Welcome to my May Reading Wrap-Up! This has been a pretty solid reading month, with some new favourites, and quite a few books have been taken off my TBR.
I set myself the goal of reading four selected books from my shelves which I only read 3 of, one of which was a DNF and is not listed. For June I am still setting a goal of reading from my physical TBR but I plan to take it very easy given that I’m submitting my PhD thesis and moving abroad! Stay tuned for my TBR post later this week and for my travel posts in a few weeks. If you aren’t already, make sure to check out my Instagram where I’ll be sharing more of our long journey driving/ferry to Spain.
May Statistics
Books Read: 9
DNF: 2
Average rating: 4.11
Vibes: Dark, mysterious, tense, reflective
Reading Goal: Ahead by 4 books!
Balancing the Books: 3 books were purchased this month from going to book launch events, but I took 6 books off my TBR so I’m calling that a big win.
Pod by Laline Paull. This was not a book I was expecting to like- written primarily from the perspective of a dolphin, I was worried I wouldn’t be able to suspend my disbelief. However, I was so wrong, this book is magical and I couldn’t put it down! A contender for my favourite book of the year and so far, my personal Women’s Prize winner.
Library
We Play Ourselves by Jen Silverman. A book that starts off great, detailing a playwright’s fall from grace after a public fracas, gets weird (teenage girl fight club!) but then loses momentum and loses the thread completely by the end.
Backlist
Death of a Bookseller by Alice Slater. A fabulously creepy read that is just an absolute blast from start to finish. We follow Roach and Laura, two polar opposite booksellers but Roach starts to develop an obsession with Laura that goes too far, particularly around her past. I read this in about 48 hours and loved every page, very addictive reading.
New
Revenge by Yōko Ogawa. A wonderfully interlinked set of unusual short stories. I adored this collection and highly recommend it to anyone looking for something a bit different but also very quick to read.
Backlist
Wandering Souls by Cecile Pin. An emotional story of siblings Anh, Thanh, and Minh as they leave their village in Vietnam and start their journey towards Hong Kong as refugees. It was simply written but very moving, and it has stuck with me throughout the month.
Library
Children of Paradise by Camilla Grudova. Yes, I just read this last month, but I felt inspired to do a reread after thinking about this book endlessly. It’s grubby, gross, but an excellent read. Even better the second time around.
Library
Things We Lost in the Fire by Mariana Enríquez. Although for me, this didn’t come lost to the intensity of The Dangers of Smoking in Bed which I read last month, I still really enjoyed this collection. Enríquez’s newest book Our Share of Night is one of my most hyped books for this year (although I have not got my copy yet as it is a beefy hardback, and I can practically see the extra cost I would have to pay to pack it to move internationally).
Backlist
Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros. A completely unexpected new favourite, I adored this book! I went into this knowing very little and was immediately (and I do mean immediately) hooked. I could not stop listening to it! It has all my favourite tropes plus dragons and chronic illness rep (there’s also deaf sign language user rep), so I wholeheartedly loved it. Another strong contender for favourite of the year.
Library
Hare House by Sally Hinchcliffe. A gothic story set in an isolated area in Scotland. I loved the setting and this book had some really creepy moments. However, I felt like there were a lot of missed opportunities and the ending was the definition of a letdown.
Backlist
Read While It Rains 
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