Hello Everyone, here is my April update. I didn't read that much this month.
 ★★☆☆☆ |  ★★★☆☆ |  ★★★★☆ |
Duplex by Orson Scott Card - Another Micropowers novel. I didn't like this one as much as Lost and Found (the first book in the series). It has a completely different plot even though it's part of the same universe.
The Witch's Heart by Genevieve Gornichec - This was one of those Norse Mythology retellings. I guess it's not my cup of tea. It kind of reminded me of Circe.
Imposter by Tate James - Death Game + Reverse Harem = Unique Story. I was hooked. Might check out the sequel next month.
3.75/5
4/5
Book Update for April-May:
This month, just like the previous one, I read three books and started a fourth one, yay!
With all these posts of yours, with some remarkable reading progresses and recommendations, my reading habbits are slowly approaching a satisfying state!
My 1st book was "The Last Flight", a mystery/suspense story, full of well-built plot twists involving two women trying to escape from a horrifying reality, which I enjoyed a lot!
My 2nd book was "The Violin of Auschwitz", a short novel about a violin maker prisoner forced to make a Stradivarius-like violin while being imprisoned in Auschwitz. I was expecting more from it, but it felt a bit flat, compared to other titles about the brutalities of the Holocaust I've previously read.
My 3rd book was "White Nights" from one of my fave crime authors, Ann Cleeves: a beautiful depiction of midsummer white nights in the Shetland Islands and an intriguing crime story full of secrets, where nothing is quite as it seems - Detective Jimmy Perez's second investigation case.
The 4th book I started and will finish in May is "Red Bones", the third investigation case of Detective Jimmy Perez :)
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5/5 stars | 3/5 stars | 5/5 stars | currently reading |
During May, after finishing the book I've started a few days ago, I'll most probably stick to crime/mystery stories :)
Have a great reading month, dear Book Club family <3
Since the start of 2022, I haven't been quite in the mood for dramas and I've been reading much more, and April was no exception. As I read too many books to talk about all of them, I'll only highlight some:
13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do - I had been slowly reading this book for months and finally got to complete it in April. The time spent on it was worthwhile and I got a wealth of good practical advice on behaviors and thought patterns one can adopt to build mental strength. (5/5)
From Yao to Mao: 5000 Years of Chinese History - this is a Great Courses lecture series that I enjoyed immensely. More than simply touching on people and events, the professor showed how religious life and developing philosophies influenced both imperial and everyday life. A great complement to my other forays into Chinese history. (5/5)
The Great Gatsby - this is a reread, kinda. I listened to the audiobook years ago and have always been meaning to read the actual text. This is one of those books I enjoy mostly from a stylistic perspective; the characters are thoroughly unlikeable, but the writing is gorgeous. This time around I listened to the audiobook while simultaneously reading the ebook, and the languid narration is so on point with the tone of the book. (4/5)
The Life and Works of Jane Austen - I already spoke about this one upthread; highly recommended for Jane Austen fans. (5/5)
The Mystery of Mrs Christie - this was a total dud for me. The characterization was one-dimensional; Mrs Christie was portrayed as a husband-pleasing doormat who did no wrong and Mr Christie as a self-absorbed (and even 'stupid') man who did nothing right. Also, there was no suspense to speak of and the ending was an affront to my intelligence. The End. (2.5/5) [I put stupid in scare quotes because I think it's an offensive word to describe people, but the author really went out of her way to cause me to associate the character with the word ... sigh.]
The Yellow Wallpaper - I no longer read horror as an overall genre but I don't mind the subgenre of psychological horror, and this one was a chilling portrayal of a woman's progression from what is likely postpartum depression into a full-on psychosis. Thinking on her husband's role in the progression of her mental illness is both scary and enraging. (4/5)
I also listened to six audiobooks from Carola Dunn's Daisy Dalrymple series; it's set in England in the 1920s (flapper era) and centers around Daisy (who has a propensity for finding herself involved in random murders) and DCI Alec Fletcher, her love interest. The mysteries are cozy and not complex, and I'm usually able to guess the perpetrator early on, but I really like the characterization and the setting. Great for bedtime reading. My ratings ran between 3 to 4 stars.
April was a great reading month, and I'm excitedly looking forward to May - happy reading to everyone!
It was cool seeing a ton of historical settings through a queer lens. Anyway I liked this a lot. As an anthology, I liked some of the short stories better than others, but this was a fun read. 
 5/5 (SO GOOD!! worth the hype!!) |  3.5/5 (i felt disappointed after book 1) |  1/5 (was expecting more from hype) |  5/5 (i was so attached to this!!) |
 2/5 (it was good but i didn't enjoy) |  4/5 (one word: nostalgic) |  3/5 (mixed feelings about it...) |  4.5/5 (quick fun one day read) |
overall ig it was a good reading month for me!! hoping for a better reading month this may :))
I just joined this and I'm so happy cause I also read often and never have enough people to share or talk to it about. My book this month is: Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman. so far it's good a lot of talk on statistics but I'm learning a lot.namsham:
Welcome!! The pic isn"t available. I think it's glitched.
I just joined this and I'm so happy cause I also read often and never have enough people to share or talk to it about. My book this month is: Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman. so far it's good a lot of talk on statistics but I'm learning a lot.
Welcome! A friend recommended Thinking, Fast and Slow to me but I haven't had time to get to it.
For anyone interested (well, those 'based' in the UK and with UK accounts), The Completer Witcher series is available at Amazon UK and Kobo UK for only 99p - that's 6 novels and 2 short story collections in one bundle.
This is a Deal of the Day so it's only available today. This is an even better deal than when I got all the Dune novels for 99c each!
