Unbelievably, I read 13 books in April. That averages out to 110 pages a day. I haven't read that much in one month in years. I specifically chose books under 300 pages that didn't require much brain power/focus and that didn't have heavy content. I truly believe that helped me. I also started a book notebook. It aided to my enjoyment of the read and my memory. I used colored markers, sticky notes and highlighters and kept it fresh and fun. Every morning I looked forward to spreading all my items out on the table and making a cup of joe or tea before starting my next read. I only read one book per day. Even if I had the time to read more, I didn't. I did not want to over extend or tire my brain.

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My only 5 star standout read for the month was Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo. I loved this book so much I sent a copy to my bestie. I highly recommend this book to everyone. To be only 176 pages it is packed with so much valuable information.

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I read 8 four star books. These books had to wow me or have something extra. Books that I rate 4 stars can't be books that I felt I've read before, meaning recycled plots and characters.

4 Stars

The Red Hot Earl by Darcey Burke

Luster: A novel by Raven Leilani

The Girl with The Loading Voice by Abi Daré

One House  Over (The Neighbors #1) by Mary Monroe

A Family Affair by Reshonda Tate Billingsley

It's Not All Downhill From Here by Terry McMillan

Secret Heir Seduction (Texas Cattlemen's Club: Inheritance #4) by Reese Ryan

Ethic by Ashley Antoinette

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I read three 3 star books. I rate books 3 stars that weren't bad, but weren't great either. They were all good reads. When reading romance books, I need great romance with a solid plot. I can tell if a 200 page romance was just thrown together. I feel many are recycled content with different character names.

3 Stars

Seduced by A Steele (Forged of Steele #12) by Brenda Jackson

Duty or Desire (The Westmoreland Legacy #5) by Brenda Jackson

His to Claim (The Westmoreland Legacy #4) by Brenda Jackson

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My only 2 star read was Red Carpet Redemption (The Stewart Heirs #3) by Yarah St. John. This book didn't capture my attention at all. I wasn't invested in any of the characters. Most Harlequin readers devour these books at record speeds and have read many. To stand out there needs to be great characters, plot and romance in a concise manner with the books being a little over 200 pages. Many of these authors crank out 3 books or more per year and if they're done quickly it shows. There's no room for fluff in a 200 page book.

How was your reading in April? I know these are difficult/stressful times. It's great to know we have somewhere to come to to share what we love to do.

(This review is also on my personal blog Atta's Bibliophilia.)

This novel follows an orphan boy by the name of Bud, Not Buddy. He carries around a suitcase that is very special to him that contains a collection of his mother's things. One of the most special things in that suitcase is a flyer of a jazz band with the main guy on the front- Bud thinks that guy is his father. After a terrible foster home experience Bud takes off to find the man he thinks is his father. This novel is intended for 5th or 6th graders. The historical context and some language fits this age group's maturity. An activity I could do with this book would be to have the students do a "show and tell" type activity for them to bring one thing they would take in their suitcase if they had to leave their home. This would make students think what is really important to them, along with realizing what is important to their peers. 

I must use this book if I teach in the older grades. It's a 5.0 reading level. It is a historical fiction work with great insight into the time of the Great Depression and the Jazz Age. We could do it along with a study of that time period.  It is sad, but the sad parts are often tinted with humor. It is a great work that is classic and worth doing in the classroom. For an activity, we could have 30's day party and dress like someone from that era. We could play Jazz music and have a special snack. Possibly there could be some kind of project to go along with it, where the students pick something to research about that time period and we could present during on 30's day.  Great possibilities.

One for sorrow,

Two for joy,

Three for a girl,

Four for a boy,

Five for silver,

Six for gold,

Seven for a secret,

Never to be told.

Seven for a Secret is the second book in the Timothy Wilde Series by Lyndsay Faye.  Six months has passed since the events of Gods of Gotham.  It followed the same pattern as the first book in the series: same point of view, another horrific crime, and a bunch of sass from Valentine.  The characters were consistent into this book as well.  I still hate Silkie Marsh with the fire of a thousand burning suns. The brothers seemed to have mended some fences since last we saw them.  In fact one of my favorite bits about this book was the relationship between Timothy and Valentine.  Their snipping and sarcasm toward one another was enjoyable, but it was easy to see the two cared for each other.  And, Mercy Underhill wasn't present during this story, which to be fair is a personal preference.  She is a well written character, like all of Faye's characters, I just find her whiny and annoying.

However, there is a reason for not being able to give this book a whole 4 stars.  The closer I got to the ending, the more I realized I was pulling away from reading.  It wasn't just because this story was coming to a close and I wasn't ready, there is in fact another book.  I sort of felt like the story started to drag along.  Like Timothy hadn't learned anything from his first case and was making all the same mistakes all over again.  Which was fine when he was a brand new Copper Star, but it's been six months.  Maybe I'm being a bit judgmental about it.

Then we get to the climax of the story.  Timothy has figured it out and he's running against the clock to stop it.  Only when he gets there it's all over, the thing has happened and he's left with the aftermath.  Why?  Because of reasons due to political things that I still don't really understand.  They blame him of harassing someone, but I feel like I missed the chapter where he actually harassed this character.  The upside to the political upset, we get to Valentine in all of his Dead Rabbit glory.  Which was awesome!  I still would have liked a bit more during the climax of the story, though.  To be fair to the author this issue might be more my personal preference.

As for the every end of the book, I was reeled back in.  Just like in the first book, Timothy manages to get one over on everyone who deserves it: the party, Silkie, and even on Mercy.  I do adore Timothy Wilde as a main character and was glad he stopped pining and found a lady friend.  He deserves a bit of happy.

Seven for a Secret was beautifully written of course.  Lyndsay Faye did a huge amount of research into the time period and it shows throughout the book.  It was hard to not see the streets that the characters were roaming, to feel the atmosphere around them as they tried to solve the crime.  She has a way of making characters tug your heartstrings until you fall in love with them, or writes them in such a way you cannot wait until they die.  Both books have made me very glad not have lived back then for some petty reasons, like plumbing and heating.  Among bigger issues that sadly still seem to be an issue today.

In the end I did like the second book in the Timothy Wilde series, but I don't think I'm going to jump into Fatal Flame, the third book.  For two reasons, it is the last book in the series and I just didn't enjoy this one as much as Gods of Gotham.  So I'm little apprehensive to jump in again.  I do recommend this series for anyone looking for a fun Historical Fiction book, or for anyone who enjoyed Gangs of New York.