April 2026 Recap!

Posted On April 28, 2026

Hi Readers!

April being the month after my birthday month has never really had much appeal to me. It’s also the onset of summers. Aside from the constant wilting because of the brutal summers, the month has been cheery! Finally met my friends, cousins, some relatives. Had a good and somewhat normal time at work. Got a start on some things that were long pending. Unfortunately, I didn’t work out at all this month, and yes, once again, I will blame the heat. Day out art gallery hopping was out of question, so instead I made do with indoor plans, either at home or malls or movie theatres! More indoor time meant more reading time too! May is probably going to be even more brutal weather-wise, but what’s really the alternative? There isn’t one, so here I will be, to the outlet I always turn to. 😊

~~BOOKS~~

April created a 2026 record of highest number of books read in a month! I read SIX BOOKS across 1852 PAGES in APRIL! Five of them were from my personal TBR, so pat on my own shoulder for this! I absolutely loved The Correspondent and the remaining five were 50-50 for me. Check the intro for them below to see if you might like them!

~~REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES by SHELBY VAN PELT~~

Remarkably Bright Creatures is the story of a 70-year-old woman named Tova, who lost her husband to cancer two years ago and who lost her son 30 years ago. She lives alone and works at the Sowell Bay Aquarium as a cleaning lady, because it’s just something to do to keep busy. It’s also the story of Cameron Cassmore, who is a walking wrecking ball, who can never keep a job and whose life is quite messy. He doesn’t know who is father is, and his mother had left him when he was nine, so he his Aunt Jeanne raised him. While he cares deeply about the people in his life, his actions some times may not seem that way. And, lastly, this is also the story of Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus. I have rated Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt at 3/5 stars!

Remarkably Bright Creatures: Worth the Hype?

~~THE LITTLE SPARROW MURDERS by SEISHI YOKOMIZO~~

The Little Sparrow Murders is the 6th translation in the Kosuke Kindaichi novels. The story revolves around various families, of which the richest are the Yuras and the Nires. We also have the Turtle Spring innkeeper family of Aoike, followed by the Tatara family consisting of the village chieftain, and lastly the Bessho family. Upwards of 30 characters crammed in 318 pages to tell the story of the murders of three girls. Everything that usually works in a Yokomizo mystery either fell short or went wrong in this book. Too many characters usually add to the intrigue and leave you guessing from a bigger pool of suspects. But in this book, it’s difficult to even keep track of all of them. I have rated The Little Sparrow Murders by Seishi Yokomizo, translated by Bryan Karetnyk at 2/5 stars!

Book Recommendations: Seishi Yokomizo’s Murder Mystery Novels!

~~THE WIZARD’S BAKERY by GU BYEONG-MO~~

We put a lot of emphasis on books that change our lives, or those who bring us out of our reading slumps, or those that make us feel all our emotions. But, rarely do we glorify the ones that are in-between. The ones where we may not remember the story in a few months. May not even recommend it to everyone in sight. And may not have a profound impact. But, we will remember that they brought us some much-needed short-term joy. I think that’s what The Wizard’s Bakery did for me.

The book is a mere 8 chapters set in The Wizard’s Bakery. I went into it thinking it would be a cozy and wholesome novel, but the book must not be judged by its whimsical cover. At the offset itself, there are major trigger warnings highlighted, which was the proper tone setting for the novel. I have rated The Wizard’s Bakery by Gu Byeong-mo, translated by Jamie Chang at 4/5 stars!

Book Recommendation: The Wizard’s Bakery!

~~THE MISTRESS OF BHATIA HOUSE by SUJATA MASSEY~~

In The Mistress of Bhatia House, Perveen Mistry: solicitor at law returns. This time defending an ayah Sunanda Chavda employed at the Bhatia House who was charged with the crime of abortion in 1920 India. What starts as something against a powerless woman turns into the theme of the book focusing on what power can do in the wrong hands and eventually the right ones. The book is set at the slowest of pace where the actual content of the plot is minimal. I have rated The Mistress of Bhatia House by Sujata Massey at 3/5 stars!

