Remembering back to my February wrap-up and the hope that I had for how many books I’d finish. Oh, how the world has changed in that time. We’re living in a contagion movie and none of us knows what’s going to happen. We’re all stuck inside and I expected to be using all of my spare time reading. Instead, I’ve lost all motivation. I mean, who can concentrate on a book when the word is very quickly going to shit. So, it’s not a big shock that I haven’t finished many books. It’s not my worst month ever but it’s my worst month for a while. I knew it was going to be tough around the time of my birthday but then Corona went and fucked everything. Thankfully, I’m still working at the moment but who knows how long that will last for.

Number of books read: 6
Number of books on hold: 0
Number of physical books: 4
Number of ebooks: 0
Number of audiobooks: 2

Carmilla by J. Sheridan LeFanu

It feels like such a long time ago that I listened to this audiobook. It was the very first day of the month when I was still following my plan of one audiobook a week. This was something that had been recommended to me by plenty of people but I’m still not convinced by vampire literature. And if I was going to listen to it, then it might as well have been the Audible dramatisation starring David Tennant and Rose Leslie.

Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

This was one of the big anticipated releases of this year but I wasn’t planning to buy it. I was still pretending that I was on a book buying ban when it came out. Then I kept seeing it everywhere and hearing all of the positive reviews. I knew that I had to read it and find out for myself.

Inside the Sun by Alexis Marie Chute

I know that it feels like I’ve been banging on about this fantasy trilogy for ages but it really is good. I have loved getting the chance to read the previous two entries so when I got an ARC of the final book I was beyond excited. There was a lot of pressure for it to live up to the rest of the series but I figured it definitely could.

Ayoade on Ayoade by Richard Ayoade

This was the second audiobook of the month and one that I’d already read before. I’d bought Richard Ayoade’s debut book as soon as it came out. I appreciated the comedy the first time around but it didn’t fully work for me. It seemed a little awkward and self-conscious. As though Ayoade didn’t quite believe that it would work but really hated the idea of writing something serious. But I love Ayoade and wanted to give it a second chance. I figured it would be more suited to an audio format.

Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo

The end of the month became a celebration of international literature. Starting with this book that sounded like one of the most interesting and important books. Looking at the life of one woman and how she fits into Korean society. This book won’t be for everyone due to its writing style but I loved it.

Winter in Sokcho by Élisa Shua Dusapin

I know we’re not supposed to judge books by their cover but could you really pass this up? That vintage postcard style and the colours. Oh my god, it’s perfect. And then the story itself sounded like everything I ever want. A simple and very insular story focused on two people. Looking at their relationship and how it evolves. All set against the backdrop of a quiet, cold and dreary tourist town.