April 2018 Wrap Up (Let’s just pretend I didn’t set myself a TBR, OK)

April was a pretty busy and exciting month for me. I visited my sister abroad, went to London, and spent the day at an agricultural festival. It was an energising few weeks, but I did not stick to my TBR. At all. In fact, I think at this point it would be better if we just pretend I didn’t set myself a TBR for April at all. It didn’t exist, OK? No? Alright fine, let’s get on with the shame.

I read five books in April, which isn’t actually that bad. But one, I repeat, only one of those books was on my TBR for the month. Oh yes. It’s true.
These were the books I was meant to read in April:

Aaaaand these were the books I actually read:

*vague chants of ‘shame’ in the background*
I tried, OK. Mostly. Well sort of. Well not really at all, but I think I know what happened. Sometimes, I get on a real mood reading kick, and April ended up being a strong mood reading month. Ironically, though, most of the books I’d been ‘in the mood’ to read, I ended up finding mediocre. Ace of Shades was the only one I thoroughly enjoyed.

Lumberjanes Volume 2 // Rating: 3 stars // This was another cute adventure story with our fave girl gang, and while the story was very disjointed in parts, we definitely got more character development in this volume, as well as a lot more humour.

The Suffragettes // Rating: 3 stars // As far as short, 50-page books go, this managed to pack a lot of information into not very many pages. It details the rise of the Suffragettes and their progress in getting women the vote. The book is made up of various multi-media photos, declarations, and letters from the key figures in the women’s suffrage movement. At times there was a little too much focus on the letters, but overall this was an insightful read.

Vicious Rumer // Rating: 3 stars // I don’t read many thrillers, but I was approached by the author to review this book and the synopsis sounded intriguing, so I agreed. This novel is a slow-starter, but once it gets going the pace, action, and intensity never let up. I did, however, find that mental health problems were demonised somewhat and as a result, I didn’t feel I could give it above 3 stars. Read my full review here.

Ace of Shades // Rating: 4 stars // When I read the synopsis for this book, it sounded right up my street. Six of Crows vibes. Magic and gangs. Card games. Sign me the heck up. And I wasn’t disappointed. The writing was good, the fight scenes were dynamic and Levi is a brilliant character.

Milk and Honey // Rating: 3 stars // Honestly, I expected more from this. The poetry collection is split into four parts, and I only really found the final part stirring. The other sections lacked the same flow and impact, due, in part, to the free verse style of many of the poems. I usually don’t mind free verse, don’t get me wrong, but the line breaks were jarring and interrupted the natural flow of the words. Some of the poems would have worked better as spoken word, but when read on the page they didn’t fully explode with energy and power.

At the beginning of the month I wrote about hyped books that I’m not interested in reading (don’t @ me) and the A Darker Shade of Magic merch that I’d love to own. My birthday is coming up next month so we’ll see what happens on the merch front.

I also posted my March book haul (so many new books HELP ME) and talked about which romances rip my heart out (in a good day, of course).

While my reading suffered a little in April, my social life seemed to be on fire. I ended up doing a lot of travelling and got up to some really fun things.

• I visited my sister in France and we went to the beach, hit up some indie cafes, and visited a couple of museums. My sister is one of my best friends and I love spending time with her whenever I can, but she’s been on her year abroad this year, and I haven’t seen her as much. So the weekend we got to hang out together was absolutely perfect. ❤
• While I was visiting her, we went to Paris, and it was the first time I’d ever been. We saw Notre Dame and visited Shakespeare and Co., which has been a dream of mine for about three years. It was wonderful. The building is so well kept, but full of age and character, and the entire place is filled with books. I treated myself to Rebecca Solnit’s Men Explain Things To Me, and left with a post-bookstore glow.
• I went to London for a long weekend with my boyfriend, and we saw Stuart Lee (the comedian) and went on the London Eye (my boyfriend had never been on before so I bought us tickets as part of his birthday present). We also went to Greenwich market (looooove) and the Science Museum, as well as going for a meal at Mildred’s, which is this wonderful vegan restaurant in Soho. I don’t know who Mildred is, but she created some damn fine vegan food.
• At Greenwich market, I had my first pain au chocolat in 2 years. We actually found a stall that sold vegan ones. Well my boyfriend found a stall so it’s all thanks to him that I died of happiness. It was that good. This is just a ghost talking to you now. Honestly though, it was delicious. The bakery is called Arapina and I’d highly recommend checking them out if you’re ever in Greenwich.
• I went to an agricultural festival near to where I live, which sold local produce and aimed to teach people more about the food we eat. I was a bit apprehensive going in since I’m vegan and I assumed most things there wouldn’t be, but it was actually really good. There were quite a few vegan food options, and talks on various topics such as food waste. I ALSO SAW PIGS, GUYS. PIGS AND PIGLETTES. My day was made.
• I started a new project at work (which I’ve since completed on schedule, but that’s for my May wrap up), with a strict deadline. I was pleased about this, as it means more responsibilities and the chance to do more intensive editing.
• I booked my tickets to YALC! I’ve known I was going ever since last year, but now it’s official. I’m going for all three days so if you’re attending this year, I’ll see you there.

What did you read in May? Did you do any travelling or go to any events? Are you going to YALC this summer?