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!

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BOOKS READ

1. 

Title: Deep River

Author: Howard Thurman

Rating: n/a--read for class

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

3.
Title: Crave
Author: Tracy Wolff
Rating: 2 // 5 stars
Review
Blog Tour

4.
Title: The Escape, or A Leap for Freedom
Author: William Wells Brown
Rating: n/a--read for class

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-

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-

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

8.
Title: These Broken Stars
Author: Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
Rating: 4 // 5 stars
Review

9.
Title: This Shattered World
Author: Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
Rating: 4.5 // 5 stars
Review

10.
Title: Their Fractured Light 
Authors: Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
Rating: 4 // 5 stars
Review

11.
Title: This Night So Dark
Authors: Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner
Rating: 4 // 5 stars

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

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

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

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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

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Thanks for reading!

xoxo

Lauren

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