Reading Roundup: April 2019 — 8 Books to Read

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April was a really busy month for our family.  I actually didn’t teach a single Friday this month due to field trips and Good Friday. I spent the first Friday of the month in Washington, DC, viewing the gorgeous cherry blossoms along with the 80 sixth, seventh, and eighth grade students I was chaperoning. On the second Friday, I attended the Youngstown State University English Festival along with several junior high students. The third Friday was Good Friday, and our school was on break for Easter leaving us time for fun as a family. Then, the last Friday was our annual eighth grade field trip to Thiel College in Greenville, Pennsylvania. You’d think that would leave me a lot of time to read; however with several evenings spent working the finish line at track meets, I actually had less time to read this month than in March. Even so, there were several books on my April reading list that I’d love to share with you. 

*Disclaimer: This post includes links to Amazon products. If you click on one of the links and make a purchase, I may receive a small amount of compensation. There is no cost or obligation to you, but any support is appreciated.To learn more about any of the books featured on my April reading list below or to purchase one of them, click on the cover art.

April Reading List

Hidden by Helen Frost

I found this book at our school’s spring book fair. It’s a novel in verse with two different characters, Wren, and Darra, as narrators. The two girls meet at summer camp. However, there is history between them. Several years earlier,  Wren had been hiding in the back of her mother’s minivan when it was stolen by Darra’s father. In this novel, the two girls come to grips with the past that haunts them. And, if you read the last word of each of Darra’s long lines, you’ll find a hidden message.

Her Last Goodbye by Melinda Leigh

Melinda Leigh is an author that I just discovered this year.  Her Last Goodbye is book 2 in the Morgan Dane series. I first met Morgan Dane, single mom and lawyer extraordinaire, back in  March in her debut novel, Say You’re Sorry, and admit to reading the books out of order.  In Her Last Goodbye, Morgan searches for a missing young mother, Chelsea Clark, who has been kidnapped. Will she find her in time?

Shout by Laurie Halse Anderson

This was another book fair pick. I’ve read most of Laurie Halse Anderson’s novels and have hear her speak at the Youngstown State University English Festival. She’s a wonderful author, best known for the acclaimed novel Speak.  In  this book, Laurie Halse Anderson uses verse to explore rape culture and entitlement. This is a powerful memoir, but I do not recommend for grades lower than 8th due to the language and subject matter. 

Swing by Kwame Alexander

My students love Kwame Alexander, and with good reason. He writes amazing books in verse that speak to the reader.  This book took a little longer to get into, but once you hit that sweet spot, you can’t put it down. It’s the story of two friends, Walt and Noah, growing up and finding their places in the world. It was a good book, but I enjoyed Solo more.

What I’ve Done by Melinda Leigh

This is book 4 in the Morgan Dane series. Morgan and Lance are hired to prove the innocence of young Haley Powell.   Haley wakes up with no memory of the night before, covered in blood. A man has been stabbed to death and Haley’s fingerprints are on the murder weapon.  Is Haley guilty or is she being framed?

Hey Kiddo by Jarrett Krosoczka

Kids will love this memoir in graphic novel format by National Book Award Finalist Jarrett Krosoczka. Jarrett’s family is far from perfect, yet typical of so many situations children are in these days. Dad’s not in the picture. Mom’s an addict. Jarrett’s grandparents step in and raise him. It’s not always an easy path, but Jarrett survives and thrives. While I’m not usually a fan of graphic novels, this is one that many students will relate to and love. 

The Professor by Robert Bailey

All I can say is “Wow!” If you read one book on this list, it should be this one. Fan of John Grisham’s writing will love the suspense and intrigue of this  courtroom drama. I borrowed this book for free from Amazon Prime Reading, but then purchased the other three in the series. It was that good.  The main character, Tom McMurtrie, is a law professor at the University of Alabama. Tom is approached by an old friend to help with a lawsuit after her entire family is killed in a traffic accident. What will the trucking company do to cover up their liability?

