This is the latest post in a series I started in late 2019, anticipating the twentieth anniversary of my bookblogging which will fall in 2023. Every six-ish days, I’ve been revisiting a month from my recent past, noting work and family developments as well as the books I read in that month. I’ve found it a pleasantly cathartic process, especially in recent circumstances. If you want to look back at previous entries, they are all tagged under bookblog nostalgia.

This month saw the beginning of a short project in (North) Macedonia, work trips also to Paris, Belgrade and London, and my godson’s wedding in Wales.

This was immediately followed by a visit to the Doctor Who set in Cardiff. The lights were off but the thrill was there.

Even though my uncle photo-bombed me at the Tardis door.

This was also the month in which I was approached for the role of Hugo administrator for the 2017 Worldcon, a role which has continued to resonate for me (much more than the Promotions Divion head role I’d had for London the year before).

I read 17 books that month.

Non-fiction: 3 (YTD 38)
The Ancient Languages of Europe, by Roger D. Woodard
Companion Piece, eds. L.M. Myles and Liz Barr
Who’s Next?, by Derrick Sherwin

Fiction (non-sf): 3 (YTD 31)
Girls in Love, by Jacqueline Wilson
The Redbreast, by Jo Nesbø
Americanah, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

SF (non-Who): 7 (YTD 96)
A Vampire Quintet, by Eugie Foster
The End of All Things, by John Scalzi (did not finish)
The Wild Reel, by Paul Brandon (did not finish)
Aurora, by Kim Stanley Robinson
Manuscript Found in a Milk Bottle, by Neil Gaiman
The Unlimited Dream Company, by J. G. Ballard
Luna: New Moon, by Ian McDonald

Doctor Who, etc: 3 (YTD 35)
The Shadow in the Glass, by Justin Richards and Stephen Cole
The Sleep of Reason, by Martin Day
Tempest by Christopher Bulis

Comics : 1 (YTD 13)
It’s A Good Life, If You Don’t Weaken, by Seth

~4,600 pages (YTD 57,600)
4/17 by women (YTD 64/213) – Myles/Barr, Wilson, Adichie, Foster
2/17 by PoC (YTD 14/213) – Adichie, Foster

Standout best for me this month was Americanah, which taught me a lot about Nigeria. You can get it here. Least impressed by Manuscript Found in a Milk bottle, which Neil Gaiman describes as his own worst short story; I would not disagree. You can’t get it anywhere.