Howdy! How was the month of April for you? 

I’m not reading nearly as much as I did last year and my monthly stacks reflect that. Going back to school has changed everything for me. I’m reading…but I’m reading textbooks. Hmph.

The lack of time has made me much pickier about which books I’ll spend my precious moments on. Here are the amazing books that I read in April:

Ruby by Cynthia Bond

The Word Exchange by Alena Graedon

Stay Where You Are & Then Leave by John Boyne

The Promise by Ann Weisgarber

Readathon Reads (Mini-reviews)

I’m gobbling up The Walking Dead. It’s a good way to get my zombie drama fix until the next season starts.

I decided to read short classics for Dewey’s 24-Hour Readathon. It was one of the smarter decisions I’ve made! (For the October event I might go the nostalgia route like Charleen. I think that’s kinda brilliant.)

The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

Nope. Turns out I had accidentally requested a serialized children’s version from my local library. I read nearly 50 pages before I realized my mistake. Whoops! I want to read the real thing, and soon. Those Morlocks freak me out and I wanna know more.

Animal Farm by George Orwell

Why did I make it to the age of…old before I got around to reading this? What can I say about it that you don’t already know? It’s biting satire of the finest sort. If you haven’t read it yet that should be the first thing you do. Today. Now. What are you waiting for?

A Perfect Day for Bananafish by J.D. Salinger

This might be the perfect short story. It’s short, bright, powerful, sharp, and HELLO IT’S SALINGER. 

The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers

There’s something about McCuller’s writing that makes one feel lonely and somber. You may have noticed that I actually like those sort of stories. Reading The Member of the Wedding was like listening to sad songs when your heart is broken. Necessary.

The Stranger by Albert Camus

Go into this one without reading the flap if you can. The story would have hit me a bit harder had I gone in totally blind. It was good, if not my exact cup of tea. It’s twisty, dark, and a bit philosophical. 

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson 

Oh my word. What an eerie and first-rate book. It was my first Jackson and I can promise you that it won’t be my last. How did she write like that? Do you ever wonder if some authors sell their souls to gain their skills? Damn.

The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman (Issues 26 – 38)

Not classics, (yet!) but they helped me cleanse my readerly palate in between the heavier reads above. They are bite-sized (ZOMBIE PUN!) guilty pleasure reads and I don’t regret a minute of it. These comics are making my Goodreads stats look all wonky but I’ll figure it out at the end of the year.