Led by the Fools' Day, April is here: the April TIOLI thread

Welcome back to the TIOLI. Fools' Day is giving a special flavor to the month so maybe time for something funny? Or maybe not :)

Eligible works:
- Work titles containing the word April, diamond(the stone of the month), Aries(the sign), Sweet Pea or Daisy (the flower) or 4, fourth and any other word that shows a fourth in something

- Books by authors with the name April, diamond(the stone of the month), Aries(the sign), Sweet Pea or Daisy(the flower)

- Books with a character named April, diamond(the stone of the month), Aries(the sign), Sweet Pea or Daisy(the flower) or Four, Fourth and so on

- Fourth books in series, fourth books written by authors and so on

April, Daisy and Diamonds should make for a variety of reading :)

I am reserving the next post for examples and will try to fill it in based on what people post and what I find :)

So.. what are you reading?

Reserved

am going to read A Tragic Night Remembered - Titanic 100 Years - April 15, 1912 to April 15, 2012 which I've downloaded

My planned reads:

1. Daisy Miller by Henry James - the 'flower of the month' in the title completed April 8
2. The Four Agreements by Miguel Ruiz - the word 'four' in the title completed April 16
3. The Fourth Deadly Sin by Lawrence Sanders - the word 'fourth' in the title completed April 27
4. Straight by Dick Francis - Dick Francis won the 'Diamond' Dagger award from the British Crime Writer's Association in 1989 AND this book centers around the missing diamonds completed April 27

#4. I like your April decoration!

I plan to read:

April Fool Dead
Elegy for April
Stone Angel 4th in series
English Breakfast Murder 4th in series
Buffalo West Wing 4th in series
Child 44

I'm considering

April Lady by Georgette Heyer
An April Shroud by Reginal Hill (also a fourth in series)
Iron Hand of Mars by Lindsey Davis (fourth in series).

I'll be reading:

Four Fish by Paul Greenberg (four in the title)
The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields (main character named Daisy)

Ok - I've got one:

The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim. It's under Challenge #2 for anyone else who participates in the TIOLI Challenges.

#8 I've got that too. I'll see if I can get to it!

I picked out Red April by Santiago Roncagliolo strictly because of "April" in the title. I've never heard of this book or its author before. I'm hoping for a gem!

>8

Is that the book the motion picture "Enchanted April"
was based on?

>8, 9, 11

Yes, it is!

The Enchanted April! One of my favorites. Loved The Stone Diaries, too. I've been wanting to try a Georgette Heyer, so thanks for listing her April Lady, hailelib. Off the library website to see if I can get it there.

I'm planning to read Wings by Aprilynne Pike. I decided at the beginning that I was only going to books with the month as title, author or character and as much as there are more that I'd like to try, none of them reside on my shelf right now and I really don't need to get anymore books. Plus I've got 2 ER books and there's a group read planned I'd like to try, so a busy month for me.

I'm going to read April In Paris by Michael Wallner, which is about a German soldier in WW II who falls in love with a French resistance fighter.

I may also join Dejah and others in The Enchanted April. I was also considering Girl Stolen by April Henry, a YA crime story, but I am trying not to overbook myself this month as I am going away for a couple of weeks, and even though I always plan to read a lot, it never really works out that way.

With all this buzz about The Enchanted April, I too, shall read this. I'm through all my series that I wanted to read for this year. I will try to find a few others, but this should be a good start.

I plan to read The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson. It's been on my shelf for ages and the title was my inspiration for doing the birthstones for this challenge. If I have time (which I probably won't) I'll also read The Enchanted April because it's a Virago title and that's one of my categories in the main challenge.

May I suggest Driving Miss Daisy, the play by Alfred Urhy? I'd join everyone, but I just read it, not thinking that it would be perfect for April. It is a truly excellent play, with the advantage of being short and quick reading for those strapped for time.

Oh, and by the way, the author of The Enchanted April also wrote The Solitary Summer which has characters named April, May, and June. And another Virago publication - Time After Time by Molly Keane - also has characters with those names.

Couldn't find anything on my TBR bookshelf to fit this month's TIOLI theme but have happily noted Dejah's suggestion of reading Driving Miss Daisy - perfect fit for my plays category!

Surfing my local library I have placed holds on the following books for possible consideration as they will also fit my categories:
April in Paris by Michael Wallner - translated works
Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man by Fannie Flagg - more books by a favorite author

love the text art! :D

i'm starting this month w/ 1Q84 vol3 , which has a four in it. Also, if my phone gets fixed in time (cause i have my kindle installed there), i'll start Aprilynne Pike's Wings quadrilogy :)

happy reading everyone!

I just started listening to 1984 by George Orwell and heard the first line 'It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen' and I realized I could count this for an April challenge! Bonus!!

I read Theodore Boone: The Abduction as my first book in April.
The name of the character that gets abducted and is Theo's best friend is April - so one done for me as well :)

I might read I Am Number Four as my April pick. Not sure I have much else that qualifies on my tbr shelves right now.

