April Wrap Up: The Month of Crap-All

Hi all!

Time for yet another wrap up. I feel like April blew by and I honestly can’t remember what I did, except worry about school. I didn’t read near as many books as I hoped to, but on the plus side, I wrote quite a few reviews and managed to update my blog more than I thought I would have! 😀

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Books Read:

 

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Books Reviewed:

A nihilistic yet hopeful look at life through the eyes of a depressed seventeen-year-old boy, as he tries to decide whether or not the Earth is worth saving. Beautiful, poignant, and heartbreaking.
My review

This was a DNF review. Unfortunately, I found the novel quite boring and felt very disconnected and unattached to the characters. I really couldn’t care about them. Might pick it up again one day, though, because I like the author.
My review

(No stars because DNF)

One of the sweetest, romantic werewolf novels I have read. So unique, especially in a category that is already so dense and overcrowded with authors trying to make their mark in paranormal romance.
My review

One of the year’s most highly anticipated YA novels did not disappoint! An engaging story and excellent characters. A few issues to be sure, but easy to forget about.
My review 

A sweet old-lovers-reigniting-their-romance novel. The protagonist’s inner monologue did get tiring, but the romance was tender and the time setting was on point.
My review 

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Blog Awards:

This month I was nominated for the One Lovely Blog Award. Click on the award to see my answers and who I nominated in turn!

Book tags and memes:

Totally Should’ve Book Tag
The Sims Book Tag
T5W – Favourite LGBTQI+ Reads

Book Tours: 

This month, I also participated in two blog tours! The first was a release blitz for Escaping Fate by Regine Abel. I will be reviewing this book sometime in June so keep an eye out for that; I’ve also reviewed her first novella Bluebeard’s Curse, if you want to check that out.

The second tour I participated in was a book showcase for Hope Pennington’s Fairytale: The Novel. 

Check out the snippet of the novel on my showcase.

 

 

Non-bookish stuff

While I didn’t read as many books as I usually do this month, I definitely watched a lot of T.V. I binge-watched Yuri! On Ice after many friends have been nagging me to watch it. I literally watched it all in one night and can’t stop thinking about it. It’s a fantastic show that features a loving m/m romance, with no queer-baiting, and amazing characters and ice-skating performances. Get on it soon – only season 1 is out at the moment, and it only has 12 episodes. Literally can binge in a night (like I did).

 

I also binge-watched 13 Reasons Why over three days, and spent the next few days after that on the verge of tears. I can’t say I liked the show – I don’t think anyone can – but I do think it was extremely important in starting conversations about taboo topics: suicide, teen sex, bullying, rape, and so many more. Of course I understand why some people don’t like the show and will say that if you have a history with any of the above issues, take care if you want to watch the show because it can be easily triggering. Netflix has warnings before the truly bad episodes, but even I was surprised by how far they took certain scenes.

The Publishing Society at my university went on an excursion to Penguin Random House and Time Out Magazine in Melbourne! I was one of the few people lucky enough to get a spot to go along, and was so overcome with emotion when I stepped foot in Penguin, my friend had to ask me if I was okay. We only spent an hour in Penguin, but we met one of the publishers and an acquiring editor, and got to ask them many questions. We also went to Time Out Magazine’s headquarters in Middle Park and met the small and very friendly team there. The editor gave us free magazines and answered many of our questions, and opened my eyes to the different types of publishing there is.

     

 

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Next month:

First three books are the last three books I have on my Netgalley shelf and I can’t wait to read them. The last three are books from April I never got the chance to read but want to!

I also hope to post an essay I wrote for my publishing class about racial stereotypes in YA fiction, and the power of reviewers and bloggers in influencing publishing houses. I say ‘I hope to post’ only because I’m waiting on my mark back from my tutor and I can’t post anything now in case it affects my turn-it-in result. (Turn-it-in is a program Australia students submit assignments to in order to make sure there’s no plagiarism. If I post my essay now, my turn-it-in mark will be 100%).

How was your April? Hopefully it was more productive than mine! What books are on your May TBR?

-Laura ❤