What are you reading in April 2012?

Here's where you can post what you're reading in the month of April 2012! Happy Reading!

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers was so good I read it in one sitting. I have been in a bit of a reading slump where none of the books I tried were quite what I was looking for, but this had everything I needed to pull me out of that funk: fantastic characters, fascinating plot, political intrigue, and a swoon-worthy romance.

I finished up a galley of Mike Mullin's Ashen Winter, which was well-done, though not the type of book I typically read. I generally read books for their characters and this is more of a plot-centric sort of story (though that's not to say that the characters were poorly done -- that couldn't be farther from the truth). If you are looking for a well researched, non-stop, leave-you-breathless-on-the-edge-of-your-seat book about how life might be after a massive volcano explodes and destroys life as we know if, well, then, this is your book. You really get a glimpse of the darker side of humanity here. Mullin does an excellent job putting you in the characters' shoes and creating the chilling atmosphere of this book. At one point I had to make myself some tea and grab a blanket to wrap up in, because I was starting to feel how cold these characters were. I highly recommend checking this one out come October, though it might be best to wait for a warm, sunny day to read it.

Ooooh Grave Mercy looks really good. And I totally understand what you mean about being in a reading slump. I'll definitely have to try out this book.

I've taken up the YALSA Best of the Best Reading Challenge (http://www.yalsa.ala.org/thehub/2012/04/01/yalsas-2012-best-of-the-best-reading-challenge-begins/). So far I've read Everybody Sees the Ants by A.S. King, Over Sea, Under Stone by Susan Cooper, and Wheels of Change by Sue Macy. I'm going to take a short break from the challenge because I just got a copy of the ARC for Insurgent by Veronica Roth and I can't wait to read and review it!

I've been reading Janni Lee Simner's faerie books -Bones of Faerie and Faerie Winter. Written a bit younger than I usually like, but very interesting and a different take on the whole faerie thing!

@AngelaCinVA: I considered doing that challenge, but I've read nearly all of the books on the lists they provided and the ones I haven't, I'm not really keen to read.

Can I just say that I'm quite jealous that you got an Insurgent ARC -- I'm so thankful it's coming out in less than a month, so I don't have to wait too long to read it myself. I hope you enjoy it!

@Danielle.Montgomery: Grave Mercy was awesome -- I can't recommend it highly enough.

4. OMG!! Angela! I am SO SO SOOOOO jealous of your Insurgent ARC!! Please let me know what you think of it!

I finally finished Under the Never Sky and I am now starting The Power of Six since it has been sitting on my floor for far too long now.

I've finished Mockingjay. I have mixed feelings about it.

I just finished Mockingjay too, and actually think I'm pretty pleased with how it went -- not, of course, that I'm pleased at the specific events, but from an editorial standpoint I'm pleased at the story trajectory. It felt like the right ending.

The ending was what I disliked about it. I would have liked for more characters to live, though I understand why she killed them off. I do think the love triangle was fixed well.

Almost finished with The Scorpio Races, and I desperately and simultaneously want it to never end and to find out how it ends. What a dilemma!

Doing a quick read of Billy the Kid and the Vampyres of Vegas on my Kindle. I just tonight got the new "Hex Hall" book, Spell Bound, and I'll probably start on it when I finish Billy the Kid (unless I decide to do a reread of Demonglass first).

I hadn't really expected to like Billy the Kid since I'm not that crazy about him as a character, but it looks like Scatty's a big part of this novella and she's my fave of the whole series.

10&11: I'm happy with how she finished the story plotwise and I'm glad she fixed the love triangle. To me, it was an "Meh" ending, but that's real life. Very rarely are endings super fantastic when it comes to real people so I'm glad that she wrote the ending like she did.

I'm re-reading Chime by Franny Billingsley for the I-don't-know-what-number time. I love Briony and Eldric!

I finished up with Wanderlove by Kristen Hubbard either yesterday or the day before. I liked it, but there were times when the main character did things that really bugged me. I don't think I would mind these things so much if they didn't coencide with negative aspects of my own personality -- it was kind of like having my dirty laundry aired for all to see. She did grow and improve over the course of the novel, which did much to redeem her in my eyes. I will say that reading this book made me want to go backpacking on the cheap somewhere off the beaten path.

