Books Read in April 2021!

Posted On May 1, 2021

Hi Readers! How was your April? I remember writing the last post where I was boasting about how I read 7 books in half a month. Turns out I finished only one other book after that. So, here we are! 8 BOOKS in APRIL! And this time, I read all these on e-book! Check them out below! 

~~THE BEST~~ 
~~THE LOST APOTHECARY by SARAH PENNER~~ 

The Lost Apothecary is hands down one of the best books I read this month. From the detailed characters to the incredible story line, everything was fantastically amazing. I mean, sure, it was too coincidental & unbelievable, but you need to put away your rational brain while reading fantasy fiction. This book gave me immense joy & I would recommend it to everyone who wants a short break from their lives. This is the perfect book to jump into on your weekend. I have rated The Lost Apothecary at 4.5/5 stars! 

Check out the full review here! 

~~THE BOY, THE MOLE, THE FOX AND THE HORSE by CHARLIE MACKESY~~ 

Charlie Mackesy is such a talented writer. The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and the Horse is an illustrated book with such basic messages which we all have forgotten about. I think everyone needs to read this every year, at least once. It brings you in touch with your inner soul & also makes you question your choices in the best way possible. It is suitable for readers of any age group & every time you read it, you will get to learn something new. I have rated it at 4/5 stars.

 

~~OTHERS~~ 

The other 6 books I read were entirely average & I didn’t really even LIKE any of them. So, instead of clubbing them in ‘the mediocre’ &‘the worst’ list, I thought of putting them all under ‘others’. Some were big disappointments, while others were products of sheerly unimaginative & lazy writing. 

~~THE FLATSHARE by BETH O’LEARY~~ 

My 2021 Reading Challenge states reading 5 Romance Novels, which is why I picked this one. The Flatshare was a refreshing & casual read. I read it faster than I read thrillers, so I did enjoy it. Given the genre, there isn’t anything great that can happen in the novel, but this one touched on several topics, which I liked. I have rated The Flatshare at 3.5/5 stars. 

Check out the full review here! 

~~VERITY by COLLEEN HOOVER~~ 

I had read a lot of amazing reviews for Colleen Hoover & especially for Verity leading me to decide on reading it. Unfortunately, it failed to make an impression. For a romantic thriller, it did not do well on either of those fronts. The writing style was impactful & I was really on the edge of my seat. But all of that was for nothing, because the ending was too predictable. I was disappointed because of all the underutilized potential this story carried. I have rated Colleen Hoover’s ‘Verity’ at 3.5/5 stars. 

Check out the full review here! 

 ~~THE STRANGE LIBRARY by HARUKI MURAKAMI~~ 

When you start a Murakami novel, you need to brace yourself for all the weirdness that is surely to follow. The Strange Library is another such strange short story with a lot of strange stuff & no real meaning that comes out of it. Nevertheless, I need to read such random & bizarre magical realism novels every once a while. Life doesn’t make much sense anyway, am I right? I have rated ‘The Strange Library’ at 3/5 stars. 

~~THE SANATORIUM by SARAH PEARSE~~ 

As you all know, I have a love-hate relationship with Reese’s Book Club Suggestions. This one was another unsatisfying read. From the hollow characters to the bizarre writing style to the predictability of the entire story, I did not enjoy anything. The worst thing is I loved the setting of the Swiss Alps & the entire atmospheric action revolving around it, which is why its unused potential was especially difficult to read. I have rated Sarah Pearse’s ‘The Sanatorium’ at 3/5 stars. 

Check out the full review here! 

~~KLARA AND THE SUN by KAZUO ISHIGURO~~ 

There are some books which I know I will love after reading one page & then there are books which I know I will dislike after reading one page. Klara and the Sun belongs to the second category. And despite my intuition, I read the entire novel. Even when I read two thirds of the novel, I was hoping for some profound message, but nothing hit me. I have rated Klara and the Sun at 2.5/5 stars. 

~~THE SURVIVORS by JANE HARPER~~ 

I have read all of Jane Harper’s novels & after reading ‘The Survivors’, I felt that my liking for her book has declined with every new addition. I absolutely loved the first two novels – Force of Nature & The Dry. I did not like ‘The Lost Man’ that much & I definitely did not like ‘The Survivors’ at all. I love the kind of setting she creates for her novels. I must say, I have enjoyed living vicariously through these settings. But other than that, in ‘The Survivors’, I did not find anything too astonishing. It was such a slow-burn that there was no burn in it after all. I have rated Jane Harper’s ‘The Survivors’ at 2/5 stars. 

So, that is it! I think 8 books in a month is my highest record for this year. I hope I read more books in the months to come. I have completed 20/50 books from my Reading Challenge. So, going strong there! Currently I am reading Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko. Tell me what you are reading in the comments below!  

Until next time,