Hello everyone,
We are already a quarter of the way through the year! For me March was a super busy month so it seemed to go on for a very long time, but the fact there never seems to be enough hours in the day felt as true as ever. That said, I now type at the beginning of a nice 10-day Easter break, so hopefully I can use that extra time wisely.
Of course, this last month marked a whole year since we were first placed under lockdown in the UK and it is unbelievable to think just how much our way of living has changed in that time, and the extent to which we have had to adapt. Social distancing is now second nature to me for example. On the bright side, we are beginning to tiptoe out of our current lockdown measures, step-by-step, and hopefully it will not be long until we resume a way of living right across the world that is closer to the norm.
Back to the wrap-up, and March was a very significant month for me as I started my new job! The last week in my previous job was extremely hectic as it was a race against time to finish all of my ongoing tasks, provide all the relevant handover information, and write several how-to guides for aspects of the role. It was exhausting, but also a lot of fun and it was one final reminder of how much I’d loved being in that job for three and-a-half years.
Although every one of my colleagues were working from home, they gave me a wonderful send-off which included a card full of lovely messages, an Amazon voucher, and a monthly book subscription (my love of books did not go unnoticed!). Needless to say, I felt a little bit emotional and incredibly grateful.
My new job began the week after and so far it has gone pretty well! It is much different despite being in the same organisation, but I have managed to learn quickly and have felt pretty comfortable with the tasks I have been given. My new colleagues have taken care not to overwhelm me with work, which I also really appreciate.
Anyway, on to my reading and March was a fairly good month on that front. I finished five books and really enjoyed all but one of them. It was a proper eclectic mix as well, with everything from sweetness and delight to the utmost scariness.
Here are the books I read:
The House In The Cerulean Sea ⭐⭐⭐.5
The Silent Companions ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Mystery Of Black Hollow Lane ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Lying Game ⭐⭐
Six Of Crows ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Silent Companions was one of the creepiest books I have read, but so delightfully gripping. By contrast, The House In The Cerulean Sea and The Mystery Of Black Hollow Lane were both gentle and heartwarming. And yes – I have finally read Six Of Crows!!! Now I certainly have an idea why Kaz Brekker’s name has cropped up so frequently since I joined the bookish community. In all seriousness though, it is an excellent book, and my review shall be along in a few weeks.
Also coming up in April we have the long-awaited Netflix adaptation of the Shadow And Bone trilogy and the Six Of Crows duology. Like so many others I am very excited and the trailers so far look brilliant, so that is definitely something to look forward to. I aim to read Crooked Kingdom very soon, incidentally.
My TBR for April includes some highly anticipated reads, such as Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson, The Silence Of Bones by June Hur, and Maria And The Moon by Louise Beech, so hopefully one of them can turn out to be my second five-star read of the year!
I made some good progress with writing am currently working on my next magazine article. In my review of Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier I shared a poem I wrote inspired by the book – poetry is now my main outlet for creative writing and I wrote two more in March. I would like to write more, but a lack of motivation sometimes gets in the way because every one requires deep thought.
One of the best things about March is that Daylight Saving Time begins in the UK and it becomes light in the evenings. It has a really calming effect on me and I love the warm weather it brings – it means I can read outside and take some nice walks so I am looking forward to more of those in April.
To finish, I am including a short list of blog posts which I really enjoyed last month. I am still struggling to find the time for blog hopping so I apologise to those of you whose posts I have missed. It is definitely something which weighs heavily on my mind and I hope to catch up with them all very soon.
- Sofii embarked on an amazing project of creating a comprehensive list of book bloggers. She is so lovely and supportive and this is an outstanding gesture. Bookmark it if you can!
- Abby added a whole heap of books to my TBR when she wrote a brilliant post with a list of upcoming releases by Asian authors.
- Amy wrote a very thoughtful list of Greek mythology retellings she would like to see written.
- In a #LetsTalkBookish post, Nastassja discussed the thought of setting up a BookTube channel.
- Hannah talked about reading some of her family’s favourite books.
- Katie discussed book blogging burnout in a very honest and detailed post.
- Becky wrote a lovely review of Light Of The Midnight Stars by Renna Rossner
- Hundreds and Thousands of Books reviewed You Should See Me In A Crown. A beautiful story which she really enjoyed.
Have a wonderful April, and happy reading :)
Stephen Reads Books 