Just finished reading Paranormalcy by Kiersten White and really enjoyed it. Looking forward to reading book 2 in series.

I had mixed feelings about it too. Kind of a let down after the excitement of the Hunger Games.

Finished a very dark crime novel last night, so this morning moved onto lighter fare with Catching Jordan by Miranda Kenneally, about a female high school quarterback whose crush, a new guy in town, is also an excellent qb who could take her position just when she needs it the most, as college recruiters are watching. Enjoying it so far.

I finished up with Bittersweet by Sarah Ockler last night (or rather, early this morning). This book gave me whiplash -- when she was rockin' the witty, sassy side of her personality, I adored the main character, Hudson, but then she'd do something so incredibly idiotic and act like the worst friend in the world and I just wanted her out of my sight. And don't get me started on her mom -- I wanted to slap her most of the time. On the plus side, Hudson's little brother and Josh and Dani were wonderful characters who made me want to stick with the book. The descriptions at the start of every chapter of the amazing cupcakes Hudson created didn't hurt either, though they did make me hungry and unsatisfied with the snack options I had available in my house.

I'm currently reading the Aussie version of Melina Marchetta's The Piper's Son while I wait for my Aussie copy of Graffiti Moon to arrive.

I'm smack-dab in the middle of Dragonhaven by Robin McKinley - I like that it's told by a teenage boy trying to cope with a heavy newfound responsibility and secret that could wreck his entire world and his family's work. Plus, you know. Dragons! But in a non-high-fantasy setting, more like an alternate modern reality with national parks set aside for dragons. It was a bit slow to get into, but has really taken off now.

I just finished Insurgent by Veronica Roth. Well worth the wait! So many middle books in a trilogy are a let down, but not this one. It picks up right where Divergent left off. Non-stop action and some interesting plot twists.

I also read Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol for the YA Best of the Best challenge. Now I'm on to The Dark is Rising. Who was I kidding? I can't start a series and not finish it, even if I have read it before. Next on the To Be Read list is probably Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys.

I'm so glad to hear that Insurgent is awesome and I'm thankful that there are only a couple more weeks until this book is released. I'm champing at the bit for this book.

I never was able to get my hands on a copy of Anya's Ghost when it was a contender for the School Library Journal's Battle of the Kids Books, but Between Shades of Gray is wonderful. I'd recommend having a box of tissues at hand, though, while you read -- you're going to need them.

Have you all seen the nominations for YALSA's Teens' Top Ten? There are some great books on the list, many of my favorite reads from last year.

>Calliosa Yes, I did look at the Teen's Top Ten list and was pleased to see how many I had already read. There are some really great books on that list. Once I finish the Best of the Best challenge, I will probably be sure I read the rest of the Top Ten nominees. Hmmm, lots of tissues for Between Shades of Gray. Not a bad thing. I need a break from all of the dystopia and fantasy.

My husband is having a good time joking about me and my lists as he shakes his head at the stack of books I have. Thank goodness he accepts that this crazy reading in my free time is professional development for a Youth Services librarian.

I finished the novella Billy the Kid and the Vampyres of Vegas on my Kindle and liked it enough to give it 4****. It's not actually in any way essential to the Nicholas Flamel series (the short story The Death of Joan of Arc really provides more of a prequel to the series by giving a backstory to the relationship between Joan and Scatty), but Billy the Kid is a full-length novella with substantial attention to Scatty (my favorite series character, though I don't really care much for Billy).

I'd been planning to get back to the "Hex Hall" series when I finished Billy the Kid, but I finally managed to get hold of the just-out The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: Book III: The Unseen Guest and I had to read it immediately. We discover a little more of the background of Lumawoo and a bit more of the background of Alexander, Beowulf, and Cassiopeia (I want to avoid SPOILERS), and I give it 5*****. My only concern is that Maryrose Wood doesn't drag this series on to the point of interminability like Lemony Snicket.

