March Wrap-Up and April TBR

Another productive reading month gone. I honestly didn't think I read as much as I did this month but I managed to read seven books, DNFing only one. i also got to attend a book signing at my local Barnes and Nobles store.

The authors in attendance included Tehlor Kay Mejia, Mindy McGinnis, Brittany Cavaallaro, and Justin A. Reynolds. This was a lot of fun. Each had 10 minutes to talk to us about their most recent works, their writing process, and  bit about themselves. We  got to ask questions about their books or writing in general. It was fun to hear from them and get a little insight into their books. Afterwards there was a signing and I may have purchased far too many for them to sign.

Now, onto the recent reads . . .

1. Lara Croft, Tomb Raider: The Lost Cult by E. E. Knight-- I read this based on the POPSUGAR challenge prompt "a book revolving around puzzles or a game." Tomb Raider is a video game turned movie and apparently book series. I went into this book expecting something cheesy, campy, and overly sexualized. Instead, I got a fun adventure that was better than it had any right to be. We follow Lara as she tries to find an old school friend who has gotten in over her head with a cult bent on reviving an ancient god to destroy the world. Laura is joined by a double amputee mountain climber named Borg as they travel through the rain forests to ancient ruins and finally to an underwater temple. This book surprised me and I actually want to find the rest of the series. 
2. Attila the Hun by John Man-- I read this for the POPSUGAR prompt "a book with 'challenge' in the title" (in this case it's in the subtitle). I ended up DNFing this book. Attila the Hun is an interesting historical figure and the fact we know so little about him and his culture is sad, but Man somehow manages to take an interesting story, with many interesting theories, and turns it into a bland book with more fluff, quotations, and anecdotes than actually telling us anything about Atilla and what we think we know. I muscled my way through a little over half this book before just giving up. If you like long winded books, fine, but I'd prefer something a little more intriguing about such a significant historical figure.
3. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte-- this covers the POPSUGAR prompt "a book with over 1 million ratings on Goodreads." This is a classic. I love Gothic literature. I enjoy the Bronte sisters and their books. I had some issues with this one. While I did like this book and didn't put it down, I struggled with Heathcliff's character. If he's supposed to be the "romantic" figure in this book, he is a terrible representation of "undying love." He's abusive, vengeful, spiteful . . . he forces children to play out a fantasy of revenge and still hates them for being the children of the people who wronged him during his own childhood. It's terrible and disgusting. I also pretty much hated everyone except Haerton and I'm glad he gets a happy ending. Again, I love this style and time-period and author, but I had a hard time with this book. 
4. A Land of Permanent Goodbyes by Atia Abawi. I read this for work. It is the All Iowa Teen Reads book for 2019 and I knew it was going to be a tough read. Written by a foreign news correspondent about the Syrian Refugee Crisis, this book is very similar to The Book Thief. Destiny narrates the life of Tariq after his home is destroyed by a bomb, leaving him, his father, and his three-year-old sister to sneak out of the country and get to Greece. I needed a box of tissues by chapter two and I had to set the book down for a bit after chapter eight. This is an intense read based on real events and interviews. I loved it. I cried. I appreciated the context and the history that it provided, even if it slowed some things down a little. My only complaint was the epilogue which felt a bit too "the morale of this story is . . ." for me. Trigger warnings for detailed violence, rape culture, child endangerment.
5. Girls with Sharp Sticks by Suzanne Young-- special thanks to NetGalley for an early copy. I have a full review of this book here:https://kntellmeastory.blogspot.com/2019/03/girls-with-sharp-sticks.html if you are interested in seeing my full thoughts. The short version is: this is a good book with excellent female characters but it does deal with a lot of triggering themes and issues that makes this a difficult book to read or recommend. I liked it but it's pretty intense and even I was uncomfortable with a lot of it. Read with caution.
6. Sky Without Stars by Jessica Brody and Joanne Rendell-- special thanks to NetGalley for an early copy. I have a full review here https://kntellmeastory.blogspot.com/2019/03/sky-without-stars.html for anyone who are interested. The simple version is Les Miserables in space. This sci-fi, dystopian novel is engaging and entertaining, pulling from its source material while also bringing in new elements to fit the new genre. I finished this the day after the book officially came out and immediately needed the second book (which won't be available for some time). I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed Les Miserables, Illuminae Files, or Hunger Games.
7. The Field Guide to Getting Lost by Rebecca Solnit-- This completes the POPSUGAR prompt "a book about a hobby." I read this book back in college and decided to reread it. It is a collection of creative non-fiction essays about change and loss and discovery. Solnit is amazing as interweaving seemingly unrelated elements into cohesive themes and stories. While I do enjoy her writing, I find it hard to focus on an entire essay of hers at once and each one ended up being broken up over two or three reading sessions, thus making it harder for me to complete my other tbrs. If you're looking for something real or are curious about creative nonfiction or need a break from fiction, this is a good book to try.

And now . . . my TBR.

• Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan-- Special thanks to NetGalley for an early copy. I'm reading this one for the POPSUGAR prompt "a book published in 2019." Wicked Saints is set to be released in early April.
• Princess and the Fangirl by Ashley Poston-- Special thanks to NetGalley for an early copy. This one covers the POPSUGAR prompt "a retelling of a classic story." I have not read Geekarella but I'm told you don't need to read it in order to enjoy this book, so we'll see how it goes.
• Again, But Better by Christine Riccio-- Special thanks to NetGalley for an early copy. This book covers the POPSUGAR prompt "a story set in college."
• Dark Shores by Danielle L. Jensen-- Special thanks to NetGalley for an early copy. This covers the POPSUGAR prompt "a story with a two word title." I know I said I'd read Darkest Minds for this prompt but I haven't been able to get to that book yet so this ARC will cover this prompt instead.
• Descendant of the Crane by Joan He-- Special thanks to NetGalley for an early copy. I honestly started this in March and am almost done with it so it's kind of blurring the lines here but I'm including it in this list just because I'm going to finish it in April.
• We Set the Dark on Fire by Tehler Kay Mejia-- I bought this book at the author even mentioned at the top of this post. At first, I wasn't really sure if I was going to be interested in this book or not but after hearing her describe where the idea came from and what inspired her, I've decided to try it out.
• I Work at a Public Library by Gina Sheridan-- this is a collection of short stories about librarians and patrons and the strange interactions that go on in libraries every day. I've already started this book and can already relate to so many of the stories. 
• Four Souls by Louise Erdrich-- first of all, Erdrich is one of my all time favorite authors. I will read almost anything she writes. Secondly, this book could be considered an "own voices" book, thus it's going to fulfill that role in the POPSUGAR challenge.

What books do you plan on reading next month? Have you read any of the ones listed here? Also, how many times can I say "POPSUGAR" and "NetGalley" in one post? Until next time.