Book Nook Cafe discussion

Here is the Folder and thread to tell us what your monthly reads for April
2025 were.

Please provide:
~ A GoodReads link
~ A few sentences telling us how you felt about the book.
~ How would you rate the book

It was a solid 4-star April for me! To be fair, a few of these are authors I've already read before and knew I would enjoy their books, but there were a couple of unexpected, pleasant surprises as well.

I think I've shared a bit about most of these in other posts, so I'll keep it short here:



Babel by R.F. Kuang
SciFi/Dark Academia
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Not really my style of book, but I love RF Kuang's writing style and this one did not disappoint.



Before We Forget KindnessBefore we Forget Kindness by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
Magical Realism, Japan
⭐⭐⭐⭐
I think this is the 5th (!) book in the "Before the Coffee Gets Cold" series and falls right in line with the others. Very sweet stories and a great "in-between" book while reading other heavier or longer novels.



The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yōko Ogawa
Fiction, Japan
⭐⭐⭐⭐
(just posted in the book salon for this one)



A Billion Butterflies: A Life in Climate and Chaos Theory by Jagadish Shukla
Non-Fiction
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is a timely read (listen) and quite intriguing.
I loved the audio narrator and the author's way of making nature and non-fiction feel immersive and interesting.
The way the author blends personal anecdotes/memoir with science is reminiscent of Robin Wall Kimmerer, which we were just discussing in the Book Salon thread.



Max in the House of Spies: A Tale of World War II by Adam Gidwitz
YA Historical Fiction
⭐⭐⭐⭐
This was a very engaging, well-written YA/Middle Grade historical fiction about the years leading up to WW2. It starts with our young MC boarding a train on his way to England; thousands of children were shipped out of Germany when the Nazis rose to power, just before concentration camps were being formed, a fact I hadn't known before reading this.
At the end, the author highlights everything that was actually true in the book, including some of the main characters, which I thought was a nice touch, especially for kids learning the subject matter.

While this is technically a kids' book, I enjoyed it as much or more than my 7-year-olds did. It was surprisingly approachable for them as well, though we did need to stop occasionally to explain some things.



The Bees by Laline Paull
SciFi/Dystopia
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Clever story about a young Sanitation Bee Flora 717, born with special abilities, making her a potential threat to her hive. I enjoyed the bee perspective and how it paralleled human initiatives like religion, community, authority and more.



Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera
Mystery/Thriller
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Engaging thriller with a mostly believable story line and good writing. I wasn't completely satisfied with the ending but overall was very good. I especially enjoyed the narrator on audio.

What a great month of reading for you, Lindsey. I’ve added Billions of Butterflies to my TBR, thanks to your comments.

Thanks for the recap.

(As an aside, i am waiting until we return to Texas before i post mine, as well as updating my Challenge list.)

Lindsey wrote:

A Billion Butterflies: A Life in Climate and Chaos Theory by Jagadish Shukla
Non-Fiction
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This is a timely read (listen) and quite intriguing.
I loved the audio narrator and the author's way of making nature and non-fiction feel immersive and interesting.A Billion Butterflies: A Life in Climate and Chaos Theory
The way the author blends personal anecdotes/memoir with science is reminiscent of Robin Wall Kimmerer, which we were just discussing in the Book Salon thread.

Congratulations on a terrific April, Lindsey.

I've seen by Jagadish Shukla on many lists. I've added it to my TBR list.

He has an impressive resume.
DR. JAGADISH SHUKLA is a Professor of Climate Dynamics at George Mason University. Internationally recognized for his role in the development of weather and climate science, he has received the International Meteorological Prize by the UN and the Exceptional Scientific Achievement Medal of NASA, the highest honor given to a civilian by NASA. For his work as a lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s 4th assessment, his team was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

I had a slow April, finishing only 4 books but one was a behemoth). But I have a bunch in progress so thee will be a lot in May

Wandering Stars Not as good as There There but I still liked, my fave of the month

The Complete Poems. I was not happy with this one since I didn't like the epic/myths. I like the straight poetry.

Tehrangeles A funny satire about rich people doing rich people things

The Wedding People Better than I expected story about a college adjunct professor who ends up at a resort where she is the only non-"wedding person" and the way the characters change their viewpoints about their lives

Aside from the poetry book, it looks like you had a nice reading month, Denise.

Denise, yours looks like a good reading month, partly because we know you began & continued more books, as well. Take a bow!

