Well, April has been a crazy month. I had some big plans, and even if not all of them came to fruition, I’m more than happy with the ones that did.

Let’s start off with the bookish side of things. I set a reasonably small TBR, balancing new reads and rereads. I didn’t get around to Hell’s Last or The Martian, which means I read a grand total of six books this month. That’s the lowest number of monthly books I’ve ever had, which means my TBR has ballooned rather. That’s put a temporary hold on any rereading plans.

Why did it take me so long to read six books? Well, some were pretty lengthy, including the non-science fictional Perdido Street Station by China Mieville. This rare foray into fantasy was brought about by a Bookstagram friend hassling me relentlessly. This turned out to be one of my favourite books of the month (though admittedly, the competition was pretty slim). So if there’s a book you think I should read, that’s how to get it onto my TBR.

The big distraction was the return of the LARPing season this past weekend. Naturally I turned a weekend away into a nearly week-long excursion, thanks to the additions of a night out on the town with a friend, a trip to the British Museum, and a minor medical emergency. Don’t worry, everyone’s fine, and it was worth all the additional hassle to spend some more time with friends both old and new. The downside is that I made incredibly slow progress with Michael Crichton’s Sphere, which I’m still finishing off even as I type these words. Thankfully, it’s a phenomenal book, and I’ll definitely be reading more Crichton in the future.

While I was near the British Museum, I also ducked into Forbidden Planet. I’m generally a fan of Baen Books, but their UK distribution is appallingly bad, so Forbidden Planet is the only reliable place to find them. I grabbed the first Liaden novel by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller, and also Les Johnson’s debut Mission to Methone. I really want to read some of Johnson’s work before getting to Pluto, the book he wrote in posthumous collaboration with Ben Bova. Of course, I’ve got some more Ben Bova still in my TBR, so that’s been kicked up the priority list a few rungs. I also stumbled across another Jack McDevitt novel while I was in London, which means I now have two-thirds of the Alex Benedict series in my library. I could easily have carried away a full box of books from Forbidden Planet, but thankfully had all my camping gear to manage, so had to restrain myself.

When I got back home, however, I was greeted by the spoils of my online shopping. My first eBay book haul of the year. Sixteen novels in all, many of them from US publishers, and most from authors I’ve never read before. There are some more Baen publications in here, but also some obscurer British books, including one by Abaddon Press. I love grabbing bundles like this, which cost me something in the region of one pound per book. If I hate them, it’s no real hit to my finances. If I love them, it’s a complete surprise. If they fall somewhere in-between those two extremes, they’re a worthy investment. I definitely didn’t need more books on my TBR, but I’m hoping to make good progress in the months ahead now that things are looking a little quieter. I’ve got travel plans in June, but May should be all about the books.

The rest of my SF addiction is currently being fuelled by TV. I finally caught up with Star Trek: Discovery‘s final season, which was solid if unremarkable, leaving the fourth season as the show’s pinnacle. Ncuti Gatwa’s sophomore season of Doctor Who is proving to be stronger than his first, with Mr Ring-A-Ding a great villain even if I remain unsold on the idea of the Pantheon. And, of course, Andor returns to our screens, so I’m rewatching the first season to get the most out of the show. I’ll probably talk in a bit more detail about TV some other time, but for now I’m happy to kick back and watch.

Until next time, keep reading.