April Wrap Up & May TBR (2025)

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And since most of my month has mostly been re-reads, I will be including my TBR for May as well- which means I'm in this for the long haul! 

I don't really have anything else to say so, without further ado, I hope you enjoy. 

~April Wrap Up~

I read a total of 7 books in April, and frankly, I needed a good reading month, since I was struggling to keep up with my Goodreads goal- thankfully I'm now a book ahead and plan to keep it that way. 

1. Rachel's Holiday (Walsh Family #2), by Marian Keyes

What do I say about this book? Fantastic. Gripping. Emotional. It may have taken me over a fortnight to finish, but I felt so satisfied when I did. Rachel's Holiday tells her story of being admitted into a Rehab centre, in denial that her drug habit is completely normal. When she's dropped off, she plans to treat it all as some big holiday- just a break, in a centre that has a Spa, Gym, and celebrities in every room. She's in for quite a shock. Instead, she finds herself in a facility that has no secrets, no spa, no pool, and worse of all, not a single celebrity.  As she's forced to endure the public humiliation of forms, filled out by the people that have seen her drug problem first hand read out in front of the entire group, interviews in Group from her family and loved ones, she finally see for herself through the eyes of others. 

I asked for this book as a present about a year ago, unaware that it was the second book in a series. I've since found out, after starting Rachel's holiday, that she has two sisters, and each book in the series centres around a different sisters, so they can really be read in any order. 

Marian Keyes is an excellent writer, and one I always knew I wanted to continue reading after I finished Grown Ups- I've already seen Watermelon, the first book in the Walsh Family trilogy, in Asda, and I intend to read it before too long. 

2. Slated (Slated #1), by Teri Terry 

3. Fractured (Slated #2), by Teri Terry 

4. Shattered (Slated #3), by Teri Terry 

On my TBR, I hadn't decided between re-reading Slated, or The Hunger Games. Honestly, when I finished Rachel's Holiday, there was only one book I wanted to read. 

I finished Slated in 2 days, I was that invested in it. 

Slated is, and probably always will be, one of my favourite series' of all time. I read it for the first time when I was 15, and still to this day, I have never read a book like it. Slated is from the POV of Kyla- who has no idea who she is. The Government claim she was a terrorist. Because of this, she has been slated- given a second chance- all of her memories have been wiped away, and she's been given a new life, with a new family. 

But Kyla remembers things- memories that don't make sense, from her past life. She knows someone- someone close to her- is lying to her. Who can she trust in her search for the truth?

Such a fantastic trilogy- I was so happy to read them all again, straight through. I finished them all in 9 days. 

5. The Austere Academy (A Series of Unfortunate Events #5), by Lemony Snicket 

6. The Ersatz Elevator (A Series of Unfortunate Events #6), by Lemony Snicket 

7. The Vile Village (A Series of Unfortunate Events #7), by Lemony Snicket

 

It was such a joy to get to these three books- The Austere Academy in particular introduces the reader to three very important characters- 2/3 of the Quagmire triplets. The triplets serve as a source of comfort for the Baudelaires, that have had nothing but misery since the death of their parents. The Quagmires are like them- orphans, with a large inheritence, and just longing for some comfort. From The Austere Academy onwards, the story changes from the somewhat repetitive storyline of the first four books, as the Baudelaires try to uncover the secret of V.F.D, outsmart Count Olaf, and get their new found friends to safety. But the more information the Baudelaires uncover, the more questions arise. The next book in the series is called The Hostile Hospital, and it also happens to be the first book I read in the series. I'm so excited to get to it. 

Okay! Those are all the books I read in the month of April! Like I said, mostly re-reads, but they needed to be if I'm ever going to be successful in my reading goal for the year. Now that I'm a book ahead, I'm going to try and fit more new reads into my TBR- even though I'll still be continuing on with A Series of Unfortunate Events for the next couple of months. 

~May TBR~

1. Howl's Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones

My colleague Kia lent this to me- which was so nice since she received it as a birthday present. I started it on tuesday, and I'm 16 pages in due to work and having no free time. 

When I was given it, I knew the name sounded familiar, maybe it was the name of an anime- I wasn't sure though. Turns out, I was bang on. (Though most of you might not recognise the book cover, but this is the anime cover:)

To be honest, I knew squat about what this book was about, all I even know now is that Sophie, the protagonist, is cursed by a witch and must travel to the legendary Howl Castle, which can change location in the blink of an eye, and contains the wizard, who devoures the hearts of young girls. 

It's the first book in a trilogy, and hopefully I enjoy this as much as I think I'm going to, and continue on with the series at a later date. 