Perveen Mistry Investigates (1920s Indian Mystery)

~~THE CORRESPONDENT by VIRGINIA EVANS~~

Every once in a while, you read a book that’s so simple but stays with you beyond measure. You can’t really pick one thing that you enjoyed or something specific you loved. It also becomes impossible to write about such books in the same manner you write about other books. So, the only alternative left is just lines and lines of how the book made you feel, how you cried multiple times reading it, and how fiercely you will recommend it to everyone you come across. Such has been my journey with The Correspondent by Virginia Evans, which is now shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction Awards in 2026! I have rated The Correspondent by Virginia Evans at 5/5 stars, and I think you should read it!

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans: Read Now!

~~SWEET BEAN PASTE by DURIAN SUKEGAWA~~

This one was a last minute read which I finished just a day ago. This book, though small, covers a lot of themes, none of which overpower each other. It is definitely a kind of healing fiction novel, but very light in its content. It’s a story of Sentaro, an ex-con, financially burdened and the same routine of making dorayaki in a confectionary shop. Soon enters an elderly lady Tokue who changes a lot for him. We also see how her life as a survivor of leprosy disease has been, the physical struggles she went through and the societal stigma she faced all through her life. The writing and flow throughout felt somewhat disconnected and the structure could have been better. I have rated Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa, translated by Alison Watts at 3/5 stars!

~~STATS & MORE~~

~~LIFE LATELY~~

1. Painting after a long time! My friend Suruchi and I first did a shared painting session, where we swapped the canvases every 5 minutes, which turned out to be hilarious and I loved the final results! We also painted solos after this, but I immediately gave up on the over enthusiastic idea I had of 2 paintings in one day. But, Suruchi’s universe-painting looked amazing! We had cold coffee and sandwiches. So, a café-style experience from the comfort of home, which was a much-needed mental reset! PS: I also got my birthday gifts, yayy!! 🎁
2. Went with my cousins to watch The Drama. What a disappointment, movie-wise. But such fun, company-wise! We had a lot of foo. We talked and laughed a lot, both of which are synonymous when it comes to them! 😁 Made tentative travel plans. Talked about movies & TV shows and on and on it went!
3. Since my team is based in Chennai, I’ve never really had that sense of group bonding. But, over the last couple of years, I’ve talked and dare I say ‘made friends’ with the wonderful people I sit with in the office. Though this was a farewell, we had a blast, and I just feel lucky to belong. 😇
4. Make work from home a mandate if it’s over 40 degrees!!! 🫠
5. I have lost count of the times I have whined about the heat, so here’s once more. Because of the said heat, I made a lot of fun new cold beverages! Ever since I had Cold Brew at a café, I have switched my post-breakfast hot filter coffee with a cold brew. It’s not as delicious as the café one, but I’m still experimenting. Any coffee brands you swear by will be welcome recommendations! Also, the Mango Matcha was amazing! I didn’t expect it. 😁
6. Good food and better vibes at Grey Soul Café in Bandra
7. Cooking! Made dumplings twice this month. The first time I tried those viral lazy dumplings, but they turned out to be more of a hassle. And then, couple of days ago, I made them normally with different ingredients, (you can feel the brag coming yet?) but they were the most delicious thing I have ever made!!
8. Attended a बारसं (baby naming ceremony) for a baby boy who will call me Atya-Aji (grandma!) Yes, I love telling this to everyone. It was again a cousins’ reunion. We had the absolute best food at this function. Top tier. Even better than some high end restaurants!
9. One of my sisters actually told me about Pint of View, who organize lectures over drinks. I thought it was such a fun idea! I went with my friend Aishwarya because we both thought the topic was interesting – How Hidden Tsunamis Breathe Life into the Southern Ocean by Dr. Amber Annett. We had different expectations from this, so we didn’t actually end up liking it, but maybe another topic some other time before I give out a firm opinion.
10. Random
11. The Pitt S02 was amazing, and I don’t know how to go about my Fridays without an episode! The last part with Mel & Santos singing karaoke was badass! Another strong recommendation is Ripple. Very wholesome, very heartbreaking, very lovely.
12. See you next month! ❣️

Until next time,