Hello fellow bookworms ๐ป Another month has passed me by more quickly than I had anticipated. April was pretty busy with my Birthday and starting my Internship in the middle of the month. I’m pretty tired and still adjusting to a very different routine compared to the last semesters ๐ด
Important Resources
- https://globalissuesawareness.carrd.co/
- https://dotherightthing.carrd.co/
- Anti-Asian Violence Resources Carrd
- BLM Resources Spreadsheet
- Help India during its COVID crisis
- HelpPalestine Carrd, Learn about Palestinian history Help Palestine with a Click & Resources Masterlist
- Support the LGBTQ Community in Hungary
- HelpAfghanistan Carrd
- Support Trans Children in Texas: Thread of orgs/groups to follow and gain resources from, Thread of orgs you can donate to & Gender-Affirming Resources for the Transgender Community
- Help the Ukraine: Thread of donation links and organizations, Thread of how to help, Carrd with info & donation links, Ukraine Crisis Media Center & Helpful Timeline
๐ = Reread ๐ = Library Books โ = Digital Arc
๐ = #TackleYourTBR ๐ = #DevourYourTBR ๐ = Buddy Read ๐ = 12 Book Recs by Friends
I read 15 books in April, all for the Magical Readathon!! April is always my favorite reading month because the Readathon is so unique and fun ๐ It really motivated me to read as much as possible. I did stress myself a tiny bit because I tried to cram so many books into the first half of the month before my internship started ๐ I didn’t know how much I would be able to read then and right now I’m once again heavily relying on always having an audiobook ready to go ๐งย I struggle a bit with unwinding after work and picking up a book, but I’m working on it! Overall my reading was great, even though I did have some unpopular opinions … I was very excited to read The Song of Achilles, but it turned out to be a least favorite of the year already ๐ Luckily, I did read some other books that I loved though!
I read 8 books out of my comfort zone this month! I read lots of historical fiction (all the books listed under Part 1 + Orphan Monster Spy and The Song of Achilles) this month for another reading challenge and I’m glad to have read so many books! I find historical fiction very interesting but I rarely reach for it, so I wanted to change that ๐ I also read 1 poetry book (Golden Girl) and 2 Adult books (Daisy Jones & Silver in the Wood)!
- Daisy Jones & the Six (Taylor Jenkins Reid) โญโญโญโญ.5 ๐๐ง
- I Must Betray You (Ruta Sepetys) โญโญโญโญ๐๐
- A Marvellous Light (Freya Marske) โญโญโญโญ๐๐๐ง
- The Enigma Game (Elizabeth Wein) โญโญโญโญ๐๐

- Golden Girl (Reem Faruqi) โญโญโญโญ๐
- Orphan Monster Spy (Matt Killeen) โญโญโญ๐๐
- Silver in the Wood (Emily Tesh) โญโญโญ๐
- The Song of Achilles (Madeline Miller) โญโญ๐๐๐ง
1. Spy x Family Vol 8. (Tatsuya Endo) โญโญโญโญ.5 ๐
2.ย A Marvellous Light (Freya Marske) โญโญโญโญ๐๐๐ง
3. The Enigma Game (Elizabeth Wein) โญโญโญโญ๐๐
4.ย I Must Betray You (Ruta Sepetys) โญโญโญโญ๐๐
5. Strange the Dreamer (Laini Taylor) โญโญโญ.5 ๐๐ง๐ {Recommended by Sabrina}
6. Silver in the Wood (Talia Hibbert) โญโญโญ๐๐ง
7. The Map (William Ritter) โญโญโญโญโญ๐
8. Spy x Family Vol 7. (Tatsuya Endo) โญโญโญโญ.5 ๐
9. Daisy Jones & the Six (Taylor Jenkins Reid) โญโญโญโญ.5 ๐๐๐ง
10. Sick Kids in Love (Hannah Moskowitz) โญโญโญโญ๐๐ง
11. Once Upon an Eid (edited by Ali & Saeed) โญโญโญโญ๐๐ง
12. Orphan Monster Spy (Matt Killeen) โญโญโญ๐๐
13. The Song of Achilles (Madeline Miller) โญโญ๐๐๐ง
14. Golden Girl (Reem Faruqi) โญโญโญโญ๐
15. To Be a Cat (Matt Haig) โญโญโญ๐
Favorite Books ๐
Pondathon Garden & Achievement Update ๐ท
Round 4 Pondathon Garden
Round 5 Pondathon Garden
Achievements & Badges
- Side Quest (Building Homes with Varian) โฝ Read a book by a Muslim author or an Autistic author (Bee-ing Caring badge)
For more Infos about the Pondathon visit thequietpond ๐ท
What Iโve been up to in March ๐ท Semester Break with Complications ~ย Arc Review: The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester by Maya MacGregor๐ย
#OOCZ Recs: Historical Fiction ๐ Back to the Past! ๐ ~ย Books with autistic characters ๐ #autismacceptancemonth2022