Lindsey wrote: "Before We Forget KindnessBefore we Forget Kindness by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
Magical Realism, Japan
⭐⭐⭐⭐ ..."

I've read two of this series and enjoyed them. I'm glad to hear that the others are just as good.

I also really liked The Housekeeper and the Professor. That was a good story.

Denise wrote: "I had a slow April, finishing only 4 books but one was a behemoth). But I have a bunch in progress so thee will be a lot in May

Wandering Stars Not as good as There There but I st..."

Denise, that's a good reading month. I didn't finish 4 books this month but, like you, I have a few in progress so May should be better.

Hello everyone! April was certainly a busy month for me, but I still managed to read four books.

First up was Blood on The Boardwalk by Donna Taylor. My full review can be found here.

The best way I can describe the plot of this book is that a girl named Jenna has to take down a serial killer vampire.

One of this book's strongest aspects is the side characters. Not only are they well developed, but they're all interesting in their own distinct ways, which definitely helped them stand out from one another and helped them stick with me. Also, when it comes to the horror elements, they're pretty damn good here. The book really knows how to use sensory details and how to use an imbalance of power to make the reader feel just as unnerved and powerless as the characters. So like I mentioned before, this book features a vampire and the way that the book draws upon the idea of the vampire being a creature of the night to create some of its own unique lore was a really nice touch.

That said though, Jenna has the ability to see and communicate with ghosts, but for whatever reason, the book really doesn't take advantage of it all that much, making me question why it was even included. I'm hoping that later installments utilize it a lot more because I think it could be really useful. Also, while the version I read was an ARC and it's not uncommon to see this kind of thing in ARCs, I was still shocked by the amount of errors it had and how it really could've used one or two more rounds of editing.

Though, because it's an ARC, some details may be different in the final version (like the issues I mentioned being fixed and the like).

Rating: B

The second book I read for April was Rabbit Moon by Jennifer Haigh. You can read my full thoughts on it here.

The plot of this one is a little complicated, but basically, it explores the life of Lindsay, her family, and a few other characters, and how Lindsay ended up getting severely injured in a hit and run in China.

Like with Blood on The Boardwalk, the version I read was an ARC, so some of the things I mention here and in my full review may be different in the final version.

Anyway, for me, this is one of those books that started out good, but then just crashed and burned.

But let me talk about the good stuff first. So one of my favorite things about this book is how, despite Lindsay's adopted sister Grace being their parent's favorite child, Lindsay and Grace are genuinely supportive and protective of one another. It was quite heartwarming and shows just how much they truly care about one another. I also have to give props to the fact that the mystery of how Lindsay ended up where she did was really well done, with the clues naturally building off one another and delivering some pleasant surprises every now and then.

Unfortunately, a major problem with Rabbit Moon is that it is straight up boring. A major contributing factor is that, even though Rabbit Moon is clearly intended to be a character-driven story, the characters (with the exception of Lindsay and Grace) barely get any character development! I am not even joking. I think the characters who suffer the most from this are Lindsay and Grace's parents. On top of their journey to find out how Lindsay ended up in that hit and run barely changing them, they're way more focused on bumbling around China, sitting around, and arguing than actually solving the goddamn mystery. Ugh!

On top of underdeveloped characters and the like, this book gives a lot of page time to setting up certain elements, only to do absolutely nothing with them. It spits in the face of Chekhov's Gun.

I hope that these issues are fixed in the final version because my God do they really drag the book down.

Rating: D

Third was This Book Will Bury Me by Ashley Winstead. I wrote an entire review on it and you can check it out here.

This book is about a lady named Jane who just lost her father and ends up falling in with a group of amatur sleuths. Together, they do what they can to solve some murders, including the ones that occur in Delphine, Idaho.

This one was a bit of a mixed bag for me. On the one hand, the members of the true crime forum that Jane frequents (including Goku, Lightly, and Mistress) were a real highlight for me and provided a lot of heart in what's otherwise a dark story. Some of the mystery-related elements and the pacing were also very well executed.

On the other hand, the way that the book doesn't provide a legitimate conclusion to the mystery of who Jane's father actually was a huge, lazy copout, there were quite a few weird inconsistencies that could've easily been fixed, and the way the book utilized its real life inspiration made the book feel like self-insert fanfiction lacking dignity and respect and it really didn't sit right with me.