I loved April Lady by Georgette Heyer.

finished all 3 volumes of 1Q84!!! That's April reads done and secured (with the 4 in 1q84, plus the events in the story had a rolling month theme...that included April :D ok, im pushing it too much?)

what a captivating read! :)

my phone isn't back from the repair shop yet...no phone, no kindle, no Aprilynne Pike...

i'm rummaging through my TBR to look for something to pass the time. i'll have to deviate from the April theme, but i'm sure i'll find something...interesting ;)

Oh! I have a Daisy Dalrymple mystery!

i found me skulduggery pleasant book the FOURTH! so it still fits the April theme after all :D

This weekend I participated in the Easter/Passover/April Readathon from Friday noon to Sunday midnight.

I read from 12 different books as I am wont to do, and managed to complete one book, Daisy Miller by Henry James which fits our theme as the 'flower of the month'.

It is a novella only 48 pages but I didn't think I would make it. An odd little book. Chronicles a young American girl’s willful yet innocent flirtation with a young Italian, and its unfortunate consequences. She refuses to change her natural ways in order to please a culture to which she does not belong.
But the question remains, did she stay true to herself?

I can't say that this is going to go down in history as a great read but I am glad that I read it.

done with skulduggery pleasant book four! 2 in-theme books in one month. im on a roll :D

I think I have entered books in a wiki for this group but am unable to find it. Do we have one? Can someone post the link for me, please. Thanks. Cathy

On my home spreadsheet, somewhere along the way, I've entered a note on the 12in12 page which says that there is no wiki for this group. Guess I didn't find one, either, and just came to that conclusion without bothering to ask. Hope you get an affirmative!

I just finished listening to 1984 by George Orwell on my brand-new MP3 player that I bought for the sole purpose of 'listening to books'

Why not, eh? I am counting this for the April challenge because of the first line:

'It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen'

My son studied this book in high school but somehow I had not ever read it and I can't imagine why!

I found it to be riveting. I was struck by a number of concepts. The horrifying concept of "Big Brother is watching" carried out in the extreme for these Party members who can do nothing that is not observed by the ever-present tele-screens. This is evident today in that we are tracked by governments, credit cards, reward cards, social networks, market researchers, GPS's, cell phones etc. So much of us is known out there in the world.

Also, I was struck by the emphasis on changing history by changing the records of it. There are some who would deny the Holocoust and have written that it did not happen as recorded. North American Aboriginals and Afro-Canadians and Americans would dispute the versions of their cultural history written by white, privileged men.

I was thoroughly involved in Winston's life and cared a great deal about what happened to him. I was shocked and devastated at some of the events that happened in his life.

I can see why this is a book that is read by many of our young people as part of their high school curriculum. It was a great read. I enjoyed this book very much but because of its sad (and terrifying) nature, I don't expect that I would re-read it so 4.5 stars. I would highly recommend it.

I have just recently entered the audiobooks market for my 'reading' as well..... currently listening to my first one, The Kitchen House. 1984 is one haven't read in a long, long time. Long over due for a re-read, or a listen to! ;-)

>34

ccookie, 1984 counts as well cause it has '4' in the title :D

i did not read past the 4th paragraph of your post, cause im planning to read 1984 as well! :D that is, if my phone (with kindle installed) ever gets back from the repair shop.

you might want to read murakami's 1q84 as well...although im not sure how its plot relates to orwell's novel (probably nothing in common :p), but 1984 and orwell was mentioned in it and that has made me want to read george's book :p

> riida - HAHAHAHA I completely missed the '4' in the title!! My son has asked for !Q84 for his birthday so I will likely borrow it from him later on. I have it on my wishlist as a result of seeing so many comments on it here on LT.

I've managed three TIOLI-books this month, all the fourth in a series:

Faye Kellerman's Day of Atonement - (Review here)
Kathy Reichs' Fatal Voyage - (Review here)
Colin Cotterill's Anarchy and Old Dogs - (Review here)

Although my interest in Reichs' series is starting to wane a little, I'm planning on sticking with all three series for next month's challenge.

I finished book 8 (A Mist of Prophecies) and 9 (The Judgment of Caesar) in the Steven Saylor series. Only one left to go, The Triumph of Caesar. I also sneaked in a reread of the excellent YA book, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.

Finished the Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz which fits this months challenge - the number 'four' in the title.

I found this little book to be a simple and powerful read.

The four agreements: Be impeccable with your word, Don't take anything personally, Don't make assumptions, and Always do your best. These are not new concepts to me but are presented in a new way.

I purchased this book quite a few years ago and never read it. I am wondering, now, what my life might have been like had I read it when I got it. Simple concepts but often hard to put into practice. but, already, these concepts are being applied and making a difference. I am going to re-read it immediately because I think that the more I remember these things the better off I will be

I'm listening to and reading Blood Hollow, the 4th book in William Kent Krueger's Cork O'Connor series. Only I'd better find some more time for reading, as both the audio and the ILL book loans end soon!

