March felt like a year, and April flew by before I even wrapped my mind around the fact that it was, indeed, April.
What I’m saying is that can May please slip back into a normal state of time? I know it’s easy to forget what day of the week it is, but that’s no excuse for a whole month to just vanish, okay? Whoever’s doing magic tricks with time, tone it down a little.
So what’s been up with me this month? Not as much as you might think.
- The Writerly Way went through a rebrand and redesign! In case anyone missed it. The dragons have landed! The blog is now officially The Bookwyrm’s Den, which I think the new name and layout better reflects me and the state of the blog, and I’m just excited for it. It wasn’t nearly as difficult as I thought it would be, but I’m still glad to be on the other side of it now. Plus, what could be more me than dragons? Except maybe dragons with talking swords that like to stab people, but that seemed a bit busy for a theme.
- For those who were following, my post streak lasted 113 days! Which wow, talk about some staying power. I’m actually super impressed and consider this a major win for the blog this year. Unfortunately, posting every day just isn’t sustainable for me. What it ended up coming down to was I started becoming super stressed about it and getting things out late because I hadn’t had time to write it beforehand. What ultimately broke the streak, though? My brother-in-law (who’s living with us) has been playing Elder Scrolls Online, and he talked hubby and I into redownloading it, so we had a gamer weekend and I did absolutely nothing blog-wise. I have no regrets.
- Schools are officially closed for the rest of the school year. Which means I’ve got Minion half the week to try to squeeze in some schooling, and my mother-in-law has her the other half so that I can actually still, you know, work. Because for some reason, I still have to work. On the one hand, I’m glad to still have a job and be able to work. On the other hand … I really would’ve enjoyed sitting home playing video games for two weeks with my family. I might just take a week off when this is all over just to get my time in, darn it.
- I’ve fallen behind on blog hopping, but I still love you all. Everyone in my household is still working full-time, plus my daughter being home all the time now and having to spend more time taking care of my self-quarantined grandfather … time is a luxury I don’t have much of anymore. I’m trying to squeeze in what I can, but man is it hard. So forgive me if I’m not around as much as I used to be.
Anyway, let’s get to the books!
First things first, why don’t we wrap up the O.W.L.s? Guess what? I passed! I am officially on the way to being a magizoologist. *puffs out chest*
O.W.L.s Wrap-Up
Career Prompts:
- Care of Magical Creatures: Deeplight by Frances Hardinge
- Charms: Eden by Tim Lebbon
- Herbology: My Video Game Ate My Homework by Dustin Hansen
- Potions: Trapped in a Video Game by Dustin Brady
Bonus Prompts Completed:
- Arithmancy: Super Sick by Allison Alexander
- Astronomy: They Went Left by Monica Hesse
- Muggle Studies: After She Wrote Him by Sulari Gentill
- Transfiguration: Ruthless Gods by Emily Duncan
#AmReading Update
Click titles for my review.
- [2 Apr] Wicked Saints (Something Dark and Holy, #1) by Emily A. Duncan ★★★★★
- [5 Apr] A Time of Dread (Of Blood and Bone, #1) by John Gwynne ★★★★★
- [5 Apr] A Time of Blood (Of Blood and Bone, #2) by John Gwynne ★★★★★
- [6 Apr] After She Wrote Him by Sulari Gentill ★★★
- [9 Apr] A Time of Courage (Blood and Bone, #3) by John Gwynne ★★★★
- [12 Apr] They Went Left by Monica Hesse ★★★★★
- [14 Apr] Eden by Tim Lebbon ★★★★
- [19 Apr] The Wolf of Cape Fen by Juliana Brandt ★★★★★
- [20 Apr] Super Sick: Making Peace with Chronic Illness by Allison Alexander ★★★★
Discussion Posts
No posts found.Top Ten Tuesday
- [7 Apr] Books I Read Because of Hype || Did They Live Up To It?
- [14 Apr] Reader Confessions: 10 Ways I’m A Bad Reader
- [21 Apr] Must-Read Poems for National Poetry Month
- [28 Apr] How My Reading Has Changed Since Childhood (Now With 100% More Dragons!)
WWW Wednesday
- [1 Apr] WWW Wednesday (April 1, 2020)
- [8 Apr] WWW Wednesday (April 8, 2020)
- [15 Apr] WWW Wednesday (April 15, 2020)
- [22 Apr] WWW Wednesday (April 22, 2020)
- [29 Apr] WWW Wednesday (April 29, 2020)
MG/YA Takes on Thursday
- [23 Apr] MG/YA Takes on Thursday || Game Gone Rogue
- [30 Apr] MG/YA Takes on Thursday || Fantastical Fantasy
First Line Friday
- [3 Apr] Friday 56 || Wicked Saints Worship Ruthless Gods
- [10 Apr] Friday 56 || In The Aftermath of War
- [17 Apr] Friday 56 || Bargaining and Magic
- [24 Apr] First Line Friday 56 || Gods in the Deep
Blogger Post Love
Here are some great posts this month from other bloggers:✦ Lisa @ Way Too Fantasy talks about how she started listening to audiobooks and how her habits have changed.
✦ Lydia Schoch talks about some tips for developing a social media calendar.
✦ Leelynn @ Sometimes Leelynn Reads and Mir @ FangirlPixieBlog are hosting the SeaMAYden-athon during May.
✦ Mary @ BookCraic has a new weekly meme called #MGTakesonThursday to highlight some fabulous MG reads!
✦ It’s time for Wyrd & Wonder and there’s a great group of people doing it this year, so check it out and join us! Expect plenty of fantasy things on the blog this month!
✦ Esmee @ Servillas Speaks has officially become a Booktuber, so go give her some support and love!
Twitter Fun
Not following me on Twitter? Maybe you should.Part of me has contemplated sending all the chocolate and booze to my daughter’s teacher when school resumes, because she clearly deserves it.
— Sammie (@srbetler) April 9, 2020
The other part of me wonders if there’ll be any left to send by the time I finish homeschooling.#parenting #ParentingInAPandemic
Everyone Else: Animal Crossing! It’s fun. It’s cute. Just the break I needed from reality.
— Sammie (@srbetler) April 15, 2020
Me: Plague, Inc is on sale. Just what I needed! Yes, I will infect everybody and take over the woooorld. *insert evil laugh* pic.twitter.com/DcZbxXTrSR
Hubby: Your desk is the perfection representation for what your D&D character would be like.
— Sammie (@srbetler) April 19, 2020
Me: Chaotic good?
Hubby: That’s a little optimistic. Try chaotic neutral.
Me: Why not chaotic good? I’m kind!
Hubby: I don’t think you get to stab people if you’re chaotic good.
I almost left my house wearing pajama pants, because apparently, “put on real pants, ya weirdo,” isn’t high on my checklist of things to do before leaving the house anymore. Aaaand that pretty much sums up how my week is going.
— Sammie (@srbetler) April 21, 2020
How about you lovely folks? You hanging in there?
I can’t believe that you still managed to read twice as many books as I did and you’re way busier. How does that even work??😉
Tammy @ Books, Bones & Buffy recently posted…Buffy’s Corner – Looking at the Week Ahead 5/3/20
I sacrificed a few neighbors to the Dark Lord. But shhh, don’t tell anyone my secret. xD If anyone asks, I have no idea what happened to everyone. Probably Coronavirus or something. *shrug*
I’m in awe of how you manage to read so much when you’re so busy! Congrats on a great month! I hope May treats you well, too. <3
Dedra @ A Book Wanderer recently posted…April 2020 Monthly Wrap-Up & Book Haul
I cheated, and quite a few of them this month were novellas. xD The numbers look pretty, but if you counted the pages of books? Not so impressive haha. I’ve been in a mini slump like everyone else. 😛
Posting daily is TOUGH, great job on doing it for so long! Totally understand taking a break from that schedule.
Thanks for sharing my post!
Thanks! I thought it was fun while it lasted, and I loved the challenge and seeing if I could do it (the answer is: yes) even if it wasn’t sustainable forever. 😀
Sammie, I love the new look/theme of your blog (the dragons are adorable 😍) and I truly impressed you managed to read 14 books with how busy you’ve been! There’s me happy to have read five books, which is just over average for me, so yay! Take care and happy reading in May – Here’s hoping it doesn’t disappear like April did! 😅
jessicabookworm recently posted…Sunday Reflection | 3rd May 2020
Thank you so much! I had a lot of fun coming up with it. Nothing could possibly be more me than dragons. xD
If May disappears like April, then I quit, darn it. No more of this nonsense!
Congrats on reading 14 books this month – and blogging as much as you did! That’s incredible. And I’m definitely looking back on this when my physical TBR is down because so many of these look so good!
Thanks! Good luck with your physical TBR. I’m still wrestling mine, but I don’t have the good sense to, like, not buy more. xD It’s such a bad habit.
Ugh, I really don’t know if I want May to be like April and basically disappear in the blink of an eye or if I want time to go back to normal speeds. I’m leaning towards the “blink of an eye” but I bet that’s definitely not what’s gonna happen! 😂 YAY for gamer weekends (it’s a total mood) and you did so well on your April reads/challenges! I totally failed my OWLs but let’s not even go there, I’m glad that I at least completed our buddy read 😂 (wait, was that in April? LOL) I super love the revamped site, Sammie <3 I hope May is just as awesome for books as April was!
Dini @ dinipandareads recently posted…Sundays in Bed With… #MyWeeklyWrapUp
Hint: you want it to go back to normal speeds. I’m not sure if I can handle any more months disappearing. xD
Speaking of gamer weekends, did I tell you that hubby bought Animal Crossing finally (I knew he would, but he was in denial)? He was glued to the Switch, and I couldn’t help but think of you talking about how it was monopolizing your time. xD
Yes, our buddy read was in April, even though it feels like it may have been March of three years ago. 😛
So many wicked titles read!! Happy May, stay safe!
Freda Mans-Labianca recently posted…May Book Bingo
Thanks! Hope you’re doing well, too.
I am also hoping May goes back to normal time. I don’t want a crazy-long month like March, but where the heck was April? I know it happened, but… when?
Nicole @ BookWyrmKnits recently posted…Reading Wrap-Up: April 2020
I feel like April was making up for how fast March went. You know, like when something lags on the computer and then suddenly speeds up crazily to catch up once it starts working again? That’s what I’m going with. No more buffering and no more fast-forwarding now, please. xD
I too have fallen behind on blog hopping – trying to catch up lol. Hope your May is fantastic and that it doesn’t fly by as fast as April did (seriously, where did that month go???)
Unfortunately, it seems like it has been. Didn’t May just start?! How is it a third over already?! Ahhhh. Will time ever go back to normal speed?
I passed my OWLs for Magizoologist too!
Well done on 14 books in a month, I read a lowly 5 and I’m still behind on my yearly reading challenge.
AB @ iwishiownedabookstore recently posted…April Wrap-Up/May TBR
It seems like there were a lot of magizoologists this year, which is interesting. A lot of people wanting to deal with dragons, maybe? xD
Hey, progress is progress. Five is great, too! I also read a lot of mid-grade now because of my job, so that makes it seem like I read a lot more than I do. xD
The Dragons are so cute. I hope you get some more time to yourself soonish.
Annemieke recently posted…Seven Books with Magical Realism| #wyrdandwonder | #toptentuesday 237
Thank you!