Hi Everyone!! 📚
Whoa! I read A LOT in May! It was just one of those months where it worked out that way. Some of you may have seen my blog post about the May The Force Read with You Read-a-Thon. I was able to check everything off my list of prompts for that, and had a blast chatting with others in the discord about what we were reading.
So here is what I read in May and some brief spoiler free thoughts on each book. Have you all read any of these books? I would love to hear your thoughts as well!
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I have been having a great time reading through this series. Even though I am AWFUL at Discord and all things that have to do with social media, I am trying to participate in the discussion with The BookStara Readalongs. I started Discovery of Witches (book 1) about a year ago and DNF'd it. I am really not even sure why. I am so glad I gave this series another chance. It is pretty good. I am loving the love story, of course, but the creatures, powers, and without spoiling it too much I am always down for some time travel! I am looking forward to hearing the group's thoughts! There is going to be a spoiler filled discussion on June 10th here:
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This was the 24 Hour Read-a-Thon pick for May. It was SO GOOD. Ok, at first I was having trouble with it, the problem was with me. It has been a while since I have read a fantasy book with multiple perspectives, so I found myself getting frustrated rather than just embracing the style. Once I got over it and switched gears it was so much easier to enjoy this book. I did finish it in less than 24 hours. It kept me guessing the whole time...and I was ALWAYS wrong. I couldn't predict what was happening. This is the mark of a great book for me. I had originally gave it 4 stars, but 2 weeks later I am still thinking about it. It deserves 5 stars. Do any of you ever do that? Rate a book and then go back and change it later? I don't know why I think sometimes that my rating should be "set in stone" I am allowed to change my mind right?! Just feels weird for some reason. Here is our midnight kickoff stream to start off the read-a-thon. It is always a fun time!
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This is the second book in the series. I liked it. There is a lot of political intrigue and cultural issues that I enjoy. The story moves a little slow for me and it just feels SO long. There are so many books that I read that are long, and don't feel like they are that long. This one is long and it feels that way. I guess it was dragging for me. There is a relationship between the main character and her "love interest?", that absolutely frustrates me, but in a good way. I like that the relationship is unpredictable and not a "cookie cutter" type of romance. I like when a book makes me feel a certain way, even if the feeling is anger and frustration. I am weird like that.
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Under Locke was my Monthly Mariana Re-read for the month of April. I started the last day in April and finished in May. Still Loved it. I guess I would classify this one as an "enemies to lovers" story. A grumpy, brooding, jerk of a hero and a lovable, funny heroine with a tragic back story. I have been thinking a lot lately about the formulaic nature of the romance novel. I don't mind that romance usually follows a formula. But particularly, lately I have been looking for the "3rd act break-up". I hope it doesn't spoil anything, but I think maybe Mariana books don't really follow a formula as much as others. Maybe that is why I love her writing so much? No 3rd act break up in this one. Maybe it's because it is such a slow burn. I am not sure. Formula or no, I am still loving these books.
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Still one of my favorite Mariana books! This was the Monthly Mariana for May. I just love this book. Another grumpy, brooding, jerk of a hero with a funny and lovable heroine. I love the progression of this story from enemies to friends to lovers. Some of the side characters in this book are just awesome and hilarious. I LOVE Sal's dad. I laughed out loud so many times reading this book. There are also some extremely heartwarming parts and I am not going to lie, there were tears. Stay tuned for my blog post for the next Monthly Marianna, Rhythm, Chord, and Malykin.
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This book has one of my favorite romance tropes, marriage of convenience/fake relationship. That is not a spoiler because you find that out on page one of this book. This was a book that has been on my TBR for a long time. It was a cute story and an enjoyable read. I always read my romance at night before bed. Romance is my go to for a comfort read so I find it relaxing to read before bed. This was a great book to do that with. I did listen to the audio book for a couple of chapters. It was good, but I find that I don't really enjoy a romance audio book as much as I like to just read a physical book or my kindle. I love to listen to other genres on audio book though. What are your thoughts on this topic? I am interested to know what audio books you all are listening to.
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This was the pick for @Lezlie's Wine and Crime book club this month. I am really loving stepping out of my comfort zone and reading some crime/suspense books. It is such a fun time and I really liked this book. I have been having some issues with sleep lately so it freaked me out a little to read this one, which I loved. I could really relate haha!. It also had a theme that I love in a book or a movie/tv show. I won't say what that is though because it would be a major spoiler. I read the physical book but mostly listened to to audio book for this one...I have to say the narrator was fantastic and super creepy at times. Here is the discussion from Lezlie's channel, it is spoiler filled after a certain point, but there is a section at the beginning that is spoiler free.
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I am about to embark on the Tawny Man Trilogy by Robin Hobb, starting with Fools Errand. It was suggested to me by @Derri That I read this short novella before getting started. I just love the story telling of Robin Hobb. I told my husband "this book is a pretty cover with messed up stories inside" haha. The things a character in a Hobb story goes through, geesh! There was some good insight in this book about the origin of a piece of the magic system that can be found in the Farseer lineage. I have never given a single Robin Hobb book less than five stars at this point. I can always count on the fact that I am really going to enjoy anything that I read in the Realm of the Elderlings so far.
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I have been trying to read at least one classic each month. I enjoyed this one. I watched the movie when I was younger but totally forgot what it was about, so enough time passed that it seemed like a new story. There were parts of this book that I felt dragged on a little and it didn't hold my attention as much as Jane Austen. But I did really like it and I am glad I experienced the book. Maybe I will revisit the movie now.
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I am still enjoying reading through this series. I found this second book to be better than the first. It took some turns and went some places that I was not expecting. It is a quick and to the point read. I am really liking the morally grey nature of the characters and just the story in general. Ready to move on to book three!
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I read this book looking for some new techniques to use in my journey to healing. There are a lot of things in this book that I already do, but it was a nice reminder of things I could be doing to improve the mind/body connection on my path to wellness. I will keep this book around and refer back to it. It will be a good resource to have in my arsenal.
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This was the last book in our journey through the Dark Tower series. Although it was written after the series was complete, it falls between Wizard and Glass and Wolves of the Calla. I am glad though that we saved it for last. I wanted to experience the books in the chronological order that they were written. It was a short and fun little side story, I loved it! Now that I am done with the series I just plan to try and read Stephen King chronologically. Starting with Carrie next month... Hopefully. Our Ka-tet will be discussing this book too, so keep an eye on the calendar here for that.
What did you all read in May?!
Hope you all had a great month!
Hugs 🤗
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