reads and other things | apr 2025

dang, april had somewhere to be?

hey siri, play where’d all the time go? by dr. dog

How many times will I start these with me questioning why time is flying by? Likely forever.

Every year, April seems to be the start of my social butterfly era. Winter is finally behind us and summertime Chi starts to whisper my name. Contrary to my usual homebody tendencies, there wasn’t a single weekend in April that I didn’t have plans outside of my apartment. I’m grateful for the time I spent outside, but I’m hoping for some time to regroup this weekend, before I start the cycle all over again.

I finally cataloged all of my physical books in Libib! I knew I’ve collected quite a few books, but I was shocked that it was over 300. As of today, I’m at 314 books (and counting). I eventually want to do the same with other the physical media I own, including movies, CDs, vinyl, and video games.

Most importantly, April 26 was Independent Bookstore Day! I celebrated by participating in the Chicagoland Independent Bookstore Day Crawl for the first time and introduced new titles to my shelves.

Before you keep reading, I’ll say now that there are a lot more other things than reads in this newsletter. We’re hoping May is a better reading month!

reads

stats and analytics

Given how social I was last month, I didn’t get as much reading done as I usually do. I finished 5 books with no DNFs! I think I read a bit of every genre, but Storygraph is telling me my top 3 were contemporary, LGTBQIA+, and romance. My average star rating is an impressive 4 stars.

april reads ranked

DISCLOSURE: I am Bookshop affiliate and will earn a commission if you click a book link and make a purchase.

1. Black Disability Politics x Sami Schalk — 5 stars

dates read: 9 mar 2025 - 20 apr 2025

So so glad this was the book pick for freedom readers! Anytime I learn about Black American history, I’m always in awe. This will be added to my arbitrary reading list of “American history that should be taught in schools.”

an introduction | start here