April Wrap-Up & May Reading Plans | Wyrd & Wonder 2023

Last month, I already gushed about spring but I absolutely love spring! The seasonal depression is gone which means that everyone is happier. I’m also off work for ten days which is GREAT. Last time I had a week-off was last August so let’s just say I any ounce of patience left in my body in the last few weeks.

I was supposed to go to Barcelona with my best-friend but he wasn’t able to make it so I’m currently in London, enjoying a solo trip. I didn’t plan to be there for the coronation (I don’t really care about the English royals) but I’ll be there anyways so I might as well go see the celebration!

My plan is to enjoy the city as much as possible, buy a ton of books, drink way too many coffees and read a ton. I might also go to Amsterdam later this month but it might not happen so let’s take it a day at a time. For now, London it is.

BOOKS READ

I didn’t read as much as in March but I still enjoyed all the books I read (and I read a few chunkers as well!).

Two Serpents Rising is Max Gladstone’s second entry in his Craft Sequence series. I enjoyed Three Parts Dead last year even though I struggled a bit with the characterization – or lack thereof. However, I thought Two Serpents Rising was a much stronger book and I’m glad I continued on with the series. I’m planning on writing a full review of this book during Wyrd & Wonder! ★★★★

Stay With Me by Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀ on the other hand was very underwhelming. The writing was solid and I enjoyed how it explored motherhood, especially in a historical period I know nothing about (I’m definitely not an expert in 1980’s Nigeria!). However, I hate reading about people cheating and I thought a few twists were very mediocre. The ending was particularly underwhelming, it felt cheap and almost lazy. I’m not sure I will ever read another book by the author. ★★☆

I then re-read Before They Are Hanged by Joe Abercrombie, a book I first read in 2015. This book used to be my favorite in the trilogy but I’m not sure about the ranking now. I will have to think about it after reading Last Argument of Kings but The Blade Itself might be my favorite now! I enjoyed the character interactions more in the first book and I found myself bored at times (I truly don’t give a damn about West, he’s crazier than everyone in this trilogy and that’s saying something). ★★★★

Last month, I mentioned that I wanted to read the third and final book in Jane Harper’s Aaron Falk trilogy and I did! Exiles was a solid finale, it started off very slow (a bit too slow!) but the ending was very satisfying and bittersweet. You can read Exiles without having read The Dry and Force of Nature but I wouldn’t recommend doing so as you would miss a ton of character development and context clues. Also, The Dry remains my favorite of the trilogy, I think it has a stronger pacing and mystery than the other ones. In any case, I would definitely recommend the series and I want to read everything Harper has every written! ★★★☆

Finally, I read The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson and it was without a doubt my favorite read of the month. I will probably write a review of it when I’ll have processed my thoughts and feelings about it but it was great. The only element that’s preventing me from giving it five stars is the pacing. It wasn’t as good in the second half wasn’t as in the first half and the story felt a bit meandering at points. However, the ideas and the narration were amazing. No one does it like KSR. ★★★★☆

GOALS CHECK-IN

You can find my list of 2023 reading and blogging goals here. Here’s a quick check-in:

• Number of books read: +5 (Total read: 19/65)
• Number of books read from my list of 23 Books to read in 2023: +2 (Total read: 5/23)
• Number of literary fiction books read: +1 (Total read 4/12)
• Number of thrillers read: +1 (Total read 2/6)
• Number of books read in French: +0 (Total read 3/3)
• Number of re-reads: +1 (Total read 2/5)

POST RECAP

Another quiet month on the blog:

• Reading Update: March Wrap-Up & April Reading Plans
• Book Review: The Chosen & The Beautiful by Nghi Vo

TV SHOWS & MOVIES

I’m not surprised I didn’t read more considering all the things I watched in April! First, I really enjoyed Jirisan, a K-drama following the “daily life” of rangers in Jirisan National Park. The synopsis didn’t sound that interesting to me but the cast was strong and I ended up really liking the drama. It has several supernatural twists that I didn’t see coming at all and I had to suspend my disbelief quite a bit but once I did, I thought the show was great. ★★★★☆

I then gave into the hype and watched The Glory Part 1 and Part 2 and OH MY, it was as great as everyone said it was! It follows a woman who was bullied in high school by a group of very rich and spoiled kids that end up becoming even more awful adults. The expression “revenge is a dish best served cold” is a perfect representation of The Glory. The acting and the production was perfect, I even re-watched a few scenes because I found the acting spectacular (Lim Ji-yeon is such a good actress!!). This drama is new favorite for sure. ★★★★★

Finally, I watched the new season of You and I enjoyed it quite a bit! Season 1 was okay but I’ve been enjoying this TV show more and more with each season! In this one, Joe Goldberg finds himself in London (and I have to say that seeing beautiful views of the city was one of the reasons I wanted to go to London! I can be very easily influenced LOL). I really enjoyed this season but I’m glad Season 5 will be the final one. Every good thing has to come to an end at some point, the storyline is getting so messy and ridiculous, I don’t know how the screenwriters will wrap-it up in a satisfying way… ★★★★

I also watched Suzume no Tojimari at the movie theater and it was pretty good. I don’t often watch animation movies (though I love Miyazaki!) so it was a nice change. The drawings were gorgeous and the music was fantastic but the story was a bit repetitive. A nice movie but I don’t think I will re-watch it. ★★★

Currently Reading + Wyrd & Wonder Reading Plans

I’m still reading The Best Science Fiction Volume 1 edited by Neil Clarke. I’m enjoying it but reading big anthologies always take me forever so I don’t know when I’ll finish it.

As you probably know, May is Wyrd & Wonder: a month-long celebration of the magical in all its glory. This year, the hosts are imyril of One More, Annemieke of A Dance with Books, Ariana of The Book Nook, Lisa of Dear Geek Place and Jorie Loves a Story so please go check their blogs out! 😀

If you want more information about Wyrd & Wonder (and see who’s participating), here’s the Welcome to the 2023 Edition post! 😉

Magic portal artwork by Tithi Luadthong. 

So, in honor of Wyrd & Wonder, my TBR is going to be pretty fantasy heavy! And I’m squeezing in a re-read of When the Tiger Came Down the Mountain by Nghi Vo because why not? 😀

How was your month of April? 🌺