Nope Diary #18

Nope to waiting an eeeeeeeeternity for the last book in a series

Dear Diary,

How is it already May??

April was a bit of a slower month of reading for me. That’s partly because several of the books were longer and partly because I went to Arizona for ten days to visit my family and the days were filled with caring for my niece, watching The Closer with my mom, and crocheting something special for a friend.

Of the books I read, hopefully you spy something that interests you, and if not, that’s okay too. :) As always, I’d love to hear what you’re reading in the comments.

April Books!

As a refresher, my rating guide is as follows:

1 star: awful

2 stars: meh

3 stars: it’s okay

4 stars: I liked this

5 stars: I LOVED this

If you would like more info on any of the books below, each one is linked to Bookshop.org where you’ll find book summaries and links to purchase (or you can visit your local library and put your library card to work).

38. The Enchanted Greenhouse by Sarah Beth Durst

    

    The Enchanted Greenhouse

    
    I LOVED the author’s first book in this universe “The Spellshop,” but this one was a bit of a miss for me. Possibly because I’m not as interested in reading pages and pages about plants and gardening, even if they are magical. There were still moments I did enjoy, but it just wasn’t my favorite in the series. If you like cozy fantasy with a bit of romance, definitely give at least one of hers a try.
    Adult cozy fantasy | ebook | 3 stars: It’s okay

39. The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

    

    The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches

    Speaking of cozy stories…I adore this series. The audiobook was especially good. This is my second Sangu Mandanna book (I read them out of pub order), but that was okay because each one is a stand alone in a similar universe. Highly recommend these!
    Adult cozy fantasy | audiobook | 5 stars: I LOVED this

40. If Not You by Ellen O’Clover

    

    If Not You

    This one might be a bit mean to share with you because it doesn’t come out until September, but if you love romance and want to support a lovely author, you can preorder it here! This contemporary romance between two ad agency rivals hooked me from the very beginning. The chemistry is very, very, very good.
    Adult romance | ebook from Netgalley | 5 stars: I LOVED this

41. My Friends by Fredrik Backman

    

    My Friends

    This book was on my Libby hold list for a long, long time, but the wait was worth it. I loved the focus on art and the formative friendships we make at all stages of life. The audiobook is exceptional.
    Adult literary fiction | audiobook & ebook | 4 stars: I liked this

42. The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion by Beth Brower

    

    The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion

    Would it even be a monthly book round up without a volume of Emma M. Lion’s journals?? Still loving the series. Still listening even though I have all of them on ebook. The audiobook narrator is just that good.
    Adult historical epistolary | audiobook | 5 stars: I LOVED this

43. Brimstone by Callie Hart

    

    Brimstone

    This one is a beast in length (it took me almost half the month to finish and I was putting in lots of reading time every day), but I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. There were a few too many steamy scenes for me, but that was because I was invested in the plot and didn’t want any detours from finding out what the heck was going to happen. Now I have to wait until November to find out how the series concludes. Bah!!
    If you like romantasy, funny side characters (my favorite character is a side character who gets a lot of page time in this one), vampires, faes, etc., then you should give this series a try (the first one is called “Quicksilver”).
    Adult romantasy | ebook | 3.5 stars: It’s okay
    
    I didn’t read any kids books this month. Weird. Hoping to remedy that in May.

    
    Now it’s your turn…what have you been reading?

    🖤,

    Elizabeth