April 2011 in Review

Total Pages Read in April: 2,042

Wow, April was a great reading month!  Not only was it my most successful reading month so far this year (most pages and books read), it featured some fantastic books.  There was fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.  There were classics and contemporaries. 

I reread Virgina Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway, one of my favorite classic novels and one I highly recommend to anyone with an interest in literature.  I also recommend Nathan Rabin's My Year of Flops, which is a very funny look at failed films.  I found the first Loretta Chase romance I didn't like, but it's not going to stop me from reading her in the future.  Best of all, I began the month with Walker Percy's The Moviegoer, which is one of the best novels I've read in a long time.  If I had to give out my 2011 top ten list right at this moment, The Moviegoer would take the top spot.  Hopefully, this means I'll read even better books as the year continues.

I didn't review this for my blog or include it on any of the records I keep about my book reading habits, but I also listened to a great audiobook this month: Tina Fey's memoir, Bossypants.  I'm glad I listened to the audio version, as I'm not sure I would have liked Fey's style nearly as much on the page.  But she reads it wonderfully, and it's great perspective on the world from a funny woman with opinions on both comedy and womanhood.  This audiobook was a lot of fun.

April reminded me that there are some really kick-ass books out there and that I should read as much as I can in the next few months before graduate school kicks in and makes my reading options much more limited.  I have quite a few books I hope to tackle in May, but it's also a pretty busy month in terms of social obligations, so it may not be quite as fruitful as April.  You never know, though....