April Wrap Up (2019)

Hey guys, this is Abi here,

And although I've been trying to find opportunities to write blog posts, I haven't had the easiest time with it. But, I'm digging my heels in and doing it today.

Here's my April Wrap Up, and there will be a lot to sift through because I did a lot in April!

Enjoy!

-BOOKS-

I read a total of four books this month, and even though I started a fifth, I have yet to finish it.

1. The Beast Within: A tale of Beauty's Prince, by Serena Valentino

My first thought after picking up this book: it had a different feel to the film. Although it took a bit of getting used to, it was a quick read and it ignited a different perspective of the classic film that we all have come to know. I genuinely enjoyed it, so much so that I'm considering picking up the other villainous books sometime in the future. If you like watching Disney and are looking for something quick to fly through, I recommend picking one of these.

2. The Light Between Worlds, by Laura Weymouth

I haven't really read any magical realism recently (or at all) so when I saw this beautiful cover I just had to get it. When I was picked up, I was completely thrown into the action, the terror of bombing that took place in WWII. It seemed effortless, the writing, and there really wasn't much getting used to the writing until I fell straight into the story. It's set into two parts, one from the point of view Evelyn, and the second from Phillippa. I don't really want to spoil anybody because I want you all to read it (because I honestly really enjoyed it) but one point of view takes place before and after they leave the mystical world they all left when they were children. This is both a beautiful and tragic story that discusses loss, the love of siblings, as well as depression, so if you're looking for a magical realism novel that deals with those issues, this may be the book for you.

3. Lord of Shadows (The Dark Artifices #2), by Cassandra Clare

Although I thoroughly enjoyed the other books I read this month, this was by far my favourite. I was hesitant going into Lord of Shadows because I hadn't enjoyed reading Lady Midnight that much, but I had nothing to worry about. It's for sure one of my favourite Cassie Clare books that I've read, and I'm super excited to read Queen of Air & Darkness this month!

4. Crazy Rich Asians (Crazy Rich Asians #1), by Kevin Kwan

I started this when I went on holiday, with the intent of finishing it on the plane back. And that's exactly what I did. Because we saw a lot of the landmarks in the afternoon, it gave me an opportunity to get some reading done in the mornings, which is why I finished it so quickly, even with the tiny print. Admittedly, I was surprised how quickly I got into. Because of how wordy the writing was, I was worried it was going to be a long slog, getting through this book, but once I got into it, I couldn't put it down. And to top it off, I finished Crazy Rich Asians about 10 minutes before landing!

-FILMS & TV SHOWS-

FILMS

1. To the Bone
This film has been on my radar for a while, but I didn't really want to watch it, in case it glamorised eating disorders. But after watching some interviews, I decided to give it a shot. And to set the record straight, To the Bone in no way glamorises eating disorders. Although I have no experience with them, it appeared authentic and real. One thing I will say is that it was so much more heart-breaking than I thought it was going to be, so if you want to watch this, be prepared to be sobbing at some points. (Trigger warning: eating disorders.)

Films I Showed Jordan (boyfriend) this month:

2. Kick-ass

3. Catching Fire

4. Pixels

(There are so many I'm just going to list them.)

TV SHOWS

1. Dragonball Z

We watched so much of this this month! I can't believe how good it's gotten! Because I've watched so much, I'm not going to give away any spoilers, but I'd definitely consider it one of my favourites shows by this point.

2. Dance Academy

I'm physically watching this now. This is absolutely my favourite dance show, and I have officially lost count of how many times I've watched this show. This is not the first time that I'll watch these episodes, nor will it be the last. These characters all grow so much throughout this series, there's plenty of drama, relationships, and ballet so anybody that likes those things, I urge them to watch this series!

Pokémon

I've only just started re-watching this, but Jordan and I are undoubtedly getting through it slowly. A bunch of you will know what this show is, so I don't have to explain it. But, if you're around my age (I'm 21) then you will know what a phenomenon that this show was, and still is today!

-OTHER THINGS I DID THIS MONTH-

I've actually got up to a lot this month, and I'm excited to tell you about them!

1. I RAN MY FIRST HALF MARATHON THIS MONTH!

I booked it in January, and because of an injury, going into March, I hadn't done any more than 5 miles, but a month later, and I finished in under 2 hours, which I am incredibly happy with! I'm already considering doing another half in October, and I hope to beat that time!

2. I went to Madrid!

I've never been to Madrid before and even though the weather wasn't the best, (it was better in the UK, ironically enough) I saw some amazing sights! (There's a post on my Instagram-same name as my blog- if you want to see where I went.)

3. I hit 90,000 views!

There really is nothing more that I can say about this. I just want to thank everybody that is reading this, or has even only been on it once. I wouldn't have got to this point if it hadn't been for you lot and I'm so thankful for that.

4. 100th parkrun!

I have been doing parkrun for four years and I finally got to 100! Parkrun is a weekly timed 5K run at 9.00 every Saturday. It's mostly a national thing, and it takes place all over the UK every single week. I love doing parkrun because the people are so nice, whether you walk, jog or run!

Okay! So that is my April Wrap Up, I hope you enjoyed it, and I will see you all soon!

Byeeeee!

-Abi xxxxx