Series Review: Nevermoor, Wundersmith & Hollowpox ๐ The Best MG Fantasy Series ~ย How many of my Anticipated 2021 Releases did I actually read? ๐ ~ย Series Review: The Sad Ghost Club ๐ป Mental Health & Feeling Seen
For this section of my wrapup Iโm linking up with the Favorite Blog Posts of the Month Meme that has been created by Kristin @ kristinkravesbooks to showcase our favorite blogs of the month! ๐
- April 12th Top Ten Tuesday | Authors I havenโt read yet, but want to & Recent Reads | Fantasy in all flavours & The slow journey to discovering what I truly like to read (Abi @ Scribbles and Stories)
- Book Lists: Twenty-Two 2022 Middle Grade Books To Be Excited For (Alicia @ A Kernel of Nonsense)
- The Great Unhaul 2022: 20 Books Iโm Donating Before I Move (Ashley @ The Infinite Library)
- Tag Time: 2022 Quarter Year Crisis book tag! & 10 authors that have been on my TBR for WAY too long! [Top 10 Tuesday] (Destiny @ howlinglibraries)
- analysing my past goodreads challenges + seeing how my reading has changed. | ๐ค๐ญ have i figured out my reading tastes??? (Ellyn @ allonsythornraxxbooks)
- Adventure Log: March in Review & How to Use Post Tags Correctly | SEO Basics (Kal @ readervoracious)
- Katโs Weekly TV & Movie Recap #14 (Kat @ lifeandotherdisasters)
- a reading โvlogโ where i try to find a new favorite author & an updated discussion on how i use Goodreads (Lais @ thebookishskies)
- Weekly Reading Update #2 โ April 17, 2022 &ย Books That Scare Me | TBR Chronicles (Lay @ bookshelfsoliloquies)
- ARC Review: The Many Half-Lived Lives of Sam Sylvester by Maya MacGregor (Maria @ The Character Study)
- 16 Exciting YA Books About Royalty (Fantasy & Contemporary) I Recommend & Review: The Ex Talk, Rachel Lynn Solomon & 10 YA Books With Shocking Plot Twists (I Didnโt See That Coming!) (Marie @ drizzleandhurricanebooks)
- Own voices books about autism (Meeghan @ meeghanreads)
- Reading Books that I Think Will Make Me Cry & My 2022 Asian Heritage Month TBR! (May @ foreverandeverly)
- How I changed as a reader & The Bookish Baking Tag (Morgan @ morganisreadingagain)
- Hobby Hustling and Monetization in Capitalist Culture (Nicole @ Thoughts Stained with Ink)
- Animal Crossing Readathon Wrap-up (Saima @ storieswithsaima)
- 3 Literary Genres I Want to Read More of ๐ & 5-Star Book Predictions (2022 Edition)ย ๐ & Recommendation Post | Cry-Worthy & Heart-Touching Young Adult Contemporary Books โ Part #1ย ๐ง (Sofii @ abookathought)
- INSTAGRAM CHATS | why i stopped using my account (+ my new account) & Completed* Series I Want To Finish OR Forget & The First Quarterly Update Of 2022 | reading some new โsoft favouritesโ and a disappointing new release & To Read or Not To Read | sophieโs favourites (Sophie & Beth @ Me and Ink)
- My All Time Favorite Pieces of Media & Book Recommendations For Songs Iโve Been Obsessed With Recently (Veronika & Sabrina @ wordyandwhimsical)
April was pretty busy for me! The week before my internship started was full of events and then my birthday happened on the weekend ๐ฅณ I was super nervous about my internship but so far (2 weeks in) I’m pretty happy with it. The team is really nice and includes me as a full member: I’m doing lots of projects independently and they aren’t very strict with working hours. The atmosphere in the office is very friendly and luckily I can work from home 3 days a week!ย With the mask mandate being removed in most areas and even less protections in place (๐ค), I’m glad that I only have to go into the office on 2 days. I also like what I’m doing at my internship, so it seems like I have found a great place ๐ I’m still recovering from having the virus which I got 4 weeks ago. CW ~ Medical Stuff [I started having some issues with my heartbeat being very noticeable even when I was resting (my friend who’s also recovering had the same thing, so it seems to be common post-COVID), I went to the doctor and he referred me to a cardiologist. I got a 24-hour EKG and blood tests. I don’t have all the results yet but my blood is looking normal and it doesn’t seem to be too serious. Still pretty unsettling. Idk if my problems are coming from post-COVID, my thyroid condition, or the medication I take for it. Just wanted to talk a bit about what the recovery and post-issues can look like.]
๐ซ What I Watched in April ๐ซ
- Bridgerton (S1) ~ I finally caved and watched Bridgerton, especially as there was a ton of hype around the second season ๐ This was the dramatic, fun, and fast show I needed at the time ๐ I wasn’t a fan of the main couple at all (they annoyed me towards the end), but there were so many interesting other characters I cannot wait to see more of!
- Blood & Water (S2) ~ I also finished this show at the beginning of the month! It got even more intense than season 2 and I’m hoping that there might be another season as a lot is still left unsaid ๐ฑ
It’s already May! ๐ทย This year is really flying by faster than I anticipated ๐ฑ I’ll be busy with my internship which lasts until the beginning of July and don’t have anything else special planned. Nevertheless I’m very excited for my May reading plans, as I intend to focus on books about Mental Health this month! I loved reading them, as the topic is dear to my heart but have noticed that I haven’t checked out any new books in a while. That’s why I’m excited about all the books I have mentioned down below!
๐ #DevourYourTBR ๐
This monthโs challenge is to read the books about Mental Health.
ยฉย DevourYourTBR
- Blade of Secrets (Tricia Levenseller) โ
- Gallant (Victoria Schwab) ๐
- You’d Be Home Now (Kathleen Glasgow) ๐
- A Quiet Kind of Thunder (Sara Barnard) ๐
- A Brush with Love (Mazey Eddings) ๐๐
- Anxious People (Fredrik Backman) ๐๐ง๐ 12 in 12: Recommended by Veronika
What were you up to in March? What was your favorite book? What’s your favorite historical fiction book? ๐ท
I’m glad you had a nice birthday (happy, happy belated birthday) and that your internship is good so far! I hope it stays that way ๐
Also, you read SO much!! I thought I was going above and beyond with 8 books this past month ahaha but I’m also so pleased you caved and started watching Bridgerton. I really like the show.
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Thank you, Kat! ๐ My internship has been really great so far! I have been using so many audiobooks to do my reading, they definitely come in handy ๐ The second season of Bridgerton was especially great, I cannot wait for the next one!
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I’m happy that your internship is going well, and I hope you feel fully recovered soon. Sending lots of hugs ๐ Thanks for including my review on this post, Caro, I really appreciate it! I’m glad you had such a full reading month but I must admit that seeing you didn’t enjoy The Song of Achilles that much was heartbreaking ๐
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Thank you so much, Maria! ๐ You’re welcome, I really liked your review ๐ I was also heartbroken by not liking The Song of Achilles that much after seeing so much love for it ๐
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I hope you had a nice birthday โค๏ธ๐ฅณ, you deserve it and I am so happy you have been enjoying your internship in lots of different aspect. I wish you the best of luck with it!
Congrats on reading so many books too! Such a shame about the song of achilles knowing how hyped it is, but it can’t work for everyone. Daisy Jones & the Six is a very well put together book. I am sooo excited for the show!!
I much preferred s2 of bridgerton over s1 so I hope you have a good time with it!
Thank you sooooo much got shouting out our posts โค๏ธ๐ฅฐ it always means a lot and I am so grateful!! โค๏ธ Wishing you a great May and I hope you feel fully recovered ASAP! ๐
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Thank you, I did! ๐๐ฅฐ I’m so sad about The Song of Achilles, but at least I ended up loving Daisy Jones and the Six! I’m super hyped for the show now as well ๐ I also liked S2 of Bridgerton so much more, probably because I was actually rooting for the main couple ๐
You’re welcome, I always love reading your posts! Thank you, I hope you’re well ๐
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I can’t believe April has gone by already! This year is moving so fast ๐ Congrats on all the books you read this month, and starting your internship! I’m glad it’s going well for you ๐ฅฐ Oh, and happy birthday! ๐
Historical fiction would definitely be out of my reading comfort zone – I don’t think I’ve read any? The Song of Achilles has been one of the most anticipated books on my TBR for so long now though, so hopefully it works better for me than it did for you!
I got more reading done than I was expecting to this month. I caught covid in the middle of April and while I was very lucky and only had mild symptoms I had to take some time off work, so I spent most of it glued to my kindle. (I hope you feel better soon! โค๏ธ) My favourite book of the month was Taming Demons for Beginners by Annette Marie – I read it in a single day which I haven’t done in so long! I was also very happy because the 5th volume of my favourite manga came out (A Gentle Noble’s Vacation Recommendation) and that was really fun.
Mental Health May sounds like a brilliant idea, I hope you have loads of fun with it! ๐
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Thank you so much! ๐
I like the idea of historical fiction as a genre, but I tend to not read it often ๐ I hope you end up liking The Song of Achilles more than I! I sadly have a feeling Madeline Miller isn’t really for me ๐
Oh no, I hope you’re feeling better and more recovered right now! ๐ I don’t think I have ever heard of Taming Demons for Beginners so I’ll have to check it out! A Gentle Nobleโs Vacation Recommendation sounds like much fun, I hope I can get around to reading it someday ๐
Thank you, I had such a good time!
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I’ve been too scared to pick up The Song of Achilles, because (1) the hype that surrounds it is massive, (2) I don’t like / read books with sad endings, and I now feel like I made the right call there. I’m sorry it disappointed you, though, especially as it was an awaited read. ๐ฆ Your pond gardens look so cute! ๐ Congrats on keeping up with the challenge so well and reading so many books in April. ๐ฅฐ I’ve said this before, but I’m happy the internship is going well. I’m also happy your blood tests came back normal, I hope the heart issues will get better soon. ๐
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I’m still sad about The Song of Achilles, the hype was huge and I actually wasn’t that sad, because I barely cared for the characters ๐ Thank you! I had such fun with the Pondathon ๐ My internship is going really well, which is so nice ๐ฅฐ
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Happy belated birthday! ๐ฅณ I’m glad your internship seems to be going along nicely, starting a new job like that is always so scary! My April was messy and busy but I finally started antidepressants and am hoping for them to start working over the next couple of weeks. Thank you so much for featuring my posts, I hope you have a wonderful May ๐
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Thank you!! I’m so glad that my internship is going really well๐ Sorry to hear that April was messy for you, I hope the past months were a lot better! I hope you’re well ๐ฅฐ
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Iโm glad you had a great birthday! You managed to read a lot, and Iโm so happy that you read many historical fictions! Daisy Jones is a really great book! Iโm sorry to hear that The Song of Achilles disappointed you, thatโs why I am not the biggest fan of the concept of โhypeโ. It sometimes leads readers to have such high expectations, that theyโre bound to be disappointed. Not every book can work for every reader, and thatโs totally fine. Will you give the author another try, or you didnโt click with her writing style?
The health condition you have sounds scary, I hope youโll feel better soon. ๐ฅฐ
I also watched Bridgerton this month! ๐ It was so good, the perfect match for my mood.
Iโm glad you enjoy your internship!! And it is awesome that the working environment is lovely.
Thank you for sharing my posts! I really appreciate it every time. ๐ฅบ
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Thank you! ๐ Daisy Jones was fantastic, especially as I listened to the audiobook, which had a full cast! I feel like I’m just not into Madeline Miller’s books, sadly ๐ The Song of Achilles was the one I most wanted to read and it didn’t turn out great ๐
Thank you!! Bridgerton is a great show to take your mind off things, the drama is so much fun ๐ Thanks! My internship is going well and I hope you’re doing well too! ๐
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I finally picked up Spy x Family and adored the first volume so much! So glad you enjoyed Daisy Jones. I’ve been toying with the idea of picking up the audiobook, which I have heard nothing but good things about. Glad your internship is going well. Hope you have a lovely May!
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So glad to hear that you liked Spy x Family, it’s a fantastic manga ๐ The audiobook for Daisy Jones is incredible as it has a full cast, so I highly recommend it ๐ฅฐ Thank you, I hope you’re doing well! ๐
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Thank you for the shout out! โฅ Wow, you read so much this month, way to go! I’m so glad your internship is going well so far! I’m sorry about your health issue, and I hope it’s nothing serious โฅ
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You’re welcome ๐ Don’t worry, my health is fine I think and the internship is going really well – everyone is being so nice ๐ฅฐ I hope you’re having a good May!
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Aww I’m so glad you had a nice birthday, but also sorry about your health issues! Hopefully you’ll find out and recover soon!
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Thank you so much, Tasya! I hope you’re having a good May โค๏ธ
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Happy belated birthday ๐ I’m super impressed that you read 15 books this month even with so much going on! I Must Betray You and This Marvelous Light both look really good; hopefully I’ll like them as much as you did. Happy May!
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Thank you so much, Mel! ๐ฅฐ I Must Betray You and A Marvellous Light are both great historical fiction books, I highly recommend them ๐ I hope you’re also having a good May!
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Happy belated birthday! I’m in awe of this enormous post! What a fantastic wrap up! I’m so happy you liked A Marvellous Light — that’s up there for one of my favorite books I’ve read so far this year. I hope your May goes swimmingly, and that you read some more fantastic books.
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Thank you so much! ๐ A Marvellous Light was truly so good and exactly what I love when it comes to tropes! I’m so excited for the companion book as well ๐ฅฐ Thank you, I hope you’re also having a good May! ๐
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Happy belated birthday, Caro! I’m so happy your internship is going well so far and that you’re able to work from home as well, definitely a plus! And you read so much despite everthing, I am impressed. SO happy you enjoyed Daisy Jones!
I hope you’ll have a lovely month โค
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Thank you, Marie! ๐ My internship has been lovely so far and that was definitely good for my reading as well. The Daisy Jones audiobook was simply incredible! I hope you’re doing well ๐ฅฐ
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Glad you have a lovely birthday and that your internship is going well! You read so much, wow!! Hope May is good to you too ๐๐
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Thank you so much, Saima! ๐ฅฐ I hope you also read some great books and are having a good May! ๐
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I’m so glad you had a wonderful birthday and that the internship is going well! It sounds like they value you as a member of the team and trust you, which are fantastic signs. It also looks like you had a good reading month and almost half were out of your comfort zone?! WHO ARE YOU, CARO!?
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Thank you, Kal! My internship has been lovely as I’m really part of the team and doing my own projects ๐ฅฐ I know!!! I’m getting so much better at reading outside my comfort zone ๐
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i’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed your birthday!! happy belated birthday hehe โค and i'm glad that your internship has also been going well! the more i see you read & highly rate spy x family, the more tempted i am to start reading the series… we'll see how much longer i can resist temptation haha. hope you're having a lovely may so far!!
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Thank you, May! ๐ Spy x Family is SO good!! I’m having so much fun with this manga and the found family dynamics are amazing ๐ฅฐ I hope you’re also doing well!
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caro, i am glad to hear you had great birthday and i hope your internship is going well! itโs definitely a lot of going on in a month, so iโm super impressed you also managed to read *15* books!!!!
tbh, i was not impressed when i read a song of achilles either. i thought it was well written, but it didnโt make me feel that much. i was also disappointed because it was written as a retelling and from patroclusโ perspective, which would be the perfect scenario to tell us more about this character, but he ended up being a sidekick in his own story, which was so frustrating!
but iโm glad you had better luck with the other books. sick kids in love really is such a great contemporary! i am happy you enjoyed it!
i recently started watching normal people, mostly because i was very curious due to all the internet buzz. and i think the next show i might give a shot because of the hype is bridgeton! i donโt know if iโm going to enjoy it tbh so iโll be going with veryyy low expectations, but i do love myself some drama, so maybe it will work for me after all!
i hope youโre having a great may so far and that youโre feeling better overall!
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Thank you so much, Lais! ๐ My internship has been going well and audiobooks have definitely helped me read a lot after work ๐ I’m relieved that I’m not the only one who was disappointed by The Song of Achilles! I agree with what you said: the retelling lacked some substance and the characters were a bit weak, especially Patroclus!
I haven’t watched Normal People, but Bridgerton was a great show to take my mind off things! I didn’t have any high expectations, so I was living for all the drama ๐ Thank you! I hope you’re doing well ๐
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Happy belated birthday and good luck with your internship! I really enjoyed my internship a couple years ago, it’s a great way to get started and you learn so much
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Thank you so much! I’m really enjoying my internship so far, I’m learning a lot and everyone in the team is very nice ๐ฅฐ
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