Hello Book Lovers of Bloglandia,
What!? Another month gone already? I keep looking at the calendar and calling it a liar, but I also do this with the bathroom scale so now they’re having a competition as to who can be the Champion of Tammie Torment.
This month, I’m doing a little something different…a video reading round-up! I had planned on doing individual video book reviews, but it’s been weird month all around, so a few plans got tossed into the It Seemed Like a Good Idea bin.
But, just in case you don’t want to watch the video (the sight of me can put your off your lunch, so I understand), I’ve also included the books I’ve enjoyed this month below. Or rather tried to enjoy. As I said, it’s been a weird month.
Alrighty, so here’s the video. Don’t worry, I don’t go over every single book I read this month, just a few highlights…and one very low lowlight.
April’s Reading List
Indie Pick
Breaking the Lore by Andy Redsmith – A good story with a humorous start and loads of quirky, magical creatures. I enjoyed everything that was happening in the story and the descriptions were vivid, but the events just started to seem like strings of stuff the author wanted to put in a novel rather than a well-connected, tightly plotted tale. Still, a fun enough read for fans of Ben Aaronovitch.
Novels
What Abigail Did Last Summer by Ben Aaronovitch – OMG! I loved this. Of course, i don’t think I’ve ever read anything by Aaronovitch that I didn’t like. I gush about it in the video.
The Story of Kao Yu by Peter S Beagle – This was simply a wonderful, well-told short story of duty and loss. Kao Yu is a judge/administrator who travels around hearing cases. Because he’s always been an honest and good man, the chi lin (a Chinese version of the unicorn) comes to him and, um, “assists” in his cases in which some people need to be judged a bit more harshly than others.
When Kao Yu is called to a case he feels could have been handled locally, everything changes and he has to decide whether to remain good and just, or to be self-serving.
The ending is just heartbreakingly fantastic. Plus…it has the best cover of all the books I read this month : )
American Gods by Neil Gaiman (audiobook) – I’ve been on a serious Neil Gaiman kick lately and have loved each and every one so far, but just couldn’t get into this rambling tale.
European Travel for the Monstrous Gentlewoman by Theodora Goss (audiobook) – I absolutely adored the first book in this clever series. This one started off just as great with plenty of humor, captivating characters, and an intriguing premise. But then it just kept going. And going. And going. The humor started getting repetitious and the characters began feeling entirely flat. I’m unsure if I’ll continue with the series after this one.
The Terra Cotta Dog by Andrea Camilleri (audiobook) – An easy read (or listen) and another fun escape to Sicily with Inspector Montalbano.
Non-Fiction
The Light Ages by Seb Falk – I heard about this book on a podcast and it sounded amazing. A history of scientific innovation during what we call the Dark Ages, I just couldn’t get through the seemingly unfocussed journey. I am currently trying it on audiobook to see if I can absorb it a bit better, but….
Graphic Novels
I cover each of these in the video.
Batman: The Killing Joke by DC Comics – Wow! All I can say is wow. The art. The story line. The twist at the end. Wow.
Le lagon de Fortuna (Carthago, #1) by Christophe Bec – I think this may have been the worst thing I’ve read, or will read, this year. The art is lackluster, and the story bounces between so many different places and times, I never knew if I was coming or going. And I use the term “story” very loosely…it’s more just a series of scenes that just barely tie together. But I did learn some new French vocab, so there’s that.
Boulevard des Monstres by Paul Jenkins – I loved this! This was just an amazing story. There were a few scenes that felt like fluff and didn’t really do much for the story, but overall, it was a tightly plotted tale that was full of adventure, a bit of mystery, and plenty of tongue-in-cheek jokes.
And the art! There is so much to look at in each panel…in a good way. It never seems cluttered, but there more you look, the better it gets. The action scenes do pare down to focus the action, which is a terrific move.
Even better? I now know the French words for “poop” and “bugger” Very important vocab to have in my arsenal : )
What did you read this month? Any gems I should try out? Any you hated and want to warn me about? Pop a comment in the box below and let me know!
Note: the book links above are affiliate links. If you click on them and do any shopping, it costs you nothing extra but I do get an itty-bitty commission to help keep the cats from devouring me alive.
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Tammie Painter 
I’m currently reading V. E. Schwab’s The Invisible Life of Addie Larue and am completely captivated by it. I also just started The Dutch House by Ann Pratchett which is enjoyable so far. My current audio book is Sherman Alexie’s The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian. It’s delightful. Not sure why I had never read it. And then, of course, I am looking forward to finishing up the Cassie Black Trilogy. It’s been a pretty good month of reading. Hannah’s War by Jan Eliasberg was a good one and Miss Benson’s Beetle by Rachel Joyce was vaguely ridiculous, but also fun.
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I’m waiting for Miss Benson to come in from the library! It was recommended to me last month, but I guess it’s proving pretty popular with readers in my area : ). I read Alexie’s book a couple years ago, but can’t for the life of me remember anything about it. VE Schwab’s books seem to be popping up everywhere on my radar lately, so I might have to give that one a try.
I’m currently reading “D” by Michel Faber. I’ve never read anything by him and it is amazingly delightful, so far. I have a feeling it’s one of those books I’m going to race through then be sad it’s over.
Thanks for the book tips and for dropping by!
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Great video! *gasp* tu parles francais aussi? Je parle un peu de francais!
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Merci, et oui! J’adore le français! Je ai commencé l’étudier avant mon voyage en France en 2019 (et je l’ai beaucoup utilisé !!), mais je l’ai aussi étudié un peu avant de ça. Je parle aussi l’italienne. Maintenant, je ne peux le lire (pas parler) que parce que je ne peux pas voyager : (
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Oh wow, I actually understood that! Yay for 3 years worth in high school! I had this app I used a couple years ago but stopped because no one ever spoke to me in french. Maybe now I have an excuse to start up again! I also love the french! They’re just too cool for school.
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Oops, “I love French”, the language, not the people. Well, the people are great too, and a few really went above and beyond when we were in dire straits during the trip. I never did any French in school, I’ve just been self-teaching. I tried the Duolingo app, but find it annoying. I really like their French podcast though, and the Coffee Break French podcast is terrific.
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Haha, we can agree that both can be awesome. It was honestly pretty simple for me to learn and its stuck with me for the most part despite hardly using it.
Haha, irony! I just downloaded that app. It’s alright, but it’s not the same one I used before that was really great. Dang, if only I could remember the name!
Ooo I’ll have to check those out. 🙂
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