My Monthly Anticipation | April 2020

Posted on by Lashaan Balasingam @ Roars and Echoes

Hello ladies & gentlemen,

Who doesn’t love the anticipation of new releases and things that they plan on doing? Every month there seems to be something new and exciting ready to hit the market for our consumption.

Being ready to embrace them with open arms is all we can really do.

To showcase this, I’ll be sharing my top 3 for each category of things that I look forward to this month right here, right now!

TO BE READ

35519101

It’s finally time to continue on with Murderbot buddy with this third book, just in time for the release of Network Effect, the first full-fledged novel in this novella series!
Check out my review of Artificial Condition in the meantime!

30169100

I am both incredibly excited and sad that April 2020 will mark the end of the Lightbringer series for me. Here I go!
Check out my review of The Blood Mirror in the meantime!

5301005

As if the month of April 2020 couldn’t get any better, I have scheduled to read and review the first book in the classic Malazan Book of the Fallen series before the month of May! My expectations are so high but something tells me I’m going to love it. Giving Bookstooge all the credit for introducing this one to me. Remains to be seen if he’ll get love or hate from me in the end. 😉

BOOK RELEASES

45046555. sy475

As shameful as it might be, I have yet to crack open the John Scalzi books I own but I’m still keeping an eye out to any new release, including this one, the third book in The Interdependency series coming out on April 14th, 2020!

45200535

Author of The Divine Cities trilogy continues his latest trilogy with the release of the second book in The Founders Trilogy coming out on April 21st, 2020!

51277288. sx318 sy475

Mark Lawrence continues his prolific writing adventures and now looks to embark on a brand-new trilogy with the release of the first book in the Book of the Ice trilogy on April 21st, 2020!

COMIC BOOK RELEASES

Alien: The Original Screenplay #1

Adapted from the original 1976 screenplay by Dan O’Bannon comes the original screenplay of Alein!
Issue #1 comes out on April 22nd, 2020.

Birds of Prey #1

Suffering from constant delays and editing, Brian Azzarello’s take on the Birds of Prey is now a Black Label imprint title as a stand-alone oversized one-shot issue.
This comes out on April 29th, 2020.

Black Widow #1

With the Black Widow movie delayed due to the coronavirus, this brand-new comic book series written by Kelly Thompson is coming out just in time to try and compensate for everything.
Issue #1 comes out on April 29th, 2020.

TV SHOW RELEASES

For those who are able to enjoy a subscription to the DC Universe streaming service, get excited for the second season of this beloved new animated series!

The second season premieres on DC Universe on April 3rd, 2020!

I am far from being a fan of this animation style but, hopefully, it works out for the better?

The show premieres on Netflix on April 23rd, 2020!

Have you been craving for more Chris Evans since Avengers and Knives Out? Check out this limited drama series for a change.

The show premieres on Apple TV on April 24th, 2020!

MOVIE RELEASES

Due to the coronavirus outbreak, most of the exciting new releases—at least those I looked forward to—have been delayed indefinitely.

PERSONAL LIFE

I guess it might not be as intuitive as we’d wish to make plans for a whole month of confinement but the best course of action remains some sort of floating optimism if not realism. April 2020 will mark the end of having to attend seminars for life, putting me one step closer to a life free of being a student and to fully embrace my role as a researcher/rookie teacher in my field of study. If anything that’s definitely a huge moment to look forward to, which will essentially allow me to focus on much more important things in life.

I still have to go through the dreaded comprehensive exam for my Ph.D. before focusing on my actual thesis that should theoretically be complete by the end of 2021. Just mentioning this sends chills down my spine out of excitement and dread! I’ll just have to continue to take things one step at a time.

Otherwise, our new reality throughout this pandemic also brings me more time to indulge my hobbies and I’m bound to make the most out of them—as you can see from the books I got queued up for the month—throughout the month. It’s definitely important to spice things up occasionally to not fall into a trap of boredom.

With all that being said, let’s keep that smile on our faces and stay safe!

How to Find a Hobby - Smarter Living Guides - The New York Times

Thank you all for checking out my monthly anticipation post!

Now tell me what you’re looking forward to this month! Any new releases? Anything exciting you plan on doing?

Yours truly,

Banner1

INSTAGRAM – FACEBOOK – GOODREADS – TWITTER – OUTLOOK

Published by Lashaan Balasingam @ Roars and Echoes

Reader. Reviewer. Researcher. Criminology Ph.D. Candidate. Montreal, Quebec (Canada). Want to know more? Connect with him!

50 thoughts on “My Monthly Anticipation | April 2020”

  1. I hope that you enjoy Malazan.👍📚 It is such a fantastic series, drags a bit near the end but, that could have been just me as I read all ten books one after the other and most are big boys.😂 I will say that Gardens of the Moon is quite tough to get into and it is probably the worst book in the series. Might be a case of struggling through as then the others, particularly two and three are phenomenal.👍

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Ahhh shiet. It’s good to know that the Great Drew gives this series his seal of approval though. That’s definitely reassuring me, although I always felt like it was a series that was calling me, that it was meant to be read and loved! 😛 I do note your comment on the first being rough in the beginning. Barely two chapters in and there’s so much going on already.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  2. Wow, you are ambitious this month. Weeks AND Erikson! Best of luck.

    And another GitS show? Count me in!!! While I didn’t like the original movie, or bother reading the manga, all of the tv shows have impressed me. There was a reboot a couple of years ago, Gits: Arise, that really impressed me. SAC 1 and 2 was funny even while portraying the bleakness introduced in the original movie. I’ve never watched any of the follow up movies either. So here’s to hoping SAC-2045 is a success.

    This is definitely not a good time to be a movie afficianado, that is for sure. Movies being “delayed” left and right. Kind of makes me hope that hollywood will just crash and burn. I know it won’t happen, but a man can dream, right? 😉

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. Yeh. And that final Lightbringer book is 1k long!!!

      Besides having read the manga and seen the Scarlett Johanssan live-action movie adaptation (which wasn’t that good to be honest), I still need to get around to checking out the animated movies and shows. Hopefully, SAC-2045 is indeed worth our time because I’m not digging the Netflix animated style (they’ve released a recent Pokemon Mewtwo Return reboot movie with similar style and it looked so cringey…).

      Hahahaha I doubt Holywood will die. They could always turn it into a at-home industry and sort of make it work without theaters hahaha

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. While The Broken White is 1K long, that is only because he used a different font and thinner paper. Otherwise it would be pushing 1.4K. Isn’t that crazy? He talked about this in one of his monthly facebook Q&A sessions.

        Because we talked about GitS, I watched GitS 2.0 (some sort of remake?) on Prime yesterday. There isa lot of gratuitous breasts and poky nipples going on. I was glad the tv shows toned that down.

        yeah, direct to home seems to be a thing. I’m seeing Amazon offering movies that should have been in theatres as “go to the movies at home” kind of thing.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Yep. I had a feeling too since I have my other fantasy tomes with around 700 pages being bigger than The Broken White. The weight of it alone betrays its fake length 😂

        Not surprised about the gratuitous sexual content. That’s what every GitS manga volume, besides the first one that barely made it predominant, had to offer…

        Yep. Lots of subscription platforms now offer movies on release. They don’t have much of a choice for new releases anyways. Except to delays those that haven’t released yet. 😂

        Liked by 1 person

  5. I like the Day of the Dead sugar masks on the ‘Birds of Prey’ cover. I was an extra in a short last month where myself and others wore that make-up. I did my own make-up and it was really scary.
    I read that first ‘Murderbot’ novella and enjoyed it. I want more!
    Like Bookstooge, I enjoyed the tv versions of ‘Ghost in the Shell’ more than the movies. I like the slower paced storytelling and the fact that the images are not overwhelming.
    Stay safe, everybody!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Oh man, I can totally see what you mean. When it’s done right, it looks almost too real to be true!

      I’m so glad to hear about your experience with Murderbot!!! What have you been reading lately? Have you ever got around to reading Kings of the Wyld? 😮
      Hopefully this new Netflix animated series will work for the better then!
      Hope you and the Ms. Temperance, and the dogs, have been doing good and staying safe, Icky!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  10. I loved Rogue Protocol. Murderbot is one of my favorite characters right now. And I’ve just begun The Black Prism, enjoying it so far. I’d like to try Gardens of the Moon one day, I think I have an ebook copy. I look forward to anything new in the Ghost in the Shell world, just love those stories. I know what you mean about the animation, it reminds me of some Appleseed films I’ve seen. But I find I get so into the stories it ends up working in the end, though I’ll likely always be nostalgic for the more traditional styles. Keep that positive attitude and blast through that exam and thesis! Have a great April, Lashaan!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. I love Murderbot as well! Can’t get enough of it. And I’m so very glad to hear that you’ve start The Black Prism. One of my favourite things as a blogger/reviewer is when someone ends up loving something as much as I do, to be able to share a love for a book/series! Hope your time with Brent Weeks’ Lightbringer series will be just as amazing as mine so far! 😀 I look forward to sharing my thoughts on Gardens of the Moon. It has been on my TBR for far too long and I always felt like it was going to be one I was bound to love for some reason! Also glad to hear about your love for GitS. Last year I went through all the manga volumes (3 of them) and looked forward to now indulging the cinematic pieces next. But man… the visual design for this new animated series really isn’t selling it to me though but hopefully itworks out. Thanks for the continued support, Todd! Stay safe and awesome as always, sir! 😀

      Like

      Reply

  11. Gardens of the Moon is one of the books that you either love or hate it 😉 I loved this one, but it’s not a favorite. And while I was aboslutely awed by the entire Erikson 10-book Malazan series (not Esslemont, steer clear of Esslemont :P), afterwards I found out how indebted he was to Glen Cook’s Black Company – and this diminished my enthusiasm for Erikson quite a lot 😉 Still, these are very solid books, so happy reading!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. So far, I am fully invested and intrigued by the world despite it feeling a bit messy. Duly noted for Esslemont… A bit sad. But your mention of Cook’s series reminded me that it’s also waiting impatiently on my bookshelves. I need to make it a priority. If not this year, it’s definitely going to be a must-read for 2021. Hope you got some good ones queued up for April too, Ola! 😀

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. Last Agent Cormac novel, which I’m currently reading, the second installment in Lee’s Machineries of Empire trilogy, re-read of The Fellowship of the Ring, and maybe I’ll take that fateful step and sign up for Net Galley? Depends on how much time I will end up having, for now it doesn’t look too promising…

        How about your grand spring proclamation? Was it the end of studying in sight?

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Oh snap, some really awesome books queued up for April. Sounds like working from home (I think?) is a pain for you! I do hope you’ll be able to accomplish everything you set your mind on this month, Ola.

        I haven’t “studied” in a while but as of tomorrow, I won’t ever have to “evaluated” by a teacher again. I’ll, however, continue to be at the other end of that relationship and continue to evaluate other students hahaha Spring should pretty interesting. Especially once May approaches. I can’t help but wonder what the academia world will look like with potentially extended confinement…

        Liked by 1 person

      3. My work situation has become quite complex, to be honest, but I won’t bore you with details 😉 We sure live in interesting times!

        Congratulations are in order, then! 😀 How do you feel as a teacher, oh venerable Lashaan? 😄
        Yes, I do wonder about that. I hope academia will cope with it by changing at least a bit, and allowing for more flexibility in the teaching/learning arrangements.

        Liked by 1 person

  12. The Murderbot series is one of the most intriguing and amusing ones I remember reading, and I can hardly wait for the full novel that will come out shortly. As for Scalzi, being a staunch fan, I can only recommend his books – any one of them 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  13. I’ve had my eye on Foundryside for a while now. Will there be spoilers if I read the novel for Murderbots without reading the novellas? I have the 1st book though.

    It’s good to hear that you’re keeping a healthy positive outlook on the current situation. I wish you great luck in your upcoming venture!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. I believe you’ll be spoiled mildly by picking up the new book but I can’t tell. We’ll know more once it releases I guess hahaha You definitely should try the first book though. Same for Foundryside! 😉

      Hope you’re staying safe and taking care of yourself and your loved ones during this crisis too!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  14. Oh, forgot to add, I’m actually looking forward to Paolini’s ‘To Sleep in a Sea of Stars’ coming in…SEPTEMBER 😂 And urgh, they gave a PARTIAL galley. WHat kind of a tease is THAT?? How am I supposed to give a complete review? Although, I guess it’s a marketing tactic that works. But a frustrating one. If the rest of the book turns out ‘meh’ then our readers will lose trust in reviewers. I hope other publishers don’t start doing the same.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Hahahaha I too believe it’s a marketing strategy. I mean he wrote Eragon and if it’s now time for a new series, he’s going to need to sell it to everyone! 😛 At least books aren’t getting delayed because of the epidemic though. That would’ve been insane. 😮 😮 😮

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. True, but his is a ‘partial’ ARC, so now reviewers will be incentivized to buy his book as well cuz they never got to read the full story. And yes! So glad we still have books :DD

        Liked by 1 person

  16. Great list Lashaan, as always, lots to look forward to! I’m curious about Dark Horse’s adaptation of O’Bannon’s original Alien concept, although I’ll temper expectations as before Ridley Scott became involved it was quite different and more of a ‘B’ movie. The original Predator adaptation which starts coming out in June should be interesting as well.

    I’m yet to see the Harley Quinn animated series although the rights have been picked up by a tv station here but no airdate announced at present. Glad you mentioned Ghost in the Shell SAC 2045 (but you REALLY need to see the 1995 anime first!), looking forward to it but likewise I’m not a big fan of the CG animation style and disheartened that it’s becoming more and more the norm for modern anime – Castlevania is proof that traditional cel animation is still the best!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thanks, Chris! It’s always quite fun to look up what new and exciting things are planned for the month. Those “original screenplay” stuff by Dark Horse have been fun so far, even if they don’t always stand out for me. Hopefully these will have interesting unexplored ideas to indulge!

      I haven’t checked out the animated Harley Quinn either. I am much more pumped for the Deathstroke one in the making though. Duly noted for GitS. I need to make myself some time to binge through those classics series/movies. I think the last two manga volumes left a sour taste in my mouth. Oh, and Johansson’s live-action movie was an average take too. Glad you mentioned Castlevania though. That’s quality material right there!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. Well, the 1995 GiTS anime and the Standalone Complex series are vastly superior to the live action version and based on what I read in your reviews a much better and more intellectual realisation of the concepts than the original manga! I definitely think you would appreciate those versions.

        I had no idea there was a Deathstroke animated series in the works! I hope it’s not a parody though, that may work for Harley Quinn but not for that particular character.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Yes! There was a teaser trailer called Deathstroke | Knights & Dragons that was released a while back. I have no idea what it was meant to become though. Not even sure anymore if it’s going to be it’s own series or if it was just a one-episode thing…

        Liked by 1 person

  17. Pingback: Kill Team (Galaxy’s Edge #3) ★★★★☆ | Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road

Leave a Reply

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s