24: I just finished up book 2 in that series, and enjoyed it immensely. It was longer and a bit more serious (intricate rather?) than the first, which of course as an adult reader made me happy. I do wonder though if kids will enjoy the second as much.

I have book 3 just waiting for me...

I just finished Super Zombie Mega Juice Bomb. It wasn't a bad read.

I read The Fault in Our Stars and highly recommend it.

The Fault in Our Stars slayed me. I think I used up a half a box of tissues and surprisingly enough my cat came over for a snuggle as I was bawling like an idiot (normally the little booger will start pouncing on me if I get to crying, so I was more than a bit surprised by his compassion). So good, though.

I'm going to check out the YALSA top ten right now!

I am just trying to finish up The Power of Six (in paperback form) since I haven't had much time for reading this last 10 days. With that said, I am starting The Maze Runner tonight on my Kindle while hitting the elliptical at the gym. Here's to hoping that it makes the cardio part of my workout go really fast!

Just finished Beauty by Robin McKinley. Wonderful book! It's a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. It will be going on my favorites list for sure ;)

30. No lies, I love getting on the elliptical. Reading and moving around makes me dizzy so I can't read anything while I'm working or riding in a car. Wish I didn't get motion sick XD

>31 Danielle.Montgomery:: Beauty is one of my all-time favourites. Have you read anything else by McKinley? I love pretty much everything she's written.

I read Delirium at the weekend, and found it rather "meh". I can't think why a government would choose to eradicate love, rather than, say, hate. Sure, people can act violently and irrationally out of love, but far more often out of hatred or prejudice. Lena was the fairly typical good -girl-who's-always-played-by-the rules heroine, with the rebellious best friend (Uglies, anyone?), who suddenly has her eyes opened by the first boy she really talks to in her life. And she seems to find it quite easy to sneak around without getting caught, despite supposedly constant surveillance. I'm also really, really not a fan of present tense narrative, which seems to be very popular in current YA. I've been really harsh about this book, but I did keep reading all the way to the end, which says something positive as I do use the 50-page rule if something is not entertaining me. I know I am in the minority for not enjoying this, and I had hoped to, but c'est la vie.

>33 Sakerfalcon:: I'm with you on Delirium. I just couldn't get into it and skimmed through the second half of the book. I also had the same reaction - it reminded me of Uglies.

I finished Between Shades of Gray. It is an amazing book, but definitely heart-wrenching! I also read Enclave, which I thought was OK. I enjoyed reading it. But I wasn't blown away by it. Maybe I've just been reading too much dystopia lately. Of what I've read recently, Enclave falls in the middle - not the best, but certainly not bad either.

#34) I think that is a good description of Enclave. I enjoyed reading the book but felt the same way.

I finally finished The Power of Six and I have to say that I found it more enjoyable than I Am Number Four. I have started The Maze Runner and so far so good. I am also about to start Fated which was an early reviewer win. Looking forward to some good reading weather this weekend......cold and rainy. :)

About a quarter of the way through Cinder by Marissa Meyer. Love it so far, very interesting premise. Can't wait to find out what these Lunars are up to.

Recently read This is Not a Test, an ER book I got last month that deals with a suicidal teen who abruptly finds herself in the middle of a zombie apocalypse.

It was surprisingly gripping and really, really interesting. The focus here is on the internal life and struggles of a girl who didn't want to live and is thrown into a world where no one is living, and how she interacts with other survivors. I really recommend it.

Earlier this week, I finished up a re-reading of Shatter Me, which I think I liked even better the second time around, and read Saundra Mitchell's The Springsweet, which is the follow-up to The Vespertine. I'm going to have to re-read The Vespertine to be sure, but I think I liked The Springsweet just a bit better -- Zora is a wonderful character and you never get the prior knowledge that things aren't going to end well like you do with The Vespertine. I didn't spend all my time feeling anxious for Zora and wondering when the doom and gloom was going to arrive, which made for a much more pleasant read. I cannot wait for the third book in this series/trilogy/whatever it's going to be.