2. The Hostile Hospital (A Series of Unfortunate Events #8), by Lemony Snicket 

3. The Carnivorous Carnival (A Series of Unfortunate Events #9), by Lemony Snicket

4. The Slippery Slope (A Series of Unfortunate Events #10), by Lemony Snicket

In truth, I don't remember a whole lot about book 9 onwards for this series, so it'll be nice to have a refresher. What I do remember is that these three books are some of the most dramatic of the series, complete with head surgery, arson, murder, kidnapping and a lion pit! 

We're slowly getting closer to the end of the series, with just three books remaining after I tackle these three, and I'm half/half on wanting to find out what happens next, but also never wanting it to end! 

It's been great to see the Baudelaire orphan's daunting journey turn them into the daring, capable children I'm reading about in book 8- but I do wish them some happiness soon. 

5. American Gods (American Gods #1), by Neil Gaiman

I'm adding this onto my TBR because I'm determined to read all the birthday/christmas presents I've received in the last year or so. As I said before, I am aware of the allegiations directed at Neil Gaiman, but that doesn't mean I can't still enjoy his work. 

American Gods is about Shadow, a prisoner, who on the verge of being released from prison, receives the news that his wife Laura has passed away. Numbly, he boards a plane home, where he meets an eccentric character called Mr. Wednesday, who just happens to be a refugee from a distant war, a former God, and the King of America. 

With little direction, the two men set out on a road trip across America, whilst all around them, a storm- an unnatural, and of epic proportions- threatens to break around them. 

There are extremely mixed reviews on this book, all one and 4/5 stars, so I'm not sure what I'll make of it. But I'm determined to give it a try. 

6. The Earthsea Quartet (Earthsea Cycle #1-4), by Ursula Le Guin

One of my work colleagues (a different one to the colleague that lent me Howl's Moving Castle) had a second copy of this- I am now the proud owner of said second copy (couldn't be happier as Earthsea is one of the most classic fantasy series of all time). 

It definitely isn't a small book, given it's just shy of 700 pages, but as the name suggests, it's four short stories, rolled into one. 

Like with Howl's Moving Castle, I have no idea of what this book contains, but it's never a bad thing to be compared with Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, so I'm ready to commit to what could be considered one of the best novels released in the twentieth century. 

7. The Wake-Up Call, by Beth O' Leary 

I think this is the third time I've added this book, most likely on the end, each time. But it doesn't matter, because I will be picking it up as soon as I finish my CR. 

If you didn't know what this book is about, allow me to express it in bullet points:

• Hotel is threatening to close. 
• Two members of staff, who hate eachother, find a ring and return it to the missing couple. She's gives them an extremely large reward. 
• There are several other rings in the lost and found. Izzy and Lucas hatch a plan- if they locate the owners of these rings- they might just save the hotel. 
• Also, they can't seem to stop flling in love with one another. 

That's basically the bare bones of the story, I'm sure there's a lot more to it, but that's basically the premise. I really need to get to this soon, because I know I'm going to love it. 

Okay! That's me done! I was always considering posting these two together, as most of the books I finished in April were re-reads, but I definitely wasn't banking on the second part taken the best part of three days to complete! 

Nevertheless, it's finally done, and I can get started on my review for Rachel's Holiday, which will be coming to you soon! 

As always, feel free to comment what you all got up to last month, I'll start: 

I FINALLY RAN BOSTON MARATHON (Lincolnshire) AND HAVE SIGNED UP FOR LONDON NEXT YEAR (99% sure I won't get in as over 1 million people signed up, but I can dream). 

Okay! That is all I have for you today! I hope you have a wonderful evening, and I'll see you all soon! 

Byeeeee! 

-Abi xxxx

Sunrise on the Reaping (The Hunger Games #0.5), by Suzanne Collins

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

I'm here with the much promised Sunrise on the Reaping review, which I'm sure most of you will have at least started by now (I seem to find at least one person a day carrying this book around at the moment). 

I was all too ready to hit the ground running with this review at the start of the month, but sometime other things need to take priority. (Like my ever declining reading challenge this year.) 

But, at last, I'm finally noting my thoughts on this ever-popular book, so I hope you enjoy them! 

Title: Sunrise on the Reaping

Author: Suzanne Collins

Genre: Dystopian

Status: Book 0.5 in The Hunger Games trilogy/ Prequel

Release date: 18/3/2025

Pages: 382

Blurb: "As the day dawns on the fiftieth 

annuel Hunger Games, fear 

grips the districts of Panem. This 

year, in honour of the Quarter Quell, 

twice as many tributes will be taken 

from their homes. 

Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy 

is trying not to think too hard about his chances. 

