The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. This book is HUGE. Over 1000 pages. So, while I started reading it at the beginning of the month, I had no illusions that I would actually finish it in April. Truth was I had several books requested through the library that were all going to be a bit of a wait until my turn, so I figured I would read Pillars of the Earth until a library book come in, then set it down, pick it up again if the next library book requested wasn't ready, etc. I knew setting it aside wouldn't mean never getting back to it, because I have yet to find a Ken Follett book I didn't like. They all draw me in. Even through I have set it down for several other books this month as they became available through interlibrary loan, I managed to read more than 500 pages! That's how much draw it has on my attention.
A Good Animal by Sara Maurer. I saw a blurb for this new book online in either late February or early March. It sounded right up my alley, so I looked to see if my local library could get it and then I put in a request for it. It took about a month before my turn came, and I started reading it the same afternoon I picked it up from the library. Was it right up my alley? Oh yes, yes it was. With very few exceptions I connected with this book so hard. Everything in it I could relate to either personally or from observing the people around me through my decades of living in/near mostly rural little towns. I will most definitely be looking for more novels from this new author.
This Book Made Me Think of You by Libby Page. I also saw this one online, thought the storyline sounded like a take-off on P.S. I Love You (only with books instead of letters), and really was curious enough to compare the two that I requested it from the library. Although the premise is the same (as I suspected), the way the story is written around that common idea is different and I very much liked the book and discovering the monthly surprises for the main character as well as how the plot developed throughout.
Judy Blume a Life by Mark Oppenheimer. As a Judy Blume fan from way back who has (I'm pretty sure) read all of her books, I was very interested in reading her biography. I put in a request through my local library, and waited for it to be my turn. At 80ish pages in, I'm slogging along. I hate to sound negative about one of my long time favorite authors, but this biography is barely keeping my interest so far. It has been interesting to see where some of the inspirations for her books have come from. Other than that I'm finding this book to be dry and more like a report than an engaging story. Will I keep reading? Probably. Unless I don't get through it before it's due back to the library. In which case it will be a DNF forever.