All but one of my holds came in at the library, so I have a bunch of books to dig into this weekend. I've started with Robin Wasserman's The Book of Blood and Shadow, but I think I'll mix it up with some reading from Londoners : the days and nights of London now -- as told by those who love it, hate it, live it, left it, and long for it, and the Australian version of Cath Crowley's Graffiti Moon -- apparently there were quite a few changes made to the book when it was released in the States.

Is anyone participating in Dewey's 24-hour Readathon this Saturday? I"m torn between it and Record Store Day, so I might do a bit of both.

I'm about half way through The Hunger Games right now, and I'm enjoying it well enough but I don't get all the hype. So far its been good, but ordinary good, nothing special. I do wonder if I might like it better if I had never heard how popular it is; also if I didn't know there were two more books after it, because the Hunger Games themselves just seem like set up for whatever the real plot of the trilogy will be - I'm assuming some sort of attempt to overthrow the evil society?

But I've still got almost 200 pages to go, so maybe it'll turn out to be phenomenal after all.

The Susan Cooper series The Dark is Rising is one of my favorites.

So I was in Meijer yesterday and decided on a whim to take a look at the book section (the surprisingly have a great selection of YA books for a grocery store). Thank goodness I did, because I saw a copy of Insurgent just hanging out ever so casually there, even though its not supposed to be released until May 1st. I don't know what Meijer was thinking putting it out so early, but I grabbed that baby up before anyone else could and raced home to devour it. I don't want to give too much away, but I thought it presented an authentic look at how people in these types of situations might react. I hope that was vague enough for those of you who hope to avoid spoilers (I loved it, just to clarify).

Wonder by R.J. Palacio was excellent. It pitches a bit lower than YA supposedly, but to me a lot of the exchanges seemed more mature than middle school.

Just finished an Abundance of Katherines a couple days ago. Great book. At this point I've read all of Green's books except Will Grayson, Will Grayson and I'd recommend them all.

For the moment, in between re-reading (after many, many years) Memento Mori for Muriel Spark Reading Week, I just started What Katy Did for a quick read on my Kindle. I've never read anything by Susan Coolidge.

Hmmm . . . the closet Meijer is 712 miles away, so I guess I'll just have to wait another week for Insurgent.

Just read All These Things I've Done by Gabrielle Zevin. Nothing particularly original or surprising about it, but thoroughly enjoyable anyway. It's a futuristic, post-apocalypse/dystopian novel, but the focus is more on the relationships between the characters than on world-building. There's romance without the cliched romantic triangle - more of a star-crossed lover cliche, but a believable one.

42. Cailiosa!! You are super uber lucky! Man, that store would get into so much trouble for releasing early if the publisher wanted to sue them. But it was good for you! Did you love it? Hmmm hmmm??

42, 47 It's really unfortunate when this happens if the author has a chance to make the New York Times bestseller list. The reason some books are given a strict on-sale date is so that all the first week sales can be accurately tabulated, and the author gets as high a spot as he/she deserves. I certainly hope this copy was an anomaly.

I'm hoping it was an anomaly. I live in a fairly small town, so one copy out early shouldn't make too much of a difference in the statistics, but if all of the Meijers across the country did it . . .
If I see any more copies of Insurgent when I go back there, I'll definitely let someone at the store know. Could be they have a new employee who doesn't know what's what.

As far as the actual book, I thought it was wonderful. I can see some Tris and Four fangirls being disappointed that the pair of them don't spend the entire book making out or something, but I thought it was the book it needed to be. I definitely want the third book in my hand as soon as possible.

I finally got around to reading the Australian version of Cath Crowley's Graffiti Moon. I had heard that it was different from the American release, but I didn't realize it would be this much different.
I might be biased since I read it first, but I think I like the American version a bit better (though they're both awesome). It's tightened up in just the right places (unnecessary dialogue is eliminated and Lucy's narrative is less focused on her parental issues and more focused on showing how awesome she is) and fleshed out exactly where it needs to be (I'm so glad that Ms. Crowley chose to include the scene where Ed shows Lucy Shadow's work at the caravan -- it gives us that much more insight into who he is and sets the mood properly for the bit of news Ed tells Lucy).

