bookwormmuse

Hello!

So, April was wild. No. Seriously. It was really wild for me, at least. The heat has become unbearable and has added a bit more misery in my life but apart from that, there were some pleasant and a bit intimidating changes in my life. I am hoping they are here to stay and that they are the right changes for me. *fingers crossed*

Language lessons via Duolingo are going well. Started to learn adjectives and possesives and such, so that’s fun! I am still in the honeymoon phase of language learning, I think. Despite having had a rocky first year, not a bad thing perhaps for the long haul.

Now, about more bloggish things. Surprisingly I kept up with the ABC Book Challenge this month as well. I don’t know why but I am always pleasantly surprised about it.

ABC Book Challenge ‘M’

ABC Book Challenge ‘N’

ABC Book Challenge ‘O’

ABC Book Challenge ‘P’

ABC Book Challenge ‘Q’

I also talked about The Women’s Prize for Fiction 2019 and how some of the books were on tbr but not all.

Women’s Prize for Fiction 2019

I restrained myself this month from buying any books and I am pretty proud of that. I mean, I am only talking about physical books. I did end up buying three e-books so didn’t really controlled myself all that much. Oh well. But hey! I don’t have a proper book haul to talk about, be proud of me, okay?

I also posted some reviews that were long due.

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden

The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden

The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson

And now, it’s the bookish wrap up. I didn’t read a lot this month because of the reading slump during the last ten days of April but well, I did read some good books.

The Idiot by Elif Batuman

★★★★

This was such a weird but really entertaining and sort of psychological look into the whole college experience. I really enjoyed it. It had been on my TBR for quite a while and I finally got to it. I am so glad that I read it though because it was a really different book where not much happened but it did leave me with something to think about.

Under The Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes

★★★★

Reading this book was on my list as soon as I became fascinated with all things Italian. Reading this book often felt like I should be there, experiencing everything that the author was experiencing. I really enjoyed it and was left wanting more.

Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie

★★★★

For a book that’s a retelling of a much venerated Greek tragedy, Home Fire, in my opinion, comes out pretty amazingly. It stands on its own despite being a blatant retelling. Overall, despite having some complaints, I genuinely appreciated Home Fire.

When the Moon Was Ours by Anna Marie McLemore

★★★

This was the book of the month for Dragons & Tea Book Club over on Goodreads. This was also on my own TBR for months and I finally read it. I just wish I loved it more because the writing was truly lyrical and beautiful but the story itself left me a bit dissatisfied. I couldn’t really connect with the characters as the story progressed and that really affected the overall rating.

The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco

★★★★

I picked this one up because its concluding novel was released recently which meant that I could read them all without worrying about the waiting game. It was really good and I cannot wait to read more of this world. Chupeco’s writing is really wonderful and the pace of the story quite good too.

The Bottled Goods by Sophie van Llewyn

★★★★

This book was longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction this year and I could see why. Written in a flash fiction sort of way, it really worked for me. The blend of Romanian history and its folklore certainly worked its magic for me. I don’t know why but I wish it was longer.

Keeper of the Lost Cities: Exile by Shannon Messenger

★★★★★

I am really falling for this series, one book at a time. When I read the first book in the series, I could see the potential it had and now, after finishing the second book in the series, I just know that this series is probably going to be my favourite middle grade fantasy. I can just see the future with this one. An absolutely fun ride with surprisingly good representation of mental health.

The Half-God of Rainfall by Inua Ellams

★★★★

It’s short book but it packs quite a punch. This was such a great read for me because I don’t generally go for stories told in verse and I am so damn glad I did for this one. Its deep and lyrical writing really left an impression on me for sure.

Dear Ijeawele or A Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

★★★★

Much like her other book ‘We Should All Be Feminists’ , this one also deals with some basics in how to feminism. Instead of a lecture, this time it’s a letter to a friend who asked for tips about raising her daughter. There are many quotable lines in it but the message is still the same pretty much. I really enjoyed reading it though.

So that was April for me! It wasn’t a wild month, reading wise but it did have its good moments. Most of them were four starred reads and I am pretty happy with it, though most of these four stars are actually either 3.5 or 3.75 but we are not going to halve the pretty stars, okay?

There’s not much else to talk about but I am hoping May will be wilder. I also hope May will also be better in terms of temperatures but it’s a hope in vain. It’s summer, it’s Mumbai, it’s not gonna be pretty folks.

So, have you read any of the above books? If so, did you like them/ hate them? Share all your thoughts in the comments.

Till the next time!