April was another slow reading month – one of the books I read was quite hefty so I only managed six books again. It may have only been five if one wasn’t a graphic novel and another a novella!

I read 1,116 pages and listened to 45.58 hours – a little more than last month. I didn’t read any nonfiction this month so 100% was fiction. 50% of my reading was audio, 33% was print, and 17% I read on Kindle.

I’ve been using the CAWPILE star rating system for a few months now and I’m getting used to it. I’m finally starting to remember each letter of the acronym! It’s still interesting to see how they differ from my rating in my head before calculating it too. I’ll have to do a re-read and see if my ratings come out similar!

Anyway, let’s see which books I read in April.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern 3*

This was the discussion book for one of my online book clubs. I’d seen it mentioned here and there and everyone seemed to love it but I wasn’t generally drawn to it. However, the cover is stunning! I know, you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but it gave me hope for a good story.

Unfortunately, I’m not one of those who loved it. I found it confusing at points with too many characters and jumps to keep up with. My favourite part was the party and the food, I could jump in the book for that!

The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods 5*

This book was already on my to-read list so I was happy when it was chosen as the monthly read for one of my online book clubs.  I’m a sucker for a book about books or bookstores! It also has deeper themes running through it. I read this on my Kindle but I think I’d like to listen to the audiobook too!

It was a bit of a Marmite book in the book club, but I loved it. I’m not a big fantasy fan but I do love magical realism and this had plenty of it. It jumped between characters, past and present, but I found it easy to keep up with and it added depth to the story.

Heartstopper volume 5 by Alice Oseman 5*

I had been waiting to read this volume of Heartstopper since I finished volume 4 and it was worth the wait! Even though the series is young adult it makes my heart so happy to read. There are taboo topics that need trigger warnings but the author covers these brilliantly.

Nick & Charlie (and the other characters) develop more in every book and I can’t help but love them. This was supposed to be the final book but the characters haven’t stopped talking to the author so I can’t wait for volume 6 now!

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver 4.5*

This book was one of my 12 books recommended by 12 friends’ reading challenge so I suggested it for my in-person book club monthly read. I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it. However, all of us except one loved it. It was a hefty one so I’m glad I could borrow the audiobook from the library!

The book had real depth and covered many issues about living in poverty in the Appalachian mountains: addiction, domestic abuse, foster care, and child labour, to name a few. I found it heart wrenching to listen to, particularly with the narrator who did an excellent job. I couldn’t help but feel empathy for Demon.

If you enjoyed – for want of a better word – A Little Life, I think you’ll enjoy this too.

Saving The Day by Katie Fforde 3*

I won this novella in a competition from the library, however, I would have probably picked it up if I had seen it otherwise. It was a quick, light read; a little too light.

The writing was very simplistic and the main character felt more like a young teenager than a 20-year-old. I did enjoy the relationship between the main character’s dad and neighbour, the café setting, and the recipes.

I wasn’t a huge fan of this book but I will consider the author’s full-length novels in the future.

Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson 4*

I’d never heard of this book or the author before it was chosen for one of my online book club’s monthly discussions. It did sound like something I would enjoy though so I was looking forward to reading to it (or listening in this case.)

I really enjoyed the first-person narration by the main character Ern: it felt like he was talking to me in real life and added to the dark humour of the story itself! It was written in a unique way that I haven’t come across before. Even though I knew what was going to happen it didn’t take away from the twists and turns. I’ll be reading more of this author in the future!

My favourite

The Lost Bookshop was my favourite with a maximum of five stars. It was such a lovely story! Have you read any of these? What was your favourite book of April?