top of page
Search
  • Writer's picturehaleylynnthomas22
    • Jul 11, 2020
    • 5 min read

A Very Delayed April-May Reading Wrap-Up and Stats

Monthly Stats (YTD)

Books Read (completed): 28 (56)

Total Pages Read: 9,334 (19,474)

Average Rating: 4.09 stars (4.21 stars)

Average # of Pages per Book: 333.36 (347.75)


1. Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid (355 pages) (5 stars)

This adult historical fiction novel follows the rise and fall of a fictional rock n' roll band formed in the seventies.

2. A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness (205 pages - Collector's Edition) (5 stars)

This middle grade urban/low fantasy follows young Conor who is visited by a monster which helps him come to terms with his mother's death.

3. The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas (444 pages) (rated 5 stars)

This YA contemporary was inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement and is about 16 year old Starr Carter who witnesses her childhood best friend Khalil being shot to death by a police officer.

4. Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo (417 pages) (5 stars)

This novel written in verse (poems) follows two girls (Yahaira who lives in the U.S. and Camino who lives in the D.R.) who, unbeknownst to them, share a father. When their father is tragically killed in a plane crash the two girls come to know of each other.

5. The Wicked King by Holly Black (322 pages) (5 stars)

This YA fantasy is the sequel to The Cruel Prince about a human girl growing up among faeries. This novel takes all the wonderful elements from the first book (the morally grey characters, the intricate plot and world) and amplifies them.


6. The Cruel Prince by Holly Black (370 pages) (4.75 stars)

This YA fantasy follows Jude Duarte, a human girl growing up in the land of Faeries, seeks a place at court.

7. The Bride Test by Helen Hoang (336pages) (4.75 stars)

This adult romance is about Vietnamese-American Khai who has Autism and believes himself incapable of love and Vietnamese immigrant Esme Tran whom his mother has set him up with in the hopes they will wed. Book Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3290729815

8. Would Like to Meet by Rachel Winters (359 pages) (4.75 stars)

This adult romance follows Evie Summers who works as an assistant at a film agency. The agency's famous screenwriter refuses to write a romantic comedy despite being under contract. He agrees to write if she can prove that meet cutes like the ones from the movies work.

9. Sadie by Courtney Summers (308 pages) (4.5 stars)

This YA mystery follows a girl, Sadie, on a quest for revenge as she hunts the man who killed her sister. The story is told from Sadie's first person perspective and from a podcast about her disappearance (and her sister's murder).

10. Bone Crier's Moon by by Kathryn Purdie (453 pages) (4.25 stars)

This YA fantasy takes place in a world where women known as bone criers ferry the souls of the dead to the afterlife. In exchange for their power, the women must kill the men they are destined to fall in love with.

11. Josh and Hazel's Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren (320 pages) (4 stars)

This adult romance novel follows the quirky Hazel and the subdued Josh. They're two unlucky in love friends who try to set each other up on blind dates.

12. Uglies: Shay's Story by Scott Westerfeld and Devin Grayson, illustrated by Steven Cummings (208 pages) (4 stars)

This is a dystopian graphic novel that follows the plot of the novel Uglies from the perspective of a different character than the original novel. Uglies is set in a world where people get operations to make them beautiful when they turn sixteen. 13. Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston (418 pages) (3.5 stars)

This very hyped new adult book is an enemies-to-lovers romance between Alex (who is the son of the first female president) and a Henry (a prince of the United Kingdom).

14. Don't Call the Wolf by Aleksandra Ross (497 pages) (3 stars)

A wild queen (Ren) who lives in a forest terrorized by a dragon seeks help from a dragon slayer (Lukasz) who is searching for his lost brother. The world of this novel is inspired by Polish folklore.

15. The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams (352 pages) (3 stars)

This is an adult romance, so please only read it if you are mature/old enough to do so. It follows a major league baseball player (Gavin) tries to salvage his broken marriage to his wife of three years and mother to his twin toddler daughters.

16. Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins (274 pages) (2 stars)

This YA contemporary is about Millie Quint who goes to boarding school in Scotland where she is roommates with the fictitious Princess of Scotland.

17. Radio Silence by Alice Oseman (474 pages) (2 stars)

Studious student and fangirl of a viral sci-fi podcast befriends the podcast's creator, Aled.

Rereads:

18. The Astonishing Color of After by Emily X. R. Pan (462 pages) (5 stars)

This YA magical realism novel follows teenager Leigh whose mother has committed suicide. Leigh becomes convinced that her mother has transformed into a bird and that the bird wants her to go to Taiwan where her estranged maternal grandparents live.

19. Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson (453 pages) (4.5 stars)

This YA fantasy novel follows Elisabeth who has grown up in a library full of grimoires (books of spells) which are capable of turning into monsters known as Maleficts. When Elisabaeth destroys a Malefict, she is accused of sabotage by the sorcerers.

20-26. Bunnicula by James and Deborah Howe (895 total pages) (avg. 4 stars)

These children's paranormal mystery novels are told from the perspective of family dog Harold and follow the adventures of him, his cat friend Chester, their dauschaund companion Howie and, of course, the vampire rabbit Bunnicula.

27. Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon (306 pages) (3.75 stars)

This YA contemporary is about a girl named Maddie who has a rare condition that makes her allergic to the world. She develops a forbidden relationship with next door neighbor Olly.

28. The Sun is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon (344 pages) (3.5 stars)

This YA contemporary follows two teens who meet and fall in love over the course of a single day. The catch? One of them is going to be deported.

DNFs


1. The Art of Being Normal by Lisa Williamson (read 195 pages) (55.4%)

The story of two trans teens who form a friendship. I DNF'd this novel because I found some of the language/writing to be problematic. I read several reviews by trans readers who suggested that the novel got worse, not better.


2. Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell (read 150 pages) (34.25%) This popular contemporary follows a shy fanfiction writer who is in her first year of college. I didn't like any of the characters and was bored while reading, and since it's quite long for a contemporary I decided it wasn't worth my time continuing to read.


3. A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro (read 75 pages) (23.36%)

This novel is a murder mystery following the descendants of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. I found the main characters unlikable and the story line rushed. Because I was not enjoying it much at all I decided not to continue with it.


4. Lovely War by Julie Berry (read 182 pages) (39.22%)

This YA novel crosses several genres including historical fiction, romance, and fantasy. It consists of two love stories set during WWI as told by the Greek goddess of love Aphrodite. I found myself bored by this novel and felt t had a lot of good concepts that weren't well executed.

5. Beach Read by Emily Henry (read 160 pages)

This adult romance is about two authors who agree to write in the others genre. I didn't know going in that it was an enemies to lovers romance and that turned me off, but I plan to give it another try in June.



8 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

March Reading Wrap-up and Mini-Reviews

1. Color Me Murder by Krista Davis (Adult Cozy Mystery) (275 pages) (4⭐️) Florrie Fox is a coloring book artist and bookstore manager. When the bookstore owner's nephew is murdered at the store and th

Post: Blog2_Post
bottom of page