Monthly Wrap-Up – April 2025
April feels like it’s come and gone in the blink of an eye! I can’t believe I’m already sharing with you my monthly wrap-up post for April. It’s been a great month of books, and I can’t wait to share my reading updates with you!
Books Read
Normal Women
I start off this monthly wrap-up post with the slowest mover of all the books I’ve read. As of sharing my April monthly TBR post, I was 30% into Normal Women by Philippa Gregory.
Over the course of the month, I have picked up this book several times and chipped away at the page count. As of this monthly wrap-up, it’s still a current read. I’m finding that I’m reading this in tandem with other books because it’s a little bit intense to try and read in long sittings. Well, that’s my experience of it anyway! I’ve enjoyed dipping in and out of it at leisure, and I fully intend for this to continue through to my May TBR.
The Weight’s Over: Take Back Control
An impromptu listen I picked up right at the end of March and continued through into early April was Sandra Roycroft-Davis’ new book, The Weight’s Over.
I’ve seen her Slimpod program advertised on Facebook. I was interested in her take on the science behind why our bodies set us up to fail when dieting. She also talks about why at predictable time increments we are most susceptible to ‘fall off the wagon’.
If you’re interested in the science behind weight loss, I definitely recommend this book. Not only does it pass on that scientific knowledge but also provides useful tips to help with common problems. Generally speaking, Sandra takes a gentle approach and promotes a very positive message around self-kindness. It makes a change from the condescending tone that is often experienced in the wider community…
Enemies of the Crown
My first physical read of April was one I needed to get my skates on and read. With a blog tour obligation early in the month, I read Enemies of the Crown in a matter of days to be able to provide this review.
Not that it was difficult! Enemies of the Crown is the fifth instalment in Peter Gibbon’s The Saxon Warrior series. When I picked up this book, I already had a good knowledge of what had happened in the series to date. I was able to pick this up and continue on with the series very easily.
I’m not going to spoil my thoughts on this book here, because I dedicated a post to it back at the beginning of April. If you want to check out this book, go take a look at my blog tour review here.
The Perfect Wife
The Perfect Wife was our book club pick for April. Incidentally, the meeting isn’t until Tuesday next week and we can discuss this at lunchtime. It’s also the first time I’ve read the book in good time…
I really enjoyed listening to The Perfect Wife. When I first picked up the book, I wasn’t sure what my thoughts were going to be around a main character built from AI and replacing a human being. However, it was both a really integral part of the narrative, but also really enjoyable to read. If I had any skepticism when I first started the book, that was very quickly dispelled; I really enjoyed this one!
My hope for next month is to choose a genre other than thriller. We’ve had it twice in a row, and I’ve enjoyed them. But, I’m ready for something different too.
Elektra
The last physical book I picked up and read in its entirety in April was Elektra by Jennifer Saint.
It’s been a little while since I’ve read Greek mythology. I love going back to the genre though, and I’ll be sure to pick up more in the not-too-distant future.
Elektra was a great reading experience because it focuses on the lives and experiences of three women. The wider backdrop may be the war in Troy, but this is not about the men. It made for a refreshing change, and reminded me of a similar book – The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker.
The Poppy War
Briefly before month-end, I started The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang. This book has been on my list for a little while, but it was the receipt of a special edition for my birthday that reminded me how much I wanted to pick it up.
Although it’s early days when it comes to this book, as of this monthly wrap-up post I’ve really enjoyed the introduction and I’m looking forward to reading on next month!
Crashed: How a Decade of Financial Crises Changed the World
Finally, with all my audiobooks listened to and my TBR read or in progress, I picked up Crashed as a last minute audiobook. I like to have physical books/e-books and audio on the go at the same time. It gives me the most capacity to read because I can do them at different times.
I’ve been doing a lot more walking of late in practice for a non-competitive event I’m taking part in this weekend. Naturally, what better time than to occupy my brain by listening to audiobooks?
Now, I confess the first part of Crashed was a little more in detail when it comes to politics and geopolitics than I initially expected. However, since starting the second part of the book where we actually get to the main financial crisis of 2007-2008… we’re in the territory I was looking for.
Fingers crossed the book continues in this way, because I’m getting on with it more now the foundations have been laid.
Summary
April has been a productive month of reading. I’m surprised I’ve even managed to read books I hadn’t originally planned, even if they only are in part. I’m looking forward to taking my ongoing reads through May and making more progress with them in the next few days.
Thanks for reading this monthly wrap-up post! What books did you read in April? Do you have any recommendations for me?
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