March & April | Reading Wrap Ups

I guess we're doing Reading Wrap Ups every other month now, here at Bookshelf Kitten. Which is honestly probably a better method since I haven't exactly been rocking the reading scene this year. I don't know if it's because I've been getting more into music and TV shows, leaving less time for reading, or if I've just been in a bit of a slump. Oh well?

In March and April, I read a total of 8 books. It also helped that the 24 Hour Readathon was hosted late April. Without further ado, here are the books I read!

MARCH:

1. The Glass Menagerie, by Tennessee Williams - This was a domestic tragedy that was required reading for my English class. While it was an okay play in my opinion (and it was funny to hear the different voices that my class did while reading aloud - please hire us for the audiobook), I just didn't get the big emotional impact that this play intended to deliver.
   
2. Crooked Kingdom, by Leigh Bardugo - As I've said before, I wasn't a huge fan of Bardugo's first trilogy, but this duology of hers definitely changed my opinion of her writing. This was the final book in the Six of Crows duology, and I know I'm going to miss these characters so much. My favorite, of course, was Jesper, with Kaz a close second. But all of them will be sorely missed and I do hope that the author writes more books with these characters because even writing this brief paragraph makes my heart ache! I want more stories with them!
   

APRIL:

1. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, by Carol S. Dweck - This was a non-fiction book detailing the Growth Mindset and why it's important in school, business, parenting, relationships, and life in general. It was required reading for my Psychology course, and I'm glad it was. I didn't finish the entire thing, but I came close, and it was enough to honestly change my life and how I think. Schools are beginning to teach the Growth Mindset ideals that began with Dweck and this book, and I think it's a very powerful thing. Some of the examples did get repetitive to the point where it bored me a couple of times, but I think the impact this had on my life is more than enough to balance that out.
   
2. The Martian, by Andy Weir - Unpopular opinion time: I had a difficult time getting through this book. It was funny, and I did read it fairly quickly whenever I decided to pick it up, but the problem was with myself. I am not good at science like... at all. So all the technical mathematical things in this book went right over my head and further proved while science-fiction is a rare genre for me. My dad and brother really enjoyed this book, and they're way more mathematical than I am, so I guess it was just my confused brain that brought this book down for me!
   
3. The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins - This was my first reread of this book pretty much since it came out. As I stated in my Goodreads review, this book will be timeless. It's a modern classic for me, just because of the easy writing style and it's critiques on modern society and consumerism. It really makes you think.
   
4. Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins - The second book in the Hunger Games trilogy, and another reread. I was on the edge of my seat reading this, just as I was the first time, when I listened to the Audiobook of it. The Games' twist in this book was a shocking plot twist to me the first time around, but this time it was truly heart-wrenching for me to read. It shows just how cruel the villainous characters in this book really are.
   
5. Mockingjay, by Suzanne Collins - The third and final book in the Hunger Games trilogy, and my final reread of the month. It seems to be many peoples' least favorite book in the series, but it actually may be my favorite despite some of my arguments with certain character decisions at the end of the book, and the inherent sadness it carries.
   
6. All I Really Need To Know, I Learned In Kindergarten, by Robert Fulghum - This book and Mockingjay were both read during the 24 Hour Readathon. I read this book with a big, three hour gap in between reading sessions, and also read it when I was sort of puttering out/becoming more irritated with everything in existence. Because of this, I feel I didn't get the full effect I would've if I had taken more time to read it. I really liked this, and so many people get angry at this book from the title without bothering to examine what this book is about - simple happiness, honesty, and compassion that almost seems to fade as you reach teenagerdom and middle age.

TOP THREE:

My top three from these past months would have to be...

• Crooked Kingdom
• Mindset
• Mockingjay

Although I read lots of good books in March and April, and feel compelled to give honorable mentions to Catching Fire and All I Really Need To Know...

I'll be back next time with a May and June wrap up! (Or hopefully another post before then). Until next time, happy reading!