May 2018 Wrap Up

I seriously can’t believe that May is over. Seriously! I wasn’t even prepared to write this post. So I took a look back at my month and finally ready to share my findings.

Books I Read

I’m getting back on track with my reading and actually getting a ton done. This month I finished off the very last day with The Kiss Quotient making my final count NINE books. Here’s the others I read (stars are the ones I loved):

Calypso by David Sedaris I’m a huge fan of David Sedaris so when the opportunity to read his latest novel came up, I totally snatched it up. I love when you’re a fan of a particular non-fiction author and their books read like reading generations of their life. I feel like the David Sedaris I knew and loved is a completely different man now that he’s in his middle age years. You can read my review here.

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang* I’m so glad to have finished the month with a fun romance novel with diverse voices including Asian American and autism. This is my first time reading a book with an autistic character as well as written by an autistic woman. But like the novel says, it’s only a label. This book is such a fun romance novel that reminds everyone that despite what hand you’ve been dealt, you can still fall in love.

Speak No Evil by Uzodinma Aweala* is so good on another level. I tried to compare it to a novel like Atonement, but I feel like it’s much deeper than that. It follows a young man who just recently discovered he was gay. With that one understanding about himself, he stumbles down this dark path of ridicule, shame, and complete upset. Seriously, no one in their life should experience what Niru has gone through. The sad news to that is that it’s already happened so many times before. You can read my 1000-word review here.

What Should Be Wild by Julia Fine This is a modern fairy tale with a magical realism twist to it. Imagine not being able to touch anyone because you just might kill them. Now, imagine being trapped in a house your entire life only to venture out when your father disappears. This book is earthy and female. I’m not saying feminine, but female. The guttural shriek from my loins yelling female. If you’re into that kind of thing, go for it. You can read my review here.

ISAN by Mary Ting I did a fun blog tour for this book this month and I had fun diving into this spy-ish novel. The story follows a young woman who works for a super secret elite spy company called ISAN. It was while on a job that she’s kidnapped and when she finds out the truth behind her life. A solid first book in a new series. I can’t wait for the second one. You can read my review here.

Love and Other Words by Christina Lauren* This book is probably tied with Speak No Evil as my favorite book of the month. As I mentioned before, I’m a sucker for romance and this was such a romantic book. It’s about two bookish nerds who know each other since they were kids and reconnected as adults. You read about getting to know each other and that’s juxtaposed with some dark truth you don’t find out about until the very end. I laughed, I cried, I hoped it became a movie. You can read my review here.

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J Maas* This book was a re-read for me. Since Sarah J Maas’s latest novel A Court of Frost and Starlight came out, I wanted to read the entire series and relive all those magical moments. If you’re not aware, A Court of Thorns and Roses is one of my favorite YA/Fantasy series. I’m so excited to read the rest of the series and hopefully I’ll do it soon enough!

I Liked My Life by Abby Fabiaschi* Seriously, this book was a surprise good one for me this month. I participated in a blog tour for this book, so I read and I loved it. A whole family trying to come to terms with the suicide of their beloved mother and wife. The wife is stuck between the worlds watching down on her family and giving them helpful hints towards their future without her. It was such a beautiful read and a 2017 Goodreads Book Award Nominee! I would have totally voted for this one last year. Read my thoughts here. 

The Pisces by Melissa Broder I thought this was weird! The story starts off with the main character complaining about how much poop comes out of a dog. I mean, this book was going to be weird if this was what the book starts with. And it does. As Lucy rediscovers her sex life, she meets a young man from the ocean who happens to be a freaking merman. You can read more about my thoughts here.

The House of Broken Angels by Luis Alberto Urrea I read this one for the Words Between Worlds Instagram Book Club. It was a pretty solid read about a family coming to terms with their patriarch, Big Angel, getting older and possibly dying. The story follows the family on Big Angel’s birthday as he goes back into his past and thinks about his family and how he’s grown. It’s also a great read for those diverse book fans out there with a great story of a Mexican-American family who did everything to reach the American Dream. Read my thoughts on the book here.

The Kiss Quotient won’t be up until tomorrow since I haven’t had a chance to write that review. I’ll edit this later.

My favorite book from this month is tied with both Love and Other Words and Speak No Evil. Both books are on opposite sides of the bookish spectrum and both of them will tear your heart out.

I read a lot of books on loss this month, but also balanced that with a little bit of romance. I’m launching a book project this summer called “Taming the TBR.” I have so many great reads that I’ve been putting off because of some other bookish projects I’ve been contributing to. I plan on spending my summer just chilling with some great reads and little-to-no required reading. I’ll post more about it soon!

In Other News…

May was a pretty relaxed month for me. I think it was because my husband was out for two weeks in California that I was able to read way more books than I normally would.

I feel like I spend a lot of time trying to write these wrap ups in a way that makes sense for you. Do you like this? Let me know in the comments!

Next month is Pride. At my old job, we used to celebrate pride with a whole big party. I would make the rainbow jello every year and they always come out looking great and delicious.