Sunset Beach by Mary Kay Andrews

3 stars. I really wasn't crazy about any of the characters, especially for quite a long while into the book, even by the end I wouldn't consider him favorite characters The first part of the book, I was thinking that I might give it 3 stars, but it was near the end that made me decide it was worth 4 stars on Goodreads. The story was a little on the long side and could have been at least 50 pages shorter. There were also a few typos/mistakes that should have been caught in the editing process. There were 2 separate mysteries, 40 years or more apart from each, in one incident, one victim was given the wrong surname (that of the other victim). If I had read the ARC, I would have assumed it would be caught and not used it to judge the book, but this was a library and therefore the finished project. When I wrote this review the morning after finishing the book, I rated it 3.5 stars and was going to raise it to 4 stars on Goodreads, but now after typing it and thinking about the story more, I feel 3 stars is a better rating in my mind. I liked the book, but wasn't overly crazy about it, and I had really enjoyed the author's previous book, The High Tide Club, so I will read more by Mary Kay Andrews.

A Light in the Storm: The Civil War Diary of Amelia Martin, Fenwick Island, Delaware 1861 by Karen Hesse

2.5 stars raised to 3 stars. I'm not sure if this is middle grade or YA. The main character, Amelia Martin is 18 or 19; my library and the library's near me have this and the others in the Dear America series in the juvenile literature section (middle grade), but Goodreads has it as YA on the book'a main page. I usually enjoy books set in the Civil War era, but this book was not quite as engaging, although I am not of the age group that this book is targeted towards I did find the epilogue and author's note interesting..

Girl at War by Sara Novic

I've never read a book that takes place or is about Yugoslavia or Croatia or read anything about the war that occurred there in the 90s. This was probably a book that would have been better to read than listen to, but then the words were probably pronounced correctly and they may not have been if I read them. It was interesting, but not a great book. I feel there could have been a more about the history that led to this war. In some ways, it seemed to be directed more to young adults. Although, I enjoyed reading/listening to this that I knew little of, I do not feel I learned that much and therefore can only give this 3 stars, since it feels there was something missing in the telling of this story. I think I'd recommend reading it rather than listening to it. Maybe I missed something by reading it. I know sometimes there is an author note or further information that is provided in the book and is not included for some reason in the audio version.

Under the Banner of Heaven vy Jon Krakauer

I originally started reading this in April, but decided to wait until this book was available as an audiobook. I had hoped the book would be better on audio. I was able to get through the book much quicker this way, but of course it was still inundated with Mormon history and the actual true crime element is a relatively small part of the book. I have read many biographies of former Mormon Fundamentalists, mainly from FLDS, but this is one of the most boring I've read/listened to. There were parts that were interesting, but much of the book was the history and history of the Mormon church, including that of the Mormon Fundamentalists. 1.5 stars

The Boston Girl by Anita Diamont

 3.5 stars. I enjoyed this book. This is told in its entirety by an 80 year old grandmother to her recent college-graduate granddaughter, who has asked her how she became the woman she is. I listened to the audiobook, which is narrated by Linda Lavin, who played Alice in the early 80s TV series. Alice. She is the perfect narrator with her, I believe, authentic Boston/Jewish accent. Reading the story wouldn't have been the same, it seemed more authentic with her narration. I did feel the ending was a bit rushed, though.

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson

3 stars. I found the historical aspect of Roosevelt’s Work Progress Administration Pack Horse Library Project, as well as the history of the blue-skinned people of Kentucky, who suffered from a rare genetic disorder, methemoglobinemia very interesting. I had been looking forward to reading this book and had hoped to give it 4 or even 5 stars, but in the end there was something in the writing style that made me not be able to love it. The second half of the book is much better than the first and ultimately it was the reason I gave this 3 stars rather than 2 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, Sourcebooks and the author for providing me with an ARC of this book.

The Hidden Staircase by Carolyn Keene

1 star. It is extremely rare that I give a book 1 star; usually I'd DNF a book before I finished a book that was headed in that direction. I got this as an audiobook and since it was only somewhat over 3 hours long, the Nancy Drew books are favorites of many and considered a classic children's novel, and that for a challenge I was doing for a Goodreads group, I needed to read a book with stairs on the book cover, as well as I was able to do various other things while listening to this, I decided to stick with the book. I listened to it less than 24 hours ago and I can honestly say that a whole lot of the book has not stuck in my memory. According to Goodreads, this is considered a young adult book, I guess since the heroine, Nancy Drew is 18 or 19, but I can not see those who are considered young adults really enjoying this book. Even those that fit in the category of middle-grade readers may not really find this that interesting. I know I read a couple books in this series when I was young, but maybe I only read a few because I did not find the books that interesting.

Unbelievable by Katy Tur

I'm giving this 2 stars, but as far as enjoyment it is closer to a 1.5 star, if even that. I think I am so sick of all the Trump books. I am just feeling Trump overload. Don't get me wrong, I am definitely no fan of the man, in the least and will be happy when his presidency is over, however that happens, but hopefully sooner rather than later. But there is no new information that is gleaned from reading this and the dual timeline, jumping back and forth in such a relatively short span of time is needlessly confusing. Had it been a straight timeline, it would have been better. As time goes on, I may change this to a 1-star review.

April Wrap Up

April was kind of a mediocre to good month.  A total of 10 books were finished, which is quite good.  8 of these were audiobooks and one was all on my Kindle and another was partly on my Kindle and partly a hardcover from the library, when the Kindle version from the library ran out.  This is a very rare occurrence, since for the most part, I can read a book a week, give or take on my Kindle or as a physical book.  I didn't DNF as many books as I did last month, but more than I would have liked to.  I just can't see the sense of forcing myself to finish a book that I'm not enjoying.  Especially when I have so many books on my TBR and WTR lists and the purpose of reading, or at least for me, is enjoyment and relaxation.

The books I DNF'd were Trail of Broken Wings by Sejal Badani
                                         Beartown by Fredrick Backman
                                         and Midnight at the Wandering Vineyard by Jamie Raintree


Of those that I read:
1 was 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 It Had to be Fate (I really wasn't expecting that this would be that highly rated).
3 were 🌟🌟🌟🌟
4 were 🌟🌟🌟 and
2 were 🌟🌟
I didn't give any 🌟, but I was debating giving  Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder 1 star, but there were parts in the book that were interesting, but for the most part I did not enjoy the book and really do not recommend the book.

I ended April reading The Book Women of Troublesome Creek,  I am still early into it, just over 50 pages or so into it.  I'm not loving it, but I'm not hating it either.  The conversation is somewhat in the dialect they use in the Appalachians, so I'm having to get used to that.  Listening to it may have been a better way to ho, but I got this as an ARC and since the book won't be out until next week, I'm hoping to get it done around then.