All he cares about is making it through the day 

and being with the girl he loves. 

When Haymitch's name is called, he can 

feel all his dreams break. He's torn from his

family and his love and is shuttled to the 

Capitol with the three other District 12

tributes: a young friend whose nearly a sister to 

him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most

stuck-up girl in town. As the games begin, 

Haymitch underrstands he's been set up to fail. 

But there's something in him that wants to fight

... and have that fight reverberate far beyond

the deadly arena."

My Thoughts

I have so many thoughts on this, on the book, on the developments for the film, just so many thoughts, all fighting for attention- but where to start? 

Let's just say, approaching release date, I knew I wasn't the only one excited for this, and I knew with almost certainty, that I was going to love it, and that it was going straight onto my Favourites list for 2025. Maybe that was why it felt a little bit let down? 

Not to say it was bad, or anything- far from it. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Haymitch in teenage form, before he got buried under by alcohol and mentoring kids as a victor. I just never felt the urgency to keep reading, to find out what was going to happen next. 

From page 1, you learn that it is Haymitch's birthday- and the day of the reaping, which in itself is a kick in the teeth. To know that he runs the risk of being catapulted into the idea of being a tribute every single year is horrible- or risk seeing his love, Lenore Dove going in- is even worse. Because she is his driving force, the reason for Haymitch wanting to survive the Hunger Games- even when the odds are stacked against him. 

You fall in love with Haymitch's character almost instantly. Kind and caring, he's the kind of character that you warm to immediately. Especially when he's with Lenore Dove.

Lenore Dove reminds me a lot of Lucy Baird- probably deliberate, as they're both Covey kids during their stories. Musical, mischievious and sensitive, you can see why Haymitch wants to protect her. 

At the start of the story, Haymitch is waking up to his brother, Sid, and his mother. All he wants is to go through the day's reaping, so he can spend the rest of his birthday with Lenore Dove. Of course, we know that's not what happens. 

Instead he's thrust away with the other tributes, expecting never to see his family again. Especially as this year, it's the Quarter Quell, and there are double the amount of tributes. As we know from the blurb, Haymitch knows that, because of powerful influences outside of his control as a tribute, that he's being set up to fail. But there's something in him that wants to fight, to make himself unforgettable, so he has the best chance- the best chance to survive. 

Going into this book, we all know how it ends. But what we're all looking for (I assume at least, because I know I was) is a connection between ABOSAS and the original Hunger games series. I was looking to find out how Haymitch went from district 12's first male victor, to being the depressed drunk we see at Katniss and Peeta's reaping. I definitely got that. 

Also, I will be mentioning, it was awesome to get reacquainted with some characters- Beetee, Mags, Wiress, and of course Effie! I genuinely felt starved of all of these characters when Haymitch went into the arena! (Though my hate at Snow had me thinking murderous thoughts whenever he was mentioned.)

Of course, there was a whole new cast of characters that I was growing more and more attached to, specifically the other District 12 tributes, and a couple of others from other districts. Louella, Maysilee and Wyatt, and Ampert- all characters that I immediately became attached to. 

Being reintroduced to characters I'd only glimpsed in Katniss' story definitely opened up a can of worms for me- and based on the amount of facebook posts I've seen on the subject, I'm not alone in that. Haymitch's prequel novel is the perfect way to publish over victor's Hunger Games as well- I'd personally love to see how Beetee's, Mags, Wiress and Finnick's stories- although I know Johanna's is also a popular request. 

Haymitch's arena was interesting- and extremely bloodthirsty. Although I knew Haymitch would always survive, I always became excited that something might happen that would leave me in tears, too distraught to continue- at least for a bit. 

Surprisingly, that moment never came. It almost felt repetitive to be honest. Like, Haymitch gets into a scenario, he gets lucky, or someone sacrifices themselves, or his pursuer dies accidentally, and then it's moving on. There were certain characters that I did develop a liking for, and some of their deaths did hit kind of hard, but nowhere near as much as I thought, given what everyone else was posting on their reviews. (One sentence reviews to be fair.)

Sunrise on the Reaping was extremely well-written. Emotional and intricate, not wordy at all. Direct and to the quick to the point. The way the pacing changed at the drop of the hat left you realing at times, and I had to re-read a couple of paragraphs, to make sure I'd understood what had happened. I had no problem picturing the woods or the arena, it was all described so well. 

I will say, the poetry and songs fell a bit flat for me, especially towards the end. This is just my personal opinion, nothing against those that loved what they lended to the story, it just wasn't my cup of tea. 

