Hey Bookworm friends! At the start of May I was busy with the beginning of Read Indie SFF Month and making my anticipated releases post for May. Now that’s done, it’s time to take a look back at April before I get busy again. In the coming days we’ve got back to back celebrations with my husband’s birthday on top of mother’s day and my mom’s birthday! It’s going to be so fun but zero down-time so let’s get into my Reading Wrap-Up & Monthly Reset now.
April Highlights
- I spent a lot of time with family this month. We had a fantastic brunch and games day to celebrate my grandfather’s first birthday after his death, he would have been 90.
- I went to a huge used book sale they do every year in my area and found a few gems.
- I set up ‘relax mode’ on my phone for the purpose of limiting when I can use Instagram. I used to open the app first thing after waking up but now it doesn’t let me use it from midnight to 9 am and it’s made such a difference for my mental health. No doom scrolling first thing or if I wake up in the middle of the night.
What I Read
April Reading Stats
While I was technically participating for The Magical Readathon in April, I only managed to read two books for it.
Total Books Read:6
| Format Read |
|---|
| 📱E-Books: 1 |
| 📚 Physical: 2 |
| 🎧 Audiobooks: 2 |
| 📖+🎧Immersive: 1 |
| Genre |
|---|
 🐲Fantasy: 3 |
| 😱Horror: 1 |
| 🚀Science Fiction: 2 |
| Book Format |
|---|
| Graphic Novel: 1 |
| Novel: 5 |
The Books
🚀 Frontier by Guillaume Singelin – 📚
One of my friends loved this book so I decided to look for it in my library. They only had the French version and I took it as a sign to practice (I haven’t read a book in French in years). I loved this book, the premise was compelling and the art style was stunning. It took me a while to get through it because it’s a huge book and going through sci-fi jargon in French was not the easiest but so worth it!
🐲 The Vale of Seven Dragons by Jendia Gammon –📱
This was a fun epic fantasy story! I enjoyed my time with it and got invested in the characters and I definitely want to see what happens next in the series. I was lucky enough to interview the author.
🐲Darkest Mercy by Melissa Marr –📖+🎧
Finally finished my buddy re-read of the original Wicked Lovely series with Charlotte. We had a blast talking about this series we both grew up with. While we both felt the ending lacked a bit of explanation, it was still fun overall.
😱 We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson – 📚
Buddy read my first Shirley Jackson with some friends which gave us great conversations. I haven’t stopped thinking about this quietly creepy book since I read it; it really gets under your skin! It certainly made me want to read more by her.
🐲The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst –🎧
I was utterly enchanted by this one, it had everything I need from a cozy fantasy and I thought the romance was so cute. I’m happy to have discovered a cozy fantasy I have zero qualms about. Read for the Magical Readathon.
🚀 Please Return to the Lands of Luxury by Jon Tilton –🎧
This was an interesting dystopian middle grade book. It’s about a girl who lives in a junk yard and she finds a nice doll but tries to return it to the lands of luxury. It was full of action but also wholesome and it did make me emotional at certain points.
What I Watched
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Spy X Family, Season 3
This season had too much of what I deem ‘spy stuff’ and not enough family life moments which is what I love about this show so I checked out during the last half of this season sadly.
Hazbin Hotel, Season 2
I had been wanting to watch S2 for a while and it didn’t disappoint. The music is still amazing and I love how the plot progressed. And I remain invested in all the characters, I have such a soft spot for them all 🖤. I also love how the season included flashbacks to their pre-hell lives to see how they got here.
Pluribus, Season 1
My husband and I blazed through the first season of this show so fast! The premise is wild and incredible, I felt for the MC so much, she’s thrust into the weirdest ‘end of the world’ situation and is doing her best to survive. Then everyone around her is kind of gaslighting her into thinking her reaction is ‘too much’ or unreasonable but she doesn’t give up. Honestly I love her character so much, she’s the kind of person I’d want around me in an emergency.
Witch Hat Atelier, Season 1
I watched up to episode 5 with a friend and so far I’m loving the adaptation, it’s doing a fantastic job! The art and animation are incredible, especially in relation to the magic! I can’t wait to watch the rest of the season once it’s all out!
Gaming Highlights of April
My Top Video Game of the Month
Bronzebeard’s Tavern
A short but really fun co-op game where you run a tavern with friends and you serve food to various magical creatures. Every day you set the menu and buy ingredients, serve the customers and upgrade the shop. It’s addictive and fast-paced and I’m sad we finished it already but highly recommend it to anyone who likes cooking games.
My Top Board Game of the Month
Teotihuacan: City of Gods
This is a heavy strategy game in terms of difficulty but we’ve played it a few times and I enjoy it. Now that I sort of know what I’m doing, I want to play more and improve. You use worker dice to gain resources, build technologies, and the Pyramid of the Sun. We’ve also only played the easiest set-up but once you’re an experienced player, there is a modular board that makes things more challenging and I’m curious to try that next time.
Let’s chat in the comments!
What have you been watching or playing lately? Or, have you seen any of these shows?
I love how you chose to spend your grandfather’s birthday. That first one can be tough