May was a bit of an interesting reading month for me. I started out with these really good intentions to read a lot of fantasy books and then I kind of started to feel somewhat burnt out on it, and hit a book I didn’t really want to continue with it. I was talking to my friend Cheyenne, and mentioned wanting to throw my TBR out the window and just read whatever I wanted. She encouraged me to do what was best for my reading, and so I did. That’s not to say I didn’t read any fantasy this month, because I did get to a couple which was nice. I think because of this I will probably be a bit more loosey goosey on my TBR in June, which will be more forgiving to me as I move into the end of the school year.
In May, I read 20 books. Let’s go through them:
- Caught by Harlan Coben
Rating: 4 stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: This was a really fascinating story. It was full of characters that I really didn’t like, and who did really terrible things. There were several stories that ended up intersecting with each other and it kept zigging and zagging. It wasn’t my all time favourite mystery that I’ve read, but it was a solid one, and I definitely had a good time while I was listening to it.
2. Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden
Rating: 4 stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I finally finished this one. It’s such a hefty read, but I really enjoy it. This was a re-read that I read to support students in my lit circle unit. I still enjoyed the story and really liked the characters. The plot is really interesting to me, and the way the story is written is really beautiful. There are some really great layers and symbolism to the story.
3. These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman and Megan Spooner
Rating: 3 stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This audiobook didn’t make a huge impression on me, if I’m being honest. I enjoyed it well enough, and it was an interesting sci-fi but I wasn’t totally invested. I don’t know if I will continue on with this series. It just wasn’t for me, but I really don’t think that means it’s not a good book. It did have an interesting narrative structure.
4. Please Send Help by Gaby Dunn and Alison Raskin
Rating: 4 stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This was an eARC that I got through NetGalley. It was super enjoyable, and I have a full review up on the blog here. Check it out!
5. Sadie by Courtney Summers
Rating: 5 stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: This is a re-read for me. I read Sadie not too long ago in October of last year. I had just heard such good things about the audiobook that I really wanted to listen to it, and my hold came in. I really liked the audiobook, but I don’t know if it was really as good as I had heard. It was definitely good, and I liked that it was full cast, but I think I had just expected more. That being said, I still loved the story and I really enjoyed revisiting it.
6. Sky in the Deep by Adrienne Young
Rating: 4 stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: Kari has been bugging me to read this book for quite awhile and I finally picked it up for my plan of reading fantasy novels that I’ve been putting off. It was an interesting story, and I really enjoyed the characters and the ways they interacted. The hate-to-love romance was right up my alley. It didn’t blow me out of the water, but it was definitely a really good story and I highly recommend it.
7. There’s Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins
Rating: 3 stars
Format: eBook
Review: I picked up this eBook from the Kobo store, because the cover had intrigued me and I was intrigued by the story. It kept me engaged in the story, but I really, really wasn’t super keen on this story. The twists were definitely twisty and it was definitely brutal in the murders. However, it just wasn’t the best written thing that I’ve ever read. I read it on a trip into the city with my friend and I just kept exclaiming to her about things that had happened that made me want to face palm.
8. Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Rating: 3 stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: There has been so much hype about this book in the bookstagram and general reading community that I felt that I ought to give it a try. I liked the characters, but the basic story line wasn’t my favourite. I didn’t like the way that Anna and Etienne got together, but I knew that I wasn’t going to like that going into it. I did like the idea of getting sent away to a fancy boarding school in Paris, and I enjoyed how Anna’s dad was basically Nicholas Sparks. I also liked that Anna learned from her mistakes.
9. Her Royal Highness by Rachel Hawkins
Rating: 5 stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This is the cutest book. I read the first novel in the series last year and I loved it, so I knew I had to pick up this one when it came out and pre-ordered. It features a different protagonist, but some of the characters that you meet in the first book also appear. I loved the way the romance developed and the way that they came to develop feelings for each other. I loved that this was such a cute wlw romance, and it gave me all the feels. I highly recommend this story!
10. “Boys and Girls” by Alice Munro
Rating: 5 stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: I read this story with my grade 12s in our short story unit. I really like this short story and I find it very compelling. I think it’s one that the kids can get really into, and I liked its discussion of gender roles.
11. The Diviners by Libba Bray
Rating: 5 stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: This was a re-read for me as well, but another one where I listened to the audiobook. I loved this book the first time, and I loved it the second time. The characters in this story are so well done, and I really enjoyed the fantastical elements that Bray included. If you like fantasy and historical fiction, this is the book for you.
12. Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Rating: 5 stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This story was so amazing. I had heard so many good things about it that I wasn’t sure if I would like it, but I loved it. The characters were so realistic that I couldn’t help but feel like they were real, and it was really disappointing to remember that they weren’t real and that I wouldn’t be able to go listen to the music that they had produced. You definitely need to read this one.
13. Wicked Saints by Emily A. Duncan
Rating: 5 stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: Kari highly recommended this book to me, and I ended up buddy reading it with my friend Cheyenne. It was a really unique story and I fell in love with it. I loved the characters, and I loved the romance. I actually, accidentally, read further than I was supposed to because I was reading the last half and just couldn’t stop reading. I needed to know what was going to happen!
14. Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
Rating: 4 stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: I should really just read whatever Kari recommends to me whenever she recommends it, because she also recommended this one to me and I put it off because I didn’t think I wanted to. Then I listened to the audiobook and it was super good. Romance still isn’t my favourite genre, but the characters in this book were all so well developed and there were so many of them that it was amazing that the author was able to keep track of them all. I really loved the way the story developed.
15. “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” by James Thurber
Rating: 3 stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This is another short story I read with my English 12 class. It’s not my favourite short story, but I definitely think it’s interesting and it makes the kids think.
16. “The Lottery” by Shirley Jackson
Rating: 4 stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This was the last short story I read with my English 12 class. It’s always interesting to see how the kids react to the ending. It’s an intriguing, disturbing read and it always throws me off how creepy Jackson’s writing is.
17. Harry Potter and the Halfblood Prince by JK Rowling
Rating: 5 stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: This was the latest in my re-read (or should I say listening) of the Harry Potter series. I absolutely love this series, though I will say that Halfblood Prince isn’t my favourite book. I empathise with Harry throughout the story, but I do occasionally get frustrated with Harry’s character. I just love how this series matures with the reader and with Harry. I can’t wait to read the last book.
18. Emperor Mage by Tamora Pierce
Rating: 5 stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: This was another re-read and first time listen through. I absolutely love the audiobooks in this series as they’re full cast, and I just think that’s really fun. This is probably one of my favourite Tamora Pierce books because I love Daine as a character and I just think this story is really fun.
19. The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline
Rating: 4 stars
Format: Physical Copy
Review: This was the novel study I read with my English 11 class. It’s a really interesting read and I like the connections and parallels you can make to our current society. It’s always fun when you get to read something a little bit different with the kids, and for the most part I have gotten a lot of buy in with this novel, which isn’t something you can always say for the traditional literature on a syllabus.
20. A Noise Downstairs by Linwood Barclay
Rating: 3 stars
Format: Audiobook
Review: This was definitely an interesting thriller. I liked the basic premise of it and it kept me interested because it was definitely twisty, but it was almost too twisty. It felt like the author was trying to one up themselves with each new revelation. Not the worst thing I’ve ever read, but not the best.
So that’s everything I read in May. What did you read? Let me know in the comments down below.
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