Adjustments & Slumps: April Wrap-Up

Well. Talk about a freaking month. Solid effort, am I right? Not.

This is going to be an interesting wrap up [to say the least] because you may have noticed that I had a slow reading month and it fast became a mood. I was binging a series [more on that later] and while I needed a break I just couldn’t for the life of me figure out what I wanted to read next so I just kept reaching for that next installment??? I was still reading at a tediously slow pace so It wasn’t yet a slump but I could feel myself edging closer and closer to that precipice. So, because I didn’t read anything I felt the need to discuss or talk about Reading By Starlight took a serious hit. It’s been like forever since I’ve posted a review. I’ve tried. I’ve sat at my laptop, my fingers performing a war dance across the keys in an attempt to get something posted. I just had an off month.  My writing was mediocre at best and you know that your girl here is nothing but a perfectionist.

So my question for all you bloggers is this; do you ever find yourself in this situation and, if so, how do you break out of that rut?

My Month In A Nutshell

With the newly weds on their honeymoon, I was thrust, head first into my new reality – living on my own for the first time ever. While I’m fairly capable of taking care of myself, it was a huge adjustment for this twenty-two-year-old to be juggling the entire load alone. And what a load it was. Living alone is actually an overwhelming experience. It’s exhausting and even lonely. You really have to get used to living in your own head.  After I got over the initial excitement I quickly realized just how challenging it would be, especially with my mum halfway across the world. I mean, you are now fully responsible and you have to have good security. Who are you going to call if you hear a strange noise in the night? You can’t just hide under your bed anymore – you have to be able to cope on your own.

I think the biggest struggle I faced, besides dealing with the work load that is, was dealing with loneliness. I missed my mum and let me tell you, I have a new found respect for everything she juggles. Getting back to reading, feeling lonely impacted my TBR big time. I’m the biggest mood reader on the planet so I ended up spending my month reading books that gave me a sense of nostalgia. Basically, your girl spent her month reading teenage trash [hence no reviews]. I just needed a distraction so basically, this month I was reading purely for my own pleasure.

But, this month wasn’t exactly all struggle and challenges. while it’s been hard, I’ve learned so much about myself. Never have I felt so capable and independent. And, it can only go up from here. The highlight of my month though was getting the opportunity to meet Sarah J. Maas at the Kingdom of Ash World Tour. Hearing Sarah speak about the series as a whole was an experience second to none and, can you believe, I’ve fallen even more in love with her world. More on that here.

Books Read

After We Collided by Anna Todd |★★★☆☆| The perfect distraction, I worked my way through the trashy yet seriously binge-worthy After series. After We Collided continued Tessa and Hardin’s turbulent romance and it was a roller coaster of emotions. These books just consume you.

After We Fell by Anna Todd |★★★☆☆| I lost momentum with After We Fell. Clocking in at over 800 pages, this book felt very long. After a solid start, the middle felt a little lacking and I found myself increasingly annoyed at Tessa’s character. But that ending though. Dang. Anna Todd knows exactly how to keep you obsessed.

After Ever Happy by Anna Todd |★★½☆☆|The shortest book in the series and the weakest link, this one had a lot of angst and drama but the resolutions and timeline felt rushed. I quickly got over the whole back and forth thing too. Overall, I was happy with the outcome but the execution of the ending let me down. It felt lacking and very much just thrown together.

Fallen by Lauren Kate|★★★½☆| I know Fallen has no substance, basically amounting to a Twilight rip-off but I was in a weird mood and I needed some nostalgia. This was a re-read but feelings didn’t change the second time. Fallen is pure fluff and while enjoyable the writing lets down what could have been a strong series – it just feels juvenile.

Blog Posts

March Madness – March 2019 Wrap Up

Kingdom of Ash World Tour – An Afternoon with Sarah J. Maas

The Mystery Blogger Award

Final Thoughts and May Plans

Just looking at my choice in literature [or lack there of] this month should be enough to justify my lack of blog posts and reviews. I enjoyed these books for the distraction they provided but I just didn’t have anything to say about them. That being said, I still have no idea what to read next, even with my TBR staring daggers at me. So, even though I’m actually hopeless at getting around to recommendations and following TBRs I would very much welcome some recommendations because clearly I need help. Let me know in the comments below what books are among your favorites or what you’d recommend for an almost-slump.

One good thing about May is that the line-up of books publishing look promising and there are more than a few that I’ve been patiently waiting for. With Nexus the follow up to Zenith, Again But Better and Finale all releasing next week I’ve got my fingers crossed that May will be a much better reading month and that I can finally get on top of my reading challenge. *Cough cough* Six books behind *cough*.

What are you reading this month? Remember to leave me a recommendation in the comments below. Until next month x