Time for a look at my May Monthly reads! Each month I share a quick look at the books that I've read with a little synopsis and my rating - anything that I love or is really intriguing, I will share a more in depth review on a different post!
A Short Walk Through A Wide World was received as a review copy
So, in May I read 10 books with a mix of genres from adult romance to YA fantasy. I love most genres, and I really want to keep my reads diversified this year! Also, I've been trying to read a mix of old and new books, and this month I'm pretty close to that!
I read 3 physical books and listened to 7 audiobooks. Here's a quick look at all the books I read in the past month:
A Short Walk Through A Wide World by Douglas Westerbeke ~ ☆☆☆☆ - 4 stars. This is a historical fiction that surrounds a girl, Aubry, who starts to die if she stays in on place longer than 3 days or goes back to the same location, so she is constantly travelling the world. I loved the adventure aspect that her being on the move on the time and I liked all the places and glimpses of where Aubry has been and who she connects with. What I needed out of this book was some timelines - some were told in stories to others and I just couldn't figure out the timeline and that being vague was just a little distracting for me! Overall, I enjoyed this!
A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal ~ ☆☆☆☆½ - 4.5 stars. A YA Fantasy Novel that includes a heist and vampires?! Love. We have a group of misfits that all come together with a goal in mind of saving Arthie and Jin's tearoom/bloodhouse as it's being targeted and potential shut down. They are seeking an article that will give then the upper hand to save their business. They add Flick, a great forger from an upperclass family (but an outcast) as well as a brooding vampire and a member of the masked guard of the city. I found the group and their dynamics intriguing (there was so much good tension with the group) and the stakes felt so high and the ending, just wow - there was so much going on!
Atalanta by Jennifer Saint ~ ☆☆☆☆ - 4 stars. This is a Greek mythology retelling and enjoyed this one because it was a story and main character I hadn't heard about before! Atalanta is left for dead when her parents wanted a boy and she was raised by bears and then Artemis in the forest. When there is a call for heros she joins The Argonauts for their mission to retrieve the golden fleece and this is the story of their mission and the aftermath as well. I did enjoy this, I can appreciate that the focus is not entirely on the mission and it did detract a little from that but I thought it was well written and I flew through it!
Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead by Elle Cosimano ~ ☆☆☆½ - 3.5 stars. This was the second book in the Finlay Donovan series where a recently divorced mom gets swept up in a murder for hire plot for some money while trying to write mystery books. They are absurd and funny and easy palette cleansing reads!
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel ~ ☆☆☆☆½ - 4.5 stars. This was an adult dystopian, post-pandemic book. This was written well before the covid-19 pandemic, so it's always interesting reading a pandemic book following an event like that, albeit a lot of differences. This book follows a flu virus that quickly spreads and essentially shuts down the world and is a look at how people have survived 20 years later, mostly following a travelling theatre group and their encounters. A look at humanity, but also a look at how we are all interconnected and weaving stories together and the choices we have to make. I enjoyed the setting and the main characters we followed.
Mouth to Mouth by Antoine Wilson ~ ☆☆☆ - 3 stars. I read this for a book club read - it was interesting with the focus on being a story told to an old acquaintance who invites our listener to a first class lounge (however, this premise for me felt too transactional and I just didn't enjoy that part). But, then he tells the story of how he saves someones life and the choices he made following that.
Foxglove by Adalyn Grace ~ ☆☆☆☆½ - 4.5 stars. This is the second book in the YA Fantasy Belladonna series and I love that this came with a duel POV, I really liked hearing from Blythe and can't wait to have her story in the third book. This book introduces this love triangle with Fate and Death and I really enjoyed the dynamic and everything that played out!
Funny Story by Emily Henry ~ ☆☆☆☆☆ - 5 stars. This is an adult romance - we meet Daphne and Miles as they've moved in together - their ex-fiances have decided to get with each other and left them. We enter in to a sort of revenge, fake dating romance plot, which may be favourite niche romance trope since this was a delight! I love that Emily Henry gives us more than romance, we have friend and family dynamics with work and self-discovery with a good romance plot thrown in and I truly like that in her stories! I really enjoyed this one!
The Well of Souls by Cordelia Kelly ~ ☆☆☆½ - 3.5 stars. A YA Fantasy - a treasure hunting vampire who finds herself alone on an island and has to look for the ultimate treasure - making friends and navigating teen issues while being hunted and on a time crunch! A fun read!
I also read Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets with my youngest son.
May was a pretty great reading month!
Here's a little refresh of my rating system:
5 Stars: Excellent/Fantastic/Amazing Read
4.5 Stars: Really Great Read
4 Stars: Great Read
3.5 Stars: Really Good Book
3 Stars: Good Book
2.5 Stars: Eh, It was Okay Read
2 Stars: Finished it, but Didn't Enjoy It
1.5 Stars: Not Good at All
1 Star: DNF (Did Not Finish)
What was the best book you read this month?! For me, it had to be Funny Story!
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