Category: Diverse Reads

My Goodreads Account

I recently got a Goodreads account and have just started making up all of the books I’ve read. If you have Goodreads and would like to follow me, here is the link: click here.

I used to keep track of all the books I’ve read on Word or Google Sheets. This wasn’t very efficient and took a bit more work to update everything. In Goodreads, the author of the books is already there, so I don’t have to write that, and I can review books on a scale of one to five. I find it important that I track books, especially because in my blog, I do a “top reads of the month” post. These posts require me to know which books I’ve read, and Goodreads can help with that. I also like knowing which books I really enjoyed reading, and having them saved on my computer.

Do you track the books you read? Remember to follow me on Goodreads!

April’s Top Books

Here are my top book of April!

April’s Best Books:

  1. Circe by Madeline Miller

    As you know, I love Greek mythology, so when I heard of this book, I was really excited to read it. I was captivated from the moment I started reading. Circe is so brave and I love the way that we were able to see both the soft, motherly side of her and the hardened warrior side. I love the way the author took the tale of Circe, who is usually one of the villains, and made her the best type of heroine. She’s brave and strong, but just like humans, has to work up to getting there. I learned about heroes that I had never heard about or seen before and how certain villains had formed. This was such a great book and I can’t wait to read another book by this author!
  2. Echo by Pam Muñoz Ryan

    Echo is a spell-binding tale of three musicians, who are connected by their deep love of music and a harmonica…… The book starts out with Otto, a young boy playing Hide and Seek. While playing, he meets three sisters (Eins, Zwei, and Drei) whom he has read about. Suddenly, he becomes entangled with a prophecy, a promise, and a harmonica. The book cuts to Friedrich, a young boy living in WW2. He loves to play harmonica, especially a special one with an 𝓜 written on it. His tale ends with a shocking cliffhanger, and we get introduced to another character, Mike. This tale is also set during WW2, but that isn’t focused on. Mike also encounters this special harmonica, and like the previous scene, ends with a bang. The last character we meet is Ivy, a girl who lives during WW2. She loves playing the harmonica, and happens to have a special one with an 𝓜 painted on it (yes, it’s the same harmonica). As the others do, it ends shockingly. The end is such a good tie-up and I enjoyed it a lot. I totally recommend it to you!
  3. Cece Rios and the Desert of Souls by Kaela Rivera

    Cece Rios is a young girl who has been “cursed” with a water soul, which isn’t very accepted in the community where she lives (Tierra del Sol, or Earth of the Sun). One day, her sister gets kidnapped by a Dark Criatura. Cece knows that the only way to get her back is to become a bruja, a witch, but when she sees how the criaturas that the brujas command are treated, she knows that she can’t be a full bruja. Instead, she pretends to be one, and lets her criaturas do the work. I loved the final battle, and how Cece realized that her “curse” was actually a blessing. This book was so good and I think that you should read it!
  4. The Mighty Heart of Sunny St. James by Ashley Herring Blake

    Sunny has just gotten a heart transplant, and she has a list of everything she wants to do with her new heart. Then one day, she meets a girl named Quinn. Quinn and her instantly connect and they do everything together. She also meets her mother, who she hasn’t seen in a long time and a bond forms between them. While Sunny navigates all of this, she also is figuring out her feelings about other girls. I love how this book includes so many feelings, and how fun it is in some parts. It’s such a great book!
  5. Paolo Santiago and the River of Tears by Tehlor Kay Mejia

    This book was about Mexican mythology. Paolo Santiago has always grown up hearing her mom’s tales about La Llorona and other mythological figures, but never believed them. Once her friend Emma suddenly disappears, she realizes that maybe her mom’s stories are more than stories. I loved reading about her adventures and how she rose up to the challenge of defeating La Llorona. She’s such a brave character and I love how her friends inspire her. I also love her attitude. I can’t wait to read the next book!
  6. How to Become a Planet by Nicole Melleby

    This touching story about depression and how it feels is so heartwarming. Pluto is a girl who has been diagnosed with depression. She doesn’t have any good friends, until one day she meets Fallon, who wants to help her. Fallon and Pluto bond soon enough and are great friends, even on days when Pluto isn’t feeling the best. While also wondering if she should live with her mom and dad, working with her tutor (who shares the same last name as Christa McAuliffe), and dealing with friend problems, Pluto is such a great character. Even through her ups and down, her good and bad days, I loved reading about her life and how she adjusts to living with depression.
  7. Undercover Princess by Connie Glynn

    I loved this first book in the series! Lottie is such a fun and bright character and I love her relationship with Ellie and Jamie. The plot was amazing and I loved how the character were developed and the background information for each of them. Every part of the book was well thought out and I loved making the connections between different parts. This is the first book in the series and I can’t wait to read the others.

