If I had to sum up May with one word, it’d be “busy.” I had such a hectic month both personally and professionally and it constantly felt like the days were flying by.

That said, there was a lot of good stuff in May as well. Summer finally arrived here on the east coast (yay!), and we spent more time with friends and family than we typically can. We celebrated Mother’s Day by inviting my folks for a weekend-long food extravaganza, went to see a comedy show, and took a day trip to Halifax where we ate unbelievably good cream puffs and custard buns 😊. We also discovered a place here in our city that does Detroit-style pizza and ate there no less than three times over just a couple of weeks.

Beyond all the food and fun I had in May, it was also a great month for reading! A few real stand-out books, a couple from the backlist, and some that were quick and entertaining. Overall, a really solid month as far as books go.

Books Read in May 2023

This month, I managed to listen to two books and read six. For me, that’s a great distribution. I very nearly made it through The Burning God as well but fell asleep on the 31st with 50 pages left, so I won’t count that one for May.

Books I read or listened to include:

1. If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio: I feel like this was on my TBR forever and I still see it in bookstagrams all the time. I really enjoyed it! It was a great mystery, very reminiscent of The Secret History but with more emotion in my opinion. I rated it 4 stars and you can read my review here.
2.  The Reckoning (Zodiac Academy 3) by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti: I’m obsessed with this series. This book was just as addictive as the previous ones in the series and had an even more explosive ending. I absolutely loved it, rated it 5 stars, and you can read my review here.
3.  These Twisted Bonds by Lexi Ryan: this was the conclusion to the These Hollow Vows duology and I thought it was well done. This was a solid YA series in my opinion with just enough angst, tension, romance, and magic. I rated this one 4 stars and you can read my review here.
4.  Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney: my first Sally Rooney and I loved it! I had no idea what to expect, especially with such a unique approach to narrative, but it evoked so much feeling in me I’m still thinking about it. I rated it 4 stars and you can read my review here.
5.  Glint (Plated Prisoner 2) by Raven Kennedy: alright this series is picking up for me now. I enjoyed the first book, but this one I loved. It was a little slower on the action and a lot of build, but I LOVED the tropes and the magic and the slow unfolding of several major builds. I rated this one 5 stars and you can read my review here.
6.  Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn: what a fun story about 60something female assassins attempting to retire while being hunted down by their former organization. This wasn’t necessarily what I was expecting, but it was an enjoyable audiobook with a fun premise. I rated this one 3.5 stars and you can read my review here.
7.  The Secret History by Donna Tartt: a classic of the dark academia genre that I’d never actually read before. It was a bit slower than I would have liked, and a little less focused on the supernatural than I expected, but still a solid read. I rated it 3.5 stars and you can read my review here.
8.  The Power by Naomi Alderman: a dystopian story about how the world is impacted when women develop a genetic power that gives them significant strength over men. I had so many thoughts about this one, I felt myself reflecting on the narrative a lot and thinking through how it paralleled real-world issues and events. I rated this one 4 stars and hope to have my review posted this week!

TBR Lists

I was restrained in the books that I added to my TBR this month because I have no idea when I’ll get to them. I purchased probably 10 books throughout May and haven’t cracked a single one yet. Here are the ones I thought sounded interesting enough that I added them to my backlist:

• Dark Night Golden Dawn by Allison Carr Waechter: a witchy, contemporary fantasy romance that I saw recommended several times this month. It’s book one in a trilogy as well, and I do love a good trilogy.
•  The Surviving Sky by Kritka H. Rao: a Hindu philosophy-inspired science fantasy that follows a husband and wife trying to save their city and their troubled marriage. The premise of this one sounds super unique, very excited to eventually give it a try.
•  Little Thieves by Margaret Owen: I’ve seen this one around many times and finally added it to my TBR. The story follows a girl who steals her future from another and then must pay the consequences.
•  Adelaide by Genevieve Wheeler: a story that follows a girl named Adelaide who falls deeply in love with a flawed man, forcing herself to face the question: when love asks too much of us, how do we find the strength to put ourselves first?

What I’m Loving Right Now

Despite how busy things have been, I’ve still managed to sneak in a lot of things that bring me joy. My mood has been feeling lifted lately and I’m quite convinced it’s a combination of great weather, good food, and time spent with those I love. Some of the things bringing me a particularly high amount of joy right now include:

Reading Outside

I’ve waited seven months to be able to read outside again!! Living in a climate where we have such long and brutal winters can be so difficult, but I am loving the gorgeous weather we’ve had and the ability to read out on my back deck and in the garden. You can catch me there for the rest of the summer!

Getting an Illumicrate Subscription

Part of living in Canada means I either can’t access some of these amazing book box subscriptions that are out there, or they’re cost-prohibitive by the time you convert the cost to Canadian dollars. I was SO excited to get off of the waitlist this month for Illumicrate though! I’m expecting my first box any day and I can’t wait to see what’s inside 😊.

Watching Al Of Our Gardens Bloom

I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t love gardening. It’s not my passion, it’s just something I understand has to be done as a homeowner. That said, the people who owned our house before we did were AVID gardeners and as a result, I have a lot of beautiful bushes, trees, and flowers that bloom every year with very minimal effort. I’m loving reaping the benefits of this right now, it’s so lovely to be surrounded by nature in the middle of the city.

Well, that was May! A busy, wonderful, exhausting, lovely month. How was your May reading? Did you read anything particularly good??