April – on the blog – didn’t really go as planned. It really took me a lot of time to get some content out, but towards the end, I managed to post a bunch of reviews. I’m pleased to still (sorta) be on track with my reading. Let’s dive into what I’ve read this past month! It’s quite the random collection, if I dare say so myself:
- You and Me on Vacation by Emily Henry (3.75 stars)
- I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki by Baek Se-hee (3 stars)
- Jonathan Abernathy You Are Kind by Molly McGhee (3 stars)
Don’t let the cover for this one fool you. I don’t think I would have picked it up based on the cover alone either.
As per usual, click on the covers to get re-directed to Goodreads, where you are always welcome to add me as a reading buddy! OR find me on StoryGraph, which I adore more and more as an alternative. My own reviews you’re able to find by clicking on the titles in the list above, if there are posts for them.
I think it’s fair to say that I have established a regular reading habit by keeping up my streak of reading at least one page per day for 57 DAYS now! It might not seem like the longest stretches of time, but we all have to start with the little steps to get there. I’m definitely not the fastest reader anymore, but I am consistent. Here’s what my April looked like in terms of pages:
In terms of my reading goals, that means I’m right on track with the number of books and still wildly behind when it comes to the number of pages. Reading just 2-4 pages might keep my streak going, but it does not do much to help with my 15,000 page count goal. Maybe I did just aim too high … OR I will make it later this year.
April came and went like so many other months. The year started out so slow, but now everything just keeps passing me by. While there were some really stereotypical April days, I think the spring-like weather helped with my mood and just generally spend more time outdoors. That, in turn, helped lower my stress levels and I feel like I ended the month much calmer and with a generally better attitude than in a long time. I just wanna believe that good things are happening.
I Went to Another Book Event
I don’t get to go to very many bookish events where I live, so this was another special one for me. Abla Alaoui is a successful German musical actress with Moroccan roots, who happened to publish her first novel. She currently playing Esmeralda in The Hunchback of Notre Dame musical in Vienna and luckily also did her first ever reading there.
With about 70 people present, it still felt like a very intimate affair with loads of her friends from the musical business stopping by. She read quite a few parts of the book and all of them sounded funny and relatable. I’m really looking forward into diving in – which is a rare occasion with German books for me.
You can find more info on “Bissle Spätzle, Habibi?” here.
I (sorta) Participated in Camp NaNo
I signed up, I wrote the first couple of days and then I just forgot about it? I don’t know if you can call it participating or not, but I have 3,721 words more than I had before the month of April, so I will count it as a success. I’m eager to get the first three chapters done as I want to share those with a select few readers before diving further into the story. We shall see how that goes …
I Got a Bit Obsessed with TikTok
Yeah, I downloaded TikTok. Yeah, I now have an account (which you can find here) and it really sucked me in the way I always knew it would. Since I’m not really focused on creating content – I’m just messing about with that part a little bit and have already managed to have terrible timing with the videos I did make – I really like what the algorithm has put together for me. So far, it’s fun! I think, as long as I don’t let it take over my life, it should be fine!
I Fell in Love with Movies Again
This might sound weird, but I don’t know if any of you actually know what my job in Berlin was. Either way, to this day, it was my favorite job I ever had. I was part of the distribution chain for movies and I loved going to the cinema. I’ve lost that sense of wonder about movies a little in the past couple of years, but I got to watch an Austrian film and I just fell in love all over again. I found a trailer with subtitles and it’s a really quirky one, but I’m so glad I got to see it on the screen and see my city be utterly romanticized.
MY OTHER POSTS
TV SHOW/MOVIE RELATED
- Kat’s Weekly TV & Movie Recap #62
- Kat’s Weekly TV & Movie Recap #63
- Kat’s Weekly TV & Movie Recap #64
- Kat’s Weekly TV & Movie Recap #65
Life and Other Disasters 
Yeah, April was weird for me. I kinda felt a little off my game at times. But May feels great so far, and I have some good things on the horizon, so I’m hopeful.
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Didn’t you also fall sick for parts of April? I’m sure that didn’t exactly help. Here’s to a better May.
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Just one day.
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The Storygraph is really amazing because YES sometimes I literally only read 1 page or listen to like less than 10 mins but STILL it’s reading every day! I read quite a bit in April and am hoping to continue that good luck in May!
I’m close to accomplishing my Pages and Minutes goal. I thought of changing it to a higher number but idk if I should do it or just see how far I go over it.
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I get so competitive with myself sometimes, the streak feature really does wonders for me and I’m so grateful that the Storygraph implemented it as a permanent feature after the January challenge.
Look at you go!!! I think it’s cool to achieve your girls so early on in the year. Just bask in the victory 😉
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It’s really great because it is just a tiny bit every day but it’s done so much! Of course with audio it’s much easier to listen more than one minute (especially as I listen to 2x).
Thanks! Yeah I set up this goal by looking at how much I achieved last year so who knows maybe next year I’ll aim even higher!
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KAT YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW EAGERLY I LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR WRAP UPS. they’re my favorite kinds of posts of yours to read AND ALSO SO MUCH FUN THANK YOU.
yayyyy on attending the book event I’M SO GLAD IT WAS FUN. also!!!!! congratulations on the 3,721 words PROGRESS IS STILL A SUCCESS OKAY. have a great may!!!!!!
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ANOUSHKA, YOU SWEET SOUL! Thank you for your kind words. I never truly know what to write in my wrap-ups, so that is so nice to hear!!!
Hahaha also thanks for cheering me on. It’s not the most words ever, but it sure is more than I used to have. I should find a writing group or something to really make it a regular thing.
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I’ve been trying to get my own drafting process figured out, writing is hard! And I decided to leave Twitter cause it really was depressing me. April was definitely wild. Hope you have a good May!
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Oh, good luck with your drafting process! I’m really terrible at just sitting down and writing. It’s a whole thing … I hope you have a good May as well!
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