Can we all just agree that spring is the best season? All seasons have their merits, but spring is like the opening curtain to a highly anticipated show, and let's face it, we've been sitting in our seats for months anxiously waiting for this show to start.
If you need me this spring, I'll be outside, fussing over my garden, watering my fruit trees, or applying bandaids to tiny skinned knees after repetitive tricycle wrecks.
My April Reads!
I think if you twisted my arm and forced me to pick a favorite genre, it would have to be the mystery genre: Cozy, thriller, modern, or classic; mysteries with seasoned detectives, amateur sleuths, or drunk and unreliable narrators...it doesn't matter! Just keep me guessing the important questions, and I'll be happy.
April Reads:
THE MAN WITH A LOAD OF MISCHIEF (Richard Jury, #1) by Martha Grimes
This photo is the exact cover of the book that I read: a 1985 paperback edition of the 1981 detective novel that my mom dusted off of her bookshelf for me. Luckily for me, when it comes to mysteries, my mom's bookshelf is my own personal lending library. The book's pages were yellowed, and it had that wonderful old book smell. Ahhh...heaven. (Also, my toddler was fascinated with this old copy and constantly removed my bookmark so that she could "read" it. Usually when she "read" it, the story involved dragons, lost people asking for directions, and a LOT of long, mumbling dialogue during which people were constantly agreeing with each other: "Oh, that's right!" "Oh, I thought so too!" "Good idea!" Unfortunately, there wasn't much conflict in her version--even the dragon was friendly.)
This was my first time reading Martha Grimes. I had been meaning to do so for a while. I could never resist books named after English pubs for long, and it was a fun read! Very 1980s. There were at least two people smoking in every scene and an awful lot of jumpsuits. The detective was adorable, and it was one of those books that had me grinning from ear-to-ear as I read the last few pages. Thoroughly enjoyable!
Grime's metaphors were fresh and fun, despite the book being forty years old! They floated between beautiful and laugh-out-loud funny. While reading, I quite often stopped and relished a great metaphor for a while. I always know I'm going to love a book when I do that.
Thanks for the borrow, Mom!! 🥰
THE GUEST LIST by Lucy Foley
This was my book club's April pick!
I loved the gothic setting--the castle, the island, the storm, the creepy bog-covered graveyard. I also enjoyed the short chapters, which made THE GUEST LIST a quick read.
However, overall, this book didn't quite do it for me. I won't go into detail because I don't want to taint anyone else's reading experience. There are a lot of people who loved this book. According to the 2020 Goodreads Choice Awards, THE GUEST LIST won Best Mystery & Thriller. So, just because I didn't care for it, doesn't mean you won't. It might be your next favorite book! That's the beautiful thing about literature, isn't it? Everyone gets to have varying tastes and opinions, everyone gets to approach literature differently--what works for one person might not work for another, and that's okay! ❤️
I hope you all enjoyed your April reads too! I'm excited for what May will bring.
Happy Reading,
Sam
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