April Bookshelf Review

Wow, April went by quickly! Mostly because I was very busy, and we were traveling on a couple of the weekends. We've been intensely focused on finding a house to buy and getting that whole process going, and many evenings were taken up by that pursuit, and one of the things that I put on the backburner as a result was reading. Even though my reading pace has been pretty slow for awhile now, it was still weird and a little embarrassing to realize that there is almost nothing to update as far as books read. 

April's Books Completed and Reviewed

Life From Scratch: A memoir of food, family, and forgiveness by Sasha Martin - Although I wound up skimming a good portion of this memoir, it was definitely a valuable read. Martin's growing up years were marked by uncertainty, upheaval, loss, and grief, but many of her good memories involved cooking and sharing food, being creative in the kitchen. So after a time in culinary school, and as a way to refocus her life as a wife and new mother, she decided to cook a meal from every country in the world, once a week. Followers of her blog Global Table Adventure will enjoy this more in-depth story of who she is and how her journey of cooking the world came to be.  (Read my review HERE)

Oracle of Philippi by Catherine Ensley (ARC) - This New Testament setting novel follows the story of a slave girl from whom the apostle Paul cast out a demon (in the book of Acts). Mynestra chooses to follow Jesus along with the believers Lydia and others, but she is still a slave so living out her newfound faith is complicated. (Review coming soon)

During April  I continued reading:

A Tarnished Canvas by Anna Lee Huber - Kiera and Gage are invited to an estate sale and auction of art pieces, and part of the building collapses. It turns out it wasn't entirely an accident, and they take on the investigation of who sabotaged the building and why. I did largely set this aside over the past few weeks, only dabbling in it now and then. 

Where My Books Took Me in April . . . Here's where I've traveled through the pages during the month, and where each book fits in the reading challenges I'm working on.

Life From Scratch: A memoir of food, family, and forgiveness took place mostly in the United States, but the author also lived in Europe for several years.

Oracle of Philippi is set in the New Testament time period, and takes place in the Roman colony city of Philippi, which is in modern-day Greece.

A Tarnished Canvas is set in Victorian Scotland, mostly in Edinburgh.

Coming Up in May!

These are still here on my TBR, and I picked up a few deals for my Kindle recently as well. No idea yet which of ones I'll read next.

Kills Well With Others by Deanna Raybourn

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

Being Henry: The Fonz . . . And Beyond by Henry Winkler

 

On my blogs recently . . . 

On A Fresh Cup of Coffee:

Scripture and a Snapshot posts

Everyday Images posts

Hodgepodge posts

The Flower Hour - Franklin Park Conservatory

Progress and Goals 2026 (January - April)

WQ - Positive Impact

Share Four Somethings - April 2026

Five Minute Friday - Timing

Sunday Stills and Flower Hour - Hoover Mudflats Boardwalk

WQ - Overcoming Fear

Sunday Stills and Flower Hour - Crystal and Wildflowers

This post will be linked at Share Your Shelf hosted by Slices of Life and Not In Jersey.

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