April Burns
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aprilmakessoap.bsky.social
April Burns
@aprilmakessoap.bsky.social
100 followers 67 following 82 posts
✨🌈🌱🦓🧼
Founder & Executive Director @sageandprim
Also, I read books and do weird stuff.
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Book 21 of 2025! Wow, the timing! I’ve been thinking so much lately about this exact thing. Family, past, what would I change if I could? Would I change ANYTHING? Just live right now, friends. It’s all we’ve got. 9/10

CW for parent death, drugs, underage drinking
The cover of the book “This Time Tomorrow” by Emma Straub. It has a rainbow gradient background with the authors name and title in large white blocky font. There is a light yellow thread that swirls around the entire cover and in and out of the letters.
February 21, 2025 at 7:33 PM
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Book 20 of 2025. This was good, but it wasn’t great. And I can’t put my finger on why. I went through it quickly, like…couldn’t put it down. I think the ending was just not there, somehow. Not sure. Still a solid 7/10, though. #booksky 💙📚
The cover of “Ink Blood Sister Scribe” by Emma Törzs. It has a black background, with a simple drawing of a book open and laid flat at the bottom in a maroon color. From the pages, a swirling line comes and weaves back and forth in scrolling loops all the way to the top of the cover in the same maroon color. Pointed straight up from the middle of the book toward the top of the cover, is another simple drawing of a fountain pen, which changes into a trees branches at the top. This is in a light blue color. The title is in large white font with the scrollwork and pen drawings weaving in and out of the letters.
February 20, 2025 at 10:45 PM
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Book 19 of 2024. 10/10 no notes. GO LEARN SOMETHING. This is semi-specific to NYC but really it applies to anywhere and everywhere.
Cover of “They Just Need to Get a Job, 15 Myths on Homelessness” by Mary Brosnahan. The title appears on a cream white background, in simple black and blue text. It is divided in half by a small maze, with a simplified red graphic of a house in the middle of the maze. Authors name appears at the bottom in red text.
February 14, 2025 at 1:17 AM
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Book 18 of 2025. So. So. Good. I nitpicked about the writing and pacing style of the previous in this series, but all of that was completely fixed in this one. Honestly, perfectly done witchy vibes, minor romance, just enough action. 10/10 #booksky 💙📚
The cover of “The Black Bird Oracle” by Deborah Harkness. It has a blue background that is darker at the edges and lighter in the center. Light blue colored vines with small orange buds and blooms form a ring around a cawing black bird. The title is stacked word over word down the center in slightly skewed white font. The authors name is in smaller letters across the top.
February 9, 2025 at 7:02 PM
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Book 17 of 2025. I really enjoyed this. It was nice to get an immigrant perspective on being the “odd man out” in small town white America. Very relatable. I know I wasn’t the only queer brown kid in a room full of rednecks, but its nice to feel some solidarity. 8/10 #booksky 💙📚
The cover of the book “Another Appalachia” by Neema Avashia. It features a photograph of a large Indian family of several adults and children. In the background is an old, time-worn building in a mountainous, tree-covered scene. The title and author’s name appear at the top and bottom respectively, in an all-caps, slightly slanted white font. Under the title, the subtitle reads “Coming up queer and Indian in a mountain place.”
February 7, 2025 at 3:18 AM
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Book 16 of 2025. Accidentally read a different book thinking it was this, & just now got around to trying again. So glad I did, because the writing style is so lyrical and beautifully descriptive. Also, this book proves you don’t have to go through tons of events to make a worthy story 8/10 #booksky
The cover of “A Death in the Family” by James Agee. It features a white textured background with the title is a large but simple font. Below the title is a purple butterfly with black markings on its wings. Below the butterfly is the authors name in a light blue uppercase font.
February 3, 2025 at 3:44 AM
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Book 15 of 2025. This was fun! It’s a whodunit, but is also very cozy feeling, with not incredibly deep but likable characters, lots of fun inclusions about multiple cultures and how they show love through food. 8/10. #booksky 💙📚
The cover of “Arsenic and Adobo” by Mia P. Manansala. It features an illustration of a woman with tan skin and long black hair, who is visible behind a blue cooking surface and against a bright orange background. She’s wearing a teal shirt, gold earrings, and a bright yellow apron. She is shaking drops of dark liquid out of a blue bottle into a large black cooking vessel with a long wooden handle, filled with a reddish brown substance, on the cooking surface, and flames are licking up the sides of the vessel. To one side of the vessel, there is a small bowl of rice. To the other side, there is a small bottle with a skull and crossbones on the label. A small brown dog is peeking over one of the woman’s shoulders. The title is across the middle of the image in large white block letters.
February 3, 2025 at 3:10 AM
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Book 14 of 2025. Oh, this was so good. Children really do live in a different world than boring grown ups. Don’t stop being a child, friends. You’ll forget the important things if you become just a boring old grown up. 10/10 #booksky 💙📚
The cover of “My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry” by Fredrik Backman. The cover features an illustration of a young blonde girl and a black dog from the back. They are looking down an empty road, with green grass on either side. The girls hair is just shoulder length, and looks to be blowing in the breeze. She holds a white envelope behind her back. The dog wears a red scarf around his neck. The sky ahead of them is overstay and cloudy. The authors name appears at the top of the cover, appearing to be written in red crayon. The title fills most of the sky written in black in a child’s hand.
January 31, 2025 at 5:03 PM
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Book 9 of 2025. So good, so interesting, so heartbreaking. We cannot let things be how they were, ever. Ever again.

