April 2024 Wrap-Up!

Posted On April 30, 2024

Hi Readers! The passing of time never ceases to amaze me. I mean, how is April over already? A month that seemed too short but also a month where I did a lot! A lot of reading. A lot of working. A lot of physical fitness and mindfulness. A lot of art, of course. A lot of tortured poets department.

~~BOOKS~~

I read FIVE BOOKS across 1360 PAGES in April. I loved one book, liked two and didn’t like two. But, no major disappointment, I think. But also, supremely average quality of reading this month.

~~THE WOMEN by KRISTIN HANNAH~~

The Women is dedicated to all the women who served in the Vietnam war, but this story is about one woman: Frankie McGrath. It is divided into two parts, where part one is all about the Vietnam war and part two is about Frankie and other nurse vets’ lives after returning home after serving. I think this book was the highlight of the month, not only because the writing was good, but also because it’s my favorite genres and one of my favorites authors. Don’t be too excited because this book also didn’t work for me for a lot of reasons. But, I think the good outweighed the bad.

I have rated The Women by Kristin Hannah at 4/5 stars! You can read the full review below!

Wartime Historical Fiction Book Recommendation: The Women

~~FOUR AUNTIES AND A WEDDING by JESSE Q. SUTANTO~~

This is the second of the third book in the ongoing Aunties series by Jesse Q. Sutanto. I was quite taken by the author’s ‘Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers.’ I even liked the first book, but this one didn’t spark joy. All the reasons why I had loved the first book were missing in this book. It was Meddy’s own wedding to Nathan so the stakes were higher. It might have been the whole lying thing on the wedding day or just the sheer audacity of the plot that didn’t work for me. But also everything that had the potential to be funny became quite annoying and really ruined my reading experience.

I have rated Four Aunties and a Wedding by Jesse Q. Sutanto at 2/5 stars!

~~FUN HOME by ALISON BECHDEL~~

This was kind of a fun graphic novel where there was more of a funeral home vibes to it than fun home vibes, which makes sense. I read this one in about two days or so, but I have no recollection of what I read. Here’s what Goodreads says: Distant and exacting, Bruce Bechdel was an English teacher and director of the town funeral home, which Alison and her family referred to as the Fun Home. It was not until college that Alison, who had recently come out as a lesbian, discovered that her father was also gay. A few weeks after this revelation, he was dead, leaving a legacy of mystery for his daughter to resolve.

I have rated Fun Home by Alison Bechdel at 3/5 stars!

~~HEAR THE WIND SING by HARUKI MURAKAMI~~

This is the first piece of literature that Haruki Murakami ever wrote! So, naturally I was keen on reading this. It is the most Murakami book ever, but you could sense that it was among the early writings. In most of his novels, the story flounders charmingly but usually has some point. I did not find that in this one. So, it was purely a story tale, which was refreshing to read.

I have rated Hear the Wind Sing by Haruki Murakami at 3/5 stars!

~~PINBALL, 1973 by HARUKI MURAKAMI~~

Pinball is supposed to be in continuation after Wind, being the second book in the Rat Series. But, I felt that this book was even more pointless than the first, but I guess it’s okay.

I have rated Pinball, 1973 by Haruki Murakami at 2/5 stars!

~~READING STATS~~

My reading in April was entirely random. I didn’t read a single book which was only by April TBR, but that’s rarely a surprise. I also did not intend to read so many digital books rather than physical ones, but I think given how busy I was at work, I saw that as an easy escape to bring in some reading time while having my lunch and dinner. I have also officially read FIVE HUNDRED BOOKS in my life!

~~LIFE LATELY~~

April being the start of the fiscal year, work was quite high. My favorite colleague Kubendran is taking a break for a year, so I am going to miss him and also the ability to have someone to entirely rely upon. Anyway, change is a constant. Suruchi and I met twice; once for the Liminal Gaps exhibit at Neeta Mukesh Ambani Cultural Center, and then for the BMC Headquarters tour and hit some Mumbai art galleries! Taylor’s new album ‘The Tortured Poets Department’ is here and I am so confused about my feelings for it. My favorites so far are ‘I Can Do It With a Broken Heart’, ‘I Hate it Here’, ‘Down Bad’, ‘loml’ & ‘Fortnight’. The heat here in Mumbai is UNBEARABLE and I hate it so so much. It’s even harder to walk in the mornings and get some exercise done when it’s 41 degrees, but I do it anyway! I walked 130k steps, which is higher than March or February!

Until next time,