Books in Progress: What I’ve Been Reading Lately – April 2020

Question of the day: How has COVID-19 affected your reading life?

I’m guessing the answer varies greatly from person to person, based on a multitude of factors, like what what your reading looked like before and how your life has been impacted as a whole. To be honest, not much has changed for me. The biggest difference in my life has been having my kids home with me 24/7, and I don’t actually mind that.

As far as reading goes, the times and amounts of my reading has stayed pretty static. One thing that has changed? I think I’ve mentioned before that I like to read by season or theme, so a lot of books about epidemics and diseases have been making their way onto my TBR over the last few weeks. You’ll see a couple of them today in my current reads, but there are several that I’m holding back for now because I’m planning to publish an epidemic reading list sometime in the next couple of weeks.

So tell me, have you noticed any changes in the types of books or the way you are reading? Has having your kids home stolen some of your reading time or have you been reading more with your kids? Are you reading according to the occasion or are you picking up light-hearted reads to help you escape for a while? Whatever your answers to those questions, I hope you’ll find a book on this list that will fit your current taste.

This post contains affiliate links, which means I might make some extra coffee money at no extra expense to you if you buy something through one of my links. Read more about that here.

Just Finished:

The Dating Charade

If you are looking for a sweet, clean romance then you absolutely must pick up The Dating Charade right away. It’s the story of Cassie, director of a teen community center who is fed up with her less than stellar success rate with online dating, and Jett, a hunky fireman who used to admire Cassie from afar in high school. The two of them hit it off after a surprise date setup by Cassie’s bestie, but things start to get complicated when both of them suddenly find themselves with children in their custody. Why is this a problem? Because both believe (incorrectly) that the other doesn’t want kids.

This is a great story about what it means to be a family, and touches on the simultaneous joy and grief that come with adoption, and the nuance that accompanies placing children in the foster care system. I love the way the author addresses the fact that a family has to break up in order for a new one to form through adoption, and that is a complicated thing to navigate but so worth it. Two thumbs up for this book!

The Tea Chest

I am a big fan of dual timeline novels and this was a good one. It delves into a love story that starts around the time of the Boston Tea Party and simultaneously features a contemporary heroine trying to make history by becoming the first female SEAL. Both of the main characters have fascinating stories, and I loved how they intertwined in the present.

It’s Not Over

I wrote a full review of this book last week, but the short version is that It’s Not Over is full of encouragement to help you push past the obstacles that are keeping you from living out your God-sized dream, and provides wisdom to help you discern which dreams are keepers. Filled with practical advice and relatable stories, I’ll be lending this book to all my friends and family who want to accomplish big things according to God’s plan.

In Progress:

The Silent Treatment

This book begins when Frank finds Maggie passed out on the floor of their kitchen. She is rushed to the hospital and placed in an induced coma, and a nurse encourages Frank to talk to his wife in an effort to help her recovery. We soon discover that Frank and Maggie have not spoken in 6 months, though the reason isn’t immediately clear. Now he isn’t sure how much time he has left with her and begins to recount their story, starting when they first met and continuing throughout the ups and downs of the decades of their marriage. As he speaks, he tells her all the things he wished he would have said, building up to the thing he hasn’t been able to tell her for the last six months.

I still have about 40% of the book left yet, so I’m not sure what the big reveal will be, but I think the author has done a great job so far of building up to it. Frank seems to have a sense of guilt over something, but when you read about their relationship he seems to be a devoted husband, so I can’t imagine what he could have done.

Zone One

This one made it onto my list by virtue of being a book about a pandemic, but I have mixed feelings about it. There are aspects of it that I’m enjoying, but at the same time it feels like the author was trying too hard. The story follows a man named Mark Spitz in his job as a ‘sweeper’ after a pandemic reduced most of the world’s population to zombies. I would say this is the literary version of The Walking Dead, except that most of the action happens in Mark Spitz’s head in the form of flashbacks or as an internal commentary on society. I’m reserving final judgement until I finish.

As Bright as Heaven

On the other hand, this is a brilliant and beautiful epidemic books. Set in the days leading up to, during, and after the Spanish Flu epidemic that decimated populations around the world in 1918-19, it follows the Bright family as they move to Philadelphia to help with the family mortuary business. I’ll reserve more details for my epidemic reading list, but suffice it to say that this is beautiful story about heartache and loss, but also hope and the joy one finds in family.

Up Next:

The Piper’s Pursuit

One of my favorite historical YA authors is Melanie Dickerson and I’m super excited to dive into her latest, The Piper’s Pursuit. She writes fairytale retellings, and this one is based off the legend of the Pied Piper. The thing that most excites me is the fact that I’ve never read a retelling along these lines before. Retellings of Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella abound, but the Pied Piper? That’s unique. I hope it lives up to my expectations!

Being Known

This is a new-to-me author that I wasn’t aware of until I got this gorgeous book in the mail from the publisher. I’m excited to give it a try and see if it’s as interesting as it sounds. It looks like it is the second in a series, so we’ll have to see if picking up in the middle has any impact on the enjoyability of this book.

The Englisch Daughter

Normally I’m not a huge fan of Amish fiction, but I read a book by this author duo in November called A Christmas Haven and really enjoyed it, so I’m going to give this one a shot. From what I understand it’s about an Amish woman who finds out her husband has another family, so it sounds scandalous enough to be interesting.

For more great book talk, pop over to Modern Mrs. Darcy for her monthly quick lit link up.