April Mid-Month Wrap Up

It is April 16 and I have read 6 books. Let's talk about them.

Between the Lines: Stories From the Underground by Uli Beutter Cohen - This woman started a blog where she found people on the subway in New York City who were reading and talked to them about their books. Then she turned it into a book. I guess I don't read the same kinds of books as New Yorkers. They all seemed really intellectual and focused on "issues." I didn't get any recommendations to add to my TBR from this one. Reading this did meet the challenge to read a book I think might cure a slump from the Magical Readathon.

My Friend Toby by Gregory Panaccione - This book has no words. Well, very few words. It basically follows this dog Toby in his world in the country. He runs around and meets other animals, but always comes back to his owner's little house. The owner is an artist. On a trip to sell a painting, the owner meets a woman and she becomes a regular visitor in their lives. It's very cute and the dog doesn't die. It was originally written in French. Reading this met the challenge to read a book I didn't pay for. My hubby gave me this for Christmas.

The Great Divide by Cristina Henriquez - I finally finished it! This is a slice-of-life historical fiction set in the early 20th century in Panama. There is a selection of characters that tell the story from all walks of life. An American woman who came to Panama with her husband who is there to find a cure for malaria. She gets pneumonia. A Jamaican girl who came to Panama to earn money for her older sister's surgery who gets hired to care for the sick American woman. The mail boy from America who has a big crush on the Jamaican girl. The boy who works on the building of the Panama Canal who collapses in the street with malaria, and is helped by the Jamaican girl. He also has a crush on her. The mother of the Jamaican girl dealing with the sick daughter and the missing daughter. The father of the boy who got malaria who hasn't spoken to his son for 6 months because he didn't want him to work on the canal. I just realized there are a few more. This seems like a lot, but I didn't have any trouble remembering who was who. There isn't a single plot or an event that brings all the stories together. It truly is just a picture of this community at this time. This book met the Booklist Queen's prompt to read a book with flowers on the cover.

Cat + Gamer, vol. 4 by Wataru Nadatani - Kitty belly! In this series, a nerdy gamer girl adopts a cat found at her work parking lot, and goes about taking care of the cat the way she tackles her game quests. The girl at the pet store who gives her advice is called the Warrior Sage, etc. In this one, she decides to adopt a second cat.

The Girl From the Other Side, vol. 4 by Nagabe - In the last volume, Shiva's auntie is turned into an Outsider and Teacher invites her to live with them. In this one, the tables are turned. Auntie doesn't trust Teacher and wants to have Shiva leave with her.

A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro - James Watson gets a scholarship to a tony boarding school in Connecticut (I think). When he gets there, he finds that Charlotte Holmes is also a student there. They know about each other as all Holmeses and Watsons have since their great-great-great-grandfathers had their adventures. They become good friends and then get accused of murdering a fellow student. They have to figure out who is trying to set them up before they get unalived themselves. It's pretty fun and I didn't see the ending coming. This one meets the Magical Readthon prompt to read a book with 17 letters in the title. It also meets the Booklist Queen's prompt to read a book with an epilogue.

Okay. Those are the 6 books I've read so far in April. What have you read?