April was a busy month, and I didn't get much in the way of reading done.
The Happiness Project by Gretchen Reubin was a birthday gift that I had been holding off from buying. Having discovered the Happiness podcast, I was desperate to dive into Gretchen's books and it didn't disappoint! I found the account of Gretchen's year long project to increase her happiness to be honest, funny, and relatable. I am not one for self help type books, but this one read more like a funny year long memoir than a cheesy "you can do it, and I will show you how" style book.
Better Than Before by Gretchen Reubin was snapped up no sooner than I had finished the previous book. Again I was familiar with the sort of content and things like the four tendancies from the podcast, but it is a useful text to consult when wanting to change your habits. I find the subject of habit formation very interesting and Reubin goes into just enough detail to be informative, but not so much to swamp you. More self help than the Happiness Project is, but not cheesy/cringy about it.
The Wicked + The Divine Vol 1 by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie was a birthday gift. Most people who read graphic novels have probably heard of this series, but if like me you were put off by the premise of gods sent down to Earth reincarnated as "rock stars", please give it a go anyway! This is a funny read - obviously a bit over the top given the celebrity status of the characters - with a more interesting plot than the premise of the series eludes to. Lucifer is my favourite character so far, mainly for the hilarious Daily Mail burn.
ODY-C Vol 1 by Matt Fraction and Christian Ward was also a birthday gift. This is one of the most insane graphic novels in my collection, its bright in your face illustrations, coupled with the fact it is a retelling of Homer's Oddysey but set in space and genderbent, makes for one hell of a crazy read! I liked it, but mostly felt like I wasn't sure what was going on...maybe I should read the original story before going back to it.
Severed by Frances Larson promised a weird and compelling read and completely delivered! I cannot tell you just how interesting this was - I mean severed heads span a lot more fields than one would imagine. The book is not really very morbid or gross*, and each chapter discusses a different area of severed heads from the history and significance of shrunken heads, to skulls as war trophies during Vietnam. Educational throughout, and will provide you with enough fun facts about heads to trot out at dinner parties for the rest of your life!
*I am morbid and interested in "gross" stuff so my judgement may be skewed haha!
Well 5 books may be poor compared to previous months but they were a great selection nonetheless.
