The rollicking ride that is my reading and writing life continues apace with an effervescent update on my April Reads. Calm your tenterhooks and read on.

Reading Life

I read 4 books this month. Well, kind of – I finished a couple just over the line into May, but I got through the bulk of them in April and I’m the boss of this blog. So that brings the yearly total up to 24.

3 of the 4 books were by women and one by a man. 2 were by African American writers with a third incorporating contributions from writers of colour from all over the place. 2 were novels, 1 was non-fiction and one book of short stories and poems. So continuing to keep things a bit more varied than my comfort zone – but equally I’m feeling like I need to get some children’s books on the go next month.

As ever there’s a full list at the bottom of the post, and some reviews on my Goodreads.

Writing Life

Writing life continued to be provocatively poor in April. I wrote 1 blog post skirting around why that is, and a grand total of no stories. I submitted nothing to anywhere, and didn’t do any novel editing either. What can I say, sometimes these things happen.

Writer Life

In my life a few things went on. We got a car, which is pretty life changing. One of the first things we did with it was go and visit a castle, which was nice. And I spent a goodly amount of time re-learning how to parallel park. It’s an ongoing process.

Other things in life included two trips to the cinema, to see Ghost Stories and Avengers:Infinity War. I caught up with some friends and family over curry, lunch and a barbecue on a rooftop terrace respectively. I did not go to any spoken word or literary type events, and I didn’t feel particularly bereft about it to be honest. I took lots of pictures of the cat. And of course I raged, raged against the dying of the light.

How about you?

Books I Listened to on Audible

  • The Sellout – Paul Beatty
  • The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl – Issa Rae

Books I Read With My Eyes

  • Angela Carter’s Book of Wayward Girls and Wicked Women – various
  • Goblin – Ever Dundas