A detailed look at April’s reading habits: I read 37 books in April, only four of which were from my Up Next Shelf. Interestingly, every single book has a romantic aspect to its plot.
Overview
Outline
April Reflection and Into May
My April Wrap is the latest I’ve ever posted a Monthly Wrap. However, spending the extra time on the post allowed me to be a bit more detail-oriented – for instance, I love the new colour scheme I picked out; it feels very April. Also, by slowly going over each of the books I read in April – all 37 of them – I realized every single book has a romantic aspect to its plot. Hence, the title: 37 Romantic Reads in April. My April Wrap also feels representative of my reading mood for the past few months; I’ve been gravitating towards low-angst romances as a form of escapism.
Unfortunately, the number of books I read from my Up Next Shelf – I read four – is abysmal. I’m hoping my light book buying ban is effective, and I start picking up books from my Shelf. Considering more than half the books I read were from Kindle Unlimited, I think I also need to seriously think about turning off my KU subscription for a month or two.
I was shocked I only reviewed one book (on this Blog) in April. However, I reviewed quite a few books on Goodreads and The StoryGraph last month (look for the 📌). I mentioned a while back moving my shorter reviews to my blog, but I’m still thinking about the structure and organization of those shorter reviews. I was happy to post my Maytime Book Haul, which will be my last book haul for a while.
My minimum to-be-read list for May also includes three books; I go into detail in my May Hopefuls section. This minimum TBR list is my way of making sure books from my Up Next Shelf get read. However, I’m right on track in terms of my Goodreads 2021 Reading Challenge (141 of 365 books). I’m hoping in the next two months, I can pull ahead. I really want to get back into my 2019 reading rhythm.
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Books I Read This Month
Key: 🔁 re-read | 🤓 reviewed on this blog | 📜 Up Next Shelf | 📌 Goodreads review
• All Rhodes Lead Here by Mariana Zapata
• Native (Chosen, #4) by Stacy Jones 📌
• Hefty by Jessa Kane 📌
• Kingdom of Ash (Throne of Glass, #7) by Sarah J. Maas 🔁 📌
• The Avatar’s Flight (Age of the Andinna, #7) by Kristen Banet
• Scarlett XOXO by Autumn Reed 📌
• The Heiress Effect (Brothers Sinister, #2) by Courtney Milan
• Chosen (Chosen, #1) by Stacy Jones 🤓 🔁
• Nanny Tempts the Beast by MINK
• Luna and the Lie by Mariana Zapata 🔁
• Just One Look by Lucy Darling 📌
• Shadowed Heart (A Death So Sweet, #1) by Candace Wondrak
• Lost (Silver Falls University, #1) by M. Sinclair 📌
• Coach’s Daughter by Jessa Kane
• Husky by Jessa Kane
• Too Hard by Alexa Riley 🔁
• Torn to Bits (Kingdom of Wolves, #3) by Katie May
• Tethered to the World (Phantom Touched, #1) by Stacey Brutger 🔁 📌
• The Hero and the Hacktivist (Girl Band, #4) by Pippa Grant
• Small Town Girl (Pink Springs, #1) by Alexa Riley 📌
• The Baby Maker (Hunter Brothers, #1) by Lili Valente
• Not the Marrying Kind by Kathryn Nolan 📜
• Shackled to the World (Phantom Touched, #2) by Stacey Brutger 🔁 📌
• Finding Serenity (Silver Lining, #2) by Amanda Perry
• Crooked Heart (A Death So Sweet, #2) by Candace Wondrak
• Contagion by Amanda Milo 📌
• The Bridge Kingdom (The Bridge Kingdom, #1) by Danielle L. Jensen 📜 📌
• The Traitor Queen (The Bridge Kingdom, #2) by Danielle L. Jensen 📌
• Fostering Hope (Silver Lining, #1) by Amanda Perry 🔁 📌
• Her Reasons (Reasons, #1) by J.L. Akins 🔁
• From Blood and Ash (Blood and Ash, #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout 📜 📌
• Rabid (Kingdom of Wolves, #6) by Ivy Asher and Raven Kennedy 📌
• Violent Heart (A Death So Sweet, #3) by Candace Wondrak 📌
• Forever Mind by Ella Goode @ 57%
• Restless Spirit by Briana Michaels @ 14%
Book Types: Most books were on Kindle Unlimited (22).
Rating Distribution: Most April reads were 3-stars (15).
April Breakdown
Want to Read from this month
Most Favourite and Least Favourite*
*Can’t be a re-read
Most Favourite: All Rhodes Lead Here by Mariana Zapata.
Least Favourite: Violent Heart by Candace Wondrak. See why here.
Longest and Shortest Books
Longest Book: Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas at 989 pages.
Shortest Book: Husky by Jessa Kane at 61 pages.
Statistics
Most Read Genre: Reverse Harem Romance (14).
Origin Breakdown: Most of the books I read were “instant” reads (24), meaning I purchased and immediately read them.
Most Read Author: Jessa Kane (3), Candace Wondrak (3) and Mariana Zapata (3) with three books each!
*Person of Colour includes non-white human characters in fantasy novels
Best Performing Bookstagram Posts
April Book Reviews
Powerful and Motivational
The Body Is Not An Apology (2nd ed.) by Sonya Renee Taylor
Single Sentence Review: A powerful book that delves into the oppressive history of modern beauty standards, transforming the meaning of self-love.
My May Hopefuls
I finished two of my three April Hopefuls; I’m (still) currently reading The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi. Another book I’ve been meaning to finish for awhile – it’s been featured on my Weekly TBR many times – is Memory Serves by Lee Maracle. In hopes of ensuring I’ll finish it, I’ve added Memory Serves to my May Hopefuls.
The other two books on my minimum to-be-read list for May is The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner and Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay. I love how The Lost Apothecary combines historical fiction with contemporary mystery – also the feminist messaging is awesome. Bad Feminist is broken into digestible essays that cover different but connecting topics. I’m particularly enjoying the essays that give insight into Gay’s experience as a professor and graduate student.
Anticipated May Releases
Forbidden by Karla Sorensen
Released Yesterday (May 20, 2021)!
Imposter Syndrome by Kathy Wang
Releasing May 25, 2021
See my Upcoming Release page for more of the books I’m looking forward to in May!
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