A Chaotic Reading Month | April 2022 Wrap-Up
April was pure chaos. Both my personal and reading life are a mess. There is no balance, no structure, and no rhyme or reason to anything. I am just drifting in the void. Expectedly, this made for a lot of ups and downs in my month. So buckle up, I’m taking you on a ride! Let’s get into my April 2022 Wrap-Up.
The Books I Read in April
A consistent reading routine? We don’t know her. Right now, I’m either not reading at all or devouring a book in one sitting, with no in-between. Here’s what I read in April:
Broken Things – Lauren Oliver
I started my month with Broken Things, a fantastic YA thriller.
In the past months, I’ve really been loving YA thrillers and mysteries and so far, I have not been disappointed. Broken Things was exactly what I hoped it would be!
If you’re looking for a thriller that features angry girls, complex female friendships, queer characters and that blends the lines between fiction and reality, Broken Things is for you.
The 4% Fix – Karma Brown
Every once in a while, I love dipping into some self-help nonfiction.
The 4% Fix was absolutely average and didn’t teach me anything I didn’t already know. But sometimes, being reminded of concepts (in this case time management) is really good! Additionally, I really enjoyed the audiobook narration so while I didn’t necessarily learn anything, it wasn’t wasted time either.
With my life in limbo, I’ve felt myself gravitate towards these types of nonfiction books more. I’m always on the hunt for new insights and strategies to help me organise my life better-
Ophelia After All – Racquel Marie
Ophelia After All healed my heart in ways I didn’t expect. So many of my friends have loved this book and I’m glad to be part of the fan club now. It’s such a soft book, full of queer joy and exploration and the most wonderful high school friend group.
I really wish I could’ve read this coming-of-age story when I was a confused teenager growing into my queerness. It would’ve made my journey so much easier!
I’m super excited for everything Racquel Marie writes next, this book was fantastic!
Related: My Review of Ophelia After All
Aces Wild: A Heist – Amanda DeWitt
Following the theme of “queer books I wish I had read when I was younger”, I read Aces Wild.
Aces Wild is a YA heist story…with an all-asexual cast! Yes, we get a full friend group of ace characters! This book was such a fun time, the perfect mix of found-family and smooth heist shenanigans.
I devoured this book basically in one day and I wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s funny and fast-paced and made my ace heart sing. Do yourself a favour and give this one a try.
Do you follow my bookstagram yet? If not, just click here and you can come to say hi!
Dead End Girls – Wendy Heard
Finally, I continued my YA thriller binge with Dead End Girls.
This book follows two teens who fake their deaths to escape their family situation. Of course, nothing goes as planned and things are much more dangerous than they anticipated.
It’s really hard to explain what this book is, but I think if “be gay, do crime” was a book, it would be this one. We get clever crime vibes, stressful situations when everything inevitably goes wrong and: queer kids in love! One of the two main characters is questioning their gender identity throughout the book and the other is a lesbian.
If you liked Gone Girl or Ocean’s 8, this book has similar vibes!
Goal Check-In
In this part of the post, I look back at my 2022 goals and reflect on how it’s going!
Ditching and Failing Goals
It’s inevitable that not all goals will be met and it’s just as inevitable that some goals are no longer relevant. Five months into the year, I have already noticed that there are some goals on my 2022 list that I don’t care about as much anymore! April was also a month of failure, in many ways.
- I didn’t do Escapril, a month-long poetry challenge. I simply didn’t have the energy. Instead, I tried my hand at a few collage poems. I’m glad I didn’t force myself to work on a goal when I didn’t have the energy!
- I’m no longer that interested in taking photos every month! I’ve done it exactly once. That tells me that it’s not really a priority for me so I’m ditching it. No need to beat myself up over not doing something I don’t actually want to do!
- I failed Camp NaNoWriMo. I set myself a pretty lofty goal of 25k words…and didn’t even hit 5k.
- My workout routine has once again gone out the window. Most days were spent hunched over at my desk and my back is definitely mad at me for it.
Looking on the Bright Side
Despite those setbacks, I like to look at the bright side of every situation. While it may feel like a failure that I’m already ditching goals, I choose to see it as a success. Realising that some goals are no longer in line with my interests is good! It allows me to move forward and make space for things I really care about.
I may not have won Camp NaNoWriMo, but I did start writing fanfiction for the first time ever! And it’s been truly delightful. So how could I consider that a failure? I write almost 5k words of a project I really enjoy, that’s definitely a win.
Personal Update
I officially started antidepressants in April! I only started taking them a week ago so there are no real effects yet, but I’m excited to see how the next weeks go. Here’s to taking care of our brains!
Unsurprisingly, I am still working on The Paper. If you’re new here and wondering what the fuck I’m talking about, here’s the short version of this very long story: I’ve been procrastinating my final theatre studies paper for over half a year for a variety of reasons including stress, depression and pure dumbassery. If everything goes well, I’ll finally be rid of this dreaded thing in the coming week or two! Everyone please send thoughts and prayers I actually get it done.
Additionally, I am also preparing to start writing my BA thesis! Which is totally not overwhelming and stressful and definitely does not make me want to cry. I am dreading all the logistical aspects (so many e-mails…oh no) more than the actual researching and writing, to be honest. But hey, generations of students before me have done it so I am pretty sure I can manage it as well.
As you can tell, there’s still a lot on my plate! Which makes finding some structure and routine even more important. I’m experimenting with different ways to structure my days and plan my time to hopefully find something that works! Let’s hope I can make my way back to some balance in my life.
Some Closing Words
And that’s my April 2022 Wrap-Up! While it doesn’t feel like there’s an end to my uni stress in sight, I’m really glad to have a good support system both online and offline. Having my blog as a creative outlet has been incredibly rewarding (and it helps me to procrastinate haha). Here’s to a good, hopefully more consistent reading month in May!
⭐️ How was your April?
⭐️ Have you been reading one genre more than others?
I hope you have a lovely day,
If you like my work and would like to support me, you can buy me a coffee!
22 Comments
saima @ storieswithsaima
Sorry April had so many ups and downs for you! I hope May brings more joy to you 💛 loved reading the wrap-up, a lot of the books are in my tbr so it’s got me super escaped to read them (especially Aces Wild, I have the arc and am so eager to jump into a heist novel!) 💖
bookshelfsoliloquies
Thank you!! Aces Wild was truly such a fun read, I hope you enjoy it as well! Here’s to a wonderful May for all of us😊
jan
I’m so excited for aces wild, the book sounds incredible!! And I totally agree that ohpelia after all is a soft book, it felt like a warm hug when I finished reading. Hope you have a great month of May!!!
bookshelfsoliloquies
I hope you love Aces Wild as much as I did, I had such a great time reading it! Sending you lots of good vibes for May ✨
Kshoni
So sorry to hear April wasn’t the best month and I hope May is better 🙂 best of luck with the thesis as well!
bookshelfsoliloquies
Thank you so much! I really hope that I can establish a bit more routine in my life and then feel less stressed haha but we’ll see how it goes!
Maria @ The Character Study
I hadn’t heard about Aces Wild: A Heist until now, but I’m definitely gonna have to pick that up eventually! Wishing you best of luck with your paper and BA thesis, it can be really overwhelming but you’ll do well for sure 💕
bookshelfsoliloquies
I also only heard about it through friends and otherwise probably wouldn’t have known about it, so I’m happy to spread the word! And thank you so much, I’m stressed out of my mind and things in my life seem to be conspiring against me for maximum inconvenience right now…but I look forward to being done with all the work and having a lazy girl summer of doing nothing at all 😂
Maria @ The Character Study
I totally get you, stress truly is horrible, so I hope it passes as soon as possible ♥
abookowlscorner
Pure chaos pretty much sums up my April as well, so I feel your pain! 🤣 But I’m happy to hear you at least had some amazing-sounding books to keep you company, and congrats on the anti-depressants! I really hope they make all the difference, and I’m wishing you the best of luck on that pesky Paper and your thesis! (I mean, if chaotic procrastinating me survived it, I’m sure you can, too! 😜) Sending you lots of good vibes and brain cell energy à la Mark Watney! 💙
bookshelfsoliloquies
I’m glad I’m not the only one who had a chaotic month! And yeah, reading good books was definitely a highlight in all this mess. I really hope the antidepressants start working soon and make things a little easier, I can use all the help I can get haha. And thank you very much for the bran cell energy, I definitely need all of Mark’s intelligence and problem solving skills 😂
Marie
So happy you enjoyed Broken Things and Ophelia After All! LOVED the first one, need to read the second one as soon as possible, it sounds so great. Aces Wild is on my TBR as well, excited to read it!
I hope you’ll have a lovely month! <3
bookshelfsoliloquies
Broken Things was such a good book and just reminded me of why I love YA thrillers! Thank you for putting it on my radar, it’s a new favourite for sure!
Fadwa @ Word Wonders
Best of luck on your paper and your thesis!! Writing a thesis can ba so overwhelming and intimidating but it gets manageable when you get in the flow of things! You got this 💜
bookshelfsoliloquies
Thank you so much! I think I just have to find ways to structure my time and work with my mental health instead of against it lol. Luckily I’m excited about my topic so hopefully the research is going to be fun!
theekellybee
i had an up and down april as well. took a hiatus from everything except reading and work. good luck on your thesis.
i added the 4% fix to my tbr. I am going to try to get to The 4 Hour work week by timothy ferriss this month.
my wrap up: https://blessedmommysc.blogspot.com/2022/05/april-2022-wrap-up-sunday-post-30.html
bookshelfsoliloquies
Glad to hear I’m not the only one with a more chaotic month! I haven’t read anything by Tim Ferriss yet but I know a lot of people find his stuff really valuable, so I hope that’s the case for you as well!
Kat Impossible
I’m sorry some of the goals and challenges didn’t work out for you, but I’m all here for ditching something you no longer want to do. I think it’s fair to change ones opinion and no one should feel bad about that, so, good on you!
Also, best of luck with your BA thesis! It know it’s stressful, but I believe in you and you got this.
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Clo @ Cuppa Clo
April was also a month of chaos albeit a little more relaxed since I wasn’t working the first two weeks. It’s always disheartening I think when we create goals for ourselves only to fall short to realise they just don’t click anymore. I suppose the beauty to that is being able to create new ones, which are more in alignment with our present aspirations and trying again. I hope you have a wonderful May and best of luck on your papers! You got this! 💜
Caro @ bookcheshirecat
Sorry to hear that Apri was so chaotic for you, I hope May is treating you better! I’m very hyped for Aces Wild, I got an Arc and hope to read it next month 🥰
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