Month in Review: April 2015

This monthly review is coming a bit later than usual because last Sunday I was busy with Elizabeth Goudge Reading Week. What a week it was! See the wrap-up post for all the activity that took place here and elsewhere. I read three books during the week, The Scent of Water, The Valley of Song, and Island Magic, and loved them all.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the most popular ECBR post this month was my Literary Blog Hop giveaway of Elizabeth Goudge’s The Dean’s Watch. Thanks to all who hopped by! There was also an active conversation in the comments of my April discussion topic, Does Spelling Matter? I was gratified to find that others care about this issue as well.

A swing with a view…

In real life, I visited the Emerald City — Seattle, that is. I had a lovely time seeing family and friends, as well as some GREEN. We hit a window of beautiful weather so the mountains were showing themselves, the water was sparkling, and flowers from azaleas to lilacs to roses were blooming abundantly. Back home, the daffodils are just getting started, but at least it’s a sign of spring.

Ishiguro shelf at the new Elliot Bay Book Company

Reviews

• Doctor Thorne – It was mostly an Elizabeth Goudge Month for me, but I made time to do this review for the Anthony Trollope Bicentennial Celebration over at Books and Chocolate. It took me a while to get into Trollope, but now I’m hooked.

Other features and events

• I joined in the Books and Bloggers swap and had a lot of fun. I realized that I love picking out books for people, but seldom do it because I hesitate to assume what someone will like. This was an explicit invitation to try to get into a reader’s mind and share books I thought she would enjoy, and I had a blast. This swap happens three times a year and is recommended if it sounds like something you’d enjoy.
• I participated in some tags and memes: Library Loot, TBR Tag, and Top Ten Tuesday. I don’t do any of these regularly but once in a while the prompt inspires me.

Other books read

• Picnic in Provence by Elizabeth Bard – review to come
• How To Be a Victorian – a perfect nonfiction complement to Doctor Thorne
• Mort – in honor of the late, great author, Terry Pratchett
• Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth – for the Once Upon a Time Challenge
• The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood – Once Upon a Time Challenge
• The Sussex Downs Murder by John Bude – review to come
• Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte – for the Cornflower Book Group
• The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker – Once Upon a Time Challenge

Favorite posts from other bloggers

• This April Fools post at Feed Your Fiction Addiction made me laugh, as soon as I figured out it wasn’t real!
• The Socratic Salon is a new discussion-oriented group blog, and it’s fabulous. Here’s a great discussion about whether you can enjoy a book without liking the characters.
• Remember the post where I wondered why there are so many books about “The (fill-in-the-blank)’s Wife”? Turns out there’s a whole online book club devoted to such titles. Check out the discussion of The Bishop’s Wife at What Me Read.
• Katie at Bookish Illuminations shared her experience of visiting the real Secret Garden. Jealous!
• At Vulpes Libris, a fascinating conversation with the author Penelope Farmer, who has given up on conventional publishers and self-published her latest novel with the help and support of her agent.

What were your favorites this month? 

Linked in the Sunday Post hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer