My Life in April: RENT, Mockingbirds, and a Trip Hiatus

This end-of-the-month recap post is a bit early this month, but I have a reason for that (read below).

April was a much quieter month for me than March. After a tiring and stressful month on the picket lines, it was surprising how things went completely back to normal right away after the strike ended. It was like it had never happened! I spent most of April relaxing (due to the previous month's stress and also from sickness) and catching up on work. I did make time for one out-and-about activity this month though and it was to see a small-time production at the Lower Ossington Theatre of my all-time favourite musical, RENT:

Admittedly, when I sat down in my seat and opened up my program to check out the cast, I was disappointed. I have seen a few Broadway productions of RENT in my time and they had all featured a very diverse cast. So when I opened my program and saw that this cast was entirely white, I was a peeved and a little sceptical... Thankfully, I found myself swallowing my words when the entire cast turned out to be really fantastically talented - acting- and singing-wise - and really embodied their characters' ESSENCE, even if they did not necessarily LOOK like them. RENT is largely about poor bohemians living with AIDS in the 1980s - the actors can really make it or break it when it comes to capturing the acute poignancy of the show's message. I am happy(?) to report that the actors had me in tears in the final moments of the show! So well done!!

Blog Posts in April:

Muggle Monday: Harry Potter Fully Illustrated Edition Cover Reveal
Ratings by Publisher
Review: Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas - 5 Stars
Review: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn - 4 Stars
My Life in March: STRIKE!!!! ... and Disney's Frozen on Ice

Best Book Read in April:

I know I wasn't the only one that was shocked when it was announced that a sequel of To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee that was assumed lost, was found and would be released this summer 2015, 55 years after Lee's first and only book was released. I first read To Kill a Mockingbird in high school a decade ago and it was one of the few mandatory school reads that I actually truly appreciated. I knew it was time for a reread if I was going to prepare myself for the sequel, To Set a Watchman. It was just as meaningful and stirring as I remembered it! I know a lot of people are sceptical or else are downright dreading this sequel, as if it might take away from the much lauded classic, but I don't share that opinion. I am still very excited to read the sequel and I can't imagine that it will taint my view of To Kill a Mockingbird even if it ends up being not as good (which, let's face it, is very likely as the original is pretty much untouchable at this point). I'm curious about what has happened to our beloved characters in the years since To Kill a Mockingbird has taken place!


And finally, I must announce a two-week hiatus I will be taking from blogging: tomorrow I'm getting on a plane and heading to Europe! It was my quick trip to Berlin last November (as well as the reading of Just One Day by Gayle Forman) that really spurred on a bout of travel lust in me. I haven't gone away on a vacation for years because of a lack of time and money, but finally I just knew I was going to need to PRIORITIZE it if I wanted to make it happen. So I made the time and I budgeted out the money for a 2 week trip to the UK and France with my boyfriend. I want to see ALL of Europe (and indeed, many parts of the world), but I thought I would start there as I don't want to be too rushed with only 14 days (including travel time) with all the things I want to see. I'M EXCITED. And I'll be pretty absent from the blog and the internet for these next two weeks. I will have to talk to you all and share when I get back!