Wednesday, April 30, 2014

April 2014 Chapter

Welcome to the Read.Write.Repeat. monthly wrap-up.  Every month, I give a quick overview of what books I read, the progress made on the 100 Best Novels goal, a few book-related links, and general blog news.  


April News

Looking back on this month, I could not quite figure out how I read so much. It has been a crazy grad school month, yet, somehow, I made it through ten books! Maybe, more than ever, books are proving to be a quiet refuge in the midst of a whirlwind schedule. Oh, and it didn't hurt that I spent a week on the beach in Florida with my two best friends. Yeah, I might have gotten some reading done there, too.

I mentioned last month that Movie Mondays may get knocked down to once a month. Considering I did not get around to doing a single one this month, I am leaning more toward eliminating them entirely. Well, not entirely. They just won't be regularly scheduled. When I see a movie, I'll do a special Movie Monday, but I will not be seeking them out as I have before.


Books Reviewed

  1. Bel Canto - Ann Patchett
  2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - J. K. Rowling
  3. Black Chalk - Christopher J. Yates
  4. Amusing Ourselves to Death - Neil Postman
  5. The Girl Who Came Home - Hazel Gaynor
  6. Empty Mansions - Bill Dedman & Paul Clark Newell, Jr.
  7. Kim - Rudyard Kipling

Books Read

  1. Amusing Ourselves to Death - Neil Postman - 4/1
  2. Year of Wonders - Geraldine Brooks - 4/5
  3. The Scorch Trials - James Dashner - 4/9
  4. A Room with a View - E. M. Forster - 4/10
  5. The Girl Who Came Home - Hazel Gaynor - 4/12
  6. Delicious! - Ruth Reichl - 4/16
  7. Drama High - Michael Sokolove - 4/18
  8. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - J. K. Rowling - 4/20
  9. The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman - 4/28
  10. The Maltese Falcon - Dashiell Hammett - 4/29
Pages Read: 3,081

Favorite Book Read: I had such a hard time choosing this month! I went back and forth over and over between Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks and Ruth Reichl's debut novel, Delicious! Ultimately, both are great and I am excited to share them with you. I going to give Year of Wonders the edge, though. It's a really beautiful story of 17th century England during the Plague. I'll be sharing more about it next week.

100 Best Novels Progress

  • 2 completed this month (A Room with a View and The Maltese Falcon)
  • 23% complete


Articles

Any avid reader knows the trials of waiting for a sequel. Unfortunately, follow-up books don't always live up to expectations.

On the other hand, here are some great books that Kirkus promises grab you from page one.

I've mentioned before that Gillian Flynn has written a whole new third act for the movie adaptation of Gone Girl. She made some comments on that issue.

Half Price Books collected a list of 50 Fiction Books That Might Just Change Your Life. I can attest to the powers of many, especially #s 3, 12, 19, 40, and 45.

Jamie over at The Perpetual Page-Turner collected a great list of bookish gifts that aren't actually books. Any of those bookcases would be welcome in my home. 

You may have noticed a big push to celebrate women authors in 2014 (#readwomen2014). Here are 50 books to get you started. Any if you think you read enough by women already, take this quiz to test yourself. I scored a shameful 20 out of 102. I have some work to do.

Speaking of quizzes, Buzzfeed is happy to help you figure out How Well Read You Are.

You know I have a soft spot for children's literature. Here are 17 Children's Books We Still Love as Grownups.

If you've read everything on all these lists, you're ready for something new. Here are few new books making some noise.
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That wraps it up for April. Days are finally getting consistently warm here and we are loving being outside. The garden is growing, precipitation comes as rain instead of snow, and flowers and trees are blooming. I love spring. Watching the world reemerge gets me every time.

So, here's to lengthening days of sunshine. To kicking off your shoes and feeling the grass. And to books that lift us alongside the rising temperatures.

What books are you reading to kick off the spring season?

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