Well, April has come and gone and... well, honestly, I'm not sure what to say! It's been both long and short, and I feel both productive and entirely unproductive (though probably moreso the latter). I have two papers due and one final next week to wrap up my second semester of grad school (I can't believe I've already done two semesters!) so I've been pretty much grinding away for all of that nonstop lately. I took a brief break last week from writing reviews on my blog because I just didn't have the heart to write anything else non-academic, haha, but otherwise I've been trying to keep up--though once again I've fallen behind on responding to comments + visiting other blogs, which is something that I love doing! I plan to do a lot more once my semester is officially over and I can't wait.
In personal news, my husband and I will be officially moving next month! I am dreading dealing with the move during this pandemic, but I know plenty of people have been moving and it can be done, so we'll just have to take the precautions that we can and work with it. We don't have a specific apartment unit picked out yet, but we know what apartment building/property we are going to pick and are in those slow processes. It's super stressful, but I'm also glad we will finally both (!) be back down in Southern California for good for the moment. I will be only an hour away from my mom and literally less than five miles from some relatives! It will be nice to be close to everything again.
In my reading news, I still managed to do okay? I really loved a lot of what I read this month, and a lot of it came from books I already own since the library is closed and physical ARCs are coming in with decreasing frequency, and honestly it's sort of nice! I dived into some historical fiction I've meaning to read (The Golden Mean, Fire From Heaven), did some re-reads (The Empire's Ghost, the MinaLima edition of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland), some Murakami, and a few ARCs (Empire of Wild was so good!).
I hope you are all staying healthy and sane and doing whatever you need to do to keep yourself that way, whether it's by reading a bunch of books, playing games, or just spending time with whoever you're stuck at home with! How are things where you are? Things are pretty calm where I am at the moment, though people sure are restless about these stay-at-home orders.
Stay safe, everyone! :)
How was your reading month? Did you read any great books? Have you read any of the books I read? Let me know, I'd love to chat about any and all the books!
# books read: 14
Source: Owned | Format: Paperback
Blood of Wonderland by Colleen Oakes ★★★★★
Source: Owned| Format: eARC
Empire of Wild by Cherie Dimaline ★★★★★
Source: Publisher | Format: Physical ARC
After the Quake by Haruki Murakami ★★★★★
Source: Owned | Format: Paperback
Apocrypha by Catherynne Valente ★★★★★
Source: Owned | Format: Paperback
The Empire's Ghost by Isabelle Steiger ★★★★★ (re-read)
Source: NetGalley | Format:eARC
Dracul by Dacre Stoker & J.D. Barker ★★★★
Source: Owned (Gift) | Format: Hardcover
Fire from Heaven by Mary Renault ★★★★
Source: Owned | Format: Paperback
Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami ★★★★
Source: Owned | Format: Paperback
The Golden Mean by Annabel Lyon ★★★★
Source: Owned | Format: PaperbackSource: NetGalley | Format:eARC
Dracul by Dacre Stoker & J.D. Barker ★★★★
Source: Owned (Gift) | Format: Hardcover
Fire from Heaven by Mary Renault ★★★★
Source: Owned | Format: Paperback
Sputnik Sweetheart by Haruki Murakami ★★★★
Source: Owned | Format: Paperback
The Golden Mean by Annabel Lyon ★★★★
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
Source: Owned | Format: Hardcover
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell ★★★★★
Source: Publisher | Format: Physical ARC
Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend ★★★★★
Source: Owned | Format: Hardcover
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll (MinaLima Edition) ★★★★★ (re-read)
Source: Owned (Gift) | Format: Hardcover
Source: Owned | Format: Hardcover
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell ★★★★★
Source: Publisher | Format: Physical ARC
Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend ★★★★★
Source: Owned | Format: Hardcover
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll (MinaLima Edition) ★★★★★ (re-read)
Source: Owned (Gift) | Format: Hardcover
Sin Eater by Megan Campisi ★★★★
The Book of Koli by M.R. Carey ★★★★
The Age of Witches by Louisa Morgan ★★★★
The Girl and the Stars by Mark Lawrence ★★★★
Master Class by Christina Dalcher ★★
Wrath of Madness by Jesse Teller ★★★★
Tales of Ioth by D.P. Woolliscroft ★★★★★
(other than reviews)
Top Five/Ten Tuesday:
Books I Bought Because I Loved the ARC
Books I Enjoyed But Rarely Talk About
Book Titles That Would Make Great Band Names
Books I Wish I Read As A Kid
Can't-Wait Wednesday:
4/1: Goldilocks by Laura Lam & The Library of Legends by Janie Chang
4/8: Rule (The Unraveled Kingdom #3) by Rowenna Miller & Ghosts of Harvard by Francesca Serritella
4/15: By Force Alone by Lavie Tidhar & Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust
4/22: Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas & The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea by Maggie Tokuda-Hall
4/29: House of Dragons by Jessica Cluess & The Guest List by Lucy Foley
Books I Bought Because I Loved the ARC
Books I Enjoyed But Rarely Talk About
Book Titles That Would Make Great Band Names
Books I Wish I Read As A Kid
Can't-Wait Wednesday:
4/1: Goldilocks by Laura Lam & The Library of Legends by Janie Chang
4/8: Rule (The Unraveled Kingdom #3) by Rowenna Miller & Ghosts of Harvard by Francesca Serritella
4/15: By Force Alone by Lavie Tidhar & Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust
4/22: Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas & The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea by Maggie Tokuda-Hall
4/29: House of Dragons by Jessica Cluess & The Guest List by Lucy Foley
The Friday Face-Off:
Atmospheric
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Have you read any of these? What books did you read this month? I hope you all had a great month-- comment below and let me know!
Atmospheric
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Have you read any of these? What books did you read this month? I hope you all had a great month-- comment below and let me know!
Wow, lots of 5 star books, that's fantastic. Welcome back to So Cal and good luck with your move! The weather here is beautiful at the moment😁 My reading has been so so, I was hoping the extra time at home would mean many more hours reading, but everything is distracting me, lol.
ReplyDeleteI didn't realize how many were five star until I put this together, so that was a nice realization! And seriously, if anything it feels like we have less reading time somehow??
DeleteAnd thank you! I am SO glad to be moving back to SoCal, I only spent a few years up in the Bay Area, but it just isn't for me, haha. It's been 90s where my mom is already (!), but we will be closer to the coast this time so I think we should get some of that nicer weather. :)
Looks like you had a great reading month. And I hope the move goes well. I understand your worries there. I helped my sister move shortly before everything got locked down, but we were still worried about having to move stuff then.
ReplyDeleteYeah, it's a very stressful situation! I'm glad you guys were able to have a successful move before the major craziness, though! :)
DeleteThat is so great that you'll finally be back with your husband! And yeah, I'm sure moving is even more stressful right now! My sister is in the process of moving, and they were able to find movers to do the big stuff, so that was helpful.
ReplyDelete