What I Read: April

You guys might have noticed already, but I now have an account on Goodreads. I keep track of the books I read on there and post short reviews, so I'm going to generally use those same reviews in my monthly book post here. So if you read my stuff on Goodreads, please forgive the repetition. :)

Stargirl and Love, Stargirl, by Jerry Spinelli

I wrote about these two books here.

Farmer Boy, by Laura Ingalls Wilder

I enjoyed this one. It was a little slow at places, but I loved reading about Almanzo's childhood after reading the first two books about Laura's, and being able to compare the two. The end made me oddly emotional, with how everything worked out. :)

The Actor and the Housewife, by Shannon Hale

This was a very unusual book. Reading it was pretty much an emotional roller coaster! :) It covers a span of about 10 years from beginning to end. There were so many unexpected happenings that I couldn't put it down, because I truly had no idea how things were going to work out. I loved the relationship between Becky and her husband and her family. And I loved the banter between her and Felix. This is one of those books that most people either love or hate. Though I was originally uncomfortable with the basis of the plot, I ended up enjoying this book a lot.

A Heart Most Worthy, by Siri Mitchell

I reviewed this book here.

On the Banks of Plum Creek, by Laura Ingalls Wilder

I thought that I hadn't read this Little House book before, but apparently I did when I was little. As I started reading it and seeing the illustrations, the story started coming back to me. Some parts I remembered quite vividly, others not so much. Anyway, this is another sweet addition in the Little House series. I loved reading about living in the dugout (this was one of the parts I remembered). I also liked the fact that the Ingalls family is pretty settled down in this book, and the girls go to school for the first time and have other children nearby to play with. I find myself getting more interested as the girls get older. Can't wait to read the next one!

Bird by Bird, by Anne Lamott

A unique, very honest little book about writing. I've read reviews talking about how negative this book is, but it didn't really seem that way to me. Brutally honest at times, but hopeful and full of tips for writing. I enjoyed it, though I could have done without the language.

A Tailor-Made Bride, by Karen Witemeyer

I was drawn to this book because of the cute cover and because one of the major characters is a dressmaker. Usually it takes me a while to ease into a story, but this one drew me in right away. I enjoyed the characters and the plot. I liked the whole conflict between the two main characters about whether beauty was a good, God-given thing or something that led to sin, greed, and destruction.

My Jane Austen Summer, by Cindy Jones

I wanted so badly to like this book...It has a gorgeous cover, the blurb on the back sounded very promising, and it's a sort of spin-off of "Mansfield Park," one of Austen's less popular novels. But honestly, there were quite a few times when I was tempted to just stop reading it. I couldn't relate with the main character or any of the other characters, and I didn't even like any of them very much. The plot was so-so, and sometimes it would wander off in odd directions. I think most Austen fans would enjoy this book, but something about it was just not to my taste.

Heist Society, by Ally Carter

A very quick, enjoyable YA read. Kat comes from a family of thieves, but she's tried to leave that behind and start over. But when her father is accused of stealing five paintings from a private collection, the owner starts to threaten the safety of those she loves. I liked the plot and the European settings- it seemed a lot like a movie.

 Until next time,