Top books of January: click here
Top books of February: click here
Top books of March: click here

Z: Zomorod Yousefzadeh

Zomorod Yousefzadeh is a character from It Ain’t So Awful, Falafel by Firoozeh Dumas.

Zomorod is an Iranian young girl who now lives in the US. She’s moved back and forth between Iran and the US many times, but wants stability. She’s kind and tried to help other people a lot. She’s also very thoughtful and helpful, while still being full of sass and humor. She’s such a great character!

This is a post for the A-Z April Blogging Challenge 2021. You can read the other posts here.

Y: Yumi Chang

Yumi Chang is a character from the book Stand Up, Yumi Chang! by Jessica Kim.

She loves comedy and dreams of being a stand-up comedian. While she has faults, she tries to fix them. I love how heartfelt and true she is, both to herself and to others. She is such a great character and I loved reading about her.

This is a post for the A-Z April Blogging Challenge 2021. You can read the other posts here.

X: Xan

Xan is a character from The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill.

Xan is a witch who has been living in the forests for 5000 years. Xan saves the abandoned babies that the townsfolk abandon, sometimes willingly, sometimes not. When Xan meets Luna, she knows that she can’t give her away, so she feeds her the moon, instead of stars. Xan does her best to help Luna, and though she makes some mistakes, is a kind and loving “grandmother”. I love how she helps Luna and how kind she is. Xan is such a great character!

This is a post for the A-Z April Blogging Challenge 2021. You can read the other posts here.

W: Wilhelmina Silver

Wilhelmina Silver is a character from Cartwheeling in Thunderstorms by Katherine Rundell.

Wilhelmina is brave and strong and I love how crazy she can be. She loves being rough, but learns other ways of being her throughout the book. She is such an amazing character and I loved reading about her.

This is a post for the A-Z April Blogging Challenge 2021. You can read the other posts here.

V: Vivian Cohen

Vivian or Vivy Cohen is a character from Get a Grip, Vivy Cohen!

Vivy is an autistic girl who loves playing baseball. Because of her condition though, she hasn’t been able to play on a team before. But when she gets recruited for the team and her favorite baseball player, VJ Capello, starts writing her back, she feels like nothing can bring her down. After a few nasty incidents, though, Vivy is put on the sidelines, but nothing can stop her from being on the team again. I love how smart and brave Vivy is and how she doesn’t let anything else come in her way. She’s such a great character!

This is a post for the A-Z April Blogging Challenge 2021. You can read the other posts here.

U: Ulysses

Ulysses is a character from Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo.

Ulysses is a squirrel with superpowers. When he gets sucked into a vacuum, he gets “born anew”. He has limited flying abilities and has super strength. He also can understand English words and write poetry. I loved watching his and Flora’s friendship blossom and the way that they work together. They have such an amazing relationship and the way they work together is immaculate. Ulysses is such a sweet character and I really enjoyed reading about him.

This is a post for the A-Z April Blogging Challenge 2021. You can read the other posts here.

T: Theo Stein-Meyer

Theo Stein-Meyer is a character from the Magic Misfits series by Neil Patrick Harris.

Theo is a magician who specializes in levitation using his violin. He’s a friendly person, but like the rest of the Misfits, he’s smart and ready to defend himself and his friends and family if he needs to. I love his relationships with the other Magic Misfits, especially Ridley. Theo is super kind and caring and I think he’s a great character.

This is a post for the A-Z April Blogging Challenge 2021. You can read the other posts here.

S: Sophia

Sophia is from Cinderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron.

Sophia is a strong character who knows what she wants. I love her relationship with Constance, one of the last people with connection to Cinderella. All throughout the story, Sophia is always brave and tries not to let her fears define her. I love her progress through the story and the way she works through her problems.

This is a post for the A-Z April Blogging Challenge 2021. You can read the other posts here.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

These are other characters whose names start with S who I enjoyed reading about.

Sadie Kane (The Kane Chronicles- Rick Riordan)

Sophie (The School For Good and Evil- Soman Chainani)

Samirah (Sam) Al-Abbas (Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard- Rick Riordan)