Rating: C+

The final book of my April reads was Fan Service by Roise Danan. More on that here.

Devin is a werewolf who played a werewolf on a TV show named The Arcane Files. Alex is the former moderator of The Arcane Files' archive. The two come together to help Devin have better control over his werewolfism and end up falling in love.

I have to say, I had a lot of fun with this one!

The chemistry between Devin and Alex was wholesome and genuine, the way The Arcane Files was described really helped me understand why people would enjoy it, and the trial scenes were really fun and clever. Oh and unlike with This Book Will Bury Me, the fanficy feel of the book actually works for it because the book heavily revolves around fandom and it doesn't go overboard with the idea.

The one issue I do have with it, however, is that this book will go on and on about how Devin was abused in every conceivable way possible by everyone who worked with him, yet doesn't bother to devote one or two sentences to explaining why Alex's mother never kept in contact with her daughter and husband or provided them a way to contact her, despite the fact that the reader gets nothing to indicate Alex's mother didn't love them or that there were other reasons for her leaving them besides "She didn't like the town they were living in."

Rating: A

Overall. April was a rather mixed bag for me.

Good synopses, Hailey, whether you liked the books or not. “This Book…” appeals to me, so I’ve added it to my TBR. While “Rabbit Moon” sounds decent enough the issues you had would only aggravate me, so i’ll pass.

Thanks for the detailed accounts of your impressions. They help us very much.

Hailey wrote: "Overall. April was a rather mixed bag for me.
..."
I hope May is a better reading month for you Hailey.

I appreciate the honest reviews. I also like that you aren't shy about giving a book a failing grade. I find it very helpful.

Here are my April reads. I reviewed them all in depth in the April book salon thread, so I will be brief.

World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments by Aimee Nezhukumatathil
Format: eBook
Nonfiction
Rate: 4/5 very good
This is a collection of short essays. It was part memoir and part nature writing. Each chapter begins with a lovely drawing by Fumi Mini Nakamura. The book is easy to read. The drawings are beautiful. The writing is lovely. If you enjoy nature, you will enjoy this book.

Rental Person Who Does Nothing by Shoji Morimoto
Format: eBook and Audio book
Nonfiction
Rate: 2/5
Morimoto rents himself to basically be with you as you do things. He does not recommend anything or help you do errands.
I found the concept a bid odd and sad. The book consists of tweets requesting his service and his replies and then a bit of follow up on the request. The requests were very pedestrian and the writing repetitions. The book is translated to English from Japanese. I listened to the audio, narrated by Kevin Shen, who does an adequate job as I followed along with the eBook.

Too Loud a Solitude by Bohumil Hrabal
Format: eBook
Fiction
Rate: 4/5
This was published in Czechoslovakia in 1989. It was translated into English by Michael Henry Heim in 1990. It's a short novella at around 100 pages. It's an allegory about censorship, resistance, the power of the books and life in Czechoslovakia under censorship. I thought I was going to rate this a 2/5 due to the writing style but the ending was very poignant and moved it up to a 4/5 for me.

The Exchange by John Grisham
Format: eBook
Fiction
Rate: 2/5 did not meet expectations
The Exchange is supposed to be a sequel to Grisham's popular 1991 book The Firm. Aside from a bit of rehashing background, this is not really a sequel. There is a kidnapping and then The majority of the book is a slog through endless meetings and phone calls as they try to raise the money for the ransom. I thought the plot was ridiculous. . There are about fifty characters in the book. You can find a list online. Most are minor. However, keeping track of all the names does get confusing at times. I wouldn't bother. None of the characters are really fleshed out or are that important. There really is little suspense, plot twists or thrills. Instead of a page turner, Grisham gives a ho-hum ending. My advice, Exchange this drivel for another book.

I Want to Die But I Want to Eat Tteokbokki by Baek Se-hee
Format: eBook
Non fiction memoir
Rate: 3/5
This book is transcriptions of the author's doctor visits and essays written by the author. She suffered from "Dysthymia, also known as persistent depressive disorder.
The book gives a glimpse into South Korean culture. It seems that there is a lot of pressure regarding work, school and ones appearance there. I appreciated the courage it took to share her sessions with her therapist.
This interview with the author was informative.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4kY-...

