Every month I try to read at least one book from the following categories: nonfiction, devotional, and fiction. And this year I’m participating in the 2018 PopSugar Reading Challenge, so I’m also going to be listing which category my books fulfill. If you want to join in on the fun, you can check out the list of categories here! This is my April 2018 Reading List, my brief reviews and book recommendations for April 2018. Hopefully I’ll provide you with some inspiration for your future reading as well!

Books Finished:

The War That Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

I really loved this book! It’s written from the perspective of a crippled little girl during the very beginning of World War II. She’s suffered trauma at the hands of her mother, and tries to escape London with her little brother. It’s heartbreaking. Although the book won a Newbery Honor Medal, I’m not certain that it’s the best option for children. Young adult certainly could handle the subject matter, and perhaps middle graders who are mature and not terribly sensitive.

Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books by Azar Nafisi

This book was not exactly what I expected. But it was a great book nonetheless. It follows the author’s experiences as an English literature professor in colleges in Iran during and after the revolution. It’s fascinating, in large part because their experiences are so different from my own.

Six Stories: A Thriller by Matt Wesolowski

Are you a fan of true crime podcasts? This book is fictional, but is structured and formatted as a true crime podcast. It is titled Six Stories, because it is six interviews with different individuals whose stories and lives intersected with a dead teenage boy. It was good, but perhaps just wasn’t the right book for me as I don’t particularly love these types of podcasts. But the twist ending did surprise me, so that made it worth sticking out.

Columbine by Dave Cullen

2018 PopSugar Challenge: True crime

Columbine peels back the myths and mystery surrounding the Columbine shooting that we all think that we know so much about (surprise: you probably don’t actually). I heard about this book (and A Mother’s Reckoning) on the What Should I Read Next podcast; and neither disappointed. Perhaps steer clear if you’re particularly sensitive, but otherwise I do recommend this very highly.

Discerning the Voice of God: How to Recognize When God is Speaking by Priscilla Shirer

My bible study has been reading this book together one chapter at a time and discussing it. Although we previously read The Resolution for Women by the same author and really liked it, this wasn’t one of my favorites. There aren’t discussion questions at the end of the chapters, which made discussing it more difficult. But reading it was worth the time, as I think that it has reminded me to be more mindful of the Holy Spirit’s whispers in my own life.

The Anatomy of Motive by John Douglas and Mark Olshaker

2018 PopSugar Challenge: A book about a villain or antihero

I picked this book out from my husband’s collection of Audible books for a couple of reasons: (1) I am a big fan of John Douglas, and hadn’t read this one yet, and (2) knew that the entire book would fit for this category of the PopSugar Challenge. The boo is about the FBI’s behavioral analysis unit and their understanding of the various types of criminals and what motivates them. Really interesting stuff!

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

This is my book club’s May pick. It is quite long, at over 600 pages, which often will discourage me from reading. But I’m so glad that my friend Paige chose this one, because it was awesome! It is a true epic fantasy, in which the world building was quite impressive. I liked it so much that upon finishing it, I immediately downloaded the 1000! page sequel and am working steadily through it. Please do yourself a favor and get this book for yourself. It’s definitely on my list of favorite books of 2018!

 

Books in Progress:

Life by Keith Richards and James Fox

The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss

Scuba Confidential: An Insider’s Guide to Becoming a Better Diver by Simon Pridmore

Testament of Youth: An Autobiographical Study Of The Years 1900-1925 by Vera Brittain

 

Books I’ve Abandoned:

Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff