Hello, reader!

It seems like it was just March and now it’s suddenly May. April went by in a blip! This was a busy month, settling into our new normal and trying to keep up with all the closures. And I definitely think my reading suffered. I’m an essential worker and it felt like I had even less time than usual to relax and read. And, when I could relax, reading just wasn’t keeping my attention. Still, I managed to get through five books this month and complete all the books on my O.W.L.s TBR! So, I’m feeling fairly accomplished!

Let’s take a look back at my reading month.

Click on the covers to be taken to the book’s Goodreads page

1. The Life and (Medieval) Times of Kit Sweetly by Jamie Pacton::★★★★::My review
2. The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne::★★★::My review
3. The Vine Witch by Luanne G. Smith::★★★★::My review
4. The Whisper Man by Alex North::★★★★::My review
5. Nimona by Noelle Stevenson::★★★★★::My review

Popsugar Challenge prompts completed: 3

1. A book you meant to read in 2019 (The Whisper Man)
2. A book with a pink cover (The Heart’s Invisible Furies)
3. A book written by an author in their 20s (Nimona)

Book Riot Read Harder Challenge prompts completed: 2

1. Read a mystery where the victim(s) is not a woman (The Whisper Man)
2. Read a book that takes place in a rural setting (The Vine Witch)

#StartOnYourShelfathon books completed: 3

1. The Heart’s Invisible Furies
2. The Whisper Man
3. Nimona

I decided to change the title of this section from “Best/Worst” since, just because I may not enjoy a book doesn’t make it the worst. So now I’m going to my top book of the month and my bottom book of the month. This month’s top was actually the last book I read in April, which was…

I had heard of this graphic novel before, but hadn’t picked it up until it fit one of my Magical Readathon prompts. I’m so glad I finally read it because I absolutely adored it! This was such a wonderful way to finish out my reading month. The art was gorgeous, the story made me feel a lot of feelings, and I can’t wait to read more from this author.

Now, my bottom book of the month was one that very nearly knocked me into a reading slump. If you read my O.W.L.s mini-review post, you’ll know the book I’m talking about is…

Now, as I said in my review, it’s not that I didn’t enjoy this book. When I could convince myself to pick it up, I really enjoyed the experience! But it felt like such a chore to read. It was just far too slow for my liking and probably could have benefited from being a tad shorter. Still, I did think it was a well-written book and definitely worth the read. As you can maybe tell, I had an odd relationship with this one 😅

As I’m sure it was for many, April continued to be a strange month. I think the family and I are still adjusting to our new normal. I mentioned that my desire to read took a hit and I definitely think it has to do with… *vaguely gestures at everything*

With that being said, I’m still pretty happy with how my reading month turned out! I finished all of my O.W.L.s for the Magical Readathon, which sets me up rather well for the N.E.W.T.s later on this year. I read the same amount of books as I did in March, and, while there may have only been one five star read in April, I still enjoyed everything I picked up. I’ve never been the type of reader who can tear through over ten books in one month, though I definitely envy them! One day…

I think the thing that I’m most excited about, though, is how many challenge prompts I checked off! After a month where I didn’t tic off a single Book Riot challenge, I knocked off two! And I honestly could have made a couple more books fit some of the prompts if I was being generous with interpretation, lol. I’ve consistently been checking off Popsugar prompts, as well, as this month was no different. But the biggest thing is that I’m finally making a dent in my #StartOnMyShelfathon challenge! 3 out of the 5 books I read were books on my physical TBR. I’m hoping to keep that momentum going in May!

So what is the focus for May? Honestly, I have quite a few books/ARCs to read for blog tours/reviews this month. I don’t know how it happened, but here we are 😬 Of course, I’m incredibly excited to read all of them, else I wouldn’t have requested them! I’m also excited to get more involved in blog tours. It’s always something I’ve been interested in as a blogger and I’m happy to help promote new books! Especially with the current state of things in the publishing industry. I can’t imagine how difficult it must be for folks who are publishing books during this pandemic, whether they are a debut or an established authors.

And, perhaps, I’ll break out of my five-books-per-month reading trend! Fingers crossed 😂

---

I hope April treated you well, reader! Did you read a new favorite book? Did you participate in any readathons or challenges? Let me know in the comments!

And, as always, happy reading!