I was certain that april would be my least read month. To my great surprise I managed 7 books in total (much higher than my believed maybe 3 haha). Lets waste no time and drive right in to tje reviews:
Handel's Messiah is easily one of the most familar Easter musical pieces. My mother used to drive us to church while playing her CD copy of it. And honestly aside from the Hallelujah Chorus I don't (or rather didn't) remember much. This book was an excellent way to experience the music while also gaining a better understanding of how it all works together and why. I especially loved when they would play the musical pieces after explaining it to the audience. It was a quick read and a great way to gear up for Easter Sunday.
Book 2: The Unlikely pilgrimage of Harold Fry.
When choosing a movie for movie night with my sister the movie adaptation of this book showed up and I was intrigued. I quickly found the novel it was based on and decided it would be a good read for April. It was an enjoyable read!! A cozy yet moving story about humanity. I was able to see some twists coming yet that didn't take away from the power of the story. Harold as a character was touching and seeing him grow and struggle was moving. The understanding of how each person, each life, affects our own was beautifully illustrated. There were some elements that could be triggering to those with mental health struggles but overall the story was one of hope and healing.
Book 3: Fearless and Free: a Memoir.
Josephine Baker is an icon! She is incredible, and her life should be a whole miniseries! From the poverty in St Louis to the grand stage in Paris, sprinkle in a little espionage and Voilà!
Truly, Josephine inspired on the page, and her voice was beautiful to listen to. I do think elements of the book would've been better in audio form (she tells her story the way one would chat with a friend).
Ultimately, this was a wonderful book, but now I want more!! I saw that one of her sons has written a biography, and I think I'll check that out this year, too!
Book 4: Pride and Prejudice
I listened to a podcast version of the book read by the incredible Julie Andrews and as expected she was brilliant 👏 I will forever sing her praises so definitely check out that podcast here. I highly reccomend! Now to the review.
First, let me get this out of the way: Keira Knightly's film adaptation of this story is definitely my favorite. The 7 hour BBC version is wonderful (no one can argue with Colin Firth and his wet white shirt) but I think that Keira does such an excelent job of channeling Lizzie into someone the audience understands and connects with. I also love Darcy and how well he is portrayed by Mathew Macfayeden as the anxious and awkward soul he is. Enough about that let's get to the book!! Pride and Prejudice is the most classic of all romance for a reason!! The story is excellent girl and boy have initial class because of his pride compounded by her prejudice that leads to quite the kerfuffle when he reveals his unbearable love for her. He is obviously rebuffed and then follows the transformation not only of Darcy but also Lizzie as she learned how her prejudice and pride was also the problem. It's a delight in all forms and I am forever grateful for the literary genius of Jane Austen to have written such a story.
Book 5: The Boys in the Cave: Deep inside the impossible rescue in Thailand.
National Geographic made an excellent documentary about this story which I highly reccomend. That was how I originally heard about this true story. When this book popped up on my Spotify recommendations I was immediately intrigued. It was incredible! It went so much deeper into the resilience of the boys and how they managed to keep their spirits up during the ordeal. It also showed the struggles in communication between the Thai government and the volunteer rescue cave divers. I felt this book thoroughly told the story from all angles while still maintaining a narrative format. I highly reccomend I genuinly couldn't put it down!
Book 6: Why we love (and hate) Twilight: the highs and lows of the Twilight Saga.
I 100% would reccomend this books for a good laugh! Read my full Goodreads review here.
Book 7: Tress of the Emerald Sea.
Oh Brandon Sanderson, how you haunt me. Haha truly he is an impressive author his sheer volume of books is a testament to that however one does wonder if he prioritizes quantity over quality with how his books land at times. This one came highly reccomended (as his books always do) and it was okay. Genuinely after I finished I was very mid on my opinion. It wasn't bad but it also wasn't the best. I wouldn't tell you not to read it but I wouldn't be out there reccomending it to everyone I meet. It was just... very mid for me.
A few pros:
I enjoyed the world he created. The spore sea was very interesting and I enjoyed each new element of the spores.
All of the characters were very likeable and I found myself rooting for their success.
The story though a bit predictable was nevertheless enjoyable to watch unfold.
A few cons:
The narrative style is... quirky. And took some getting used to. Was it my favorite? No I found myself needing to step away (especially at the beginning) for a break becuase it was just so quirky.
The characters tho likeable are very one note. You learn very little about them and aside from the main girl there is no real character development.
Each climactic moment fell flat. The obstacle would be built up as a huge
challenge they would plan and prepare how to address it and then the plan would immediately fail only for a different solution to present itself and solve everything in minutes.
As I said I was very mid on this book. Read it or don't I don't really think it matters.
Check out my sister's substack for April to see her thoughts on all the books that overlapped in our reading as well as whatever Witchy or health book she added to the mix!
