MM Reads Again | What I Read in March and April 2019

So, April is officially over and I’m just now sharing March but I’m also giving my April recap so am I behind or ahead? Seriously though, I’ve been participating in the 100 Days Project so the little pockets of free time have shifted to that creative endeavor or reading from blogging. You can see what I’m up to over on Instragram by searching #100daysofthislifestory.

Motivated by my “to be read” [TBR] shelf at home I’ve made a very loose commitment to myself to not impulsively click purchase on books I want to read and instead add to my want to read shelf on GoodReads. If you want to see what I’m reading / listening to in real time be sure to connect with over on GoodReads.

March was still extremely busy at work and I thought I would only have one finish this month but then I ended up with Mono towards the end of the month and I found myself resting more the last few weeks than I anticipated and was able to sneak more in.

April relaxed a little bit but my reading time is competing with my 100 Days Project time. It’s all about seasons, yes?

Looking back at March / April :

• Working hard to not purchase new books. Made several trips to the bookstore with the kids and left with nothing in hand for me. Trying really hard to whittle down my TBR shelf. After a good TBR month in March I let myself purchase a new book via Amazon in April.

Wins // I read three off my TBR shelf in March.

Wins// I read one off my TBR shelf in April.

Wins// I read one out of two books from my February Book of the Month [BOTM] box in March.

Wins// I read my book from my March BOTM box in April.

Here’s a look at what I held in my hand in March & April :

• Little Fires Everywhere [BOTM] // So I thought this was OK. It was a fun read that I enjoyed but not sure I would have missed it if I hadn’t read it. I had heard so much hype about this book and it just didn't live up to it.

• I Owe You One // AHHHHHH, this was so enjoyable. Long time fan of this author but had not read one of her books in awhile. This had me wondering, why not??
  
  I wanted to shake Fixie at times but that didn’t stop me from loving her. The characters were written just right so even when I already anticipated what was going to happen next I didn’t care.
  
  I found myself rooting for a twist or outcome and when it came to pass saying YES!!! And that is what I think I loved about this. It turned out exactly the way this old romantic heart wanted with plenty of laughs in between.

• Nine Perfect Strangers [BOTM] // This was a fast and fairly easy read. I was at first worried there were too many characters to keep up with but the author did a great switching between their perspectives and developing the characters that after the first set of introductions and then revisit I had everyone straight.
  
  This was a great in between genre book of mystery with a little bit of romance thrown in.
  
  Frances was my absolute favorite character and definitely felt like the main character opposite her adversary. I loved her ending and it made me love the book.

• Before She Knew Him[BOTM] // This was a good one. I thought all the cards were laid on the table and just about when I wondered if a twist was coming, it did. And then there was an unexpected twist. This was a fast, easy read and an enjoyable thriller. I would recommend if thrillers are your thing. But a fair warning these are some messed up characters!

• The One & Only Ivan // Gifted this to my 8 year old and this was the first book he told me he didn't want the characters to go away. So, of course, I had to read it too.
  
  This is written is small bursts of chapters which is perfect for the intended target age because it has some pretty heavy topics regarding hunting and captivity and loss of Ivan and Ruby's families. However, it also has beautiful stories about building families and love and taking care of one another and good humans with a bit of funny thrown in.
  
  This  was a beautiful story that will likely stay with my middle for a long time. Out of the blue he will come to me with "do you remember when Ivan....?" and I love that we can share this.

• The Great Believers // This was hard to read because it broke my heart in a million pieces. I was not old enough to be fully informed during the AIDS crisis but I do remember in the aftermath an adult in my life who I loved and admired and respected being sent away because he had HIV. I remember not understanding why he had to go away. This was a beautiful book that gave me more information and intensified by empathy for this piece of our history. This is the third book I’ve read where the AIDS crisis is a character but this was the first where it was truly the main character. I absolutely recommend this.

• All That You Leave Behind [BOTM] // I flew through this book and loved it for so many reasons. First, it was surreal to read David Carr’s words to his daughter Erin. He was fully transparent about his flaws as a human and what I loved was that this didn’t negate his parenting wisdom but made it richer. Good reminder when I’m beating myself up for being flawed. Second, bravo to Erin for owning her story and telling it unapologetically; for being brave and telling without self deprecation. She is still in the middle of her story and it reads as both self awareness and self compassion. This one had me in tears. It most certainly hit some personal chords.

Here’s a look at what I listened to in March and April :

• The Immortalists [Book Club] // Such an interesting concept, what if you knew the day you were going to die? However, Simon’s section was a little too graphic for me but wasn’t a deal breaker. Klara’s story made me angry. I was disappointed in Daniel and Varya infuriated me with her avoidance of life throughout most of her story. This just fell flat for me and I was disappointed that the characters succumbed to self fulfilling prophecies.

• Bad Blood [Book Club]// I went into this one a little hesitant. I had just come off a tough work stream and the first few chapters felt very business like to me. HOWEVER, this is such a wild tale and you keep thinking NOW she will be exposed that it definitely pulled me in and kept my attention. So, if you like hearing the full story this is definitely one to listen to. I’m actually watching the HBO documentary on it right now because I just had to “see” these characters come to life.

Looking ahead to May :

• My May BOTM pick is : Daisy Jones & The Six. It’s actually an Add On but I gave my pick to Mitch this month, The Buried.

• I’m currently reading Sweet Little Lies off my TBR shelf.

• After hearing how scary/creepy this book was I couldn’t resist purchasing I’ll Be Gone in the Dark

• Book club at work this month is Verity. I have been dying to read this one so I’ll be buying the book instead of listening because I want to be able to read fast if I want to. This month it was my turn to pick. :)