Towering TBR (Part: April)

Was it just me or did April feel both three times as long and somehow flew by with a fury?? Regardless, happy Towering TBR time!! (If you are new or need a refresher course on what exactly this is, check out this post here.) I may have let my mood reading steal the show a bit, but it was also my birthday month which means NEW BOOKS!!! All in all, it was a great month ;)

Let's do the monthly stats for April!

Starting TBR Count: 44

TBR Reads: 2

TBR DNFs: 0

Rereads: partial 1

Library Reads: 5

Book Buying Credits: 0 

Books Purchased: 0

Books Gifted: 4

Final TBR Count: 42

Total TBR Books Checked Off This Year: 24

My reading this month was not quite as "accomplished" as past months but I did have fun... Shall we take a look?

TBR Reads:

The Blood Spell by C.J. Redwine - 2 stars

Incredibly disappointing - not only was this a Cinderella retelling but it was also the book that had been on my Goodreads the longest. Weak characters, no tension or intrigue, and sadly a poor retelling of my favorite fairy tale.

The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim - 5 stars

A short and cozy classic full of charm and joy, perfect for any woman in any phase of life, and absolutely enchanting.

Rereads:

Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke - 5 stars (again)

I am 200 pages into my reread and I am so enjoying just savoring every chapter and annotating as I go. I meant to finish it this month, but since I already know it's a 5 star love, it can wait until May.

Library Books:

The Hedgewitch of Foxhall by Anna Bright - 5 stars

Stunning cover, stunning story, it was cozy and magical and wild. Plus it had the best love triangle I have ever read (and I hate love triangles). This story earned every star!!

Favorite Poems for the Garden from Bushel & Peck Books - 4 stars

A lovely little collection of poetry following gardens around the world, through the seasons. It was perfect for spring!

Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett - 4 stars

Journal entry prose full of magical creatures, swoon-worthy banter and lovable characters! This was such a cozy read. 

Disney Fairies: Vidia and the Fairy Crown 

by Laura Driscoll - 5 stars

The Disney Fairies books were my whole childhood, and I felt a need to dive back into the series. This is one has it all, a mission around _, Vidia being a piece of work, and a bit of a mystery...

Disney Fairies: Beck and the Great Berry Battle 

by Laura Driscoll - 4 stars

This one was so cute and full of precious and funny animals! A solid addition to the series but not a top favorite of mine :)

Gifted Books:

Shady Hollow by Juneau Black

My parents bought me this one! It's cozy mystery where all the characters are animals!! This book looks so delightful and I can't wait to dive in on a rainy day!

For Unicorn Lover's Only by Penelope Gwynne

I was oo-ing and aw-ing over this book at the store and my little brother surprised me with it for my birthday! It's full of cute art and lots of folklore and facts about one of my favorite things... Unicorns!

Divine Rivals and Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross

This book was ALL over my bookstagram feed for the last year and as soon as I heard there was magical typewriters, I knew I had to get my hands on this duology! My book bestie (@dear_feely) gifted me both books for my birthday and I can't wait to read them finally!!

The Hedgewitch of Foxhall by Anna Bright

After squealing to the amazing @dear_feely about how much I loved this book and needed to buy a copy ASAP, she snuck it into my birthday package and now I can stare at the gorgeous cover all day!!

Updated Rules:

We are officially 4 months into Towering TBR (whoop whoop!) and I need to add some amendments to the original rules. Why? Because it's my game that I'm forcing myself to follow xD And this comes in the form of 2 library loopholes...

1. If I read a library book (following the proper credit guidelines) and I love it enough to want a copy of my own, I can purchase the book without needing a "book buying" credit since it doesn’t add an unread book to my TBR. 

2. Library books such as poetry collections, children's picture books, and short children's chapter books can be borrowed and read without a library book credit.

These two rule "loopholes" will continue to save me money by encouraging borrowing before buying, as well as letting me follow my mood reading tendencies in more manageable ways without harming the integrity of my TBR ;)

April Thoughts:

I had a very ambitious reading plan entering into the month and as you can see, I didn't quite get there. Like at all xD However, I really enjoyed the majority of the books I read and had a really great time! Which is exactly what reading it for. Unfortunately, I only read 2 books off of my TBR and indulged in 5 books from the library, but it was a nice break. I can definitely feel some fatigue trying to get through my whole TBR this year, so I am hoping the small deviation this month and a little more intention next month will help keep me on track. But you have no idea how happy I am that I have some new books on my shelf!!

Until next time!

~ K.J. Haakenson