How to Get Your Book Fix Abroad {+ What I Read in April}

Before I get into the low-down on my reading list last month, I have to talk about how I get books overseas.

Accessing English-language books (heck, any books for that matter that aren't about learning English, Thai, or Chinese) is an issue in Poipet. Meaning, there aren't any here. And with our frequent travels, lugging paperbacks around isn't always feasible. Thus, 90% of my reading comes from e-books.

But here are a few things that have helped me get my book fix abroad.

: I love my Kindle. Our old version died last year, and panicking, we found someone to bring us a new one within a week from the States. It's small, lightweight, and uses 3G - perfect for traveling abroad.
Library card: On our last home leave in Kansas City, I renewed my library card and discovered I could check out e-books on my from the library while overseas. Hello, joyful day! If you're an expat overseas, check out your hometown's library. (If you're from KC, go here!) I can read the books on my computer, iPhone, or Kindle.
Oyster Books: Oyster is an iPhone/iPad app that gives you unlimited access to over ~~200,000~~ 500,000 books for $9.99 a month. It's basically the Netflix of books. And several of last month's reads were from Oyster. It's a great choice for me, because many of the books I read (like fiction or memoirs) I don't want to read more than once. So instead of wasting $10 on a one-time read, I can access limitless books for the same price. It's probably my favorite way of getting my book fix right now!

So if you need an affordable book fix, check out Oyster. You can even get a free month by clicking here. And if you start a subscription, I'll get a free month, too. Thank you very much for supporting my addiction.

Between the library and Oyster, I can get my hands on 90% of the books I want to read. And the others? If I want them bad enough, I'll buy them on my Kindle.

Linking up with ! Check it out for other great book recommendations!

What I Read in April

I picked up this book from Oyster when Declan was in the throes of “I hate sleeping and want you to hate your life” phase. I wouldn’t call it revolutionary, but some of the methods – white noise, oral soothing, and swaddling – definitely helped him settle.

After hearing everyone from Book Riot to Modern Mrs Darcy talk about this book, I picked it up – and loved it. It’s a book lover’s novella about a woman who spontaneously buys a traveling bookstore, has an adventure, and finds unexpected love. (and it's only $0.99 on Kindle!)

I read this 30-day devotional to refocus on my relationship with Andrew. Every day has Scripture, journal prompts, and suggestions for drawing closer to God and your husband. Simple, yet challenging.

I will never look at flight attendants the same after reading this memoir of the skies. Poole gives a fascinating behind-the-scenes view of flight attendants’ training, rules, and wild schedules. I’d recommend this for any frequent flier!

Call this “the month of reading 2012’s hits”, I finally caved and read this thriller. I could not put it down – but I didn’t necessarily enjoy spending nearly 400 pages in the minds of two very sick people. The structure of the book is fascinating, and I was shocked at the plot turns several times. But I’ll probably skip the coming movie due to the graphic language and events.

I can see why this book didn’t get famous until its true author was revealed. It followed the lines of a classic who-dun-it mystery in the realms of the rich and famous. The language was off-putting, and it didn’t make me too interested in reading Rowling’s other adult fiction.

What I DIDN’T Read in April

I have seen this book in so many places over the years, I assumed it would be fantastic and checked it out. But fifty pages in – snooze. I’m not one for “epic multi-generational love stories”, so that description should have warned me. I found myself reluctant to pick it back up and finally decided to give it a pass.

What I'm Into This Month So Far