April is here, what are you reading ?
4 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (89)
- 4 years ago
- 4 years agolast modified: 4 years ago
Related Discussions
April is here - what are you reading?
Comments (136)I've had sporadic internet access over the past month, since we are in the process of moving. As a result, I've spent much more time reading all the books I've been meaning to read. So, in April, I finished: Naked by David Sedaris (he always cracks me up, though, the last chapter takes place in a nudist colony and sometimes his descriptions are a bit to apt to stomach) Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe (it was on my husband's reading list for a world history class and I started reading it aloud to him during a car trip--then of course I had to finish it) When the Emperor was Divine by Julie Otsuka (I picked it up because it was short-only 144 pages-but what a beautiful book!) Middlesex by Jeffery Eugenides (Not my favorite book ever, but lots to think about long after the book is finished) Stones in Water by Donna Jo Napoli (I love her YA novels that are take-offs on fairy tales, but this was a much harsher book about an Italian boy kidnapped during WWII and forced into hard labor for the Nazis. It was okay.) The Dogs of Babel by Carolyn Parkhurst (It started gimmicky, but interesting. A man's wife falls from a tree in there back yard with only their dog as a witness, so he decides to teach the dog to talk. The story became really far-fetched with a weird society that surgically mangles dogs so they can talk etc. And it didn't even have a good ending.) Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler (I loved this book. The entire novel takes place in one day as Maggie and Ira are going to a funeral for her friend's husband. Only drawback was that I had "Love is a Many Splendored Thing" running through my head for three days after reading it.)...See MoreApril Come She Will - What are you reading?
Comments (71)Just finished John Sandford's new Lucas Davenport thriller, Field of Prey. It was like riding a roller coaster during a tornado. I could barely catch my breath. Now starting Simone St. James' newest ghost story/mystery, Silence for the Dead. From the back cover, italics are mine: "In 1919, Kitty Weekes, pretty, resourceful and on the run, falsifies her background to obtain a nursing position at Portis House, a remote hospital for soldiers left shell-shocked by the horrors of the Great War. Hiding the same of their mental instability in what was once a magnificent private estate, the patients suffer from nervous attacks and tormenting dreams. But something more is going on at Portis House - its plaster is crumbling, its plumbing makes eerie noises, and strange breaths of cold waft through the empty rooms. It's know that the former occupants left abruptly, but where did they go? And why do the patient all seem to share the same nightmare, one so horrific that they dare not speak of it?" PAM...See MoreWhat are you reading in April?
Comments (89)I know this is now MAY but during April I had a very mixed month of reading. I raided S-in-Law's boxes of books (being stored by us while they moved from London to Manchester. Now they are in their new house while much of the furniture is 'locked down' with us) Unfortunately many of his books are of the Hunter S Thompson variety which don't appeal to me at all. I had higher hopes of the English books and tried Pat Barker's Union Street. A big mistake, set in a northern poverty stricken community where the men are idle abusive drunks. The women suffer rape and back-street abortions and take part in 'cat-fights' . . . all so dismal and unpleasant I gave up. Yet reviewers gave it 5 stars and claimed they 'enjoyed' the gritty realism! A more noble attempt was to read another classic novel. This time it was Thomas Hardy's The Woodlanders. Way too much flowery writing and classical allusions, but the actual story when I was able to dig it out of all the verbiage was quite entertaining. The usual well bought up young woman, although 'promised' to an honest yeoman falls for the dodgy charms of the new doctor. A big mistake as he is having his wicked way with a village wench and the Lady of the Manor . . . I feel this would have made an interesting TV documentary on wood-workers of the nineteenth century as there was lots of details about the lives of the 'humble' artisans and their knowledge of tree-felling and everything to do with forestry and timber production. Or maybe a TV series on lusty swains and not-so-innocent village maidens . . ....See MoreApril Reading. Tell us What you have Enjoyed . . .or Not.
Comments (87)I don't particularly like The Daughter of Time as a detective novel, although I did enjoy reading it as I have with all of Tey's Books. I think it's an interesting exercise in research and deduction, but I don't really understand the obsession many people seem to have with the mystery of the princes in the tower. I am far more interested in the reasons why and the mechanisms though which some royals became or were made into villains or heroes by their successors or by the people after they were dead, or even by changing times, and The Daughter of Time gave me some insight into that. Examples include Richard III being painted blacker than he perhaps was for centuries and then little by little becoming to be seen as less bad or even great (depending on the historian), or Richard I being made into the heroic, almost saintly figure of Good King Richard Lionheart during his lifetime and remaining so for centuries after his death, and in modern times being seen as less good or even bad because of attitudes having changed....See More- 4 years agolast modified: 4 years ago
- 4 years ago
- 4 years ago
- 4 years ago
- 3 years ago
- 3 years agolast modified: 3 years ago
- 3 years ago
- 3 years agolast modified: 3 years ago
- 3 years agolast modified: 3 years ago
- 3 years agolast modified: 3 years ago
- 3 years ago
- 3 years agolast modified: 3 years ago
- 3 years ago
- 3 years ago
- 3 years ago
- 3 years ago
- 3 years ago
- 3 years ago
- 3 years ago
- 3 years ago
- 3 years ago
- 3 years ago
- 3 years ago
- 3 years ago
- 3 years ago
- 3 years agolast modified: 3 years ago
- 3 years ago
- 3 years ago
- 3 years ago
- 3 years ago
- 3 years ago
- 3 years ago
- 3 years ago
- 3 years ago
- 3 years ago
- 3 years ago
- 3 years ago
- 3 years ago
- 3 years ago
- 3 years agolast modified: 3 years ago
- 3 years ago
- 3 years ago
- 3 years ago
- 3 years ago
- 3 years ago
- 3 years agolast modified: 3 years ago
- 3 years ago
- 3 years ago
Related Stories

MOST POPULARSpring Gardens Are Blooming — Here’s What to Do in April
Get the guide you need for gardening in your U.S. region, with tasks, climate-appropriate plantings and more
Full Story
LIFEYou Said It: ‘We’re Here to Stay’ and Other Houzz Quotables
Design advice, inspiration and observations that struck a chord this week
Full Story
DESIGNER SHOWCASESSan Francisco Decorator Showcase: Happy Days Are Here Again
Creative ideas, bold colors and inventive materials abound under one (very large) roof
Full Story
SPRING GARDENINGSpring Gardens Are Waking — Here’s What to Do in March
Excitement fills the air when gardens come back to life. These guides will help you make the most of yours
Full Story
COLORWant More Color in Your Home? Here’s How to Get Started
Lose your fear of dabbling in new hues with these expert words of advice
Full Story
MOVINGRelocating? Here’s How to Make the Big Move Better
Moving guide, Part 1: How to organize your stuff and your life for an easier household move
Full Story
KITCHEN CABINETSChoosing New Cabinets? Here’s What to Know Before You Shop
Get the scoop on kitchen and bathroom cabinet materials and construction methods to understand your options
Full Story
STAIRWAYSGot Stairs? Here’s How to Choose the Right Runner for You
Get the skinny on material selection, color and pattern, installation and more
Full Story
REGIONAL GARDEN GUIDESPacific Northwest Gardener: What to Do in April
Get ready for annual flowers and watch out for snails to ensure a bountiful garden now through summer
Full Story
EVENTSDesign Calendar: March 17–April 5, 2012
See artwork in bloom, learn about handmade wallpapers, get inspired by Buckminster Fuller and more
Full Story0
woodnymph2_gw