April 2021 Wrap Up

April went by way too quickly for me to keep up with. I was not remotely ready for May.

But! We ordered and received our wedding invitations and detail cards. I am very happy with them. I took my dress in to be altered a tiny bit and ordered our wedding flowers. Our venue is fully paid! Other things have started falling into place and that feels pretty good. We also had our first premarital counseling session, which I think went well. We meet again in a couple of weeks.

In a less encouraging area, reading. I have still not been reading physical books. But there are a few that I want to read and that I think I can stick with if I just get around to picking them up. So I am still waaay behind on my reading goal, but here are some short reviews anyway.

 

Title: The House in the Cerulean Sea

Author: TJ Klune

Narrator: Daniel Henning

 

Synopsis: Linus has a very quiet, solitary, and routine life. But as a case worker in the Department in Charge of Magical Youth, he is tasked with assessing orphanages who care for magical children. But suddenly he is sent on a very special mission to assess an extremely secret orphanage where the most dangerous of children are sent to be cared for by Arthur who has his own secrets. As Linus spends time with the children and Arthur, he grows to care for them deeply and that could drastically change his whole life.

 

Thoughts: I kept seeing this book being recommended, so I finally decided to pick it up. I tried starting it on my Kindle, but didn't get very far before losing interest. So I tried the audiobook and I am so glad I did! It does start a bit slow, but it is so sweet and charming and wonderful! It made my heart very happy.

 

Rating: 4 1/2 out of 5 stars 

Title: Broken (in the best possible way)

Author: Jenny Lawson

Narrator: Jenny Lawson

 

Synopsis: Jenny Lawson tells more stories of her life. From the hard parts of dealing with anxiety and depression to all of the crazy parts that make life better (or at least more interesting).

 

Thoughts: Her book Let's Pretend This Never Happened (A Mostly True Memoir) is one of my favorite books ever. I listen to it or parts of it fairly regularly because it can distract and cheer me up so well. I was excited for this book to be released. She is honest and funny. I appreciate her takes on mental illness. While I don't suffer from all of the things that she does, some of it is very relatable and actually helps me find words for my own problems. Its a great book!

Rating: 4 1/2 out of 5 stars

Title: Aru Shah and the City of Gold

Author: Roshani Chokshi

Narrator: Soneela Nankani

 

Synopsis:  All of the Pandava sisters have been united (re-united?). And Kara, the Sleeper's daughter, joins their journey to find Lanka, the City of Gold. Aru recently made a wish on the tree of wishes (that she cannot remember because another deity cursed her to forget when it is most important for her to remember) and she discovered that Bu had betrayed them. And then Kubera, ruler of Lanka, sends them all on a perilous series of tests to earn the prize of his help against the Sleeper's army. 

Thoughts: I have been loving this series. I was very excited when this book was released and now I have to wait for the next one! They are very fun and interesting. I love learning about the Hindu stories and mythology.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

 

And here was my book bail. I was sort of trying to get through it but I just couldn't bring myself to care enough to keep going. Maybe I just need to try again at a different point in my life.

I don't have a favorite and least favorite book read this month (unless you count Roseblood as my least favorite). I have only read 16 books towards my goal of 75 for the year. I am 8 books behind schedule... I won't be able to make that up, especially with wedding planning so I decided to reduce my goal to 50 for this year. I can pick it back up next year. So now I am on track for my reading goal! Yay!

I also binge watched Shadow and Bone on Netflix the weekend it came out. I really liked it and I can't wait for the next season! And can I share this clip that Leigh Bardugo posted on her Instagram? Because I love it and I totally cried tears of happiness. Leigh Bardugo and Shadow and Bone Cast. Also, I want to re-read the Six of Crows duology.

In other news, May should be pretty exciting. I will get to see some family and friends in person for the first time in a long time. I will also be picking up our new rats! I can't wait to meet them and I can't wait for Poseidon to have brothers again. I think he gets bored and lonely.

That's about it for me! Thanks for reading!