Monday, May 09, 2011

April Reads in Review (2011)

Time to look back on another joyful reading month!! Plus, another thing to look back on . . .
May is going to totally suck after April; I'm certain of it. How can you possibly beat two Sarah Addison Allen books in one month?

While The Goose Girl probably would have to be my top book if I picked just one, I think it's really a 4-way tie between The Goose Girl, The Winter Ghosts, The Peach Keeper and The Girl Who Chased the Moon. Even that feels unfair. Astoundingly (given the past few wonderful months), I loved almost everything I read, again!!! One exception: True Courage by Steve Farrar. I liked it but didn't love it.

A Wonder Book [for Girls and Boys] by Nathaniel Hawthorne and The Winter Ghosts were the two books that probably surprised me the most. I loved the graceful writing in both and, although The Winter Ghosts was slow-paced, in the end I found the story has continued to haunt me. Pun intended.

On Maggie's Watch was a bit surprising, too, fun and light but with an unexpected depth. Pictures of You -- while I didn't love the ending, I couldn't put the book down and that made it a winner. I could relate to the emotions and found it so gripping that Caroline Leavitt had some serious sleep-deprivation to account for, after I finished.

I read four children's books, this month. Loved them all: Grandma's Attic, More Stories from Grandma's Attic, Quiet Bunny's Many Colors and Kat, Incorrigible.

That leaves one book of poetry and a travel memoir. Both were enjoyable in different ways. I particularly appreciated the notes on each author and poem included in The Best American Poetry, 2009, because they helped me understand a little about poetry that had never clicked. Radio Shangri-La was fascinating chiefly for the armchair travel and learning experience. Incidentally, the author of Radio Shangri-La is trying to raise funds to build libraries in Bhutan.

Summary: Squeeee! Great month! Happy reader!!

©2011 Nancy Horner. All rights reserved. If you are reading this post at a site other than Bookfoolery and Babble or its RSS feed, you are reading a stolen feed. Email bookfoolery@gmail.com for written permission to reproduce text or photos.

9 comments:

  1. I'm glad you had a good reading month. Mine was a little blah, but I'm hoping for better this month.

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  2. Jenny,

    Most of this year has been great, except for the current month. So far, May is a dud. I hope it's a good one for you.

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  3. I've been craving some Sarah Addison Allen lately even though I've never read her :p I have two of her books here...really have to get to one of them soon!

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  4. I loved your excitement and enthusiasm. It made me smile. When summer (school is over in 13 days) arrives I intend to do the very same thing!!

    Keep it up and may May turn itself around and be a great reading month.

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  5. Chris,

    I think you'll like that little touch of magic in her books. You should read one soon because now I'm dying to know what you think!

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  6. Gaye,

    It really was a month worth shouting about. LOL

    May is still sucking, but that's OK. I'm busy and having fun. Sometimes reading just has to take a backseat.

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  7. I loved Goose Girl, but I didn't care for Winter Ghosts. I'm not having such a good reading month so far in May. Maybe it's just my frame of mind, but I'm being really critical about most of the books I've been reading lately.

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  8. I love that Charles sign! That's too cool.

    So far May is a bad reading month. I can't concentrate.

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  9. Jenclair,

    I have a feeling a lot of people won't like The Winter Ghosts. It has a few fatal flaws, not the least of which is that unlikable hero.

    I'm just not focused, right now. I hope the May reading picks up for both of us.

    Carrie,

    I like it, too. There was a men's clothing store named Charles' and it's gone but I thought it was pretty neat to find that th's still a sign on the back of the building.

    That makes three of us having a sucky reading month.

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