April 2011 Rundown

Another month has come to an end, who can believe it? I sure can’t.

I must say, April has been an interesting month for myself. Even with several projects between work and school and that almost week long reading slump I managed to read 22 books, which happens to be more than I’ve read during January, February, or March. Oh, and not only did I read a lot – but I read a lot of great stuff too. April was certainly a kind month for reading!

In addition to tons of reading, I also belted out quite a few reviews this month. Two posts full-up of short reviews of several romance reads are what really enable me to say that, though (A Series of Short Reviews and More Short Reviews).

I have several full reviews this month as well:
– NetGalley books:
The Vampire Voss and The Vampire Dimitri, books one and two of the Regency Draculia series, which I’m loving and cannot wait to finish!
Ascension, which I think is an AMAZING debut novel, I’m most definitely keeping an eye out for more from Sable Grace.
The Scorpion Queen, just as much erotica as fantasy, and actually quite interesting.
– Zebra Horror:
Cold Kiss, not terrifying, but certainly enjoyable!
– Urban Fantasy:
Bayou Moon, I’m thinking book two is better than book one… definitely loving this series
– Pride & Prejudice Variation:
The Perfect Bride for Mr. Darcy, unfortunately I was kinda bummed with this one. I feel like the author was trying too hard to be Jane Austen, which, lets face it, not gonna happen.
– Steampunk:
Steamed, I definitely liked this one, though beware – it’s very much a romance novel and reads like one.
– Young Adult:
Hush, Hush, I really wanted to see what all the fuss was about, and while I get the appeal of the fallen angel idea, I wouldn’t let my kid read this book without first reading it and then discussing certain aspects of the book.
– Non-Fiction:
Yes Means Yes!, a phenomenal collection of essays confronting the public view of female sexuality and exploring ideas of how we can fix the problems that view creates.

What else did I read?

In non-fiction I read I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced, a memoir of a girl who has become an inspiration. I will review this as soon as I find the words.

In fiction, I continued the Dark-Hunter series with book seven, Sins of the Night.
I finally got a copy of and read Sin Undone, the fifth and final book in Larissa Ione’s Demonica Series. A phenomenal read, but I’m so sad to see this series go. I will be following her in the future though.
I continued Lora Leigh’s Breeds series with book four, Kiss of Heat. I was so excited for Sherra and Kane’s story that I actually skipped book three, so I’ve got to go back for that one now.
I read two other Pride and Prejudice variations as well, Darcy’s Voyage, which I’m shocked to LOVE, and Mr. Darcy Presents His Bride, which was very good also.

With finals starting Friday, I’m hoping to get my reviews up before then otherwise I’ll loose everything bookish in my brain – and wouldn’t that just suck?

What I’m hoping to read in May:

Even with finals week coming, I’m sure I’ll be reading – especially when one considers my odd study habits.

I’ve got a few more NetGalley books I’m hoping to read and review this month – my queue just keeps growing! – so you can keep an eye out for those if you like.
I mentioned this before, I think, but I’m participating in my first TLC Book Tour this month for Mitchell Zuckoff’s Lost in Shangri-La which I’m super excited about! My review will be up May 19th.
I’ve also got Jennifer Wright Knust’s Unprotected Texts – assuming the library doesn’t want that back before I get to it this month you can expect a review of that.
I am hoping – after classes/finals are done – to jump into William James’s The Varieties of Religious Experience, though I have yet to figure out how I’ll discuss it here. Do I wait until I finish the book in its entirety and have one long post about it, or do I discuss by lecture? Honestly, at this point I’m just interested to see what the book is like – I have yet to give it more than a passing glance.
A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan – another library book just sitting around, waiting to be read.
North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell, I finally bought a copy of this – I LOVED the mini-series, and it wasn’t only because of Richard Armitage (though he certainly didn’t hurt!).
Dream When You’re Feeling Blue by Elizabeth Berg, I had a copy of this from the library, but for some reason I never finished it while I had it – well, that’s about to change.

There’s always the high chance of my deviating from the above list, but I’m still hoping for a good summer of reading.

And that is pretty much that. How was April for you?