April's Top Three Reads - Hysterical Hero Journeys, Historical Twists, and Hilarious Trips to Hell

Hello Book Lovers!

April felt like a pretty typical month of reading. Some books were amazing, some were absolute duds, and there were a few books in the middle. Thankfully, there were more on the "amazing" shelf than the dud bucket.

Trouble is, there's only room for Three Top Reads, so I had to lock a few books in a small cage and let them battle it out. (This is also a handy way to make confetti if you ever need some in a pinch.)

So, who won this Bookish Cage Match? Well, keep on scrolling to find out!

Enjoy!

Note: If you're interested in grabbing any of these books for yourself, a tap on that title link or the cover will take you to the book's page on Amazon, or you can always look for the book at your local library.

First up, the book I was not expecting to be so damn funny!

The Dragon Squisher

by Scott McCormick

This was a laugh-snorting delight of a read that I simply could NOT put down. Well, I could... it wasn't magnetically attached to me or anything. But whenever I set it down, I wanted to get back to it again as soon as possible.

The basic premise is that 14-year old Nigel has gotten into a little trouble. Okay, he nearly burnt down his whole village. He and his rival (Lance) get sent to prison/military camp where they quickly form a bond. I won't tell you how, but eventually they get out of the camp, only to end up on a quest that's basically a deadly fool's errand.

Okay, there's loads of blah blah writerly stuff I could go on about this book. You know, such as pitch-perfect dialogue, the right dose of setting (enough to get you into the world, not enough to make you fall asleep), terrific character development and friendship forming, and an all-around good story that's never dull.

But what really makes the book memorable is the humor. Nigel's voice is wonderfully wry and full of quips that left me grinning. The twist/parody on The Lord of the Rings was hilarious (Cufflinks to rule them all, the ever-approaching nose of Smoron... complete with nose hairs), and I got the feeling McCormick had a ton of fun writing this.

Overall, if you're looking for a mix of fantasy, humor, parody, and friendship like that found in "Kill the Farm Boy" you'll love this!

Next, going to Hell should not be this funny!

Always Carry Your Scythe

by Pip Paisley

On sale for 99c from now through 15 May!!!!

Who knew Death -- or rather, Death's daughter -- could be so funny.

The basic premise of this easy-to-read tale centers on Trixie (aka "Death's daughter") needs to rescue someone from Hell. But that simply doesn't sum up all the clever scenarios Paisley throws her character into. From an otherworldly form of Wheel of Fortune to the underworld's version of American Ninja Warrior,

Trixie faces it all with pure grit, determination, and smart aleck-y retorts.

The spot-on humor of this book quickly sucked me in, but Paisley's wonderful creativity and fun she obviously had with her characters is what really stuck with me. From a stony gargoyle butler to drinking-game-playing vampires, I couldn't wait to see what was going to come onto the scene next.

But it's not all about the laughs. There's some true emotion and soul-searching (literally and figuratively because, well... Hell) that goes on in this little gem of a story.

Definitely recommended if you're looking for a quick read that has plenty of fun with Death.

And finally, that damn twist at the end!!!

Paradise on the Pike

by Sarah Angleton

Oh no, how do I review this gem of a story and tell you how wonderful it is without ruining it with spoilers!?

Let me just say, I was smacked upside the head by the ending that managed to come as a surprise while it was also set up perfectly throughout the book... which is saying a lot about how well written this is.

The basic premise is that it's 1903-4, and Max and his mother have left Germany after a death in the family. They end up in St Louis during the construction and opening of the World Fair, where Max gets a job tending to an assortment of critters, including barhopping elephants and runaway goats. When there's a murder at the animal exhibit, Max does everything he can to clear the name of the woman he's fallen hard for.

I really enjoyed how Sarah set this book in a historical time period without bogging the reader down with a barrage of historical details. She gives just enough to get you into the setting, and then moves on with the story, which I truly thinks adds to how easy to read this story was.

The book also moves along at a gentle pace that completely absorbs you into Max's world and his feelings about the people around him. Despite this gentle pace, the story just pulls you right along, and even when I sat down to read "just one chapter", I ended up reading five or six... sometimes more!

Little hints are thrown in here and there about Max's father's death, so you know something is up with that, but it's so enticingly vague that it certainly kept me guessing about what was really going on.

Overall, this is a great book if you like easy-to-read historical fiction with a murder mystery, a touch of romance, and a nice twist at the end.

Have you read any of these? What did you think? Did you anything great this past month, or anything horrible you might want to warn me away from? Be sure to drop a comment to let me know.