I think I'm going to finish up with my re-read of The Thief, then either reread Grave Mercy before I have to return it to the library, or move on to The Wicked and the Just (yay for historical fiction set in Wales).

@43, I loved Wonder. It's at the top of my favorites so far this year. With a 10-year old protagonist, it might appear middle-schoolish, but it certainly has broad appeal. I wonder (ha-ha) if it will get passed over by the awards committees because it is difficult to pigeonhole (Newbery? Printz?).

Currently reading Chomp by Carl Hiaasen and Grimalkin, the Witch Assassin by Joseph Delaney.

I want to start a reading list by reading Newberry award winners....but I have so many books on my "to-read" list already! I wouldn't know where to start XD

Chomp is a lot of fun. I really enjoyed it and am working on a review of it for my library's website. I also just finished The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson. Why didn't somebody tell me I had to read that sooner? OK, someone probably did. So why didn't I listen? I'm glad the YALSA Best of the Best Challenge prompted me to finally pick it up. Once I did pick it up, I couldn't put it down!

Currently reading Brain Jack with Zahra's Paradise at the top of my TBR pile.

And here I thought I was the last soul on the planet to read The Girl of Fire and Thorns! Isn't it wonderful? I cannot wait for the second book to come out in September (I think).

Alrighty, now that both of you have commented about The Girl of Fire and Thorns, I have GOT to read it. Just downloaded it onto my nook. I'll be opening that bad boy up tomorrow ;)

I finished Poison Study by Maria Snyder yesterday! Good book! I highly recommend :)

Poison Study is the first book in the Study series. The story is centered around Yelena, a young woman kidnapped from her homeland and brought to General Brazell's manor to be groomed into a magician in order to lend her powers to a devious plot to make Brazell the Commander of the land of Ixia. Being tortured and experimented on by Brazell and his son, Reynerd, she slits Reynerds throat and is sent to the Commander's dungeons for having killed a person, especially the son of such a prominent General. There she waits as a year pass by, at which point she is brought out in order to voice her last wishes before she's executed. Yelena is brought to Valek, the Commander's most trusted adviser and chief assassin, where she is offered the job of becoming the Commander's food taster in place of being executed. Through political intrigue and assassination attempts, Yelena must find the power to stop Brazell and figure out just who can be trusted.

What I liked: I very much enjoyed plot line of the story and I think it was a novel idea to have the book centered around a food taster (as I've never read a book about food tasters before). I also thought Snyder did a beautiful job of keeping Yelena in character, with her need for knowledge and her strong conviction to help not only herself, but others around her through gathering information or training with Janco, Ari, and Valek and sharing her skills with them. Yelena is a good, strong female heroine. I very much approve *thumbs up*

*SLIGHT SPOILER, SLIGHT SPOILER, SLIGHT SPOILER, SLIGHT SPOILER*

What I didn't like: I would have liked Valek and Yelena to have had a couple more flirtatious or romantic scenes before they(I assume, since it wasn't actively described) slept together. But overall, a very nice book, one that I can see being made into a movie and being read again and again.

And I tried to open The Girl of Fire and Thorns and it wouldn't open! I must have messed up the file somehow, grrrrrr

>56 Danielle.Montgomery:, 57: I think Poison Study has come up before in my GoodReads recs, but I dismissed it, since it didn't sound quite like a book I would like to read. I think your review might have changed my mind, Danielle. And I'm so sorry to hear about your trouble with your copy of The Girl of Fire and Thorns -- is there a way you can explain your issues to customer service and have them send you another copy? I hope you figure things out, because it's an awesome book.

Maybe when I transferred it to my nook, the file got damaged or something. I will try to move it over again to see if it fixes the problem.

Glad you enjoyed my review. I never know how much is "too much" and too spoiler like so I try not to write anything that will give too much away. What prompted me to read the book was the beautiful new book jacket, with all those colors. And I like that you can't see the girls face as she's going up the stairs. It's all very mysterious ;)

I just finished reading an ARC of Hemlock by Kathleen Peacock. I LOVED IT!

