A week into April and I’m having a nice reading month so far. I’ve read 11 books: 4 picture books (all black folklore), 2 kids biographies, 1 thriller, 1 romantic mystery, 1 fiction, 1 poetry, 1 inspirational.
Posted in the order I liked them best. These pics are from my Instagram account, so let’s connect there as well! @stacybuckeye
Win is rich. No, not just rich but like uber elite, you’ll never know anyone this rich, rich. He’s old money (duh, his name) and has a family legacy to protect and questionable morals when it comes to violence and sex. He’s very open about all of this in this first person thriller. Someone’s been murdered with a priceless piece of art stolen from the Lockwoods and also an old suitcase of Win’s at the crime scene. Win steps in, at the behest of an old FBI buddy, to right some wrongs. But what can he find out 20-30 years later?
Win is a different kind of hero and this book was really good. I loved getting to know more about his background and family. And the mysteries were excellent, as always. Another winner by the master.
A Girl Returned by Donatello Di Pietrantonio (translated by Ann Goldstein) was a fantastic read. I first saw it reviewed by Diane and I’m so glad our library had a copy.😁
A 13 year old has been raised by two loving parents who one day, inexplicably, ‘return’ her to a family she never knew existed. Once a well taken care of only child, she becomes one of six who all sleep in the same room and receive daily abuse from the parents. Told from the girl’s point of view, you can feel her anger, sadness, and confusion.
It’s such an achingly vivid short novel (170 pages) that shouldn’t be missed.
I’m not typically a poetry reader, but I loved this little collection. It was full of hope and pain, you know, life. I read about a life that is different than my own, yet completely recognizable.
I’m positive I’ll be picking this up to read again. I loved the smaller, crumb-sized, size of the book and the way they separated the poems inside, reminding me of a clock and the rings of a tree. It was perfectly done.
As soon as I finished the bio I read 3 of the picture books I had checked out. They. Are. Beautiful. The way that Hamilton wrote stories about African American fables and stories that she first heard at her grandpa’s knee was groundbreaking at the time. I adored the stories, the artwork, and most especially the page at the end of each one telling the history of each story.
The People Could Fly was the first tale in her American black folktales book by the same name and was published as a stand-alone picture book after her death.
The Girl Who Spun Gold is a West Indies retelling of Rumpelstiltskin. Bruh Rabbit and the Tar Baby Girl was another story from Plantation era storytellers and published after her death.
I loved it. Why is the male cardinal red? Why is the bat ugly and why can’t he sing? Why does the swallow look the way she does? Will the buzzard ever get his just desserts? These questions and more are answered! 😆
I love reading Virginia Hamilton’s African American folktales and look forward to more.
She was a woman ahead of her time to be sure. She was the best at what she did (shooting), knew how to sell herself, and loved her life. I loved learning about her later years, especially her 55 libel cases against newspapers who smeared her good name. She won 54 cases, but collected less than the legal fees. She wasn’t interested in the money, only the truth being told. Loved getting to know her better with Gage and Razzi 🙂
Stacy's Books 
You are right that Coben is a master. I enjoyed Win too.
Lloyd (408) 348-4849
He’s one of the most consistently great authors I’ve read.
I love how you pick a group of books in advance. I like to pick at least half of my books for the month pre-planned and the wing the rest and library holds become available. So happy A Girl Returned worked out so well for you too. Have a good month.
In January I read 20 of the 31 I chose in advance, and I didn’t track the last two months so I’m curious to see how intentions turn out this month 🙂
I’m almost afraid to admit I’ve never read Coben. Do you think Win could stand alone?
He could, but it wouldn’t be as good,, IMO. My first Coben was Tell No One, an older standalone and the book that made him famous 🙂 The Boy in the Woods is a recent standalone that I thought was really good too.
I love the Myron Bolitar series and can’t wait to get my hands on a copy of Win! So glad to hear that it’s a winner. You never know when an author departs from his/her regular series…
I will be sad if there’s no more Myron, but this book was a nice addition and it mentions Myron a lot!
I have loved every one of Coben’s minie series on Netflix! I have been wanting to read some of his mysteries for ages now. I really should pick one up soon.
I love Virginia Hamilton’s folk stories. So beautiful. Glad you have been enjoying them as well. Pretty eggs! I hope you had a great Easter.
Goodness! You are off to a great start.
Virginia Hamilton is a revered name in children’s literature. I had many of her books in my school library.