Books I Read in April

In the month of April, I read a total of 12 books, 9 of those books were rereads. I've weirdly managed to read 12 books every month so far this year, usually I'm never this consistent with my reading. So here are all the books I read and my thoughts and opinions on them...

Emergency Contact by Mary H.K. Choi - This book follows Penny and Sam, who meet through mutual friends and decide to keep in contact through text messages. I liked this book, the characters were likable and the plot was interesting. But what really drew me to this book was the setting, it takes place in Austin and it was really interesting to see how well the setting translated to my experience of the city.

Simon vs the Homo Sapien Agenda by Becky Albertali - This is a coming of age story following Simon, as he struggles with coming out. This was my first reread of the month and I wanted to reread this book after watching the movie (which is a great adaption) and I also am looking forward to picking up the spinoff sequel that just came out. I forgot a lot of the details of this book, so it felt like I was reading it for the first time. I enjoyed this book, and I again had a huge oreo craving while reading it.

The Beauty That Remains by Ashley Woodfolk - This book follows three characters who have recently suffered the loss of someone close to them, and how music has helped them deal with the loss. I was really surprised by how much I like this book, the characters and the plot are so meaningful, and as someone who has gotten back into playing music on a regular basis, I really enjoyed the impact that music has on the characters.

I Have Lost My Way by Gayle Forman - This book follows three strangers as they form a bond by spending the day together. I have been a fan of this author and her book for a while, If I Stay, was one of the first books I read that got me back into reading again. I really liked this book, I enjoyed the diverse characters and the coming of age elements. There are some elements of instalove and I thought the ending could have been more conclusive, but for the most part I enjoyed this book.

The Lunar Chronicles (books 1-4 and Stars Above) by Marissa Meyer - This is a fairy tale retelling series, with Sci-Fi elements. This is one of my all time favorite series and I have been wanting to reread it for a while, and when I saw that the audiobooks were available from the library, I jumped at the chance to read it again. Since this was a reread, I was able to appreciate all of the details in this series, the world building and character development are so well done, and the story itself is so unique. I'm already thinking about how the next time I read this book, that I want to read each book and short story in chronological order, and how that will add to the level of storytelling.

Red Queen series (books 1-3) by Victoria Aveyard - This series is set in a world divided by blood, and follows Mare, a red blood, who discovers that she has powers that people of her blood should not possess. This series is another reread as I geared up for the release of the final novel. I really love this series, and although it has a ton of cliches, the world building and the writing improve so much with each book. I'm really happy that I decided to reread this series, because there are so many detail and plot points that I had forgotten, and I'm simultaneously scared and excited for the last book.

And those are all the books I read in April. May is going to be a busy reading month, there are so many new releases that I'm looking forward too, but I'm also going on a big trip and I'm not going to have as much time to read as I usually do (I'll be sharing more info about my trip soon!). - Jessica

April Snapshots

1. This month, I upgraded to a Taylor GS Mini. I've wanted a Taylor guitar for ages and playing this guitar has been a dream come true. Before I got this guitar, I had been playing the same guitar that I learned on 11 years ago and I knew that it was time for an upgrade.

2. It's no secret that I love candles and this month I added the Novelly Yours, Wizarding Women box, to my collection. I knew as soon as Novelly Yours started teasing about doing a Harry Potter themed box, that I would have to own it, and the items did not disapoint. I own a couple other Hermione themed candles and this one is a great addition to my collection.

3. I have been doing lots of rereading this month, I started with Simon vs. the Homosapien Agenda, then worked through the Lunar Chronicles, and I'm currently making my way through the Red Queen series. This mug was in one of the recent Owl Crate boxes, and I found it to be an excellent companion when I was rereading the Lunar Chronicles and I was drinking tea to combat allergy symptoms. /// 4. My Inej bookmark from Happy Hello Co + Red Queen. 

5. USWNT vs. Mexico. I have a bit of an obsession with female soccer, especially the USWNT, and it's always a joy to see this team play. - Jessica

Warmer Weather (Playlist)

Do you ever start listening to a song and think that it's so good that it deserves to be on a playlist? That's what happened when I was listening to Us the Duo on shuffle and Look Up at the Sky came on. I also just reread The Lunar Chronicles and that song reminded me of some of the characters in the series. So I created a playlist with that song in mind. This song also made me think about how nice the weather has been and what I like to listen to on a perfect day. Here's the songs I picked for the playlist...




- Jessica

Covers

I have been playing a lot of music lately, mostly on my guitar because I recently bought my dream guitar. All of this playing has resulted in a desire to want to share what I've been up too, and I just uploaded my first cover on Youtube, and I would mean a lot if you would be willing to dedicate some time to watch it. It's not a perfect video, but I'm so proud of it. - Jessica

Books I Read in March

I had a really good reading month in March. I read 12 books, 5 of which were rereads. Here are the books I read and some of my spoiler free thoughts on them...

Shatter Me Series (Books 1-4) by Tahereh Mafi - This series follows Juliette, who has the power to kill people with her touch, as she falls into a plot to overthrow a corrupt government. I reread the first three books in this series in anticipation of the fourth novel, and I loved the original trilogy just as much the second time around. I absolutely love the direction that the fourth novel takes, and it really is the perfect continuation of the series and sets up so well for this next trilogy. I also really loved returning to the original characters and learning more about them. I read the fourth book in one sitting, because I couldn't put it down, and now I'm overcome with how much I need the next installment.

Illuminae Files Trilogy by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff - This is a science fiction series, told entirely through files (emails, transcriptions, photos...). I reread the first two books in anticipation of the series final, and I loved revisiting this world. There were a lot of details I had forgotten, and that helped wrap up the events of the third book. The third books is just as mind blowing and incredible as the first books. This is one of my favorite series and I highly recommend reading it.

The Apocalypse of Elena Mendoza by Shaun David Hutchinson - This book follows, Elena, who triggers an apocalypse, when she heals the fatal wound of the girl she likes. Shaun David Hutchinson is the author of one of my favorite books, We Are the Ants, so going into this book, I had high expectations. I ended up really enjoying this book, it has the same quirky vibes as the authors other works, and I really enjoyed how he wrote in some cameos from his other novels. 

Heart of Iron by Ashley Poston - This is an Anastasia retelling, set in space and surrounds a group of outlaws. I really enjoyed this book, the Sci-Fi elements add a really cool twist onto the classic story. I also really enjoyed the characters and the world building. I'm looking forward to picking up the sequel, when it comes out.

Autoboyography by Christina Lauren - This story follows Tanner, who takes a seminar class and meets Sebastian, a Morman, and quickly falls in love with him. I really enjoyed this book, it has great representation, and tackles a lot of myths and misconceptions surrounding bisexuals and LDS followings. This was the first contemporary novel, I read this year and was the perfect book to read after watching Love, Simon. 

To Kill a Kingdom by Alexandra Christo - This book follows a siren, who is punished and turned into a human, as she sets out to redeem herself and kill a prince known as the Siren Killer. I absolutely loved this book, it has fantastic character development. I felt like this book had all the capabilities of a slow burn series, but is only 342 pages. 

Unearthed by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner - This book is pitched as Indian Jones meets Lara Croft, in Space, and it's honestly such an accurate description. I really enjoyed this novel, I loved the characters and the storyline is completely gripping. This book also played perfectly into my linguistics degree, and there's so many interesting puzzles and mysteries. I rated this book a 4.5/5 stars, because I do think there was too much "instalove" between the two main characters, but I still really love the direction this duology is headed. 

And those are all the books I read. I have a list of books I'm hoping to get to in April, including rereading the Red Queen series, so hopefully everything goes according to plan. - Jessica