Show Us Your Books May 2025

April was a great reading month for me. I am really trying to work on cutting back on my social media use, and my progress is showing in my reading time. And in my ability to sleep at night without waking up in a panic to be honest. Win, win, win!

Here’s the best of the best from what I read in April:

5 Stars

Back After This by Linda Holmes - This was a sweet romance but also I LOVED the parts about content creation, taking charge of your career, not waiting for someone to notice you’re working hard, and constantly reinventing your business with shifting markets. Plus bonus, the book takes place in DC and has nothing to do with government and politics. Yes, people do live here, which is apparently a story that needs to be told more.

4 Stars

A Bit Much by Lyndsay Rush - This collection was fun and whimsical with a huge dose of unapologetic joy. You may know Lyndsay Rush as Maryoliversdrunkcousin on social media.

Murder on Devil’s Pond by Ayla Rose - This mystery was a step up from the usual cozy mystery. The characters were nuanced and the mystery was interesting. Plus it was set in Vermont and there was a big dog. I’ll be on the lookout for more from this author.

The Briar Club by Kate Quinn - A found family set in a 1950’s DC boarding house. I enjoyed getting to know each of the characters (including the house) although I think I would have liked it more if it were based on just one character. That’s just a personal preference though and this was a good read overall.

Baking Cakes in Kigali by Gaile Parkin - Angel is in Rwanda after the genocide while her husband works at the university. She raises her grandchildren and bakes cakes for events in order to make money. The tough topics of genocide and AIDS are not glossed over in this book, but it is full of hope and the power people have when they work together.

How We Learn To Be Brave by Mariann Edgar Budde - I listened to this a chapter a day during Lent and enjoyed it. As others have said it’s more of a memoir than an instruction manual but I liked the stories. I’m almost always interested in stories of women in power and how they got there. I wish she would do an update for the year 2025.

The Sisterhood by Liza Mundy - A very interesting but frustrating history of women at the CIA from the start until about 2018 ish. Recommend.

The Heiress by Molly Greeley - I enjoyed this slowly unfolding novel about Anne de Bourgh. It only briefly touched on the storyline from Pride and Prejudice but I liked the direction it took.

Happy reading!

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