May is always a hectic month for me… wrapping up the school year, graduation, preparing for cheer camp (and this year, actually going to cheer camp in May). It’s often one of the slower reading months for me… but this month, I am pleased with how much I read!
I finished May with nine books read, including one amazing nonfiction, two books written by people of color, and one book featuring an LGBT protagonist. One of my most surprising reads was Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse… completely out of my comfort zone but one I really, really enjoyed.
Books are listed in the order they were read. For more mini-reviews, check out my What I Read tag.
Monthly Stats
- Total Books Read: 9 Books
- Total Authors Read: 9 Authors
- Total Pages Read: 3,275 Pages
- Total Books Quit: 1 Book
- Average Days Per Book: 3.4 Days per Book
- Average Pages Per Day: 105.6 Pages per Day
Long Story Short…
- If you like tales of heroism, try Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand.
- If you like to read about athletes, check out Gold by Chris Cleave (or Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand).
- If you like stories about gods and mythology, read Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse.
- If you like historical fiction and love stories, go for The Summer Wives by Beatriz Williams
The Summer Wives by Beatriz Williams
Premise: Miranda Schuyler was taken to Winthrop Island in 1951 as an 18 year old, after her mother got remarried to the infamous Mr. Fisher. The day that they returned from their honeymoon, however, Mr. Fisher was murdered. Flashing between Hugh Fisher’s past and Miranda’s future, the story unfolds in tragedy and star-crossed loves.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Thoughts: First, I have to admit that I love Beatriz Williams’ style of romance. There’s always historical fiction mixed with a killer love story mixed with some mystery or turmoil that keeps me guessing. And this book hit on all three things beautifully. The novel was set in 1930, 1951, and 1969 – none of which had major historical events going on, but it was set in a time that really framed the narrative of the story in a way that romanticizes the characters a bit.
I did struggle a bit keeping the storylines straight, but that probably had to do with me being busy and not getting to read as often as I wanted to. Other than that, I thought the mystery aspect was intriguing (although I figured out who done it pretty early on), and the multiple timelines let the author reveal the mystery in a way that didn’t seem forced or exaggerated. And the love stories – ugh! I was swooning for Miranda and her boy, and Bianca’s story really captured my attention. Overall, this was just a really well-done love story and I cannot wait to read more from this author.
Who Should Read It: Anyone looking for a good love story. Anyone who loves historical fiction romances. Anyone who likes depth in their romances.
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
Premise: Louis Zamperini was an Olympic track star and slated to be the first person to break the 4 minute mile… until WWII happened. His journey from precocious child to fast-running teenager to bombardier for the US Air Force to (finally) coming home from war is enthralling and eye-opening.
Rating: 5 Stars
Thoughts: I listened to this one on audiobook (narrated by the amazing Edward Herrmann), and I am so glad I did. There were many times that I felt like I was experiencing WWII and the Japanese invasion first hand (even when I didn’t want to be, like the POW camps). The description in this book, the language and writing, the incredible story (followed by 75 pages of annotations and bibliography) just really, really drew me in, and I don’t think there’s a single thing I would change about this one.
It is a hard read though. I had really no idea about WWII on the Japanese front. Aside from Pearl Harbor, our American history classes focus on the Nazis and the Holocaust, so this is really the first I’m hearing about the war from Japan’s point of view. The humanity in this book really shows… Hillenbrand (and Zamperini) manage to find the humanity and thoughtfulness through all of the atrocities of POW camps, and I appreciated that focus. Overall, just a really excellent book.
Who Should Read It: Anyone who likes survival stories. Anyone who is interested in WWII. Anyone who loves intriguing characters. Anyone looking for a hopeful story.
Severance by Ling Ma
Premise: Pre-Fever: Candace Chen works in the manufacturing of Bibles in New York City. She has a boyfriend and a routine. Post-Fever: Candace is on the run with a group of people who also, miraculously, survived the fever as well. Reconciling her previous world to her present situation, Candace must figure out what her future will look like.
