April 2023 Reading Review & May Plans

Today is May 1st! It’s a return to our typical routine and I am so relieved because I’ve missed sitting at the table and learning along with the kids. I feel so lucky to be able to homeschool and wouldn’t trade it for anything. I know that breaks are just as important as routines so I’m happy that my children got to take a breather, but last night Bryce was quite relieved when I reminded him that school starts again today. That’s a good sign!

Today I’m sharing my April reading wrap-up. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little disappointed in my reading last month. There were several books I wanted to squeeze in and it simply didn’t happen for a myriad of reasons. But I can’t be TOO upset because I read some really amazing books – let’s talk a little more about them!

Highlights:

📚 Choosing my favorite book in April was easy: Homecoming by Kate Morton. She is one of my favorite authors and I was so excited when this was published. It’s full of everything I love: cozy details, a strange mystery, and a clear love of the bookish life. I don’t know how Morton manages to weave such intricate mysteries and I love watching her unpick family secrets to resolve her stories. Torrie mentioned that Morton’s endings seem very tidy. I agree – she tends to wrap everything up and tie it with a bow. Luckily – that doesn’t bother me when Morton does it! By the time the story ends, I’m relieved to have everything resolved. I will be (not so patiently) waiting for her next novel. (While grabbing the link from Amazon I saw that Claire Foy is the narrator for the audio version!)

♀ Prize reading! I got some reading done for the Women’s Prize for Fiction.

• Trespasses: Set in Ireland during The Troubles with a likeable main character. This was shortlisted for the prize.
• Wandering Souls: A trio of siblings make the dangerous journey from Vietnam to a better life in the UK. I couldn’t put this one down and wish it would have made the shortlist!
• Stone Blind: A retelling of the Medusa legend, full of humor. Not shortlisted but definitely worth reading.
• Black Butterflies: Set in the opening months of the Siege of Sarajevo in the 1990s, a reminder of how much is lost by wars. This was shortlisted for the prize.

👓 I also finished last year’s International Booker winner:

• Tomb of Sand. I’m glad I read it, but thought it was way too long and can’t imagine recommending it to anyone. But you never know!

📓 Women Talking fit right in with my Women’s Prize reading in April and I was left wondering why it wasn’t nominated for anything? A group of Mennonite women discover that their nightmares were a reality: boys and men were sneaking into their windows, drugging them, and then assaulting them. This book is a recording of their conversations about how to respond. It was outstanding: it deftly covered so much of the internal debate a woman has when she’s in an abusive relationship, and it does so with humor and compassion. I am looking forward to reading more by this author this summer. Up next: Night Fight, thanks to a recommendation from Kat!

Readalouds:

• We finished a morning readaloud, Willodeen. This was a great book to read together and gave us so many writing prompts. This is for readers of any age who care about the environment, believe in speaking up for what’s right, and who love the cozier side of life. Katherine Applegate hasn’t disappointed us yet!
• Bronwyn and I finished two Samantha books (Changes for Samantha and Samantha’s Surprise) and an Ivy & Bean (Make the Rules). I like how she’s been choosing to mix things up lately! You all know I was skeptical about how much I’d like Samantha given how great Addy’s stories were. But Samantha is holding her own and I’ve enjoyed these books. And Ivy & Bean are just silly girls who do the strangest things. Bronwyn loves them!
• Bryce’s interest in Captain Underpants hasn’t waned in the last 4 or 5 years. We read three before bed in April (Numbers 3, 5, and 6). I bring home chapter books from the library to try to sneak in, but what can I say? The kid likes a comfort read before bed and I can’t really blame him. Despite all of my efforts, expect more Underpants in the coming months!

May Reading Plans:

I started to say that I had a lot to catch up on because it felt like I didn’t read as much in April, but I’m actually following my original plan pretty closely. I know that two or three weeks of good reading will help me feel caught up and the following list is (almost) possible.

I share this list nearly every month in the hopes that you will join along with anything that looks especially good to you. I hope you’ll consider a buddy read with me!

Prize Reading:

• Pod by Laline Paull (Women’s Prize shortlist)
• Fire Rush by Jacqueline Crooks (Women’s Prize shortlist)
• The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff (Women’s Prize longlist)
• The Dog of the North by Elizabeth McKenzie (Women’s Prize longlist)
• Still Born by Guadalupe Nettel (International Booker Prize shortlist)
• Time Shelter by Georgi Gospodinov (International Booker Prize shortlist)
• Whale by Cheon Myeong-Kwan (International Booker Prize shortlist)
• The Birthday Party by Laurent Mauvignier (International Booker longlist)

Favorite Authors:

• The Source of Self Regard by Toni Morrison
• The Memory of Old Jack by Wendell Berry
• Tales of Burning Love by Louise Erdrich
• Instructions for a Heat Wave by Maggie O’Farrell

Buddy Reads:

• Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak (slow & steady: aiming to read 1/3 in May.)
• The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver
• When I Was a Child I Read Books by Marilynne Robinson
• Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown
• The Transit of Venus by Shirley Hazzard

Others:

• Fresh Water for Flowers by Valérie Perrin (reread)
• Fight Night by Miriam Toews
• Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

Maybe that list is not at all possible? I’m a terrible judge of such things! We’ll see how I’m able to plug away at it. Which ones have you already read? Are any already on your TBR? I’d love to hear more about your own May plans!

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And now I have a batch of sourdough chocolate chip cookies waiting to go into the oven and I’m going to throw together a quick sourdough lemon cake. If we’re going to have a rainy week then we should have plenty of baked food for us all! Have I mentioned that I’m relieved we’re falling back into our school routine this week?

I hope to be back on Wednesday. Until then – take good care.