April and May 2022 Reading Wrap-up

“Where’d you go, Emily?” I hear you ask. “I thought you had plans to enliven this blog again!”

Okay, maybe no one is asking that, but I’ll answer anyway. My stated plans to enliven this blog were rather dashed just after Easter when we noticed wet carpet in our living room. Long story short, while the issue could have been fixed (in our humble opinions), we ended up in the very stressful situation of having to find a new rental property instead, in a very short space of time. Let’s just say I don’t have much time for property management after this experience.

Fortunately, we have had very good luck and we are now somewhat settled in a new place, though the living room is still virtually uninhabitable due to being populated by full moving boxes.

I don’t want to jinx it, but I think coming into June, I have finally blasted the reading slump I was in, and I’ll be reading a lot more going forward. In the meantime, here’s what I’ve been up to over the past couple of months.

PAST MONTH’S READING:

1. Doctor Who: Twelve Angels Weeping by Dave Rudden (sci-fi/short stories – 4 stars)
2. Waking Romeo by Kathryn Barker YA sci-fi/romance – 5 stars)
3. The Mortal Word (the Invisible Library #5) by Genevieve Cogman (fantasy – 3 stars)
4. The Secret Chapter (the Invisible Library #6) by Genevieve Cogman (fantasy – 3 stars)
5. The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch (fantasy – 4 stars)

BOOKTUBE:

I have a YouTube channel where I promote Australian books using the hashtag #AusReads, and also indulge my compulsion for signing up to readathons. Here are the latest videos:

1. Jurassic Journey Readathon TBR

BOOKSTAGRAM:

That heading has always said “favourite bookish photo” in the past, but recently I’ve been branching out into Reels rather than photos. So now this section can be for either and I’ll post whatever type of content I’ve enjoyed most during the month.

You can see all my bookish content (plus some RL as well) on my Instagram.

CURRENTLY READING:

Physical book: Nothing right now.

Ebook: The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie. My book club has chosen this as our next read and I am enjoying it thoroughly, though I’m only about 50 pages in so far.

Audio book: I am finally reading Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo, and I wish I had listened to Six of Crows as well, as I think I would have enjoyed it more that way. Each POV character has their own voice actor and it really adds to the experience. Having said that, I’m almost at the 70% mark and feeling rather confused about Kaz’s big plan.

PLANNING TO READ NEXT:

After Waking Romeo became my first five star read of the year, I immediately grabbed In the Skin of a Monster by Kathryn Barker from the library. I’m planning to read this one over the weekend and I hope it’s as good as its successor!

What are you reading? 🙂

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April 2021 Reading Wrap-up

March was definitely an improvement on January and February in terms of reading, even if things did slow down in the second half of the month. I finished seven books, so nearly twice as many as I have in past two months. This included two audio books. I’ve finally acknowledged that the one I was stuck on was not working for me, and I’m going to get a physical copy from the library to continue.

PAST MONTH’S READING:

1. Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley (YA contemporary/Own Voices – 2 stars – review) (read March, reviewed April)

2. Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta (YA contemporary – 4 stars – review) (read March, reviewed April)
3. Damsel by Elana K. Arnold (dark fantasy – 4 stars – not intending to review
4. Amulet #1: The Stonekeeper by Kazu Kibuishi (graphic novel/fantasy – 3 stars – not intending to review)
5. Amulet #2: The Stonekeeper’s Curse by Kazu Kibuishi (graphic novel/fantasy – 3 stars – not intending to review)
6. Lifted By Water by Celine Jeanjean (urban fantasy – 3 stars –review forthcoming)
7. Prince Caspian by C. S. Lewis (fantasy/classic – 3 stars – not intending to review)
8. The Ghost Writer by Ross Mueller (play script – no star rating – not intending to review)
9. Hollowpox by Jessica Townsend (MG fantasy – 4 stars – review forthcoming)
10. Jane In Love by Rachel Givney (historical/contemporary fiction – 4 stars – review)

BOOKTUBE:

I have a YouTube channel where I promote Australian books using the hashtag #AusReads, and also indulge my compulsion for signing up to readathons. Here are the latest videos:

1. March Trope-ical Readathon Wrao-up
2. My New Personal Reading Challenge

FAVOURITE BOOKISH PHOTO:

I enjoyed Jane In Love so much that I ended up alternating between the audio book and paperback in order to focus on it more and read it faster. While I could take or leave the love story, I was really invested in the outcome.

You can see all my bookish photos (plus some RL as well) on my Instagram.

CURRENTLY READING:

Physical book: The Vanishing Deep by Astrid Scholte. This isn’t really doing it for me but I bought it with birthday money so I feel determined to get all the way through it.

Ebook: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. This was our April book club pick (and given how most of us are going, it will probably just cover May, too 😂) and I was a bit apprehensive because there’s just So. Much. Hype. surrounding this series. I’m about 20% of the way in and haven’t been wowed, but I’m still getting to the main crux of the story so it’s got plenty of time to impress me yet.

Audio book: Nothing at the moment.

PLANNING TO READ NEXT:

I’m not really sure. I’ve been flitting between a few different books lately and I want to try to settle and finish those. The first will probably be Vigil by Angela Slatter, an Australian urban fantasy set in Brisbane. After that, I’ll probably try for Mud and Glass by Laura E. Goodin. I’ve also got a few library books I’ll have to fit in there somewhere.

What are you reading? 🙂