Between Black and White by Robert Bailey

Robert Bailey is my new favorite author. Between Black and White is the second book in the McMurtrie and Drake series. At age five, Bo Haynes witnessed his father’s murder at the hands of the KKK. Years later, Bo, a well-known attorney, is accused of killing the man he believes responsible. The evidence is convincing, and Bo has no memory of what happened that night. Did he do it? Or is Bo Haynes being framed? Once again, Bailey does not disappoint!

Conclusions about my April reading list

In conclusion, I’ve finished eight books in April. Because of our Scholastic book fair, I read some new titles to share with students, some of which were in formats (graphic novel, free verse) that I don’t normally choose for myself. I really enjoyed Robert Bailey’s books and look forward to reading more of them. 

Do any of these books sounds like something you’d enjoy? What have you been reading lately? I’m always looking for new titles, and summer is coming!

Happy reading!

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45 Replies to “Reading Roundup: April 2019 — 8 Books to Read”

  1. I need new books for my weekend getaway! I’ve seen a few in your list that I am very interested in.

    1. Yes, they are available on Amazon. You can click on the titles or photos to learn more or to order:

  2. I’ve been looking for new books to read and these look great! I can’t wait to choose one and get started!

  3. I am not a regular book reader but i like all the books you have shared. I will make some time to read them at least any of them. Thanks for sharing!

  4. Thank you for the awesome list. I have read only one of those. Gonna check out the rest.

  5. I would definitely check out Melinda Leigh since I don’t know her or her books until I read this article. But the Professor book sounds really cool to read, I always love this type of book.

  6. I don’t read as much I would like too. This summer I’m planning on reading more so I’ll check out these recommendations.

  7. I wanna read ‘what I have done’. The intro is very intriguing! And I like crime fiction books! Great compilation by the way! 🙂

  8. I read Speak when I was younger, and now learned from this post about Shout. I find it funny that I was going through my books I wanted to read and came across Speak just last week. I’ll be checking out Shout and giving it a read, thanks to you. Great list, Tracy! I’m always on the hunt for new books. I just finished The Tattooist of Auschwitz.

  9. Swing by Kwame Alexander sounds like an interesting book to read. Overall this is a great list of book suggestions and I could read anynone of these books.

  10. I just finished “The Lucky Years” by David B. Agus & it was a hard one to get through, way too technical! Some of these books really sounds great though! I’d like to read Shout & What I’ve Done! Thanks for sharing!
    -madi xo | http://www.everydaywithmadirae.com

  11. These sound some wonderful books to lay my hands on. And get down to reading one by one. Thanks for sharing. Makes choosing new books much easier.

  12. Nice reads! I will try Robert Bailey books in future, you totally made me curious about it

  13. These look like great reads! Thank you so much for this great roundup! I was actually looking for a good book yesterday to be able to relax over the weekend. Thanks for sharing!

  14. Once again, you have a great choice of books here, Tracy. There are a few I’d look out for. I love book recommendations rather than trying to pick a book straight off the shelf. I have to say I admire how many books you read in a month. It seems to take me forever to get through a book.

  15. “Hidden” and “Her last goodbye” sound like they would be interesting reads. Thanks for sharing all of these.

  16. Love this! Always looking for good book recommendations. I love Laurie Anderson’s books and I want to look into Shout now and read it! Thank you thank you 🙂 the more road trip books, the better!

  17. The Professor sounds like an awesome read. With summer coming up I tend to have a bit more free time by the pool or on the beach to relax with a good book. I appreciate these rounds ups as they provide me a good list to start with. I find it difficult to pick out a good book without a recommendation.

  18. You’re literally my fav book blogger 💞 great list! I already have a huge collection of books that I need to finish this summer but I am still gonna add more to my reading list! ☺️

  19. I’ve been looking for new books to read, so I’ll definitely have to check these ones out!

  20. I feel like I will give Swing a chance since I want to know how the characters found their place in this world. Thanks for the suggestion!

  21. Wow some of these books look so interesting! I will need to find some time to read them!

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