We have testing going on in the library so it's perfect for catching up on YA novels. Tuesday I read Desert Angel which was riveting and yesterday I started Cinder which has a great cover.

I stayed up late last night to finish Blood Hollow. I reached the point where I just couldn't leave it until I knew how it turned out. Great read!

I've finished my April TIOLI Wings by Aprilynne Pike. I think this will be the only one this month - too many other books calling for attention.

Finished The Fourth Deadly Sin by Lawrence Sanders. (fourth in the title)

This book has a beautiful opening line:
~ The November sky over Manhattan was chain mail, raveling into steely rain ~

However, the book did not live up to it's promise. It wasn't a terrible book, just not very exciting and / or suspenseful. I see from other reviews that most people consider this to be the weakest of the five Edward X. Delaney books so I will probably give another one a try.

See full review here:http:
//www.librarything.com/work/445440/reviews/77468894

I read only one April TIOLI book: The Promise of Lumby, the 4th in Gail Fraser's series about the little town of Lumby.

Ok, so I did not finish The Enchanted April as anticipated. Sorry, but is just really slow!! I plan on trying to crank it out this week, but another book got my attention, and I finished it instead. The Sisters Brothers by Patrick DeWitt was FANTASTIC!!! I know it doesn't really fit anything in this challenge, but if you get a chance, it's a great read. Also, for those of you buying a new home, reading through amendments, repair estimates, and consumer reviews about various products and services makes for great reading. Hence, why I have put my challenge to the side this month! Plan on getting caught up for May!

My April books were:
Daisy Miller by Henry James (flower of the month)
April Lady by Georgette Heyer

I ended up with just the expected read of I Am Number Four. Better than expected and would recommend to anyone who enjoyed the Percy Jackson books.

I didn't finish The Enchanted April either. If I'd seen just ONE more list of the flowers in that bloody garden I'd have screamed. Loved the movie though.

The one book I did finish for this was a Daisy Dalrymple book, The Winter Garden Mystery by Carola Dunn.

Is there a May thread yet?

didn't finish my April book either A Tragic Night Remembered - Titanic 100 Years - April 15, 1912 to April 15, 2012

got bogged down in the many many spelling and grammatical errors

haven't identified a May read yet, possibly a Julian May re-read...

#52 ooo. Julian May... good idea!

>>52-- I am feeling you!! HAHA!! Actually, the descriptions of the gardens aren't what get me. It's the fact that these women can't stand each other!! I mean, who plans a trip with total strangers, and then you don't even like each other?!! I know that they're supposed to have a change of heart, but, oh my Lord, WHEN?!?!?!!?

I, too, am looking to see the May thread. Anyone have any idea when that is starting?

Just dropping by to check on when we will see May's thread. Has anyone see AnnieMod on the threads recently?

54: I felt the same way about The Enchanted April. I liked the movie much better!

I did a search and the last posts I see from anniemod were at the end of March. Hope she is ok?

Any one else know how to start a wiki? I haven't figured out that one yet!

I have no idea how to do a "wiki"-- I don't even know what that is! However, should we just assume that it will follow the same format as the other months?

> 57 and 58
Shows you how much we need anniemod. As far as I know there is no wiki for this group and even if there was we wouldn't need another. What I meant was does anyone know how to start a new group thread? Is it the same as starting a personal thread? If I go to the admin page for the 12 12 Challenge I can't see how anyone but anniemod can edit that stuff. Any more experienced people out there know what to do?

There is no need to change the admin page. Someone just needs to create a new thread just like you would a personal thread.

Hi, everyone. I took the liberty of starting a thread for May. See you over there.

May thread:
http://www.librarything.com/topic/136592#

I forgot to post my April Reads:

April Fool Dead
Elegy for April
Stone Angel 4th in series
English Breakfast Murder 4th in series
Buffalo West Wing 4th in series

I'm embarrassed to say that I only managed one for April: Crouching Buzzard, Leaping Loon, the fourth in Donna Andrews' very funny Meg Langslow series. Hopefully, I'll do better in May!

Better late than never, I finished the FOURTH in Dennis Lehane's Kenzie & Gennaro series, Gone, Baby Gone.

I'm still slowly working on Three Months in the Southern States: April-June, 1863, by Arthur Fremantle

Whoops..... totally forgot to post my April TIOLI reading - I read the play Driving Miss Daisy and really enjoyed it.... enough to want to watch the film adaptation again.

April read:



Didn't love it, but it was enjoyable. Will read another of Dick Francis' novels soon. Have lots on my shelf inherited from my mother.

Full review at:
http://www.librarything.com/work/42955/reviews/84085064

I did, finally, finish The Enchanted April. This book took me a long time to get into, and it was a bit slow. However, the last third of the book was interesting, and things picked up a bit. The descriptions of the scenery were very well written, and I also thought the author did a fine job describing each character. She did make the reader feel uncomfortable, just as the ladies did around each other. However, I would not consider this one of my favorites, nor a classic.