Welcome to my April Reading List! My goal for this year is to read 150 books. To do this, each month I need to read at least ten books as well as dipping into the five books at the end of this post. This means by the end of the year, these five can be added onto my yearly total. I am determined to read 150 books this year. I had this goal last year, but because of my master’s degree I only managed 39 which is pitiful (although I did read lots and lots of journal articles). These are the books I read during April.
A Note About Colour Codes
Throughout this April reading list, you’ll notice that I have coloured the list of books. Firstly, the beige books denote fiction books. I am not keen on fiction books as a rule. In 2023 I read 100 books and over 60 of them were non-fiction. I had to work really hard at getting in the fiction I did read and I tended to find an author I liked and then read a few of their books. This year, I want to throw my net wider, so to speak. The goal is to try out lots of different authors and genres. So, I want at least half of my books to be fiction books. And I shall try to read books from different authors…😊
Next, I have used a pinkish colour to denote the non-fiction. I literally never struggle to find non-fiction books I want to read! This is because there are so many things I am interested in and so little time!
And lastly, I have used a violet colour for the books I shall be dipping into each month. These are non-fiction. In fact, they are mostly nature themed books created to be read over each month or season, rather than being read all at once.
April Reading List: Non-Fiction
Business Boutique: A Woman’s Guide for Making Money Doing What She Loves by Christy Wright.
This was a book recommended to me by one of my readers (thanks Gwen!). I think what I appreciated most about this book is the fact it is written from a Christian perspective. It is full of helpful advice, albeit American in origin, but that didn’t seem to matter here. Recommend. ****
Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment Without Burnout by Cal Newport.
I was really disappointed with this book. I thought it would be just up my street but I actually found it quite boring which is really unusual for me, especially for a non-fiction book. There was one takeaway. When trying to set up a new routine use prompts to ensure you enjoy it and look forward to it. Did this justify the price of the book? I would have to say no. **
Unleashed by Boris Johnson.
This is my surprise book and I can’t even begin to say how much I enjoyed Johnson’s writing. Unleashed was recommended to me by my mum. I’m so pleased I listened to her as I would naturally never have picked this up otherwise. It’s a long book, but I can honestly say I wasn’t bored once. He has an incredibly large personality and is very self-effacing about his weaknesses and the mistakes he has made in his life. At the same time, he has an absurd natural confidence that can only come from his rather privileged background. An excellent read. *****
Walk Yourself Happy: Find Your Path to Health and Healing in Nature by Julia Bradbury.
This was a corker! I’m not sure how Bradbury wrote a whole book about walking and I wasn’t bored, not even once! This is testament to both her knowledge and her passion. She backs everything she says up with science, leaning on different professionals to highlight important points. I LOVE passionate people! It doesn’t really matter to me what they are passionate about. I think I could read a whole book on cleaning a toilet if it was written by someone who just thought toilet cleaning was the best job in the world! This is one of the best books I’ve read so far this year. *****
The Mysterious Case of Agatha Christie by Maureen Corrigan.
I must say, I have not come across a book from The Great Courses that I haven’t loved. These are all really well researched and interestingly written and this one about one of my favourite fiction writers is no exception. Five stars. *****
Therapeutic Parenting: Nurturing Key Elements of a Child’s Mental Growth: A Guide to Life with Emotionally Complex Kids By Robert Hackiston.
Oh my goodness. This was woeful. I learnt absolutely nothing. In fact, there were parts when I felt the author was being a bit patronising. I’m not going to say anything else as my mum always said, if I can’t say anything nice then I shouldn’t say anything at all. So I won’t. I can’t even give this one star.
April Reading List: Fiction
Amazing Grace Adams by Fran Littlewood.
I chose this book, probably because its protagonist was going through the menopause. It sounded light-hearted, mocking even, towards the inevitability of hormonal chaos. After all, every single woman will someday go through it, and every man in her nearby vicinity will suffer by proxy. It sounded fun. What I got, however, was a really meaningful heartfelt narration of Grace’s life, switching between the past, present and near present (3 months prior). Yes, the menopause was mentioned once or twice, and yes, with my confused menopausal brain trying to figure out which timeframe we were in, I spent the first part of the book a little befuddled. But…but…it was glorious and the ending was hilarious and unexpected and beautiful all at the same time. For someone who does not really like fiction, Amazing Grace Adams was a delightful surprise to me. ****
Back to Reality: A Novel by Mark Stay and Mark Oliver
I don’t know if you remember a couple of years ago, I worked my way through The Best Seller website? The Best Seller was curated by Mark Stay and Mark Oliver, authors of the above book. Well, Back to Reality is the resulting book of The Best seller experiment. I wanted to love this so much. However, as well written as it is, it just wasn’t my thing.
It is advertised as a mix between Back to the Future and Freaky Friday. Basically it’s a fantasy which is probably my least favourite genre. So, I think in this instance it’s a me problem rather than a them problem. It’s just not my cup of tea. I really enjoyed The Best Seller Experiment though and out of respect for the two Marks, I’m not going to give their book a star rating. It’s well-written and probably would be very enjoyable for anyone who loves fantasy.
The Dictionary of Lost Words By Pip Williams.
This is one of my favourite novels this year, probably on account of the inclusion of much non-fiction! The premise of this book is fascinating for me. Set in the early 1900’s, it explores the life of Esme. Esme is motherless. Her father works in the Scriptorium in Oxford compiling words to create the first Oxford dictionary. It is against this backdrop that Esme grows up, having been given her own ‘desk’ underneath one of the Scriptorium tables.
As she gets older, Esme realises that only words which the middle and upper class use and which can be found in print (books, newspapers etc, also only written by upper and middle class) can be included. She begins her own collection of lost words, words which are common but crude, and more likely to be used by the working class in speech rather than print. And the Dictionary of Lost Words is born. I shall be writing a review of this at some point because it would make an excellent addition to an Edwardian or World War I unit study, but with some precautions. After all, a book about language can not just be a book about anaesthetised words, as much as that was probably the goal of the first Oxford dictionary! An easy five stars. *****
Books I’ll Be Reading Every Month
There are also books that I’m going to be dipping into each month. These are books I have either read multiple times over the course of my life and I just love rereading them, or they are part of an ongoing set which brings out a new volume each year. By the end of the year they will be completed but as they track the months and seasons of the year, I’ll not be reading ahead, as it were. However, I’ll be adding them to each of my posts, just in case anyone else is interested in reading them.
Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady by Edith Holden
The Cottage Book by Sir Edward Grey
The Almanac: A Seasonal Guide to 2025 by Lia Leendertz
The Cottage Fairy Companion by Paola Merrill
Daemon Voices: Essays on Storytelling By: Philip Pullman
I hope you have enjoyed my April reading list. If you’d like to take a look at the books I read in 2023 and 2024, please do visit my Books Read Over the Years Page. I shall endeavour to share one of these posts each month. I’m always looking out for good books to read so please do leave any recommendations in the comments below.
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