April reading check-in

Checking in after taking a look at my January books post. What to read in 2012?

Here are the ones I had listed and those I've striked through I've actually read: 

* Room, Emma Donoghue
* Little Bee, Chris Cleave
* Sing You Home, Jodi Picoult
* Say You're One of Them, Uwem Akpan
* The Invisible Bridge, Julie Orringer
* Pretty in Plaid and * My Fair Lazy, Jen Lancaster
* Skipping a Beat, Sarah Pekkanen
* Lime Tree Can't Bear Orange, Amanda Smyth
* Winter Garden, Kristin Hannah
* The Forgotten Garden, Kate Morton
* Cinderella Ate My Daughter, Peggy Orenstein
* Father of the Rain, Lily King
* Left Neglected, Lisa Genova
* Dirt is Good for you, Babble.com editors
* The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, Alan Bradley (need to buy or borrow for book club)
* Bossypants, Tina Fey

I'll add that I LOVED Left Neglected, by Lisa Genova. Besides Room (which I had read in late Dec.) I think it was my absolute favorite read of the completed section of this list.

I also, as always, adore Jen Lancaster, and My Fair Lazy was lots of fun.

I still love Tina Fey, but Bossypants was not as fun(ny) as I expected it to be. I thought it was more about her motherhood experience than it was. Again, still love her, just didn't overtly love the book.

And Little Bee, the book everyone was talking about and I left on my shelf for an entire year? It was a good book and very well written, but I wouldn't go so far as to say it was one of the best books ever. It just - well - wasn't. My friend Julie over at My Book Retreat reviewed it perfectly - so well that I went back and dug up what she said and it suited my sentiments. It's the kind of book that is a great read, but if you fall into the feel of the hype you might find yourself disappointed. And that is exactly what happened to me. I don't fall for book-related hype. I just kind of go along until I'm ready. And so when I finally picked up my copy I said to myself, okay, that's IT?

So far this year I've read about 20-something books. If I keep it up I'll pass the totals I had last year and the year before.

Among them you'll also find Ketchup is a Vegetable and The Idle Parent, and (gasp!) 50 Shades of Grey. The first two I loved. Especially the first one. It was hilarious and real and so worth reading. The middle title was a good read, but took me some time to get through. That last one leaves a lot to be desired, honestly. The s-e-x in the book was interesting, sometimes hot and quite intense. We're talking a lot of talk about bondage and so forth. Their relationship had potential, but I found myself just simply not caring. The story could be hot, and people might say it's mommy p-o-r-n. But to me it was kind of meh. It's not something I recommend unless you want to be a part of the current pseudo-pop-culture. For me, I read it because my sister-in-law made me. Yeah. She's 500 miles away and has that kind of influence on me. What can I tell you? I love the girl.

Next on my to-read list? Check out my plans for the coming months!

Confessions of a Scary Mommy, Jill Smokler Read this since I wrote this post!
Let's Pretend this Never Happened, Jenny Lawson
In the Bag, Kate Klise
Silver Girl, Elin Hildebrand
Good Enough to Eat, Stacey Ballis
Pretty in Plaid, Jen Lancaster 
The Forgotten Garden, Kate Morton
The Anti-Romantic Child, Priscilla Gilman

And plenty more, I'm sure. Happy Reading, everyone!

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