April Reads in Review (2010)

What ho! Another month that flew by. Amazing how those things whip past like hummingbirds.

April Reads in Review:

CH - Children's

YA - Young Adult

Chr - Christian Elements

NF - Nonfiction

GF - General Fiction

M - Memoir

HF - Historical Fiction

Rom - Romance (RS - Romantic Suspense)

That's quite a key, isn't it? Links to reviews are provided, if applicable.

43. Anastasia's Secret by Susanne Dunlap (YA/HF) - A fictional account of the Romanov family's last years, in which Anastasia falls in love.

44. Disaster Status by Candace Calvert (Rom/Chr) - Character-driven romance between an ER doctor and a fire chief who cross paths during a small-town disaster.

45. She's So Dead to Us by Kieran Scott (YA) - A teenager who used to be wealthy returns to her former high school a year after her father lost money in a hedge-fund investment scheme in which many of the neighbors invested.

46. Storylines by A. Croft & M. Pilavachi (NF/Chr) - A book about the connections between the Old and New Testaments and what they mean to us.

47. The Secret Holocaust Diaries by Nonna Bannister (NF/M/Chr) - Memoir of a Russian/Ukrainian whose family chose to stay behind during the German invasion, incl. a very interesting account of her family's history.

48. Rumor Has It by Jill Mansell (GF) - A little bit romance, a little bit small-town gossipy tale with a serious side - about a Londoner who becomes a Girl Friday in a village in the Cotswalds.

49. Winging It by Jenny Gardiner (NF/M) - A memoir of parenthood and pet ownership that I'm still having trouble reviewing because it made me angry but I don't want to be unreasonably harsh.

50. College in a Nutskull compiled by Anders Hendriksson (Humor) - A book of humorous mistakes (some of them probably deliberate) made on college tests.

51. The Founding by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles (HF) - The first in a lengthy series about the fictional Morland family tells about the headstrong Eleanor Morland, who helped build a family of sheep farmers into wealthy and influential tradesmen. Set in the 15th century.


52. The Amazing Book of Useless Information (NF, allegedly) - Just what it sounds like. After reading a "fact" about the bottling of Coca-Cola that was incorrect (it did not suddenly "appear" in Tennessee -- Coca-Cola was first bottled in Vicksburg), I lost faith in the book's accuracy.

53. Will Grayson, Will Grayson by J. Green & D. Levithan (YA) - Two teenagers, both named Will Grayson, learn about friendship, love and acceptance.

54. Rhymes with Witches (YA/Paranormal) - A teenager wants to be popular so desperately that she's willing to use black magic and even hurt her best friend. Can I just repeat that I hated this book? Thank you.

55. The Return by Daoma Winston (RS) - A bored and lonely young woman quits her job and goes to her childhood home after falling in love with her distant cousin . . . and ends up entangled in a dangerous murder mystery.

56. I Love Him, But (NF/Humor) - A little fat book of quotes about husbandly quirks.

57. The Lunatic Express by Carl Hoffman (NF/Travel/M) - A travel writer goes on a crisis-driven trip around the world to see how the common people travel.

58. The Man Who Loved Pride & Prejudice by Abigail Reynolds (Rom) - Similar to the Jane Austen classic, but this is a smart modern romance utilizing just the barest skeleton of the original's plot.