This book is about slavery-era (and the time just post-slave era) life for Black people, so CW for everything related to enslavement and racism. #booksky 💙📚
The cover of “All That She Carries” by Tiya Miles. It has a cream background that resembles cloth with green leaves stitched around the outside edges. In the center the title and authors name appear in a simple black font. Between the two, in a teal font, it reads “The Journey of Ashley’s Sack, a Black Family Keepsake.”
January 22, 2025 at 8:02 PM
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There isn’t much that a tiny fuzzy friend can’t (at least momentarily) fix.
A small kitten is silhouetted in front of a sunny window. A black, white, and tan kitten sits on the edge of a teal couch. She has large golden eyes and a collar with a bell. A black, white, and tan kitten is on a white cat tree. She has large golden eyes and a collar with a bell. She’s slightly sticking out her tongue.
January 22, 2025 at 7:30 PM
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Book 8 of 2025. Not gonna lie, guys…I didn’t feel the hype on this one. Accurate depiction of humans as disposable commodities? Sure. Surreal? Definitely. I kept waiting for something to happen. It didn’t. I think that was the point, though. Meh. 5/10.
The cover of “The Metamorphosis” by Frank Kafka. It has a white background with various beetles. The title and authors name are at the bottom in a simple black text.
January 18, 2025 at 1:11 AM
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Book 7 of 2025.

I enjoyed this! It’s my first book set in the dust bowl era, and it was an interesting story, I learned a lot about that point in history. It honestly made me rethink a lot about our current (environmental and political) climate. 8/10.

Side note, join a union.
The cover of “The Four Winds” by Kristin Hannah. It features a black background with an illustration of the tops of wheat plants that appear to be blowing in the wind across the bottom margin. Along both sides edges, there appears to be golden dust blowing up from the crops. In the middle the authors name is typed in a simple uppercase golden font. The title is below in a matching white font.
January 13, 2025 at 4:09 AM
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Book 6 of 2025.

This was very helpful to me. It’s gave me a few milestones along the path. Some guideposts for making sure my perspective is not too far off the mark. If you vibe with me spiritually, you’ll like this. 8/10 #booksky 💙📚
A tan hand holds the book “The Four Agreements” by Don Miguel Ruiz. The book’s cover has a green background with small illustrations of lighter green leaves throughout. In each corner of the book cover, there is an orange square with an illustration of a plant, having long leaves and delicate stems of white flowers growing out from their centers. Across the middle of the book, the title appears in a basic white font. I’m very small black font below, it reads “A Toltec Wisdom Book.” The authors name is along the bottom in black.
January 13, 2025 at 3:53 AM
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Book 5 of 2025.

No Gods, No Monsters was a wild ride. I almost didn’t finish it because I wasn’t really following it at first, but it hooked me once I got on board. Fantasy/horror. Lots of lgbt+ rep and well done. The horror parts are truly horrifying. 8/10. #boosky 💙📚
The cover of the book “No Gods, No Monsters” by Cadwell Turnbull. It has a black background with outline drawings of various object, including a snake, a panther, a hand, a fish, and a knife made in bright orange. Around these outlines, white dots are arranged around them radiating out from each image. Across the top, taking up the majority of the cover, is the title and authors name in bold, white uppercase hand lettering style.
January 13, 2025 at 3:46 AM
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Book 4 of 2025.

Sharp Objects was my second Flynn novel recently and I think I just don’t enjoy her writing style. Too much weird sex stuff, feels like she’s trying too hard to be edgy. Concept was fine, I think it’s just not my style. 6/10
The cover of “Sharp Objects” by Gillian Flynn. It shows a photograph of three feminine people arranged around a couch in front of a green floral wallpaper. They’re first is older, appearing to be in her 50s. She is standing to the right of the couch. The majority of her person cannot be seen, as she is cut off by the edge of the book, just down her middle. She looks strong and daunting, although petite in stature. She has shoulder length blonde hair that is very well groomed. She’s wearing a white blouse and a high waisted tan skirt. She has dark red lipstick on, and is resting her hand on the second woman’s shoulder, who is sitting on the couch to the left. This second woman appears to be an adult in her 30s. She has long, wavy strawberry blonde hair. She is wearing a long sleeved plain black top which contrasts heavily with her pale white skin. She has a worried, slightly scared look on her face. She has her right arm draped around the third person, a younger teenaged girl who is laying her head on the previous woman’s lap. You can only see half of her face before it is cut off at the bottom of the book. She has pale skin, straight dark brown hair that is parted down the middle, and a vacant look in her eyes. All three have slight cracks appearing across their faces and bodies, giving them the look of chipped and cracked porcelain dolls. The authors name appears near the top in white font. Across the middle of the black shirt, the title appears in a white jagged font.
January 13, 2025 at 3:36 AM
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Book 3 of 2025.

And Then There Were None wasn’t my fave. It was fine, but not as good as other Christie novels. 6.5/10
The cover for the audiobook version of “And Then There Were None” by Agatha Christie. It features a large simplistic illustration of a large mansion sitting alone on the shoreline near the ocean. The illustration is almost entirely in shades of black and grey, save for many brightly lit yellow windows in the mansion, whose reflection in the ocean assumes the shape of a skull. At the top, there is test that reads “The Queen of mystery, Agatha Christie” with the name written in slightly messy handwriting style in blood red ink. A few spatters of ink appear along the edges of the cover. In small white font below, it reads “Performed by Dan Stevens.” At the bottom, the title appears in large, thick, straight sided white text.
January 13, 2025 at 3:18 AM
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Book 2 of 2025. Cute and classic. Of course I cried. #booksky 💙📚
An illustration of the cover of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. It features an illustration of four sisters gathered around a couch where their mother is reading from a piece of paper. They’re all wearing colorful, full dresses and have their hair pinned and curled in the styles common of the 1800s. In the background you can see a mantle with two candlesticks. There are family photos hung on the wall. The title “Little Women” is at the top above this scene in a simple red font. The authors name, Louisa M. Alcott, is at the bottom in black.
January 13, 2025 at 3:05 AM
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I know, I know. I’ve left yall hanging since New Years Day about what I’m reading. Let’s catch up! Book 1 of 2024. I cried a whole bunch of times. Worth it.
Cover of “Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl” as adapted for television. It features the title over a teal blue background with the actors appearing to sit among the words. At the top there is a white teenage boy, with pale skin and auburn hair. He is wearing blue jeans, a white t-shirt, and a dark zip-up hoodie that is not zipped. His hair is slightly messy. In the middle right, there is a black teenage boy with curly hair that is covered by a baseball cap. He is wearing blue jeans, a blue long sleeve shirt, and white sneakers. At the bottom left is a white teenage girl with shoulder length red hair and pale skin. She is wearing an orange sleeveless shirt, tan shorts, and teal boots. She has a jacket tied around her waist. All three teenagers are holding red, white, and blue popsicles in their hands. At the bottom on the cover, there is text reading “A novel by Jesse Andrew’s.”
January 13, 2025 at 2:58 AM
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100. I managed to read 100 books in 2024. This was a super interesting, and not just about the “murder castle” but about all of the huge pieces of history going on all at the same time. I take back all the things teenage me said about history being boring. History is cool. 8/10 #booksky 💙📚
The cover of “The Devil in the White City” by Erik Larson. It features a golden art deco style border around a black background. A large black and white photo-negative style photograph of the Worlds Fair at Chicago takes up the majority of the cover. The title is written across the sky portion of the photograph in a wavy off-white font, reminiscent of old black and white films. At the bottom of the cover across the water in the photograph is the authors name.
December 30, 2024 at 11:19 PM
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Book 98 of 2024! I read this whole thing in one sitting. Could NOT put it down. If you have impulsive or intrusive thoughts this may be triggering because it’s written very accurately (for me.)
#booksky 💙📚
The cover of the book “Woo Woo” by Ella Baxter. It has a solid red cover with the title aligned vertically at the top and the authors name horizontally at the bottom in uppercase block style black letters. Inside the first “o” in the words, a blue iris of an eye can be seen.
December 23, 2024 at 5:32 AM
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Book 97 of 2024. Oh this was so good! Funny. Heartbreaking at times. Absolutely wonderful. The writing style also reminds me a bit of my favorite book (Everything Is Illuminated) which made me like it all the more. 9/10 #booksky 💙📚
The cover of “The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store” by James McBride. It features a soft green background with a slightly abstract image of a Black person wearing a white shirt and tan pants, wearing a blue head scarf and carrying a red object under one arm. The title and authors name are largely printed on top of the cover in a chunky geometric style print.
December 22, 2024 at 4:54 AM
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Book 96 of 2024. I really enjoyed this one! I have no idea how or why I hadn’t read it until now. 8/10. 💙📚 #booksky
The cover of “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” by Jules Verne. It features a large black and white drawing of two humans under water, surrounded by a variety of huge underwater creatures. The title and author are overlayed in gold letters.
December 15, 2024 at 9:34 AM
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Doing a small amount of work stuff today. It’s going to be slow going, but with any luck I’ll be seeing yall at a pop up on Friday!
Soap bars packed tightly into a plastic tote. The soaps are seen from above. They have a variety of textures and colors.
December 10, 2024 at 7:01 PM
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Book 95 of 2024. So helpful and good! I recommend to anyone who would like to feel like they’d like to do more “care tasks” without knowing how, or struggle with motivation, guilt, shame, or burnout. I made some very helpful realizations. #BookSky 📚💙
Cover of the book “how to keep no house while drowning” by KC Davis, LPC. It features a light blue and white background that is patterned to look like ocean waves. The authors name is at the top in a basic white text. Below the name, in a small black font, text reads “a gentle approach to cleaning and organizing.” The remaining space on the cover shows the title in large black font, which looks like it’s being tossed about in the waves.
December 10, 2024 at 3:38 AM
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Book 94 of 2024.

Interesting read with lots of info I didn’t know. Softened my edges around subjects I have been very sharp about (and a good reminder that even people who I look up to are flawed, and human, and doing the best we can.)

#BookSky 📚💙
Cover of the book “My Own Words” by Ruth Bader Ginsburg. It displays a picture of RBG in front of the bench in her black robes and famous white lace collar. Across the middle of the scene is the text “My Own Words, Ruth Bader Ginsburg with Mary Hartnett and Wendy W. Williams. Read by Linda Lavin, with a preface and Archival Original Recordings read by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.”
December 9, 2024 at 2:28 AM