Can you believe 2018 is almost half over? I’ve had a busy spring at work because I’ve been covering for a coworker’s maternity leave, which has made the last few months a bit of a blur. Between work, my freelance writing, and spending with with family and friends, it’s feels like just a blink. It’s true what they say – the days are short, but the years (and months) are long.
Anyway, enough philosophy! May was a stellar month in reading – I finished 10 books, and I can confidently say that I enjoyed all of them. I think one of the best things was setting aside my weird fear of missing out when it comes to reading. I feel like I save a lot of excellent books because I’m waiting for the “right time” to read them, when I’d be much happier if I just picked up the dang books. There will always be more great books, so just read the good ones now! Here’s what I finished:
- Pachinko by Min Jin Lee (fiction – review)
- The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson (nonfiction – review)
- The Girl Who Smiled Beads by Clemantine Wamariya and Elizabeth Weil (memoir – review)
- Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye (fiction)
- Damnation Island by Stacy Horn (nonfiction)
- The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang (young adult, comic)
- Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (fiction – review)
- The Paper Magician by Charlie Holmberg (fantasy)
- Dear Madam President by Jennifer Palmieri (nonfiction)
- In the Woods by Tana French (mystery)
Because so many of these were excellent, it’s hard to pick favorites. On the fiction side, I was so happy to read a mix of realistic fiction, fantasy, and mystery. Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine was so charming and warm and hopeful, I’m still thinking about that one. The Paper Magician was a promising start to a new fantasy trilogy, and I loved In the Woods, the start of a mystery series. And then Jane Steele was both satisfying and surprising, I had a lot of fun reading it.
I read a little less nonfiction this month, which isn’t totally surprising given my current reading patterns. I thought The Feather Thief was fun – a good true crime book if you don’t like gore, that does a good job explaining why the theft of dead birds is a big deal. The Girl Who Smiled Beads was heartbreaking but very well-told, and I liked getting back to some historical reading with Damnation Island. I’m hopeful I’ll read a bit more nonfiction going forward, maybe getting my yearly reading to about 50-50. We’ll see though!
A Look to June
I don’t have any particular plans for my reading this month. I should be working ahead on review copies, but I haven’t really been in the mood to read for “work,” so they’re languishing a bit. June is a really full month of new books, though, so I imagine I’ll be tempted by a few at the bookstore or at my local library.
One interesting thing about my reading in May was that it was almost entirely books by women. I don’t know if that’s the reason it was such a great month, but I’m leaning towards continuing that streak if I can to see what reading almost entirely women and people of color looks like. We’ll see where that goes though!
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I read In the Woods quite a while back and really enjoyed it. I’ve now read all of Tana French’s books so far and love them. Her new one will not be part of the series – anxious to see what she’ll do in that regard. Have a nice June and take care!
I’m excited that there’s a whole series to dig into, and that they’re those sort of loosely connect stories. Those are my favorites.
So glad you enjoyed In the Woods and Jane Steele. I hope you continue with the Tana French series. It’s one of my favorites!
Definitely! I’m excited that Cassie is the main character of the next one, she’s an interesting character.
‘In the Woods’ is in my stack of possibilities for June. Somehow, I’ve amassed the rest of the series on my shelves yet never read the first one. And I adored ‘Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine’ when I read it at the end of last year.
How are you liking Book of the Month? I’ve been tempted to join, but worry the books will just stack up on my shelves unread.
I go back and forth on BOTM, honestly. I like seeing the titles, since they’re often books that are outside my normal reading radar. I’m mixed on actually finishing them — maybe like 40 percent over the course of my subscription? They recently switched the payment system so you buy credits and can use them as you please, rather than a monthly thing, which I like. I’m not sure if I’ll keep doing it after my range of credits are up, but it’s been a fun indulgence while I’ve had it.
Hmm, yeah, the books outside my normal zone is what draws me to the program, but I’m not sure I’d finish them and I’d feel silly paying for that. The new payment system sounds more flexible, though. There are definitely some months where the last thing I need is more books to read arriving at my apartment.
Your list is varied in a really interesting way among fiction, graphic novel, memoir, and other nonfiction. I’ve read only one on your list, Pachinko. You didn’t include any (as far as I can see) of my favorite genre: food books.
best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Yeah, it was a pretty varied month! I haven’t read much food writing lately, but I feel like that should change.
What a great post. I want to read about half the books on your list. The only one I’ve read is the Tana French which I completely loved. 🙂
It was great! I am going to be looking for the next one at the library soon.
I had a lot of fun with Jane Steele too! It was excited to see it on your pile of books 🙂
It was so good, I’m a little bummed I took so long to read it!