April Reads

Here are my April reads:

Another tough month mental health-wise. I’m finding being off work hard as I’ve lost a lot of structure and purpose but I’ve had meds reassessed and starting to get out and about more (I swear my wee doggo’s legs are getting shorter with all the walkies!) and having a focus on this project is an amazing reminder I’m making progress. Even on my worst days when everything feels out of control and reach, I’m still taking time to read. Time for me, time to switch off, and with each page I’m getting closer to my goal. Obligatory photos of my wee reading buddy that nobody asked for. Is there anything nicer than being curled up with a book and a pet to cuddle?

It’s nevertheless been a month of good reading choices BUT my three favourites are The School for Good Mothers, Exciting Times and Before the Coffee Gets Cold. My usual choices are general fiction and thrillers, and The School for Good Mothers was a good return to dystopic novels. This is Jessamine Chan’s first book and it’s bound to be read and reread for years to come. Despite giving me actual chills, I look forward to further novels from her.

Exciting Times was chosen as it follows an EFL Teacher living in Hong Kong. As a former EFL Teacher, I was interested to read insights into a past life. The book focusses on worth, self-acceptance and the meaning of love. I loved it.

My absolute favourite this month was Before the Coffee Gets Cold which is set in a cafe in Japan where you can travel back in time, but only to a fixed point with no hope of changing the future and it follows the stories of four people who would want to do that. I cried all the way through.