April Book Round Up (Mod Rapier)
Hello! What the O.W.Ls have taught me is when I’m in the midst of a real life work crisis, I am not very good at following structure! But I did read six books this past month, and most of them counted for my O.W.Ls. It’s fine. Here’s what I read:
1) The Lady from the Black Lagoon by Mallory O’Meara A lot of people have complained that this book isn’t your typical biography, but that’s what I LOVED about it. The book was just as much about Millicent, the creator of the Creature from the Black Lagoon who was not credited for her work because Men, as it was about Mallory’s search for her story. Absolutely recommend! Check out my full review here. I read this book for my Charms O.W.L.
2) Aru Shah and the End of Time by Roshani Choksi This book was sold to me as Percy Jackson meets Sailor Moon. I admittedly haven’t read Percy Jackson (but I’ve listened to the musical!!) but I do adore Sailor Moon, so they had me. I’m not sure I’m sold on the comparison BUT I still loved it. The characters are funny and believable, and this first book sets up a very promising series. The next book just came out, so I can’t wait to jump on that! This counted towards my Care of Magical Creatures O.W.L.
3) I Miss You When I Blink by Mary Laura Philpott Just @ me next time, Mary! I was lucky enough to meet her a few months ago when she stopped by my bookstore. She’s also a bookseller and is such a sweetheart. I wrote a shelf talker at work - which is basically a tiny review that customers can read while browsing - and I think it sums up my feelings well enough that I’ll just WRITE IT HERE AGAIN (work smarter, not harder!): There’s an essay for everyone in this collection. Philpott’s relatable voice makes the reader ask who she’s actually writing about - herself, or you? From one bookseller to another, thank you. “Me real,” too, Mary.
4) A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas MOD RIVER MADE ME READ THIS AND I HAVE THOUGHTS AND FEELINGS AND OPINIONS. Expect a very silly video review of this book to come soon. Also this is basically a retelling so I counted it for my Ancient Runes O.W.L.
5) 96 Words for Love by Rachel Roy and Ava Dash Hi I did not like this book, I would like to have 96 words to describe how much I did not like this book. I can see why people would like this book, but there were parts of it that bothered me too much. Specifically the shoehorned sex trafficking plot at the very end. There’s a way to tell that story and this felt very tone deaf and out of nowhere. This was the first book from the JIMMY Patterson imprint that disappointed me. This has more than one author, so I counted it towards my Arithmancy O.W.L.
6) When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon This book is SO CUTE. I am not a contemporary romance person and that did not stop me from loving this story. The characters are hilarious, relatable, and believably flawed. I have an ARC for the companion book, There’s Something About Sweetie, ready and waiting on my May TBR stack! Knowing me, I won’t get to the ARC until after the May 14th release, but a girl can dream.
So that’s my April summary! I suddenly have a lot more free time on my hands due to a switch in daytime jobs (still at the bookstore, though, no worries). Will this lead to more reading? Only time will tell!
