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My April Reading Mission
It's a new month, I have a list...
The Books I've Shortlisted for My April Reading 2024
As we move into the spring months, I'm really looking forward to getting in the garden to read. There's just something so wonderful about enjoying the sunshine while losing yourself in a really good story.
Between reading books for work, book clubs and simply just joy and pleasure I have a fair few that I want to get through each month and these blog posts will serve as not only a sense of accountability for myself but may hopefully inspire you too!
Let's start with one we've already touched on in another post...
The Zodiac Pick for the Month
I've picked a book for each month that felt like the zodiac vibe and for Aries season I've gone with my very first book in the Mass-Verse. I'll be listening to this one on Audible.
"In a land without magic, an assassin is summoned to the castle. Celaena Sardothien has no love for the vicious king who rules from his throne of glass, but she has not come to kill him. She has come to win her freedom. If she defeats twenty-three murderers, thieves, and warriors in a deadly competition, she will be released from prison to serve as the King's Champion."
If you want to see the rest of my Zodiac picks for this year, you can check out this blog post here.
Borrowed eBook for the Month
My current loan from the Borrowbox App. Check out your local library to see if they are using this, it's great for eBooks and Audio Books too!
"He will never let her go...
Once there was a mermaid called Amelia who could never be content in the sea, a mermaid who longed to know all the world and all its wonders, and so she came to live on land.
Once there was a man called P. T. Barnum, a man who longed to make his fortune by selling the wondrous and miraculous, and there is nothing more miraculous than a real mermaid.
Amelia agrees to play the mermaid for Barnum and walk among men in their world, believing she can leave anytime she likes. But Barnum has never given up a money-making scheme in his life, and he's determined to hold on to his mermaid."
I seem to be favouring retellings right now.
Borrowed Audio Book For The Month
I've also got this one on audio book from the Borrowbox App, I've never read any Holly Black before so this is another new author with a series or two out for me this month!
"Of course I want to be like them. They're beautiful as blades forged in some divine fire. They will live forever.
And Cardan is even more beautiful than the rest. I hate him more than all the others. I hate him so much that sometimes when I look at him, I can hardly breathe.
One terrible morning, Jude and her sisters see their parents murdered in front of them. The terrifying assassin abducts all three girls to the world of Faerie, where Jude is installed in the royal court but mocked and tormented by the Faerie royalty for being mortal.
As Jude grows older, she realises that she will need to take part in the dangerous deceptions of the fey to ever truly belong.
But the stairway to power is fraught with shadows and betrayal. And looming over all is the infuriating, arrogant and charismatic Prince Cardan . . ."
Our Book Club Pick for the Month
Our Fantasy Book Club pick for April has taken a spooky twist. I'm really looking forward to reading this one.
"You can't see them. But they can see you.
This forest isn't charted on any map. Every car breaks down at its treeline. Mina's is no different. Left stranded, she is forced into the dark woodland only to find a woman shouting, urging Mina to run to a concrete bunker. As the door slams behind her, the building is besieged by screams.
Mina finds herself in a room with a wall of glass, and an electric light that activates at nightfall, when the Watchers come above ground. These creatures emerge to observe their captive humans and terrible things happen to anyone who doesn't reach the bunker in time.
Afraid and trapped among strangers, Mina is desperate for answers. Who are the Watchers, and why are they keeping the humans imprisoned, keen to watch their every move?"
The Library Book
I often wander around my local library and pick books up solely based on the front cover. This is one of those books, look how pretty!
"Ann Stilwell arrives in New York City, hoping to spend her summer working at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Instead, she is assigned to The Cloisters, a gothic museum and garden renowned for its collection of medieval and Renaissance art.
Drawn into a small circle of charismatic but enigmatic researchers, Ann happy to indulge some of their more outlandish theories, including the museum's curator who is fixated on tarot and the real possibility of predicting the future.
But when Ann discovers a mysterious, once-thought lost deck of 15th-century Italian tarot cards she finds herself at the centre of a dangerous game of power, toxic friendship and ambition.
And as the game being played within the Cloisters spirals out of control, Ann must decide who she trusts . . ."
My Kindle Read
One of the best and worst things I ever did was start making connections to other book people on social media! My TBR has never looked more chaotic! This is one I've seen many recommend, so I downloaded it to my kindle.
"When the world’s best magicians are offered an extraordinary opportunity, saying yes is easy. Each could join the secretive Alexandrian Society, whose custodians guard lost knowledge from ancient civilizations. Their members enjoy a lifetime of power and prestige. Yet each decade, only six practitioners are invited – to fill five places.
Contenders Libby Rhodes and Nico de Varona are inseparable enemies, cosmologists who can control matter with their minds. Parisa Kamali is a telepath, who sees the mind’s deepest secrets. Reina Mori is a naturalist who can perceive and understand the flow of life itself. And Callum Nova is an empath, who can manipulate the desires of others. Finally there’s Tristan Caine, whose powers mystify even himself.
Following recruitment by the mysterious Atlas Blakely, they travel to the Society’s London headquarters. Here, each must study and innovate within esoteric subject areas. And if they can prove themselves, over the course of a year, they’ll survive. Most of them."
My Re-Read
Because there are always going to be books that leak into your soul and you're going to read them over and over... The Harry Potter series will always be on my re-read lists.
"For twelve long years, the dread fortress of Azkaban held an infamous prisoner named Sirius Black. Convicted of killing thirteen people with a single curse, he was said to be the heir apparent to the Dark Lord, Voldemort.
Now he has escaped, leaving only two clues as to where he might be headed: Harry Potter's defeat of You-Know-Who was Black's downfall as well. And the Azkban guards heard Black muttering in his sleep, "He's at Hogwarts...he's at Hogwarts."
Harry Potter isn't safe, not even within the walls of his magical school, surrounded by his friends. Because on top of it all, there may well be a traitor in their midst."
Finally - The Work Reads
I always have a couple of books on my list to help me dive deeper into topics that I'm working with or that I'm making content about. Here are this months books!
"Are there certain days when you feel overly emotional for no apparent reason? Do you have days when you feel exhausted, close to burn out and like you want to hide away from the world?
Lunar Living could be just the answer that you are looking for. Working with the constantly changing phases of the moon helps you to understand yourself like never before, to realign everything in your own life, to understand when you need to rest and self-care and when you need to shine and make things happen. Living back in tune with this natural flow and taking care of you and your needs, even if that's just twice a month will make the biggest difference to how you feel, act and react the rest of the month."
"Achieve Your Desires--Tap Into the Hidden Power of the Moon!
At any given moment, the moon shines down on half the world. Now, through the magick of Moon Spells, you can learn how to use its energies to achieve your desire--whether it's a joyful romance, a successful career, or superb physical and emotional health.
Magickal practitioner Diane Ahlquist guides you on a journey to attuning your spirit with the moon. You'll be amazed at how much more you can achieve in life when you synchronize your activities with the moon's phases. With the proper use of candles, gemstones, and incense, spells can be conducted at exactly the right lunar moment to enhance the flow of power and make your wishes come true."
Are you adding any of these books to your TBR?
Stay magical
Emma xx
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