Friday, May 1, 2020

April 2020 Wrap-Up!


Hey all! So if March was a million years long, April flew by. Maybe it was because I finally got used to lockdown and was swamped with schoolwork and maybe it was because the days all blended together. Either way, it's now May and I am shook at how fast that went. I'm working through my final projects and exams and by Tuesday night I will be finished with my junior year of college (thank god). But this post is all about my bookish experience over the last month. I finished a total of 14 books in April (way better than May) and started another. I would have liked to read even more, but I can't be too upset about that number. Hopefully May can be equally as amazing of a reading month. Anyway, without further ado, here are all the books I read in April!



BOOKS READ
1. 
Title: Deep River
Author: Howard Thurman
Rating: n/a--read for class
Deep River and the Negro Spiritual Speaks of Life and Death
I read this for an African American Literature class and it was actually quite interesting at parts, especially in conjunction with lectures and watching videos of spirituals being performed. 

2. 
Title: House of Earth and Blood
Author: Sarah J. Maas
Rating: 5 // 5 stars
Review
House of Earth and Blood (Crescent City, #1)
3.
Title: Crave
Author: Tracy Wolff
Rating: 2 // 5 stars
Review
Blog Tour
Crave by Tracy Wolff

4.
Title: The Escape, or A Leap for Freedom
Author: William Wells Brown
Rating: n/a--read for class
The Escape; Or, a Leap for Freedom
I had to read this play for class and it was rather interesting. It was the first play published by an African-American author and had quite a bit of comedy throughout it. It was also rather short so I was able to get through it quickly and enjoy it throughout.

5.
Title: Hide and Seek Her
Author: Hayley Stumbo
Rating: 4 // 5 stars
Review
-reread-
Hide and Seek Her
I reread this because the third book in the trilogy finally released last summer/fall time. It's been a while since I read these books so I wanted to have it all fresh in my mind before I read the final book. I have to say, I did enjoy this book a lot on my reread through and I can see why I loved it so much the first time. It was a really quick read as well and I actually flew through. I'm even more excited to reread the second book, though, because that's really when shit starts to go down! 

6.
Title: Finders Keep Her
Author: Hayley Stumbo
Rating: 4 // 5 stars
Review
-reread-
Finders Keep Her by Hayley Stumbo
This was always my favorite of the books that had been released so far and, rereading this, I remembered why. It's so addicting and fast-paced. Whereas a lot of the first book focused more on the romance, there's a lot of angst and more of the thriller aspect of the series in this book. I flew through my reread and I'm so excited to read the final book tonight. I literally have been waiting four years for this moment and I cannot wait. 

7.
Title: Losers Reap Her
Author: Hayley Stumbo
Rating: 4 // 5 stars
Review
Losers Reap Her

8.
Title: These Broken Stars
Author: Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
Rating: 4 // 5 stars
Review
These Broken Stars (Starbound, #1)

9.
Title: This Shattered World
Author: Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
Rating: 4.5 // 5 stars
Review
This Shattered World (Starbound, #2)
10.
Title: Their Fractured Light 
Authors: Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
Rating: 4 // 5 stars
Review
Their Fractured Light (Starbound, #3)

11.
Title: This Night So Dark
Authors: Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
Rating: 4 // 5 stars
This Night So Dark (Starbound, #1.5)
I thought this was an interesting little novella to help get a little bit of backstory on one of the main characters in this trilogy. While it technically takes place between books 1 and 2, a lot of it is told in flashback which I thought was interesting. I liked getting to see not only a bit of Tarver's history but also get to know more about this big plot point that comes out at the end of book 1 and seems to tie into this event from Tarver's past. Overall, was enjoyable and I thought it helped my understanding of the story become a bit better even if it wasn't necessary to read.

12.
Title: The People Could Fly
Author: Virginia Hamilton
Illustrators: Leo and Diane Dillon
Rating: n/a--read for class
The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales
This was a really cool book to read. It was a book I was looking forward to all semester because (1) there's pictures and (2) it's all about American black folktales which I've never read before. I really enjoyed getting to read these and then discuss them with my classmates and professor.

13.
Title: Bird Brain
Author/Illustrator: Chuck Mullin
Rating: 5 // 5 stars
Bird Brain: Comics About Mental Health, Starring Pigeons
This was such a cute little graphic novel and I honestly feel so SEEN after finishing it. There's so much on the different aspects of living with anxiety and I related so much to different parts of this book. Not only that, but the art style is wonderful and the author included little anecdotes throughout which I really enjoyed.

14.
Title: Incendiary
Author: Zoraida Córdova
Rating: 4.5 // 5 stars
Review & Blog Tour
Incendiary (Hollow Crown, #1)



BLOG POSTS

March 2020 Wrap-Up!
March 2020 Book Haul
Book Review: "House of Earth and Blood" by Sarah J. Maas
Blog Tour: "Crave" by Tracy Wolff + Giveaway
Stay Home Reading Rush TBR
15 Bingeable Book Recommendations (& Free Reading Resources)
Book Review: "Losers Reap Her" by Hayley Stumbo
Book Review: "Crave" by Tracy Wolff
Book Review: "These Broken Stars" by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
Book Review: "This Shattered World" by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
Book Review: "Their Fractured Light" by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
Blog Tour: "Incendiary" by Zoraida Córdova + GIVEAWAY



Thanks for reading!
xoxo
Lauren



You can follow my bookstagram here for more bookish content!

To get more awesome posts like this post, click the follow button to the right!

Get free worldwide shipping with Book Depository using my affiliate link



No comments:

Post a Comment