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Thoughts: I don’t read (or watch, for that matter) a whole lot of apocalyptic stories. They just don’t interest me. But in the name of reading challenges, I picked this one up, and, I must say, I actually enjoyed it more than I thought I would. The writing style is clipped, with lots of short paragraphs, and, with the absence of quotation marks, the dialogue just melts into the story. Not that I enjoy the lack of quotation marks… it absolutely infuriates me. But it wasn’t as awful for this story as with other books because Candace is alone for so much of the book.
This book was hard to put down once I started reading. The words really flowed, and I was hooked by the plot structure and trying to figure out what Candace would encounter next. That being said, this is not my cup of tea, and I can’t see the story sticking with me for too long.
Who Should Read It: Anyone who likes post-apocalyptic stories. Anyone looking for a quick read.
Gold by Chris Cleave
Premise: Zoe and Kate are best friends and rivals. They have been the top two women cyclists in England since they were 19, and, despite their personality differences, they have forged a friendship. When the Olympic committee changes the qualification rules for their event, they must make a hard decision.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Thoughts: I’ll be honest… I was wary of this book. As much as I loved Little Bee by the same author, I had low hopes for this one. I don’t typically like books about athletes, and I often find it hard to relate to the characters… and for a while, this book basically fulfilled my expectations. I struggled to connect to the characters, I didn’t understand their motivations, and I thought Sophie’s storyline was just unbearably sad.
But, somewhere around the second half of the book, I got hooked. I ended up reading the last 175 pages in one sitting. I guess it’s a bit like a cycling race? They start slow, get warmed up, build their speed… and then it’s a sprint to the finish. Once I hit that sprint, I was literally crying (actually bursted out into tears) and celebrating and feeling all the emotions of the main characters. The way that the author reveals each character’s backstory was great (although I would have liked it sooner in the novel), and the final race that we see was masterfully written. I was so hyped up when I finished this book that I actually went run a mile. Run! Me! Who would have thought?
Who Should Read It: Anyone who likes athletes or the Olympics. Anyone looking for a gripping tale of friendship. Anyone who wants a surprising book that isn’t a thriller.
One Day by David Nicholls
Premise: Emma and Dexter have one fated evening together on July 15, 1988. Following through years of their friendship, and non-friendship, and relationship, and non-relationship, July 15th gives us a peak into their lives each year.
Rating: 4 Stars
Thoughts: I debated about the rating on this one… In terms of ALL THE BOOKS EVER, this book was not that great. Dexter is a rich playboy asshole, and Emma is just generally too good for him. The dialogue is a bit stilted, and it occasionally reads like a screenplay for a rom-com rather than a real dialogue between real characters.
But, for a romantic love story novel, I cannot deny that I was sucked in. The fact that each chapter is a new year in the lives of Emma and Dexter… it kept it from being too predictable. When one chapter ends, you never know what the next chapter will hold, because a whole year of events have passed. Marriages, babies, affairs, fame and fortune… seeing what was coming next kept me hooked to this book, and the ending was just awful and perfect. I haven’t watched the movie, but I already know the book is better.
Who Should Read It: Anyone looking for a love story. Anyone who enjoys books about star-crossed lovers. Anyone who doesn’t mind casually crying on a Saturday morning.
Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse
Premise: Maggie is a monsterslayer. She uses her anger and the powers from her clansmen to bring down monsters and save people from terrible fates. But when monsters start popping up, and towns start getting destroyed, Maggie must look for the person responsible for creating these monsters — and that person may be a god.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Thoughts: Ok, if you remember, I kind of really hated American Gods. So, when I make this comparison, just go with it for a minute. This book is like American Gods meets Percy Jackson coupled with a bit of Katniss from Hunger Games. And I loved every single second of it. This story had adventure and daring and grit and anger and magic and suspense and surprises. It had all of that, and then it wrapped it in a Navajo tradition, where the gods and powers you are reading about come from real Native American tradition, and that just gives it a bit more depth of meaning.
The characterization in this novel just really excels. Maggie is angry, and I generally don’t like angry characters. There were points where I just wanted to shake her and say GIVE THE GUY A CHANCE, MAGGIE! But… she kind of a had a point? Her rage was valid and well-earned. And I accept that as necessary to her story. I also really loved Kai’s character… and all the other ones that were bizarre and fully formed. This was just such a good book… and I’ve already put the sequel on hold.
