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As promised, I am continuing with my monthly post of books recommendations, in this case, April 2017.

The idea is to offer some reading ideas or options for those looking for a new book to read next month. I don’t know about you, but I frequently turn to posts like this when I am not sure which reading venture I want to pursue next.

April was a relaxed and interesting month for me, book-wise. I read books written by some of my favourite authors, as usual. However, I found myself digging for books about J.K. Rowling. Since I wasn’t sure which one was best, I decided to get them and read them all.

Anyway, let’s take a look at what I read during the month of April. Maybe you’ll find yourself intrigued by one or more of these. And if you do, make sure to click on the links. They’ll take you straight to the item on the Amazon website where you can purchase it at an excellent and competitive price.

From My Shelf to Yours: April 2017 Book Recommendations

French Twist: A Detective Luc Moncrief Mystery by James Patterson

Patterson has done it again. With this amazing and terribly short novella, Patterson has turned readers into Luc Moncrief fans. This latest work is the French Twist, the third in a series of Bookshots that follow the adventures of Luc Moncrief, a very rich French man, turned NY detective.

I read French Kiss  French Kiss and The Christmas Mystery (both Bookshots) and loved them both. Moreover, I have fallen in love with the main characters, Luc and Katherine (or K Burke, as Luc calls her). In French Twist, Luc and K Burke go from working on solving what appears to be closely related multiple cases in NYC to the competitive world of horse racing,, betting and betrayal.

In French Twist, James Patterson continues to tease us with a knack for romance on this latest one. I was sort of smelling it in the air already but now I am just anxious ha ha. I enjoyed French Twist immensely but couldn’t contain a loud groan when I read the last page. Now I am not-so-patiently waiting for the next installment.

In case you don’t know, Bookshots are the most genius idea ever! While I certainly do not mind huge books (in fact, I embrace them), I can see why they might be a turn off for some. Maybe it’s lack of time. Or lack of motivation. Whatever it is, big books are just not for everybody. And that is OK.

Anyway, the point is, Bookshots are short, yet incredibly engaging novellas that pretty much anyone can finish in a jiffy. Isn’t that brilliant? I certainly think so. I have read them all and so far, I am in love.


Eat That Frog! 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time by Brian Tracy

Written by Brian Tracy, Eat That Frog! turned out to be a gem. It’s not that most of the recommendations are not obvious. It’s that he was very thorough when explaining how to stop procrastinating.

Every single chapter had examples of what we do wrong and how to start making actionable changes to overturn our paths. Personally, I loved the examples given and the great attention to detail. I like to think that I don’t procrastinate much, but who am I kidding? I know I do!

While this book might be geared towards entrepreneurs, business people, etc., I believe that if we all put his recommendations to good use, we can see great and positive changes in our every day lives.


The House Husband by James Patterson and Duane Swierczynski

This. This is what an amazing book with a surprising twist looks like. The House Husband is another one of James Patterson’s Bookshots and as usual, it was a total delight to read.

In The House Husband, we are introduced to Harry, a stay at home dad who leads a double life. While he appears to be the ultimate, loving father, in reality he is a complicated character with too much to hide.

Teaghan, a new mom and detective must do everything she can to connect the dots on several murders and uncover the monster behind the crimes. All this, while keeping her family life in order, handle the hardships all new moms deal with and above all, without loosing her mind.

Although Bookshots are very short books, their stories are well written and will certainly keep you at the edge of your seats.


Kept (The Enforcers) by Maya Banks

I have been reading Maya Banks’ books for years now. I was drawn to her books because they usually are the right combination of action, love and a bit of dirty. With some BDSM thrown in for good measure.

Yes, you read that right. Maya Banks writes some kinky, graphic, love novellas, that manage to keep your attention and learn to love their characters. While I much prefer her KGI Series, I still liked this one as well.

Kept follows Silas, a character first introduced in Mastered and Dominated, the first and second books of the Enforcers series, as he meets Hayley, a young musician who has recently moved to New York. He is a dark, brooding man, with many secrets and a dark and mysterious way of life.

Silas fights against his love and desire for Hayley with all he’s got but it’s pointless. She is the right combination of innocent, strong and fierce and they are both drawn to each other like magnets.

Basically, Kept is your typical knight of the not-so-shinning armor rescues not-so-pathetic damsel distress. But as I have already read Mastered and Dominated and was familiar with the characters, I found myself drawn to another one of Maya Banks’ books.


Radiant: The Diamond Trilogy, Book II by Elizabeth Hayley (Bookshots Flames by James Patterson)

I hate hate hate cliffhangers UGH

Okay, let me back track a bit. I loved Radiant! But… it is part II of a 3 book series, which means now I have to wait forever to read the conclusion.

Anyway, Radiant continues where Dazzling left the story of Siobahn and Derick. She is an artist, a painter. He is a business man. And a very rich one. While they get along great, they can’t seem to get past this: she has a hard time understanding his way of showing her his love. And he can’t understand how she feels about her art and her need to make it on her own terms.

Radiant brings them back together. Their love, chemistry, and willingness to be together is stronger than ever. Nothing will separate them anymore. Right?

Wrong! Once again their differences play a part in keeping this lovely duo apart. I can’t wait to get the third and last installment of The Diamond Trilogy, Exquisite. Then and only then will I have some much needed closure 🙂


House of Robots: Robot Revolution by James Patterson

The third installment of Patterson’s Robots series for young readers is just as awesome as the first two! (And yes, I also read House of Robots and  House of Robots: Robots Go Wild!)

