Reading with a Griffin

🪻 April Reviews 🌷

April 1st-30th

In April, I read 12 books with 3310 pages. My new favorites were: Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, The Faraway Inn by Sarah Beth Durst, and An Accident of Dragons (Tales of Summer, #1) by Cheri Radke.

Hope everyone enjoyed what they read this month! Happy Reading.

Book 58: The Faraway Inn

By Sarah Beth Durst
Read March 31st- April 2nd
Pages: 384
Release Year: 2026

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The Faraway Inn is my favorite out of the Sarah Beth Durst books I have read so far. She is becoming my go-to for cozy fantasy stories that just make me want to smile. I adored this cozy story with all of my heart and would love to be able to stay at Auntie Zee's B&B so much.

This was magical and I loved so many of the characters including: Calisa, Jack, Auntie Zee, Steve, the sarcastic mirror (this gave me many chuckles throughout the book), the many Inn's guests, and the many other characters. I felt great comfort following along with Calisa and Jack as they try to help Auntie Zee keep the Faraway Inn going. There are so many humorous scenes throughout their story but also just as many heartfelt.

It was great finding out the magical secrets the inn holds and getting to know each of its zany occupants. I could never even pick a favorite out of all of the characters. They were all wonderful and I'm glad we got to know so much about them all. This is a world I hope we get something more of someday, though I will say that this story is a great standalone. I highly recommend it to fans of Sarah Beth Durst's other books and I cannot wait to add to my growing collection of her books.

*Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Sarah Beth Durst for my ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.*

Book 59: Nell O'Dell Hates Quests

By Emily B. Martin

Read April 3rd-5th

Pages: 336

Release Year: 2026

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Nell O'Dell Hates Quests is a cute story about a young girl named Nell who must go on a quest even though she has always despised them and the ways questers act. I think this is a good story for young readers, especially with the lessons Nell learns during her adventure. Also, the author's illustrations go well with the story and are beautiful.

I liked how this story was all about the lore of quests and what goes into them. It was entertaining seeing Nell have to deal with being dropped into a quest even though she keeps trying to make it as if she's not in one. The other characters are what made this story even better for me such as Midge, Bevin, and Celeste. I enjoyed the dynamic between them all, especially with their plan in the final section of the book. That was definitely the best part of the story for me.

*Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Emily B. Martin for my ARC of this book. All opinions are my own. *

Book 60: Galahad and the Grail

(Merlin's Isle, #1)

By Malcolm Guite
Read April 6th-9th
Pages: 372
Release Year: 2026

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King Arthur retellings are some of my favorite stories. I love seeing the different ways people take these tales and I was really looking forward to this epic. I cannot imagine the work that went into creating this new take on the tale and keeping with the rhyme scheme throughout. It sounds great reading it out loud. I highly recommend doing so if you can. Definitely going to reread this at some point with the audiobook.

I do wish this would have focused a bit more on Galahad, though I did for the most part enjoy reading the parts about the other knights. Percival and his sister's sections were two of my favorite parts of this story.

This book is a beautiful work of art and I definitely recommend it for fans of King Arthur and his knights. Stephen Crotts' illustrations are stunning and go along perfectly with Malcolm Guite's tale. I loved the full page illustrations and also the illuminated capitals. They really helped this feel like an epic from long ago. This is going to look absolutely amazing in person. I'm looking forward to the next volume: The Coming of Arthur, which detail Arthur's youth. It is set to release later on this year.

I will be getting a copy of this book for my King Arthur collection and I cannot wait to see the finished copy.

*Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Malcom Guite for my ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.*

Book 61: Wonderland

By Tommy Kovac
Read April 11th
Pages: 160
Release Year: 2008

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I enjoyed the artwork in this graphic novel but I was not a fan of the story much at all. This is meant to be a continuation after the events of the 1951 Disney Alice in Wonderland with a focus on the White Rabbit's maid Maryann.

It had some of the zaniness that I have come to love from Wonderland stories but it was just okay for me. A lot of it felt like a rehash of the original just with a less interesting storyline and main character. I did like the addition of the other queens.

There were some very beautiful spreads though, especially the one when Maryann goes through "the shortcut" at the beginning of the book. Love those pages very much.

Book 62: I Needed a Viking

By Alfa
Read April 11th-14th
Pages: 192
Release Year: 2019

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Short poems are always a hit or miss for me. I didn't enjoy these as much as I wanted to but there were some that really stood out to me.

Book 63: A Life in Letters: Notes and Prompts

for a Return to Pen and Paper

By Ronda Beaman
Read April 14th-16th
Pages: 256
Release Year: 2026

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A Life in Letters is a collection of letters that the author Ronda Beaman decided to never send but still needed to write. Each is honest and heartfelt. They range from letters for teachers from her past, friends, famous people such as Dr. Seuss (one of my favorite letters from the collection), and her family members. It is a very vulnerable collection that had really touched me while I was reading it. I love the idea behind the book so much.

After each letter there is a place for the reader to write their own. This is the perfect book to use as a journaling exercise and I know I will be doing so myself. I highly recommend this to writers, readers, and teachers.

*Thank you to the publisher, NetGalley, and Ronda Bearman. All opinions are my own.*

Book 64: Wuthering Heights

By Emily Brontë
Read April 17th-18th
Pages: 394
Release Year: 1847

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This book thoroughly surprised me by how much I loved it. Emily Brontë's writing was phenomenal and most of her characters detestable. If you are not a fan of unlikable characters it may not be for you. I can't say I really liked any of them, but I was engrossed in their story from the first page until the final. I had to know what was going to happen next.

