April was a slow month for my Read Harder Challenge. In fact, I only completed one challenge for the challenge, which is pretty damn pitiful if you ask me. Usually I try to knock out two or three, but I got very into just reading what I felt like during the month and it was good to do that.
Here’s the only challenge I completed:
The Sound of Water: Haiku by Basho, Buson, Issa, and Other Poets by Sam Hamill
Completes Challenge #23: Read a collection of poetry in translation on a theme other than love.
Thoughts: This was a surprisingly difficult challenge to complete given I’m not the biggest poetry reader, and the majority of published poetry is often about love or relationships. Then I remembered I had a background in East Asian Studies and was like “I could read Basho again!” Through my work I found this tiny little collection of haiku from the greats such as Basho, Busan and Issa. A lot of the poems focused on meditative states and the evolution of life. This was a very quick, easy, and thoughtful collection of relaxing poems to read!
Here’s hoping May is a better month for completing challenges! However, I am really glad to have knocked this one out giving how much trouble it was giving me at first.
Cherry Blossoms & Maple Syrup 