Rebecca

Bookmarked: April

April’s recap is a little late, since Mr and I took a much-needed getaway to the mountains. If March felt like something of a blackhole, April was definitely a whirlwind blur. {Surely I’m not the only one who blinked and the month disappeared?} Between work busyness for Mr and all the attention the garden and flowers needed, it was a very fast month. Unsurprisingly, I managed very few reads, but thankfully most of them were truly excellent selections. Keep reading to see April in a nutshell.

📖 Julia | Heather B Moore | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
📖 Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter | Heather Fawcett | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
🎧 It’s in His Kiss | Julia Quinn | ⭐⭐⭐
📱 The Faraway Inn | Sarah Beth Durst | ⭐⭐⭐⭐
📖 Throne of Glass | Sarah J Maas | ⭐⭐⭐⭐

It’s hard to describe why and how I loved Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter, but my goodness. The cats, the cozy fantasy elements, the wannabe-villain {he really just wants to be left alone with his collection – and who can’t relate to that?}, the impossible optimism of Agnes. I loved it.

This one gets all the heart-eyed cat emojis!
Throne of Glass reread time!

I am also very excited to have officially begun my TOG reread, as several girlfriends are reading it for the first time. Waiting on at least one to catch up with me before I start the second book {I blew through Throne of Glass in 4 reading sessions!}; it is wonderful to be back in this world – with these characters. Also incredibly hilarious to read this after everything else in the Maasverse, and seeing all these pieces of the puzzle laying out in the open. Well-played, Sarah, well-played.

Listening:
If I’m not listening to an audiobook, chances are good I’ve been listening to the official Bridgerton playlist on Spotify. Do I know the original version(s) of any of the songs? Nope. Do I love the Bridgerton-ized versions anyway? Oh yes, yes I do.

Watching:
A little watching, but not a lot. I keep adding things to my “want to watch” list though. I am very excited about the new Devil Wears Prada movie, and feel a need for a rewatch of the original.

  • 📺 What I Like About You (Season 1- Season 2) | Netflix
    Still working on my rewatch, and realizing I’ve forgotten a lot of the timeline. In some regards, this show is very much one of those “of its time” pieces, but it is still ridiculously goofy and enjoyable for some light viewing.
  • 📺 The Count of Monte Cristo | PBS Passport/Masterpiece
    Having tried to read the behemoth that is the book, when we saw this was part of the new Masterpiece season, we promptly renewed our PBS Passport to watch. {The hope is that with a better understanding of where the story is going, I’ll manage to finish reading the book}. We’re not quite finished yet, but oh my. The Count is playing the long long game for sure.

On the Blog:
The whirlwind of April is apparent in the somewhat lighter blog posting that occurred. There was however a diverse range of content, from random Tea Time chatter to a flower farm update, and the first in a new bookish feature. We also got a very exciting year-in update on the chickens!

With my limited April reading, the library sign didn’t change as often, but I still love seeing the reminder of my progress every day.

We are currently in an extremely dry weather pattern, which means watering is a daily event. I anticipate a lot more audiobooks in my future, especially as I start the shift into “Summer Reading Mode”. All that to say, I predict the library sign will get a lot more action.

May promises to be another busy growing month, and I’m working on a garden update-slash-tour! Hopefully we’ll also be sharing baby chicken news soon.

How was your April?
What exciting things are on the agenda for May?
What summer release are you looking forward to the most – book or movie?

12 comments

    • There’s so much good English lit (and history) out there, it totally deserves a month of concentration! It’s a good year for relapsing into that sort of obsession 🙂

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  2. I’m glad that you loved Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter. It was just xuch a lovely book. I’ve always been put off by the length of the Count of Monte Cristo too. We’re going to watch the film version that’s being shown on BBC4 and then I might attempt it.
    Hope May is a good month for you.

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    • “Lovely” is really the perfect word for Agnes! ❤
      I think we're watching the same version of Monte Cristo, and maybe halfway through? So far I'm feeling like maybe I could make it through a book reading now … maybe. Not quite sure I'm there yet 😉
      Hope you also have a lovely May! ❤

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    • I was so impressed with the high ratings! 😀 haha… Definitely proving quality over quantity.
      I’ve been meaning to reread TOG for … a while now, lol, so I’m very excited to finally be doing so. And with friends who have never read it before! 😀

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  4. I hope you had a lovely time on your mountain getaway 🥰 my wrap ups late too. April definitely seemed to pass in a blink and I wanted to get my May ARC reviews up before posting my wrap up.

    Ooh so exciting seeing that Agnes Aubert’s rating!! I’m so glad you loved it. I keep seeing such mixed things that I’m nervous but I am reading it very soon. My library copy arrived yesterday 😊 but I have one ARC and possibly one other library title that I plan to read first.

    Ooh Julia is about the older woman from Julie & Julia I’m guessing? I’m glad to see Faraway Inn was a strong read too and that you enjoyed your TOG reread. I really need to pick up Crescent City soon so that I’m up to date world wise for her new releases.

    Ive never seen or read Count Of Monte Cristo. I hope your plan to try again after watching the adaptation work. I saw Devils Wear Prada 2 earlier this week and loved it 😍 I rewatched the original first and I’m glad I did as it had some winks to that one that I doubt I’d have remembered otherwise. Whilst at the cinema I also saw that theres a new Practical Magic movie coming out and OMG how did I miss that announcement!!?

    I hope you have a wonderful May. Definitely need to get into audiobooks myself to make garden watering time go quicker 😂 my most anticipated book of summer is The Unicorn Hunters and movie is The Odysseus 😍

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    • I can see how Agnes might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it checked all my boxes. 😍 I hope you enjoy it when you get to it! 😀

      Yeah, Julia is about the older woman in that movie, Julia Child. I’ve been meaning to rewatch/reread that one too … So many books, so little time!

      You definitely want to have CC read before the new ACOTAR books, because there’s no telling where this story is going!

      Oh yay, I’m glad the new DWP is good, and now I will definitely rewatch the first one soon. (Not sure when I’ll get to see the new one, so I’ve got a little time, haha)

      Thank you and you have a wonderful May as well! Do give audiobooks a try for garden time: it definitely makes it seem faster. Yessss, I am so looking forward to the Unicorn Hunters myself! 😀 And the next Claudia Gray Mr Darcy/Miss Tilney mystery 😍

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      • I’m simultaneously over the moon excited and nervous 😂 but yes here’s hoping it’s a hit for me too 🤞

        Oh wow was that movie an adaptation? I didn’t realise there was a book specifically of that too. Although thinking about it that does make sense given the movie premise 🙈 I hope you get to do your reread and rewatch soon.

        Having seen a spoilery quote I kind of know why 🙈 but yes I’ll make an effort to get there soon.

        I hope you enjoy the rewatch and dont have to wait too long for the new one either. I have plenty of shows on my watchlist that I dont know when I’ll fit in though. I think I worry they’ll take over and delay starting them 🙈

        Thank you 🥰 will do. I’m glad you’re looking forward to that one too. Hope you enjoy the next mystery too ❤️

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