April Wrap-Up + May Reading Month (2019)

Happy Star Wars Day and May, fellow nerds! It’s finally become slightly cooler thanks to a few timely storms and things are looking hopeful now that spring is everywhere. April was an amazing month in terms of reading because of the OWLs readathon. I also read some cool blog posts, successfully evaded Endgame and Game of Thrones spoilers and made new bookish friends. Some of my most anticipated books came out in April, which I had the pleasure of reading early copies of. Read on to find out which ones and what I’m looking forward to in May!

I read a record-breaking 7 books in April, the most I’ve read in any month this year and I’m quite proud of that! I started out with How Long ’til Black Future Month by N. K. Jemisin for Stars and Sorcery and got a taste of her amazing skill through this collection (read my full review). I then flew through All the Wandering Light by Heather Fawcett, the sequel to Even the Darkest Star, within a span of two days and it was a wonderful conclusion to the duology. Simon Teen had As Kismet Would Have It by Sandhya Menon on their Riveted Lit website for free, which warmed my heart with more adorable Dimple and Rishi moments. I picked up The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie for Classics ‘N’ Christie book club next and was blown away by it so much that I consider it the best Christie I’ve read so far.

After that, I finished Aru Shah and the Song of Death by Roshani Chokshi, one of my most anticipated sequels by one of my favourite authors well before its release date and kept screaming at my friends to read the series because it was even better than the first book (check out my review for Book 1 and Book 2)! I couldn’t resist the allure of the shiny new ARC and devoured Hungry Hearts edited by Elsie Chapman and Caroline Tung Richmond, a deliciously diverse anthology about food, culture and so much more with some of the most talented authors in the industry contributing to it. My last read was another anticipated sequel, Kingdom of the Blazing Phoenix by Julie C. Dao, which I also liked better than its predecessor. It focused heavily on mythology, folklore, stories and magic with a quest plotline, which are some of my favourite aspects in a fantasy and I was impressed with the execution. I rated each and every book 5 stars, so I had an excellent month both quantity and quality-wise.

• I reached 900+ followers on the blog and I couldn’t be more thankful to my new and old followers alike!
• I completed the OWLs Readathon with an Exceeds Expectations and took all the classes required to be on track for a career as an Astronomer
• I also crossed the 800 follower mark on Twitter and I’m inching close to 550 on Instagram, so again huge thanks to my followers everywhere!

• Jenn @ Jenniely shared her tips to get ARCs from publishers, which I found to be very helpful as it is packed with practical and easy pointers
• Krisha @ Bookathon listed 15 books that you won’t be able to stop reading and I fully agree with her choices!
• Charvi @ Not Just Fiction kicked off a new meme, Off Tangent Thoughts, with a fun first prompt involving bookshelf organisation
• Fadwa @ Word Wonders highlighted books that are considered as “Quiet YA” and there are some amazing book recommendations in that post
• Aradhna @ Open Pages talked about 5 Asian book bloggers you must follow and I’m so honoured to be in the excellent company of some of my best blogging friends!
• CW @ The Quiet Pond rounded up books with #OwnVoices autism rep in honour of World Autism Awareness Week (April 1-7)
• Etinosa @ Uwadis helped expand my TBR with a list of diverse anthologies that are coming out in 2019

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For my most anticipated fantasy reads of May 2019, check out my list of 15 new releases to watch out for between January-June 2019!

• Nocturna by Maya Motayne (May 7th: US release) – a fascinating new fantasy debut set in a Latinx-inspired world with an unlikely duo forced to save the world
• Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff (May 7th: US release) – ever since they wrapped up The Illuminae Files, the excitement for their next collaboration has been running high and it has all the classic elements for a good sci-fi ride like a group of misfits, hints of inter-galactic war and a space academy
• Finale by Stephanie Garber (May 7th: US release, May 9th: UK release) – the highly anticipated conclusion to the Caraval trilogy, a circus-centred fantasy featuring two sisters and the greatest game of their lives
• With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo (May 7th: US release) – the sophomore novel from the author of the highly praised The Poet X, it is another unforgettable tale following a teenage mom who is learning to balance her life and her passion for cooking
• Somewhere Only We Know by Maurene Goo (May 7th: US release) – the latest from the YA contemporary queen, it promises a wonderful mix of K-pop, secret double lives and fluffy romance
• There’s Something About Sweetie by Sandhya Menon (May 14th: US and UK release) – the charming sequel to When Dimple Met Rishi with a swoony relationship between an out-of-luck playboy and a fat athlete thirsting to prove herself
• Girl Gone Viral by Arvin Ahmadi (May 21st: US release) – a fast-paced sci-fi about a girl who hacks into a virtual reality contest to seek answers about her missing father and accidentally goes viral, pulling her into a web of lies, hacks and manipulation

I’m doing two readathons this month – Asian Readathon hosted by Cindy @ Read with Cindy for the very first time and Asian Lit Bingo hosted by LitCelebrAsian, which I also took part in last year. I picked 5 books that fit the prompts of one column in the bingo and all the readathon ones. I already completed Pashmina by Nidhi Chanani, a short graphic novel, and started with Darius the Great is Not Okay by Adib Khorram, which I’m buddy reading with a Bookstagram friend. The other books are Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee, The Weight of Our Sky by Hanna Alkaf and The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu. I will be reading The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco for Stars and Sorcery and The Big Four by Agatha Christie for the Classics n Christie book club. I hope I can finish them all this month and continue my streak from April!

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How was April for you? How many books did you read? What are your plans for May? Let’s discuss in the comments section below.

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