Dead Poets Society by N.H. Kleinbaum
Fiction
Format: eBook
Rate: 5/5
This book is a novelization of the film. It's a quick read at only 116 pages. This was a wonderful poignant coming of age story. The story takes place at a strict all boys school. Unlike their other teachers the boys English teacher, Professor Keating, is an iconoclast. He not only teaches them literature and poetry but teaches them about life.

End of Watch by Stephen King
Format: eBook
Fiction
Rate: 5/5

This is the last book in the Bill Hodges trilogy . The other two books are
#1 book: Mr. Mercedes
#2 Finders Keepers

This was a terrific trilogy. I gave each book 5/5 rating.
The trilogy definitely needs to be read in order.

The book stars detective Bill Hodges, his partner Holly Gibney and their nemesis Brady Hartsfield.

All in all, of the books I read this month, the only book I wouldn't recommend was the John Grisham book.

I'm also continueing to read and enjoy War and Peace

Hey guys I just finished “before the coffee gets cold”. It was a very heartwarming read.
Before that, my whole month was destroyed because of having read “A little life”. Has anyone read that? Please let me know what you thought of it. It scarred me for life.

Ana wrote: "Hey guys I just finished “before the coffee gets cold”. It was a very heartwarming read.
Before that, my whole month was destroyed because of having read “A little life”. Has anyone read that? Ple..."

I reads both of those and liked them both. I know A Little Life is polarizing but I really liked it. The thing that makes me a rate a book the highest is the language/prose of the book, and despite the terrible stuff that happens to Jude, the book was well written. I was disappointed with her next book To Paradise and have not been able to get through it (though I will soon) because the stor(ies) and characters are less compelling and the writing is flat. I loved the 4 main character at the heart of A Little Life (Jude, Willem, Malcolm, JB). I finished it thinking, this book could go on another 200 pages if she tells me more about JB because I didn't want it to end. It's fiction, the events happened to a character not a real person so it didn't wreck me like some nonfiction I read....and as I said, I focused on the language not the events.
Before the Coffee gets Cold is a great palate cleanse after Life, I have read the first 4 and am about to start Before We Forget Kindness

Alias Reader wrote: "Here are my April reads. I reviewed them all in depth in the April book salon thread, so I will be brief.

[bookcover:World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishment..."

Rental Person, honestly, sounds like something I know I wouldn't like much, but congrats for getting throught it. I have a Hrabal novel on my TBR that sounds interesting, so thanks for your thoughts on this one.

madrano wrote: "Good synopses, Hailey, whether you liked the books or not. “This Book…” appeals to me, so I’ve added it to my TBR. While “Rabbit Moon” sounds decent enough the issues you had would only aggravate m..."

You're welcome, madrano! I'm glad to hear that my reviews are helpful. I'm also glad you were able to find a book among my April reads that you wanted to read too.

Alias Reader wrote: "Hailey wrote: "Overall. April was a rather mixed bag for me.
..."
I hope May is a better reading month for you Hailey.

I appreciate the honest reviews. I also like that you aren't shy about giving..."

Thank you, Alias! I'm happy to hear that.

For me, being honest about what worked and didn't work about a book is something that I highly value. It helps me learn and it helps others get a clear, genuine idea as to what a book is like, especially if they're not sure if it's something they should actually invest their time in.

this is I think my least fav book of the series at this moment, I don't think it's bad, just maybe it wasn't for me. I still think it's a 3,5 stars

on the other side

this felt like she was writing about me, she get into my brain, she saw my thoughts and just write how I feel about myself and how people constantly talk about my body. There's no other way to discribe it, but it felt like she threw me a rock. I give it 5 stars

Ana wrote: "Hey guys I just finished “before the coffee gets cold”. It was a very heartwarming read.
Before that, my whole month was destroyed because of having read “A little life”. Has anyone read that? Ple..."

Welcome to Book Nook Cafe, Ana.

Ana, I read A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara The book is heart wrenching for sure. I did give it a top rating of 5/5

Erin wrote: "on the other side
The Vegetarian by Han Kang
this felt like she was writing about me, she get into my brain, she saw my thoughts and just write how I feel about myself and how people constantly talk about my body. There's no other way to discribe it, but it felt like she threw me a rock. I give it 5 stars"

I've been on the fence about reading The Vegetarian by Han Kang
I know a few others here have read it and enjoyed it. I need to move it up my TBR list.

Thank you for sharing your April reads with us, Erin.

Alias Reader wrote: "Here are my April reads. I reviewed them all in depth in the April book salon thread, so I will be brief.

