It’s been exactly a month since I wrote my last article on here — also a wrap-up — and I’ve come to the sobering realisation that my blogging slump just might be a sign of burnout. A lot of it has to do with the state of my country right now. It feels truly dystopian to log on to work or on here and do my silly little tasks when I’m acutely aware of the mortality of the people I love.
I’m finding it extremely difficult to do anything other than watch the news right now but blogging has always been my kind of self-care and a dear friend very kindly asked me to “STFU and do at least one thing you love now”.
Welp.
It’s not all books in this April wrap-up, though. India could really use your help so if you’re able, please donate to one of the organisations I’ve linked at the end of this post. Thanks!
April was just an okay reading month for me. I have multiple reads I abandoned halfway through, making me finish only 7 books over the course of the month.
- The Shape of Family by Shilpi Somaya Gowda is a moving exploration of grief and how a family unit breaks and comes back together.
- A Spark of White Fire by Sangu Mandanna is a brilliant Mahabharata-inspired space opera I reread in preparation for book 3.
- A House of Rage and Sorrow by Sangu Mandanna is even more stunning and quite painful, tbh.
- A War of Swallowed Stars by Sangu Mandanna is releasing soon and I can already tell you it’s the perfect finish to this phenomenal trilogy.
- The Mountains Sing by Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai is a poignant, heart wrenching tale of war, love, loss, and forgiveness.
- Teach Me by Olivia Dade was a good pick-me-up following all my heavy reads. An average book overall, though.
- Sword of Slaughter by Kalki (translated by Pavithra Srinivasan) has some annoyingly ostentatious writing but the Ponniyin Selvan story heats up in this book with a lot of reveals and intrigue.
Mostly the news, to be honest.
But over the last week of April, I realised I need to come up with coping mechanisms instead of just watching the news 24/7. I love reality TV and game shows so they’ve become my go-to in the past week.
I binged an entire old season of Jeopardy! in less than 3 days and my god, I miss Alex Trebek. Also, I’m now watching the 2017 collection and I’d forgotten how much I loved Austin Rogers.
I’m also watching Season 2 of The Circle and can’t wait for the finale that’s dropping on Wednesday.
I don’t know what I’ll do once The Circle is over and Jeopardy is removed from Netflix (there’s just a week left!) so if you have any wholesome TV show suggestions, let me know!
Here’s how you can help India right now.
I know I have a lot of non-Indian followers on here and I’m sure you all know about the staggering second wave of COVID-19 currently ravaging my country. There’s devastation all around which could have been avoided even just a little if our government wasn’t such a joke. Our hospitals are at capacity and people are dying without access to beds and oxygen. If you are able, please consider donating to these drives:
- Bhoomika Trust: Based out of my city, Bhoomika Trust has been doing stellar work around COVID relief. I’ve donated to them in the past — as recent as yesterday — and I definitely recommend them if you are Indian. If you live in the US, they’ve also partnered with Deserving Causes to allow donations.
- Hemkunt Foundation in partnership with Humans of Bombay is helping with Oxygen cylinders to combat the shortage our hospitals are facing.
- And finally, check out this crowdsourced masterlist of donation drives that also includes ones that accept international donations.
Also, if you have a platform, please amplify the resources and donation drives you see on your TL. Your retweet could save someone’s life.
Let’s chat.
- How are things in your country?
- Did you have a good reading month in April?
- Would recommend any TV show I can use to cope?
Talk to me in the comments below!
My husband keeps watching news and all he talks is news and COVID. I need something to distract me from all that and books are perfect for that. So I had good reading month.
Oof, I’m pretty much like your husband tbh. That’s why my reading has also fallen behind.
I totally relate to this. The only way I’m coping is by donating and then trying to distract myself. Social media also just brings my mood down. Hopefully things become better soon. Hwaiting <3
Yup, same! Really hope things get at least a bit under control soon.
I hear you Shruti, it’s really difficult to have hope right now but if I lose my hope then I’ll lose everything. I don’t even need to watch the news to know the situation. Social media and Watsapp are giving me updates literally every second.
In terms of blogging, I will be in a similar boat as you. I haven’t published a single post in April. And my first post in May will probably be a wrap up too. I managed to read my usual quota because books have been helping me.
I watched Ajeeb Daastaans – recommended for the Konkona Sen Aditi Rao and the Shefali episodes but also not recommended for the grim content. There’s too much heartbreak already. I’m also watching Schitt’s Creek, which has surprisingly been a balm to soothe my soul.
Ugh, I totally understand! I’m trying to blog more now because it’s always been a coping mechanism. But I’m still in a teeny bit of a writing slump thanks to the current state of affairs. And ooh, Ajeeb Daastaans sounds interesting! I’ll check it out, thanks! 🙂
Sending you so much love Shruti, I hope you and your are staying safe. Thank you for sharing these links, I’ll be checking them out shortly. It’s really hard not to watch the news all the time, but I think your friend has a really good point about taking comfort in something you enjoy; it can be really good self care <3
Thanks so much, Kate! <3
And absolutely! Reading and writing about books are the only things helping at the moment. I still haven't managed to take a lot of breaks from the news but at least I have adequate coping mechanisms now. 🙂