Top 5 Books I Want to Read in April 2021

Image by  Daria Khoroshavina

My reading was terrible last month. I read three books and only one of them from my Top 5. I'm cool with it. It happens. I feel like I have picked some great books that I am excited about for April. I'm planning on keeping a journal so I can be disciplined with my reading. Not that I care if I need to take a break because it is a hobby but I don't want work life to take away from something I love which I feel like it has been doing lately. I'm ready to get back into reading!

Scott Jurek is one of the world's best known and most beloved ultrarunners. Renowned for his remarkable endurance and speed, accomplished on a vegan diet, he's finished first in nearly all of ultrarunning's elite events over the course of his career. But after two decades of racing, training, speaking, and touring, Jurek felt an urgent need to discover something new about himself. He embarked on a wholly unique challenge, one that would force him to grow as a person and as an athlete: breaking the speed record for the Appalachian Trail.

North is the story of the 2,189-mile journey that nearly shattered him. When he set out in the spring of 2015, Jurek anticipated punishing terrain, forbidding weather, and inevitable injuries. He would have to run nearly 50 miles a day, every day, for almost seven weeks. He knew he would be pushing himself to the limit, that comfort and rest would be in short supply -- but he couldn't have imagined the physical and emotional toll the trip would exact, nor the rewards it would offer.

With his wife, Jenny, friends, and the kindness of strangers supporting him, Jurek ran, hiked, and stumbled his way north, one white blaze at a time. A stunning narrative of perseverance and personal transformation, North is a portrait of a man stripped bare on the most demanding and transcendent effort of his life. It will inspire runners and non-runners alike to keep striving for their personal best.

I've been into running lately and I picked up this book at Key West a couple of weeks ago. Ultrarunners are weird and I would never do an ultra but it doesn't mean I am not fascinated by the journey. I only really know of David Goggins but it will be cool to read about another person's perspective on running that much in North. 

In this young adult contemporary romance, a girl is suddenly gifted with the ability to cast instant karma on those around her—both good and bad.

Chronic overachiever Prudence Daniels is always quick to cast judgment on the lazy, rude, and arrogant residents of her coastal town. Her dreams of karmic justice are fulfilled when, after a night out with her friends, she wakes up with the sudden ability to cast instant karma on those around her. Pru giddily makes use of the power, punishing everyone from public vandals to karaoke hecklers, but there is one person on whom her powers consistently backfire: Quint Erickson, her slacker of a lab partner and all-around mortal enemy. Soon, Pru begins to uncover truths about Quint, her peers, and even herself that reveal how thin the line is between virtue and vanity, generosity and greed . . . love and hate.

Me and my mom are reading this as our book club pick. Instant Karma is a light YA that sounds like it will have some character growth which I love. The whimsicalness of the plot too makes me think this will be the perfect read for me. 

Why be the sheep, when you can be the wolf?

Seventeen-year-old Ismae escapes from the brutality of an arranged marriage into the sanctuary of the convent of St. Mortain, where the sisters still serve the gods of old. Here she learns that the god of Death Himself has blessed her with dangerous gifts—and a violent destiny. If she chooses to stay at the convent, she will be trained as an assassin and serve as a handmaiden to Death. To claim her new life, she must destroy the lives of others.

Ismae’s most important assignment takes her straight into the high court of Brittany—where she finds herself woefully under prepared—not only for the deadly games of intrigue and treason, but for the impossible choices she must make. For how can she deliver Death’s vengeance upon a target who, against her will, has stolen her heart?

I've been neglecting my series challenge. I've technically completed a series by decising not to continue the rest of the books after reading book 1. But, this time I am happy to read this whole series. When I first read Grave Mercy I really enjoyed it except the romance but it was still a cool concept and plot. So I'm excited to get into another series! 

Andie had it all planned out. When you are a politician’s daughter who’s pretty much raised yourself, you learn everything can be planned or spun, or both. Especially your future. Important internship? Check. Amazing friends? Check. Guys? Check (as long as we’re talking no more than three weeks).

But that was before the scandal. Before having to be in the same house with her dad. Before walking an insane number of dogs. That was before Clark and those few months that might change her whole life. Because here’s the thing—if everything’s planned out, you can never find the unexpected. And where’s the fun in that?

I've been feeling like rereading The Unexpected Everything for a bit. Absolutely loved this book when I first read it. That ending is everything. Let's go!

Find hope even in these dark times with this rediscovered masterpiece, a companion to his international bestseller Man's Search for Meaning.

Eleven months after he was liberated from the Nazi concentration camps, Viktor E. Frankl held a series of public lectures in Vienna. The psychiatrist, who would soon become world famous, explained his central thoughts on meaning, resilience, and the importance of embracing life even in the face of great adversity.

Published here for the very first time in English, Frankl's words resonate as strongly today--as the world faces a coronavirus pandemic, social isolation, and great economic uncertainty--as they did in 1946. He offers an insightful exploration of the maxim "Live as if you were living for the second time," and he unfolds his basic conviction that every crisis contains opportunity. Despite the unspeakable horrors of the camps, Frankl learned from the strength of his fellow inmates that it is always possible to "say yes to life"--a profound and timeless lesson for us all.

I've been watching a lot of videos that are about mental toughness and building yourself up. I think this is the perfect book I need right now to help me to reflect on my own life. I think I can learn a lot from Frankl in Yes to Life from someone who's faced the worst experience ever and still came out of it strong and positive about life.

I'm also planning on reading some ARC's. I'm really excited to get into reading again. Let me know what you are planning on reading next below.