april notes
a brief month and an even briefer wrap-up
April, more than any other month this year, has flown by. Looking back on the first half of the month, I hardly remember much of what I got up to… My camera roll from the month is mostly full of photos of flowers and dogs. Which is not a bad thing.
All to say, this will be a short wrap-up! Hopefully the photos of flowers and dogs make up for it.
What I’ve Been Reading (follow me on Storygraph!)
April was a slower month of reading, but I read quite the variety of genres. I finished a total of four books:
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
This book was completely wonderful. Published in 1948, it follows a girl coming of age in a decrepit English castle in the countryside. She lives with her quirky family and the book is written as a series of diary entires detailing their lives. Her voice is clever and unique, and I loved every second of it!
The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemison
The Fifth Season is the first in a fantasy trilogy set in a world that experiences regular apocalyptic climate change events called ‘seasons’. Some people in this world can control the geologic workings of the planet, and we follow three interwoven female narratives that introduce us to the world. This book felt very much like it was setting the stage for the following two novels, but it was excellently written and even addicting to read. I’ve been recommended this trilogy by more people than I can count, and although I haven’t read the second two, I think I can safely say that these live up to the praise they’ve received.
Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield
This was a somewhat bizarre book. While I did very much enjoy it, it left me with more questions than answers. The book is written following two perspectives: a scientist who goes on a submarine expedition that goes unexpectedly wrong, and her wife taking care of her once she returns from her trip. The writing was engaging and it was hard to put the book down, but there are some descriptions that I would classify as body horror that freaked me out a little. Beware!
An Indigenous People’s History of the United States by Roxane Dunbar-Ortiz
I spent over a month reading this book because I had to take such long breaks between chapters. Although the writing and recounting of history is accessible, even to those who don’t read much nonfiction, the history of Indigenous people in North America is, as you might imagine, pretty grueling to read. I wish I’d been assigned this book in high school instead of some of the history textbooks we had to read…
Where I’ve Been Going
I had my first outdoor book cart sale of the season this month! You can read all about it here. Unfortunately I won’t have any more markets until July as I’ll be out of town for the May and June markets. I also traveled to North Carolina with John for Easter weekend. We mostly just hung out with his family, who have a robin nest outside their window!
We didn’t get as much hiking/outdoor adventuring done as I had wished, but we’re making plans to do a lot of adventuring this summer. I still managed to spend a lot of time outside this month between morning runs and reading in the sun.
What I’m Looking Forward to in May
Visiting Boston again
Spending a weekend hiking in Dolly Sods, WV
Watching my garden grow! I’ve planted a lot of flowers, potatoes, and sugar peas already.
That’s all for now! Hope everyone had a lovely April!