Such vivid writing:)

Ooooo!! Jealous!! I would love to read that book as well! I'll put it on my "to-read" list :)

I just finished The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley and it was GREAT!

The Blue Sword is one of the most epic YA novels I have ever read! The story is about Harry, a young woman from Homeland who is spirited away in the night by Corlath, king of the Hillfolk. She's whisked away to the desert but she does not feel fearful of her captures, but rather feels a sense of belonging that she's never had while in Home. Harry is found to have the same "seeing" powers as the king, a power that few of the Hill folks are gifted with, let alone an Outlander such as herself. For six weeks after her kidnapping, Harry trains with Mathin, one of the king's Riders, in preparation for Laprun, a competition to become a sword welding warrior for the Hillfolk as it is more important that ever now as war is imminent with the nonhumans who are the Northerners.

What I Liked: The whole thing!! From start to finish, this book felt like an epic journey. The trouble with a lot of epic fantasies such as Lord of the Rings and the like, is that the story is very much drawn out, though I understand that authors are trying to build their fantasy "world." However, McKinley does such a wonderful job building this world without the extra frills and long drawn out descriptions that she made it an absolute JOY to read! The story was fast moving and never had any lag in action. Really wonderful book indeed!

What I Didn't Like: Hmmmm...nothing really! I enjoyed every aspect of this book. Perhaps the only thing I didn't like was how small the letters were in the edition that I borrowed from the library. My eyes got tired after a while of reading such tiny script.

I would highly, HIGHLY recommend this book to EVERYONE!! Yes, as you can see....I love this book. Thanks Robin McKinley, for writing such a wonderful novel for us to enjoy!

One of my very favorite books, Danielle.

Mine too!

That's one of my favorites, too, Danielle. Now I want to go home and re-read it for the millionth time.

It's also one of my favourites. Every time I read it, I'm always amazed at just how good it is. I just re-read Beauty yesterday, so maybe now would be a good time to read The Blue Sword again, too.

When I was reading The Girl of Fire and Thorns I got definite flashes of The Blue Sword -- not to take anything away from Girl, which stands well on its own. I highly recommend The Hero and the Crown, which is a companion book to The Blue Sword.

What a coincidence, Lcanon -- I had those same flashes, though The Girl of Fire and Thorns and The Blue Sword turned out to be very different books.

Is The Hero and the Crown about Harry and Corlath's daugther? Or is it about someone completely unrelated to them? I read the synopsis but I didn't understand if it was a prequel or sequel.

The Hero and the Crown is a prequel and tells the tale of Aerin -- she was mentioned in The Blue Sword a number of times (I believe Harry's sword was originally Aerin's). The book takes place many years before The Blue Sword and gives you an idea of how the Damar of The Blue Sword came to be -- how it turned into a desert, the origin of their particular riding style, etc.

>69 Danielle.Montgomery:: The hero and the crown is set in Damar's past, so is a prequel to The blue sword. I can't remember exactly how much earlier, but at least a hundred years, probably more, as there are differences in the landscape and culture between the two books. There is a reference or two to Aerin, the protagonist of Hero, in Sword. And one character appears in both books . . . but I'll say no more!

Ah ok. Yeah I know one of Harry and Corlath's daughter's name is Aerin so I didn't know if it continued on to tell their daughter's tale or it went backward and told of Lady Aerin herself. Thanks!

#72 -- Yeah, The Hero and the Crown is definitely about Lady Aerin -- but now you have me wishing that McKinley would write the story of Harry and Corlath's daughter Aerin! I would love to read that. She has said, at one time or another, that she might write more books set in Damar, so maybe she will write it some day.

I certainly hope so. It's a really cool world that McKinley has created. I also want to marry Corlath, or any new hero she writes about. They're really sexy ;)

I've been crushing on Corlath for years...

74 & 75

Ditto.

Yup, me too!

Hahaha Nice

I think heros in books are the best because you can imagine them to look like whatever you want :D

I loved Grave Mercy, too.