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading about Haymitch's Hunger Games, there were moments that broke my heart, that left me angry, sad and distressed, and I'm glad I got to meet these wonderful characters, that impact the story, 25 years later. 

As soon as I finished SOTR, I felt the urge to pick up books 1-3, and I have no doubt that it won't be long until I do. 

Okay! Those are all my (current) thoughts on Sunrise on the Reaping, by Suzanne Collins. I'm sure the minute I post this I'll come up with a lot more to talk about. But for now, I'm fine with this. 

So with that, I bid you goodbye! As always, feel free to comment your thoughts, and we can chat about this book! 

I hope you have a wonderful evening and I'll see you all soon! 

Byeeee! 

-Abi xxxxx

April TBR (2025)

 Hey guys, this is Abi here, 

And OMG- we're in the second quarter of the month already?! How did we get here?!

I'm a wee bit nervous at the moment- Boston (Lincolnshire-I'm not that speedy) marathon is less than two weeks ago and I'm bloody nervous. 

But enough about that. I'm sure it'll go fine (I hope). This post is about my April TBR.

I hope you enjoy it. 

1. Rachel's Holiday (Walsh Family #2), by Marian Keyes

I always knew it was going to be a stretch to finish this in March, especially after I picked up Sunrise On the Reaping (review is definitely coming, I promise). But so far, I'm just shy of 200 pages into this, and I'm really enjoying it. Getting the feeling that I'm only on the tip of the iceburg with this, which I love. Rachel is such a relatable protagonist, still in the denial phase that she has a drug problem, I can't help but love her. It depends on how the rest of the book goes, and what the ending is like, but I can't help but think that I'll be pursuing the rest of the Walsh Family books before long. 

If you're not familiar with this series, there are three Walsh sisters, so the Walsh Family series is a trilogy. You don't have to read them in order (I think), but I think each sister makes an appearance in the other two books. Rachel's Holiday is about Rachel being shipped off to a rehab in Dublin, her homeland, after she loses her boyfriend, her job, and her entire life in one night. Forced to confront her demons in what she thought would be something like a five star hotel, but was actually just a normal rehab centre, Rachel takes her shaky first steps to restart her life. 

2. The Austere Academy (A Series of Unfortunate Events #5), by Lemony Snicket 

3. The Ersatz Elevator (A Series of Unfortunate Events #6), by Lemony Snicket 

4. The Vile Village (A Series of Unfortunate Events #7), by Lemony Snicket 

I'M SO EXCITED FOR THESE IT'S RIDICULOUS. These are the three books that move the story along the most, in my opinion. We meet so many awesome/ nasty/ selfish/cowardly, just wonderfully written characters, and meet so many twists and turns, I can hardly wait. 

5. The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1), by Suzanne Collins/ Slated (Slated #1), by Teri Terry 

I've always been loath to start more than one series at a time, but it seems to be all I'm picking up this year! I'm drawing the line at two, but I have no idea which one of these I'm in the mood for the most. 

The Hunger Games is, of course, inspired by my recent read of SOTR, but I've been thinking about certain chapters in the Slated trilogy, one of my favourite series' for the past month. 

I may even have to put a poll up on my instagram if I'm still unsure when I get to these. I have a pretty good idea of how that poll will go, so I'll see, but look out for it if you follow my Instagram. 

Anyway, the bottom line is, am I more in the mood for a dystopian re-read, or a Sci-fi one?

6. American Gods (American Gods #1), by Neil Gaiman 

Yes, I'm aware of the allegations against Neil Gaiman. 

No, I do not support him, or anything he does. 

But I was gifted a few of his books in September last year and they need to be read. 

Glad I said that. 

I didn't originally ask for American Gods to be an option for my birthday, but my friend went above and beyond, and bought me a whole selection of his books. 

And out of all of his books, that I could choose, I of course wanted to read the fucking largest. 

American Gods follows Shadow Moon, who, after three years in prison, is finally free to leave. However, hours before his release, the news of his wife's unexpected death reaches him. Numb with grief, he boards a plane, and meets an eccentric stranger- one who claims to be an ancient god- and King of America. 

Together they embark on a strange and surreal road trip, coming into contact with some twisted individuals, and stopping at some absurb locations. 

War is coming, a scrappy struggle to control the very soul of America. And Shadow is standing squarily in it's path. 

This book is a mighty 635 pages, and on top of everything else, I highly doubt I'm going to finish it. But I'm sure going to try. 

Okay! Those are all the books I plan to read this month! It looks like it'll be a pretty big page count, but they're all so interesting, I'm bound to fly through some of them! 

I hope you have a wonderful day, and I'll see you all soon with my SOTR review! 

Byeeee! 

-Abi xxxx