
Publishing August 6: Between the Sound and the Sea by Amanda Cox. I’ve loved every single Cox book I’ve read so far (do two books count? she’s published three total), and I can’t wait to dive into this one! I have no idea what it’s about, but I suspect it’ll be good. There’s a lighthouse on the cover, so that must mean something good, right?
Publishing September 3: All the Ways to Go by Jessie Janowitz. I loved The Doughnut Fix when Mom read it aloud to us last year, so when I saw this one coming out, I snatched it up asked nicely for it. It’s about a chess prodigy who doesn’t want to play chess anymore. I can’t wait to get into it!
Publishing September 3: In the Shadow of Stalin by Andrea Chalupa and Ivan Rodriguez. I debated about whether or not to ask for this book, but curiosity won out. It’s based on the true story of a reporter who investigated Stalin, if I remember right. I’m expecting it to be a bit on the icky side, but it’s a piece of history I don’t feel like I know very well, so I thought it was worth the risk.
Read Your Bookshelf Challenge:
I’ve decided to stick to the Doyle side of this challenge over the next few months, which means I need to read a book that’s by a new-to-me author. That’s not hard; I’ve got a stack of them in my room! I think I’ll read The Light in the Window by June Goulding, a book I picked up when second-hand shopping at some stage. This is a memoir about a midwife who worked in an unwed mother’s home in Ireland in the 1950s. I’m guessing it’ll be a difficult read, but I’d like to know what it’s about, to decide whether I want to keep the book or not.
Other Reading Challenge Prompts:
Besides the Read Your Bookshelf Challenge, I’m also trying to do the 2024 Buzzword Reading Challenge and a variation on the 2024 Beat the Backlist Reading Challenge. These two challenges aren’t priorities for me; I’d love to finish them, but it’s not a big deal if I don’t. I’ve decided to pick a few prompts this month, to see if I can check a few more off. We’ll see how we go!
A book with two POV: How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr. Mom read this book last year, and wanted me to read it, to see what she thought. I’ve tried at least two other books trying to fill this prompt (what is it with books with three or more points of view?), but I’m fairly certain this sticks to two.
A book by a favorite author: I just picked up Mara, Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw last night. This has been a long-time favorite of mine, and I’ve loved every McGraw book I’ve ever read or heard!
A book with a title that includes the word “like”: Like Dandelion Dust by Karen Kingsbury. I’ve had this one on the shelf for a while, and I’d like to see if I want to keep it or not. I read my first Kingsbury book a year or two ago, and that was so-so; I guess we’ll see what I think about this one!
A 2023 debut novel: On Moonberry Lake by Holly Varni. I’ve had a hard time deciding which book to choose for this prompt, but I can get this book in audiobook form, so this is the one I’ve chosen. I’m looking forward to it!
A book that was blurbed by a favorite author: The Foxhole Victory Tour by Amy Lynn Green. I haven’t decided yet whether to read this or listen to the audiobook, but there’s a blurb on the back from Sarah Sundin, who is a new favorite author of mine (a favorite counts if you’ve read two of their books, right?). I’ve been wanting to read this book anyway, so this seemed like a good excuse. 😉
Well, I think that should keep me busy this month! I wouldn’t be surprised if I end up skipping a few of these, or swapping some out if I end up getting an unexpected review book or something like that.
What are you hoping to read in May? Do you tend to get over-ambitious about your reading plans, too?
I know it’s not May anymore, but I thought you might want to add The Gresham Chronicles by Lawana Blackwell to your list. I really enjoyed the first one; I want to read them all!
Thanks for the suggestion! I’ll look it up.