Wuthering Heights has an intriguing writing style with it being told by Lockwood, who is being relayed the story by Nelly. I was not expecting this type of narration and enjoyed seeing the story play out in this way. It removes the reader a bit from the actions of our main characters and often made me wonder how reliable our narrators were. I know it will definitely not be for everyone, but I highly enjoyed it.

What surprised me the most, was how much I enjoyed following these horrendous characters and wanting to see how their tale ended. Heathcliff and Catherine are imperfect, selfish, and vindictive. They seek to destroy those around them and have no regard for anyone else's feelings or wellbeing. Heathcliff and Catherine were insufferable to their cores. They are not meant to be admired though. Emily Brontë is showing what an upbringing like theirs can do to character and how it can all become a cycle of abuse.

Also, I love the setting of the moors and how they become an important aspect in the story themselves. They add to the gothic atmosphere of the tale. They both at times feel like an escape for the characters and at other times bring a foreboding feeling of isolation.

I love this novel very much. It was not perfect, but I highly enjoyed every single page.

Book 65: Taylor Swift by the Book:

The Literature Behind the Lyrics,

from Fairy Tales to Tortured Poets

By Rachel Feder and Tiffany Tatreau
Read April 19th-20th
Pages: 256
Release Year: 2024

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A great book for fans of Taylor Swift's music, who would like to look more deeply into her writing. I've been a Swiftie for over 19 years now and was also a Secondary Education: English Lit major. It is always a joy to see the literary references she uses in her music. This book goes into detail about most of her songs. I will say that some of the books mentioned are spoiled, so be careful.

I love how the writers also had other sections about Tortured Poets and about important literature Taylor keeps alluding back to, such as Shakespeare, The Great Gatsby, and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. This is a beautiful book and exactly what I thought it would be.

Book 66: An Accident of Dragons

(Tales of Summer, #1)

By Cheri Radke
Read April 23rd-24th
Pages: 304
Release Year: 2026

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What drew me to this book originally was the cover and the fact that this is a queer cozy fantasy dealing with pirates and dragons. I adored this book so much.

Teddy's story is quite unique, especially his connection with the dragon Summer. He is a 40-year-old man, who seven years before the events of the novel had to take up the mantel of The Lord of Summer and all that entails. When his daughter, Zinnia gets kidnapped and taken hostage, Teddy has to step up and prove there is more to him than anyone ever believed.

The world of Summer is so interesting. I particularly enjoyed seeing the bond between Teddy and the dragon Summer. They had an intriguing dynamic. It is like nothing I have ever read before in dragon lore, especially the contractual aspects. I like when an author brings new elements to fantasy.

There is a lot of humor throughout this book which is balanced well with the elements of grief and love. Teddy is such a great character and I loved getting to know him throughout the course of this novel. He is charismatic, witty, resourceful, and not afraid of doing what is needed for the ones he loves.

Damien Lynch embodied Teddy's voice very well. Teddy is telling the story to someone throughout the entire tale and Damien did a very good job with his narration style. This was my first book narrated by him and I know I will check out more in the future. It was great.

This is the first book in the Tales of Summer series and I will definitely be reading any future books. Cheri Radke is a wonderful writer. I would love to see more of Teddy, Zinnia, the dragon Summer, and the other characters.

*Thank you to NetGalley, Kensington Publishing, RBmedia, and Cheri Radke for my eARC and Audiobook ARC of this wonderful book. All opinions are my own.*

Book 67: The Dreamer

By Pam Muñoz Ryan
Read April 25th
Pages: 384
Release Year: 2010

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A great book to read for National Poetry month. The Dreamer is about the poet Pablo Neruda's childhood. It is written in prose, poetry, and is beautifully illustrated. I have enjoyed every poem I have ever read of Pablo Neruda but I didn't know much at all about his life. This story was special and I enjoyed reading about his journey and the power of imagination in his life.

Book 68: The Book of Questions

By Pablo Neruda
Read April 26th
Pages: 96
Release Year: 1974

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An interesting idea for a poetry collection where Pablo Neruda asked over 300 questions. I decided to read this after reading The Dreamer by Pam Muñoz Ryan, which was partly inspired by these poems. Some of the questions were quite insightful but it was not the collection for me.

Book 69: The Last Hero

(Discworld #27)

By Terry Pratchett
Read April 28th
Pages: 176
Release Year: 2001

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April 28th, 2026 reread:
I decided to reread this book for Terry's birthday and I highly enjoyed it this time around. His sense of humor will always get me laughing. This was wonderful. I'll never get enough of the Discworld.

February 4th-5th, 2022:
This was definitely my favorite book dealing with Rincewind so far also with Cohen. I loved the whole plot with Cohen and the Silver Horde trying to return fire to the gods and what they actually mean by that. It was so funny. All the scenes with the Horde and the minstrel were great. Also, I really liked the dynamic between Carrot and Rincewind. They actually played off of each other very well. I wasn't expecting them to work so well as a duo but they did along with Leonard of Quirm.

My favorite scenes were the ones once the Horde finally make it to Cori Celesti with the gods. These scenes were very funny. I loved how Terry played with the character of the dark lord and the trope that goes along with that. His books are so clever.

The Last Hero was a shorter book by Terry but it was very good. Loved the illustrations also.

Wednesday, May 6, 2026

WWW Wednesday- 5/6/2026

Thursday, April 30, 2026

April 2026 Reads 🪻