Before I get started on the actual content of this post, I wanted to give a brief update. As many of you may have noticed, I took an extended break from posting any type of content for a good chunk of April. I’m keeping it totally transparent with you all and saying I was really struggling to figure out if this was something I still enjoyed doing. It goes in waves for me of really enjoying it and thinking this is a chore. Which why am I letting myself get to that point. This is something I do for fun. Very much do not make any money from this. It all started as a way to share what is going on in my life and talk about my love of reading with anyone and everyone. It also doesn’t help when I am not enjoying anything I’m reading and not wanting to share that with you all. But I think I’ve been able to figure out some motivation.
So, I decided at the beginning of April that I would take a break and figure out afterward to see what I missed and what I could live without. And here were some of my conclusions. I missed sharing my love of reading with you all. I want to figure out better ways to engage you all with that kind of content. I did not miss social media. For those who did not know, I do have an Instagram for The Library Abroad. I’m not a very good poster and realized this was one of my least favorite parts of this entire thing. So got rid of it. Why do something I don’t like? I missed the travel content. I love sharing my travel adventures and am always planning my next trip. And I love reading about other people’s travel adventures as well. I am so so about the restaurant posts. I love trying new places, but I don’t love the constant need to take pictures of my food or feeling bad if I don’t remember. That is a work in progress. So as I continue on this journey, I’m incredibly open to any suggestions of things you are interested in having me talk about. Hopefully, we can all get something out of this. Well, without further ado, here are some of my memorable reads from April as it took some time to find them that is for sure.
For My Fantasy Readers:
A Promise of Fire by Amanda Bouchet
I am not a fantasy reader by any means, and I greatly enjoyed this book. I always get so confused with fantasy books as I can never keep the characters’ names straight or get lost when they spend 300+ pages just building the world. But with names like Cat and Griffin, it makes it a lot easier. I also loved the interwoven Greek Mythology references. Lots of different Gods and Goddesses make their presence known. Take Percy Jackson but make it for adults and with some spice. It gets 1.5 spice symbols out of 3. I ended up reading 2 out of the 3 books in this series and really enjoyed it. The second one left me in a place where I felt I didn’t need to read the final book but could’ve easily if I decided I wanted to. Would read other books by this author in the future. 4/5 Stars
For My Romance Readers:
The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
This was a surprise for me as I have not always liked Christina Lauren in the past. This was one of those books that I didn’t want to put down. I binge-read it in a few hours. The characters can be a little annoying at times but this was just so cheesy, and filled with sarcasm and loveable. Haven’t fully written off Christina Lauren after reading this one. 4/5 Stars
The Fine Print by Lauren Asher
Spicy! Spicy! Spicy! A 3/3 spicy book. I loved this book so much. Pulled on all my heartstrings. If you like the grumpy/sunshine romance trope, this is the perfect book for you. You have an absolute grouch of a man who falls in love with a rainbow of happiness girl. Only took me like 100 pages before I decided I was buying the remaining books in this series. The only reason it is not a full 5 stars is there are some scenes that you have just rolling your eyes. But I greatly enjoyed it and can’t wait to read about the other brothers. 4.5/5 Stars.
For my Fiction Readers:
The Candid Life of Meena Dave by Namrata Patel
This had my inner foodie constantly salivating at some of the descriptions of Indian food. I wanted to order delivery constantly while reading this book. It also hit my inner travel bug. There are many scenes in different parts of the world and I found myself Googling that as much as I was looking up Indian food delivery near me. It did take about 50 pages for me to get into this book but greatly enjoyed it afterward. Plus has a cute little romance part, though that is very much not the main aspect of the book if you are not a romance fan. 4/5 Stars.
Until Next Time, The Library Abroad
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