Between work travel and personal travel, I spent a lot of time on airplanes in April. That means I had a ton of time to read.

I read six books in April, and I was happy with the variety I had. I read several different genres of fiction -- thrillers, dystopian, historical -- plus one nonfiction book. I also started and stopped one book that after about two chapters, I could tell just wasn't going to work for me.

I'm doing a better job of embracing the motto that life is too short for bad books.

Anyway, here's a look at what I read in April that I liked enough to finish.



Hungry Heart: Adventures in Life, Love, and Writing by Jennifer Weiner
I love Jennifer Weiner's book, and I've been lucky enough to see her do an author talk, which had me doubling over in laughter. I figured her memoir would strike the perfect balance between serious stories and light-hearted ones, and it did just that. I started reading this book on an airplane and couldn't believe how much I enjoyed it, how quickly the pace moved for a memoir and how much I could relate to some of the stories she was telling (especially about those days working at newspapers).

Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter
Gripping. Terrifying. Yet impossible to put down. This is the only book I've given five stars on GoodReads so far this year. It's like Law and Order SVU on steroids.

It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
This book took some tragic twists and turns, but I loved the ending. Like the other Colleen Hoover book I had read, this was a super fast read. I like how this author's books don't get bogged down in a lot of unnecessary plot. She tells really great stories.

The Thousandth Floor by Katharine McGee
I like a good dystopian fiction book every now and again, and I thought this was a good read. The story takes place almost entirely inside an 1,000 story tower built in NYC. The higher up you live in the tower, the more money and prestige your family has. The book opens with someone falling off the top floor of the tower, and then jumps backward to tell the story of all the events calls leading up to the character either falling/getting pushed/jumping from the top floor. I did hate the ending though because you could tell the author was setting it up for there to be another book.

Along the Infinite Sea by Beatriz Williams
I think I found this book through the Skimm recommendations, and I didn't realize it was the last in a series of books about a set of sisters. Either way, I enjoyed this book and the story it told of two women whose lives become entangled through the sale of an old car. The story flashes back to World War II, and I enjoyed the historical fiction element.

No Man's Land by David Baldacci
I really enjoyed this book, even though I definitely thought some parts were pretty predictable, but Baldacci is always good for a fast, action-packed read.