True confession: after an extraordinarily good March, April felt more like a reading slump. I had a hard time focusing, even when it was a book I really wanted to read. I also taste-tested an audiobook that had too much going on for me to keep straight “just listening,” so that will be picked up from Libby as an eBook one of these days. Then there was the … We’ll call it a “return to later,” rather than an DNF – because it’s an author I love, and there was excellent banter, but it also had a lot of heavy emotional baggage being carried by the main character. Thankfully things started picking up by the end of the month and I finished stronger than anticipated.

🎧 Beach Read | Emily Henry | ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Catching up on the EmHen novels I missed, and this one was worth the wait. I think it hits different reading it after her more recent ones somehow {or maybe that’s just what I’m telling myself for procrastinating}. I love the way she’s able to mix heavy/real life truths with the hope of romance.

📱 Pomona Afton Can So Solve a Murder | Bellamy Rose | ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for access to this one! One thing about me is I love to read novels about the extremely/ridiculously wealthy – and this one had that in spades, with the added convoluted twist of a murder and her dethroned heiress granddaughter deciding to play sleuth. From Pom finding her voice, to all the baking experiments, to the cute sidekick cat – this one is an enjoyable romp of a read. Murder and all, ha.

🎧 The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits | Jennifer Weiner | ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The last two books by Weiner {the last adult release and the conclusion to an MG series} have been DNFs for me, so I was glad to find this one compulsively listenable. It’s got a lot of Daisy Jones and the Six-vibes {without that level of drugs and drinking}, and a whole lot of secret keeping. Zoe was a horrible person, honestly, but the story – and the unraveling of old secrets – kept my attention.

📱 Otherwise Engaged | Joanna Barker | ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Read for an Instagram book club/buddy read, and it was such a fun read. I definitely got some Frozen-vibes, with the way Rebecca rushed into a secret engagement with Edward, ha. Nicholas is such a wonderful character, and his step-sister Olivia adds a good amount of spice and color. Love the character interactions, the growth journey Rebecca takes, and the horseback riding.

📱 The Making of Lady Catherine de Bourgh | Paige Badgett | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Thanks to the author and Book Sirens for the early access to this one. This, my friends, is the villain origin story I have waited my entire Janeite life for. Have you ever wondered how and/or why Lady Catherine is so … Lady Catherine? Paige Badgett took that idea and ran with it, crafting a story that is immensely readable and so very on brand. I loved watching Lady Catherine grow into her own, and all the sly nods and glimpses of future P&P players. Not to mention the inclusion of fabulously familiar lines! Truly a wonderful addition to the Austenesque Library.

🎧 Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers | Jesse Q Sutanto | ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Oh I am so glad I did this one on audio! The narration really brings Vera {and the whole motley crew} to life. Vera is a force to be reckoned with, and her investigation into the man found dead on her tea house floor is thoroughly researched and carefully based on watching CSI. I loved the found family that developed among the suspects, and while I figured out whodunit before the end, it was still enjoyable to watch the pieces fall into place.

Watching:
Screentime is also slowing down a bit, even though Mr. has still been rather busy of evenings. I’ve been spending a lot of time watching my chickies.

• 📺 Big Bang Theory (Seasons 11 & 12) | Library DVDs
  Finished my rewatch, about a year after starting. These last two seasons pack so much into them, and at times have a real emotional punch – especially the final season. I continue to be impressed with the way they brought things together to end. This series should be used as the example to follow when ending a series {I’m looking at you, Gilmore Girls}.
• 🎬 To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before | Netflix
  I’m many years behind schedule on this one, and it probably would have been better watched closer to when I finished reading the books. It’s cute enough, and refreshingly on the “wholesome” side of things. I’ll probably continue watching the series, but at a leisurely pace.

Listening:
We are definitely transitioning into the season of audiobooks, and as you can tell above: audiobooks are saving my reading lately. {In fact, audiobook totals were even higher in April, bringing us still closer to the “40-hour work week mark,” ha}. That said, I’m also managing to listen to other things.

• After falling in love with the A Jane Austen Year podcast, I have been curious to try others. Seeing the Dan Jones podcast This is History mentioned on Veronica’s blog, I decided to give it a try. Readers, apparently you can take the girl out of the University History Dept but you cannot take the History Dept out of the girl: I am right back in those medieval courses. Still early in Season 1, but am very much enjoying the listen.
• Fun fact: when you’re trying to count a specific number of flower stems to cut, it’s hard to listen to something with words. At times like this, my Instrumentals playlist on Spotify is the perfect solution. Featuring primarily movie scores, it’s definitely a journey for the ears.

On the Blog:
April has been the month of transplants and watching things grow, and I’ve been able to share our onion experiment {they are growing so good, y’all!} and a garden “tour.” With tomatoes and peppers in the ground/grow bags, and peas blooming, it won’t be long now before things really take off. A highlight of the month was definitely getting chickens, and watching them grow. And of course I had to share an update on my bookish crochet project. The Jane Austen Movie Night list will come in handy for May’s Canterbury Classics challenge prompt.

In addition to the “Jane Austen” bookstore visit, I also “hauled” BOTM books and a couple really exciting additions by way of Instagram. {Tremendous thanks to the authors and publisher(s) for sending them my way!} With so many amazing sounding books at my disposal, no wonder I had a hard time settling down and picking one to read, ha.

May is a transition month of sorts: not quite Summer, but definitely sliding in that direction. It’s a time of new beach reads being published, and making plans for outdoor living before it gets too sweltering. I am hopeful the reading momentum gained at the end of April will carry over into May, because there are so many books I genuinely want to read soon. Also: rain. I sincerely hope we get a rainy spell, because we are dry.

How did your April reading and/or watching go? Discover anything fabulous that everyone needs to try? What’s on your agenda for May – will you start Summer Reading early, or are you holding off on those beachy summery reads?

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