[bookcover:World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishment..."

Thank you for sharing your April reads, Alias. I added World of Wonders to my TBR, as it seemed like something right up my alley.

As for Rental Person, it wouldn't surprise me if the the way it was translated played a role in making the book fall flat.

Hailey wrote: Thank you for sharing your April reads, Alias. I added World of Wonders to my TBR, as it seemed like something right up my alley..."

Hailey, I got the title from Youtuber, My Reading Life. Her name is Heidi and she lives in Maine.

Here is the list of books she is reading for her Naturalist Book Club if you want to see the other titles.

Book Naturalists Book Club 2025
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=av2PY...

Ana wrote: "Hey guys I just finished “before the coffee gets cold”. It was a very heartwarming read.
Before that, my whole month was destroyed because of having read “A little life”. Has anyone read that? Ple..."

I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed Before the Coffee Gets Cold, Ana. If you're looking for more heartwarming reads, I would definitely recommend the A Man and His Cat series.

Alias Reader wrote: "Here are my April reads. I reviewed them all in depth in the April book salon thread, so I will be brief.

[bookcover:World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishment..."

While you had two 2-star books, the rest were very good, so that is a successful month! I continue to marvel at how you balance genres, including NF regularly. Thanks for posting the comments here again, Alias.

Ana wrote: "Hey guys I just finished “before the coffee gets cold”. It was a very heartwarming read.
Before that, my whole month was destroyed because of having read “A little life”. Has anyone read that? Ple..."

Hanya Yanagihara is an author i haven’t read yet. The length of the two books mentioned here are daunting. However, Denise’s comment about her willingness to read more of the Life” book is encouraging.

Like others here, Coffee was a winner for me.

Hailey wrote: "For me, being honest about what worked and didn't work about a book is something that I highly value. It helps me learn and it helps others get a clear, genuine idea as to what a book is like, especially if they're not sure if it's something they should actually invest their time in..."

I agree very much, Hailey. This is why i am grateful for this monthly thread.

Erin wrote: "
this is I think my least fav book of the series at this moment, I don't think it's bad, just maybe it wasn't for me. I still think it's a 3,5 stars ..."

Not bad, at all, Erin. As long as it moved the series forward without much damage, it’s fine.

You liked the Han Kang even more than i did. I felt she managed to present the story very well, and still offer quire a surprise.

John wrote: "I have a Hrabal novel on my TBR that sounds interesting, so thanks for your thoughts on this one.."

I cannot believe i never looked up any other novels by him, John. Duh. Closely Watched Trains sounds similar to my favorite character in Solitude, so I’m hustling toward that novel NOW. Thank you for mentioning it.

Not So Fast, it seems. My library doesn’t have Trains. It has I Served the King of England, but it doesn’t call to me, at this time. Good thing i’m going book shopping today!

Here are mine ...


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... by
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... by https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... (ed.) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4... by https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... ⭐️⭐️⭐️


https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6... by https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... ⭐️⭐️


Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

madrano wrote: While you had two 2-star books, the rest were very good, so that is a successful month! I continue to marvel at how you balance genres, including NF regularly. Thanks for posting the comments here again, Alias.
"

I'm not faithful to any genres. LOL

John wrote: "Here are mine ...


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... by
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/sh..."

The Palace: From the Tudors to the Windsors, 500 Years of British History at Hampton Court
5 stars. That is impressive as you give 5 stars out judiciously

You had two really good reads and two duds. Here's hoping May brings you all winners.

Erin ☆ wrote: "this felt like she was writing about me, she get into my brain, she saw my thoughts and just write how I feel about myself and how people constantly talk about my body. There's no other way to discribe it, but it felt like she threw me a rock. I give it 5 stars ..."

Thanks for sharing, Erin!

Like Alias, I've had The Vegetarian on my TBR for some time now and need to consider moving it up. I actually own a copy, so I have no excuse.

John wrote: "Here are mine ...


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1... by
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show... ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
..."

John, i appreciate your frank opinions of these selections. The Tudor book sounds like something my husband & i would really enjoy reading. Thanks for the title.

Your comments on leaving the less good books behind are perfect. There is no sense in dwelling on them. Warning others, though, is fair game. And i am grateful you did!