James Patterson’s House of Robots series is part of his Jimmy Patterson Books movement. Basically, he believes that if a child doesn’t like to read, is because he/she hasn’t read the right book. And these books are written and created to ensure that when a kid is done reading it, he/she will want to read some more.

I am obviously not a kid, but I enjoy these books tremendously. They are funny, easy to read but also interesting and engaging. I always look forward to his newest Jimmy books!

In House of Robots: Robot Revolution, Sammy goes thru what seems like the worst days of his life. His grades are slipping. The robots are on a full out revolt and both his parents are incredibly busy with work. His Dad, Noah Rodriguez is a well known manga writer (under a pen name), and his mom, scientist and professor Dr. Hayes, remains locked up in her home lab/office. To top it all off, Sammy and his second best friend, Trip, can’t seem to get their science fair project off the ground.

In conclusion, Sammy’s life (and his home) is falling apart. He is doing his best, with the help of his little sister and E. If you want to know more (like, who is E, for example), get a copy of House of Robots: Robot Revolution!


Middle School: Escape to Australia by James Patterson

Book #9 of the fabulous Middle School series is yet another fantastic creation by James Patterson. I have read them all and enjoyed them immensely.

Middle School: Escape to Australia follows Rafe Katchadorian’s adventures in Australia, where he spends 3 weeks as part of an art exchange. Rafe won this trip fair and square, by submitting some art work for consideration. His Mom travels with him (much to his dismay) and the pair certainly comes home with a lot of memories and new experiences.

From getting sick after the trip and adjusting to the weather, to dealing with not so friendly snobbish kids, Rafe is not short of grievances. But not all is bad. He also makes pretty good, nice friends in Australia.

And even though his stay there was less than ideal, the outcome is not as horrific as he thought it would be. And if you know anything about Rafe Katchadorian, you know things go bad for him in 2 seconds flat.

Other books in the Middle School series are:

I recommend you read them all. Yes, they are for young readers. But yes, they are fun and adults can also enjoy them too!


Biographies by various authors

This month read quite a few books about J.K. Rowling, author of my beloved Harry Potter books. I am often curious about people I admire and Rowling is no exception. In this case, I decided to check my library online and reserved as many as I could. I found that most were more appropriate for children and young readers. This is not surprising, since the Harry Potter books are considered children’s books.

While I found some info to be repetitive, I have to say that every single book had new things to offer. I am including them all here for your consideration. You may decide to choose one. Or read them all, as I did.


Kisses at Midnight Bookshots Flames, presented by James Patterson)

These collections of small books (or Bookshots, in James Patterson’s case) are fantastic! While the stories are completely unrelated, they all share something in common: the genre. Kisses at Midnight includes:

The McCullagh Inn in Maine  by Jen McLaughlin

This is the story of how Chelsea and Jeremy had their lives thrown together again, after many years of seeing each other. They had been best friends in school, but after just one night of passion, everything changed and Chelsea left the town.

Now Chelsea is on the run, armed but afraid of what will happen to her if she is found. She decides to return to her hometown to fix up and take care of the inn she had inherited recently.

I enjoyed this sweet love story. It had just the right amount of romance and mystery to keep me engaged. What can I say? I love romance novels AND mysteries haha

Sacking the Quarterback by Samantha Twole

Have I mentioned that I love romance novels? Oh yeah, I think I have. You want to know what else I love? Football. Yeah, that’s right. I have become a huge fan of that savage sport, thanks to my husband.

Well, Sacking the Quarterback is the story of how Grayson, a well known and loved football player, and Melissa, a lawyer, find their lives thrown together, after he is arrested for drug possession.

The biggest problem? Grayson is hiding something and nothing will be OK between him and Melissa until she discovers what his big secret is.

Seducing Shakespeare by Tabitha Ross

I personally loved this one. Maybe because it was set in the past, and I haven’t read anything like it in quite a while.

Seducing Shakespeare brings the story of how Marietta, a seamstress, finds herself in the middle of her younger brother’s gambling debt problems. She would do practically anything to save his life and thus becomes involved in a plot to deceive another playwright.

In comes William Shakespeare, who with his quiet and gentle manners, manages to quickly sneak into her heart, and win her love. Marietta becomes his muse, his inspiration for his newest play.

However, things get a tad complicated for these two, as they work on saving their budding relationship, and at the same time, ensure her brother’s life is not in danger anymore.


I have also been enjoying reading Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events to my little one. My oldest daughter, now 17, became a huge fan of the series, way before she became the avid reader that she is today.

When she got “too old” for them, she passed them onto her sister and it turns out my little one is just as excited and invested in it. Who knew? If you’re looking for cool books that will spark an interest in your little reluctant reader, I strongly recommend these Lemony Snicket’s books. The series has 13 books that will keep you entertained from beginning to end. We are almost done with book 3 and loving it!

UPDATE: We have finished the whole series and absolutely love it! My little one kept asking every night if I would read “just one more chapter, please!”. The absurd amount of hardships suffered by the three Baudelaire children, and their refusal to give up on being good, made this a fabulous read. I highly recommend it. And so does Ms Emma 😉


One of the best ways to distract, entertain and educate the mind and soul is thru books. I sincerely hope others can find inspiration and reading material when reading this post.

What are you currently reading? Share with us in the comments!

From My Shelf to Yours: April 2017 Book Recommendations

From My Shelf to Yours: April 2017 Book Recommendations

 

 

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