I looked back on the April 2020 round-up before I wrote this and, gosh, that one was bleak, wasn’t it? A year ago things were not looking brilliant, so I’m glad that I find myself in a much-improved situation now. In a bit of symmetry, however, I have had another book review published. I had the pleasure of reviewing Kia Thomas’s A Very Sweary Dictionary and you can read what I thought here.

What I’ve been working on

My run of critiques continues – I completed the critique I started in March and I have just finished another critique (both were psychological thriller novellas). It’s always an honour to be asked to give feedback on something an author has poured so much of themselves into. I have another critique due to start in May. I finished the fantasy fiction proofread I started in March and moved on to the proofread of a family history.

What I read for fun

The latest instalment of the Murderbot Diaries was released in April and it didn’t disappoint. Fugitive Telemetry (I’ve linked to the hardback but the ebook is out already) has a slightly different vibe to the other books – this is basically a whodunnit, but it still contains all the elements that make a Murderbot story. Murderbot became one of my most cherished fictional characters some time ago, so I am looking forward to whatever Martha Wells gives us next.

Looking ahead

The West Surrey & North Hampshire CIEP local group is due a Zoom meeting in May, so I intend to get one organised for the end of the month.