My April reads are as follows:

BEHIND THESE WALLS by Jed Kent - 4 stars.
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Night Creepers by David Irons - 5 stars.
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

TOMBSTONES by J.D. Allen
- 5 stars.
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Lightkeeper by David Kempf - 4 stars.
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

House of Thorns by Lee Mountford - 1 star.
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Fatemarked by David Estes - 5 stars.
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Helloween by Duncan Ralston - 5 stars.
My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

A great month except for the one star book - that book is another one where I have read the author in the past and loved their books but this one (it was close to being a dnf too) just kept me in state of confusion. Otherwise the other books made up for my disappointment in that one.

Stellar month, Marie.

Alias Reader wrote: "Stellar month, Marie."

Thank you, Alias. :)

Another month of fun reviews from you, Marie. Thank you.

I appreciated the recap of the short story, as the topic itself is one i like.

Of course, when you used the phrase, "horror subgenre called Bizarro'", i had to look it up. We lived in Portland at the time this sub-(sub?-) genre was being created, but i'd not heard of it. Nor do any of the titles ring a bell. Still, i'm happy there is an audience and practitioners for it. For myself, if you, young as you are, find yourself lost in it, i don't stand a chance! lol Thank you for the introduction to the genre. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bizarro...

Marie, when you love a book, your reviews are delightfully full of what draws you to it. That is a pleasure to read. I'm grateful you take the time to share with us.

Onward!

madrano wrote: "Another month of fun reviews from you, Marie. Thank you.

I appreciated the recap of the short story, as the topic itself is one i like.

Of course, when you used the phrase, "horror subgenre call..."

Thank you so much, Deb. :)

Interesting enough I did not know that Wikipedia even recognized Bizarro - lol. That link you provided was a shocker to me. The sub-genre is known in the horror community but I didn't know that someone had stuck anything about it over on Wikipedia.

Also interesting is the fact that I know of some of the author names listed on that long author list displayed on there however I haven't read any of those authors. I tend not to read bizarro - I read one or two books years ago and it drove me away from the sub genre of horror - I will not read them now because sometimes the books will be confusing and it almost makes you feel that you are lost in a maze of confusion.

Thank you for sharing the Wiki link. :)

I appreciate your comment, Marie, because i was wondering how well-known and/or popular the genre was. Thanks.

madrano wrote: "I appreciate your comment, Marie, because i was wondering how well-known and/or popular the genre was. Thanks."

You are welcome. :)

At last, i have collected the information about the books i read in April. It has been a tedious task, as i wanted to provide links to the reviews but first i had to write the darned review, eh? So, here 'tis.

The link is to the page the review is on, as i haven't posted them yet on the GR book's page. The link is followed by the post # where i shared my opinions.

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

post 63 Is for Wordhunter--Stella Sands, a mystery i enjoyed. Part of my pleasure was the main character's linguistic knowledge. Thanks to John for introducing me to this book.


https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Post #179--The City & the City--China Miéville
Thought provoking novel about two cities which share the same place, at the same time but do not "see" one another, due to strict laws. I fumbled initially, but ended up really like it.

Same Link, Post: 180 Land of Milk and Honey--C Pam Zhang. Post apocalyptic novel in which the world has little food but the main character manages to find employment at a Rich Person's estate, high in Italy. Overall, i was not in love with this one, although it's told well.

POST #183 The Borrowers--Mary Norton YA about tiny people who live in a UK mansion in the early 20th century. Sweet & the art is informative.

POST #186 Shades of Grey--Jasper Fforde. Fforde presents a post-apocalyptic world, wherein the colors your eyes/brain sees determines your status in the world. This is humor, btw, despite the sound of it. Fun. Thank you to Petra, at least i believe it was her, for sharing about this new series by Fforde.

POST #190--Riding Like the Wind: The Life of Sanora Babb--Iris Jamahl Dunkle. Biography of an author whose best known work was "borrowed from", by Steinbeck, for his The Grapes of Wrath. The book makes the case, while also profiling an intriguing woman.

DYING dick 417
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Post 417--The Dying Detective--Leif G.W. Persson

FROM the first link, POST #191: 1177 B.C.: The Year Civilization Collapsed--Eric H. Cline. This is a good look at the latest archaeological research on who the "Sea People", blamed for destroying Egypt & other Mediterranean nations in the title year. As a fan of those civilization, i found the book good.

You had a very nice April, deb. I always enjoy that you read such an eclectic mix of books.

Thank you again taking the time to post the reviews and links.

Thank you, Alias.