Who Should Read It: Anyone who liked American Gods or Percy Jackson. Anyone interested in Native American culture. Anyone who is looking for a good fantasy series to start.
History is All You Left Me by Adam Silvera
Premise: Griffin’s life shatters when Theo, his first love, dies. Flashing between the present-day suffering and the past history of their time together, this novel tackles grief and heartache and lost loves and redemption.
Rating: 3.5 Stars
Thoughts: I have read two books by Adam Silvera before picking up this one (They Both Die at the End and What If It’s Us), and I loved both of them. Silvera has a way of showing real love and commitment in his relationships, and his characters are always quirky and unique and real and refreshing.
This novel continued on with the unique characters, but I just found it lacking some of the spark and fun that the other novels by him have. Maybe because this book was so damn sad? Flashing between points of view is really disconcerting, especially at the beginning, when the present day is so devastating and the past is so, so joyful. But Griffin’s character didn’t seem as fleshed out as some of Silvera’s other characters, and some of the surprises felt a bit… random, like the story didn’t set us up to think that that was a viable outcome. Overall, not awful, but I’d definitely start with Silvera’s other work if you’re interested in this genre.
Who Should Read It: Anyone who loves YA romances. Anyone wanting a quick read. Anyone who has experienced grief and loss.
The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
Premise: Vanessa’s husband left her for a younger woman. It’s not that she is upset about the divorce, but how can he move on so quickly? Nellie, on the other hand, is thrilled to be marrying someone who is a perfect gentleman…
Rating: 3 Stars
Thoughts: I’ve gotten to the point where I should just stop reading domestic thrillers. They’ve lost all of their surprise for me. Of course the guy isn’t what he seems. Of course the ex-wife has a thrilling secret. Of course everyone is paranoid — look at your life choices!
There were a couple of unique things about this book (none that I can mention specifically without spoilers), but, overall, none of the surprises were Earth-shattering, except maybe the one that comes along in the Epilogue… but you’ll have to read the whole book to get to that one. While I did come to like Vanessa’s character, it took a long time for me to figure out her motivations (and the motivations of all of the other characters as well), and I’m still not sure I really see (or care about) the point of it all. Overall, a solid domestic thriller, but not anything I’ll be recommending to anyone.
Who Should Read It: Anyone who likes domestic thrillers. Anyone who liked The Last Mrs. Parrish.
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
Premise: Zélie is a diviner who was just a child when the Raid happened and killed all of the Magi in Orisha. As a diviner, she knows that she should be a Magi, but magic has abandoned Orisha, and she doesn’t think she will ever get to feel magic in her blood. But, one day while in the marketplace, a noble girl stops her, asking for her help. That sets off a chain of events that lead to Zélie rushing to try to get magic back in Orisha.
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Thoughts: I downloaded this one as an audiobook on a whim, and I’ve been listening to it for the last two weeks. I wasn’t sure about it at first… the language was weird for me, and I’m not big on fantasy. This one is fantasy – it has fictional animals and magic and takes place in a made-up land. But it’s also not too far out from real life either. The people are people, with emotions and very human lives.
I really wasn’t sure what to rate this one, because it’s a bit out of my wheelhouse and I wasn’t sure that I was the right audience for the book. But then… it clicked. I got it. It wasn’t until Zélie was on the verge of losing everything that I realized just how relatable and emotional this book was. Sure, it’s fantasy, but it’s dripping in reality. Loss and pain and oppression are very real in Zélie’s life, and that’s something we can all connect with. Plus, the author’s note really forges that connection even more (which, if you want, you can read before reading the book… I’d almost recommend it). I went from being a bit ambivalent about the novel to scrambling to pre-order the second book in the series (which doesn’t come out until December, ugh.)
Who Should Read It: Anyone who likes fantasy or YA dystopians. Anyone who wants to read about oppression and the struggle to overcome it. Anyone who wants to fall in love with some characters.
I’m officially at 50 books completed for the year — half way to my Goodreads goal of 100! Let me know if you’ve read any of these, if you disagree with my reviews, or if any of them sparked your interest!
