April 2007 Reading List

Still on target, and actually slightly ahead of schedule, to read 200 books this year. Despite being behind on my reviews, all of my travels this past month did give me lots of time to read. Here's the April list.

Children's and Young Adult Books

1. Dian Curtis Regan: Cam's Quest. Darby Creek Publishing. Completed April 1, 2007. My review.
2. Laura Hillman: I Will Plant You a Lilac Tree: A Memoir of a Schindler's List Survivor. Atheneum. Completed April 1, 2007.
3. Margaret Peterson Haddix: Among the Imposters. Simon & Schuster. Completed April 2, 2007.
4. Cecil Castellucci: Boy Proof. Candlewick. Completed April 4, 2007. My review.
5. Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain: Bass Ackwards and Belly Up. Megan Tingley. Completed April 4, 2007.
6. Karen Blumenthal: Let Me Play: The Story of Title IX: The Law That Changed the Future of Girls in America. Atheneum. Completed April 5, 2007. (young adult non-fiction)
7. Tina Schwager and Michele Schuerger (Authors), Elizabeth Verdick (Editor): Gutsy Girls: Young Women Who Dare. Free Spirit Publishing. Completed April 5, 2007
8. Margaret Peterson Haddix: Among the Betrayed. Simon & Schuster. Completed April 5, 2007.
9. Margaret Peterson Haddix: Among the Barons. Simon & Schuster. Completed April 5, 2007.
10. Gail Gauthier: A Girl, A Boy, and a Monster Cat. Putnam. Completed April 7, 2007. My review.
11. Melanie Watt: Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend. Kids Can Press. Completed April 7, 2007. My review.
12. Tim Egan: The Pink Refrigerator. Houghton Mifflin. Completed April 8, 2007. My review.
13. Robert Heidbreder (author) and Kady MacDonald Denton (illustrator): A Sea-Wishing Day. Kids Can Press. Completed April 8, 2007.
14. Jessica Meserve: Small Sister. Clarion. Completed April 8, 2007.
15. Scott Magoon: Hugo & Miles in I've Painted Everything. Houghton Mifflin. Completed April 8, 2007.
16. Cece Meng (author) and Janet Peterson (illustrator): The Wonderful Thing About Hiccups. Clarion. Completed April 8, 2007.
17. Dianna Aston and Sylvia Long. An Egg is Quiet. Chronicle Books. Completed April 8, 2007.
18. Nick Ruth (author) and Sue Concannon (illustrator): The Dark Dreamweaver (The Remin Chronicles). Completed April 11, 2007.
19. Crissa-Jean Chappell: Total Constant Order. Completed April 12, 2007.
20. Dana Reinhardt: Harmless. Completed April 13, 2007.
21. Pete Hautman: Godless. Completed April 13, 2007.
22. James Patterson: Maximum Ride: School's Out Forever. Completed April 15, 2007.
23. Kenneth Oppel: Skybreaker. Eos Publishing. Completed April 23, 2007.
24. Mitali Perkins: First Daughter: Extreme American Makeover. Dutton Juvenile. Completed April 26, 2007.
25. Margaret Peterson Haddix: Among the Brave. Aladdin. Completed April 28, 2007.
26. Margaret Peterson Haddix: Among the Enemy. Aladdin. Completed April 29, 2007.

Adult Fiction

1. Julia Spencer-Fleming: All Mortal Flesh. Completed April 6, 2007. The latest in the Clare Fergusson/Russ Van Allstyne series, about a female Episcopal priest who falls in love with a married small-town police chief. They solve mysteries together. I'm a sucker for these star-crossed lover stories. The mystery in this one is a bit too close to home for the pair - the murder of Russ's wife, Linda, for which both Russ and Clare are suspects. This is one of my favorite series, and this one did not disappoint, and even surprised me with a major twist. Best sentence: "Meg's family room was always filled with sprawls of teenage boys, her kitchen overrun with giggles of girls."
2. Victoria Thompson: Murder in Little Italy. Berkley Prime Crime. Completed April 8, 2007. Eighth book in the Gaslight Mystery series, set in New York during the 1890s (while Theodore Roosevelt was Police Commissioner), featuring Sarah Brandt, a midwife from a wealthy family, and Frank Malloy, one of the few honest police detectives in the city. This series just keeps getting better. The next book, Murder in Chinatown, is due out in June.
3. Cormac McCarthy: The Road. Knopf. Completed April 9, 2007. A beautifully written tale set in an incredibly bleak post-apocalyptic future. I didn't find it as compelling as some post-apocalypse/dystopian stories because one of the key ingredients was largely missing. There's little wondering what you would do, because the available options have already shrunk down to "scrounge for food and warmth", pretty much. But still an interesting and quick read.
4. Carol O'Connell: Find Me. Putnam. Completed April 21, 2007. Latest book in the Mallory series, as compelling as the others, and revealing new layers of Mallory's character.

Looking forward to catching up on reviews in May.