The April ’18 Overview
I haven’t posted in a while, but I wanted to start by posting my usual ‘Read in month X posts’. Since it has been about 6 months since I posted, you will be getting quite a few posts about this in the coming weeks. The first update I have to give is that I have been reading like a maniac. At the moment of writing, I have read a whopping 69 books, which means I have changed my reading goal for the year from 70 to 100. If I make it, Molly (a book club pal and fellow blogger) and I will take each other out for dinner to celebrate. Seeing as she is at 79/100, I think we are going to make it!
So what did I read in April? Read on and find out! As always they have been given a rating X out of 5 and a short review. If you click the title it will take you to the books’ Goodreads page.
April
“A Mind of Its Own” – Cordelia Fine ****
An amazing non-fiction read about the brain and the ways it fools and manipulates you. A very interesting read and I can’t wait to read her other books.
“HP #4” – J.K. Rowling *****
I won’t bother reviewing these anymore, I just love listening to Stephen Fry and HP never gets old.
“The Merchant of Venice” – Shakespeare ****
There is a lot going on in this play and I’m not sure I got all of it. However, I am here for crossdressing wives who save their men, then trick them. Too bad they forgive them so easily though…
“The Best We Could Do” – Thi Bui *****
I picked up this graphic novel on an independent bookstore day in the Netherlands, I was literally in the shop for 5 seconds and saw one of the employees had recommended this novel. It is amazing, a sort of Vietnamese ‘Persepolis’.
“Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances” – Neil Gaiman *****
Some great short stories by ‘American Gods’ author Neil Gaiman. I liked it, although I enjoy the longer format of ‘American Gods’ more.
“On Friendship” – Michel de Montaigne ****
A philosophical book club read. It was interesting and also very sexist, but what do you expect in the 16th century…
“Mythos” – Stephen Fry *****
Since I cannot get enough of Stephen Fry reading stuff and also am a huge fan of Greek mythology, I listened to ‘Mythos’ as an audiobook and it did not disappoint.
“Grit” – Angela Duckworth *****
Another non-fiction read, this time about ‘Grit’ and the power of perseverance. Duckworth has collected stories and studies of top-athletes, smart people and such about how they rose to the top and how you can cultivate ‘grit’ yourself. It was very interesting and shows how talent is not everything.
Review April
A nice 8 books in April. Since I did write a blog post in March, I can still compare my ‘want to read’ list with the list I wrote then. Let’s see how I did.
Last months the plan was as follows:
- ‘The Merchant of Venice’ by Shakespeare (in preparation for ‘Shylock is my Name’ another Hogarth retelling)
- ‘Trigger Warning: Short Fictions and Disturbances’ by Neil Gaiman
- ‘His Bloody Project’ by Graeme Macrae Burnet
2 out of 3, not too shabby. I did start ‘His Bloody Project’ in April, so you could say I got 2,5 out of 3.
I won’t pretend to predict what I’ll read in May, considering I am writing this in September. But I will write another post on the books I finished. Did any of the books spark some interest for you? Let me know in the comments below!