Rewind and Fast Forward: April 2015

Happy Thursday! It's like 80 degrees out today and it finally feels like summer! April went by super fast as every single month seems to. And I know the months are only going to get faster now that it's summer weather. I always get super busy over the summer. Probably because I come out of hibernation and actually have a life. In case you missed anything, here's what went down in April on the blog: 

Reviews:

Lies I Told by Michelle Zink: 3.5 Stars

Becoming Jinn by Lori Goldstein: 2 Stars

Things We Know by Heart by Jessi Kirby: 4.5 Stars

99 Days by Katie Cotugno: 3 Stars

Finding Paris by Joy Preble: 3.5 Stars

The Remedy by Suzanne Young: 4.5 Stars

Every Last Promise by Kristin Halbrook: 3.5 Stars

The Cost of All Things by Maggie Lehrman: 2 Stars

Magonia by Maria Dahvana Headley: 4 Stars

Invincible by Amy Reed: 3 Stars

The Girl at Midnight by Melissa Grey: 5 Stars

11 books last month! Not too bad. Book of the month was definitely The Girl at Midnight. Oh my gosh, that book was so good. Such an original, unique fantasy and the writing is stunning. Some of the most beautiful prose I've read in a long time. I highly recommend it. 

Other Posts:

Last month I talked about road trips and reading and how much I love to read in the car and how I feel so bad for everyone who gets carsick if they read. Seriously. So sad. I shared some inspiring quotes from books. I absolutely love all of these and this may be one of my favorite posts I've ever written. I had so much fun going through all the quotes I marked over the years in books. 

You know I talked about book boyfriends. This month's topic was royal men. Hell yeah. I'm pretty convinced that I'm a princess so this topic was perfect for me. 

And finally, I wrote an open letter to my YA self highlighting some contemporary novels that I think could have really helped me through some tough times as a teen. 

In My Real Life: 

I was traveling this month! Went home to Chicago for a weekend for my friend's bachelorette party and bridal shower. We took one of those painting classes where you bring wine and learn how to paint. I am seriously the worst artist on the face of the planet. I can't even draw a stick figure. Seriously. It's bad. But it was actually kind of fun. Yes, my painting looks like crap, but hey, I just drank more wine. :D 

After that we went to dinner at an Italian restaurant, then went to Howl at the Moon, a piano dueling bar, and eventually ended up at a club. I'm all about dancing so it was a very fun night. 

The next day was the bridal shower, which her mom did a fantastic job planning. It was Breakfast at Tiffany's themed. The decorations were adorable. The food was delicious. It was so nice to be able to spend some time with my friend again. We obviously don't get to see each other that often since we live so far away. 

But it was also great to see my family. I got to spend quite a bit of time with my mom and sisters. We went shopping on Monday and of course I bought too many things. Just barely managed to squeeze it all into my carry-on, but my mom taught me how to be a tetris master so I prevailed. 

Other than that, April was pretty quiet for us. What about you guys? 

Fast-Forward:

Material Girls by Elaine Dimopoulos: May 5, 2015: It's a book about the fashion industry. Predicting trends, etc. Brings up questions about the world's aggressive levels of consumption. Um, this sounds awesome. 

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas: May 5, 2015: DO I EVEN NEED TO TALK ABOUT WHY I'M SO EXCITED FOR THIS?! A;AERLGKHWOE! 

The Isle of the Lost by Melissa de la Cruz: May 5, 2015: The kids of all the Disney villains trapped on a prison island together. GUYS THIS SOUNDS SO GOOD. 

Making Pretty by Corey Ann Haydu: May 12, 2015: I loved Corey's first book Life by Committee and with the word sisters in the synopsis, I'm bound to love this one!  

Made You Up by Francesca Zappia: May 19, 2015: This book is about a girl with schizophrenia. I'm really excited to read about this mental disorder and hopefully to learn something new. 

A Sense of the Infinite by Hilary T. Smith: May 19, 2015: I think I'm really going to be able to relate to this one about a teen whose best friend is drifting away from her. 

The Improbable Theory of Ana and Zak by Brian Katcher: May 19, 2015: This book is about a sci-fi convention. Um, my inner nerd is definitely excited about this. 

Hold Me Like a Breath by Tiffany Schmidt: May 19, 2015: A story of a family who sells body parts on the black market. Creepy? Yes. Interesting? Hell yes. 

Extraordinary Means by Robyn Schneider: May 26, 2015: I'm a sucker for a story about two teens facing death who find happiness and life amongst that darkness. I'm sure I'm going to love this one. 

Tiny Pretty Things by Sona Charaipotra and Dhonielle Clayton: May 26, 2015: A story about the battle to be an elite ballerina. Ballet stories always suck me in. 

The Cage by Megan Shepherd: May 26, 2015: About a world where humans are kept in a zoo for display to another type of creature. Sounds so creepy, yet awesome. 

So many good books in May!!! Oh my gosh, it's going to be a GREAT month for reading. 

Anything exciting happen in April that I missed? Link me up to your favorite post from April so I can check it out. What May releases are you most excited for?