Currently Coveting {April}

Happy April Fool's Day!

My apologies for the lack of posts last week, March seemed to fly by this year and I had to work my tail off to meet some deadlines. Thankfully, the hardest part is over, and I'll be sharing more about my big project with you all at the end of this month.

I found this month's stack of books that I'm coveting through the Goodreads app on my iPhone. Do any of you use the app? I love it for on-the-go moments when I'm in a bookstore and see something I'm not quite ready to buy (or want to find for a better price); I simply scan the barcode on the book, and it automatically saves all of the information for me! Then I can shelve it and come back to it later. Usually that's the extent of my app use, but the other night I was using it to browse while laying in bed, and I found so many good books to put on my to-read list! I'm challenging myself to go a whole month without buying a single book (insert shock-face emoji here), so if any of these make it onto my nightstand this month, it'll have to be through the library. (Though I will make an exception for free books from Bookbub and the Kindle First monthly picks-- can't say no to free books, am I right??) 

Below you'll find my picks for the month of April:

Voluntary Madness by Norah Vincent // I've seen a lot of mixed reviews for this book, but I'm willing to give it a shot, based on my interest in psychology and mental illness. Norah Vincent is famous for her social experiment in which she lived disguised as a man for eighteen months. Because of that experiment, Vincent was experiencing severe depression, so her doctor recommended that she commit herself to a mental institution. Vincent was a patient for a year, and used that time to sculpt this book, which is an account of her year and her thoughts on her treatment. It's not objective in the sense that she didn't commit herself under false pretenses (she really did need the treatment), but I've read that she does a great job of detailing her experience while "in the bin."

French Women Don't Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano // This is a really old pick (as in, I remember watching an Oprah episode with my mom about it), but I recently added it to my to-read list. I'm a super healthy eater, but I've been trying to evaluate the way I approach food, and I'm interested in this concept of eating mindfully and really enjoying every bite. I think it speaks to the idea of everything in moderation, so I'm looking forward to putting it on my library list.

The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy by Rachel Joyce // If you saw this post, then you know that I was a fan of the first book in this series. I'm really looking forward to reading this next book, which details the same events but from the opposite perspective. (And it's gotten even better reviews than the first!) I'm debating whether I should reread The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry first, because I read it about two years ago and don't remember as much detail as I'd like. I'm also thinking this duo would make for great beach/vacation reads this summer. 

Why We Make Mistakes by Joseph T. Hallinan // For nonfiction and psychology fans! I am guilty of forgetting my password just about every time I try to log into an account, and I am certainly a big proponent of going with my "gut feeling" on exams. These are the everyday things that Hallinan discusses in his account of why we think the way that we do, and his arguments about human "design flaw" and how we are built for human error seem really interesting. I'm really fascinated by the brain (as you know), and the fact that our brains are just not built for optimum performance, and that we are designed to make mistakes, is comforting to me. I'd love to learn more about the science and psychology behind these everyday blunders.

Chateau of Secrets by Melanie Dobson // I'm drawn to very specific time periods in historical fiction, and WWII-era stories are one of my favorite subsections within the genre. Not only do I love the cover design, but I'm also hooked by the premise of the story, which is one of dual perspectives: two courageous women, one hiding french resistance fighters and an risking everything to protect an innocent child from the Nazi soldiers who have taken over her home, the other taking refuge from a shattered personal life in the same house decades later. Like many stories of this genre, the themes include family and sacrifice, and of course, the uncovering of old family secrets. Sounds like an excellent story to get lost in, if you ask me!

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Now that spring is starting to show itself, I feel like my energy has been renewed, and I can't wait to take advantage of the sunshine by parking myself on a bench outside and getting caught up in a good book! Will any of these make your to-read list this month? Any other reads that have caught your eye lately?

Happy reading!