May was my BEST reading month EVER I think!
SO many 4 and 5 star reads. I had some favorites come through for me this month, and was pleasantly surprised by many of these.
Homegoing was BY FAR a favorite book that I will never forget. It is THAT good. It’s beautiful and epic, and haunting and heartbreaking, and if you have not read it – PLEASE DO!
I find myself moving back into print much more these days. I think it’s mostly because I’m trying to read things and get them out of my house! Book storage is beginning to be a bit of a problem in my house, and I just returned from and epic trip to BEA last week and came home with a MASSIVE amount of ARCs I need to start!
Here’s my rating guide:
1 star – nope. can’t even go there.
2 stars – meh. i liked a little bit about it. maybe i hated the story but loved the writing. or the other way around.
3 stars – good story. not something I’ll probably ever think about again. but ok.
4 stars – a great story. well worth the read. let’s talk about this one.
5 stars – amazing. i will tell everyone about this story. i will push the book to everyone i talk to. i won’t stop thinking about this one for awhile.
May 2019 Reads:
Audiobooks 2 | EBooks 2 | Print 13
The Overdue Life of Amy Byler by Kelly Harms
LOVED this one. Moms will love this one about a mom on a #momspringa break. So fun. And I’m not a mom – but i ADORED it! Read my full review here!
The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren
My first Christina Lauren read and will NOT be my last! This was SUCH a fun breezy story about a wedding gone bad – severe food poisoning – and the only two who survive the bad seafood go on the honeymoon so it’s not wasted. The only problem – they hate each other!
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
AMAZING. As I said above, Homegoing was BY FAR a favorite book that I will never forget. It is THAT good. It’s beautiful and epic, and haunting and heartbreaking, and if you have not read it – PLEASE DO! It follows the lineage of two sisters in Africa, and the heartbreak and struggle every family member faces – all the way to present day black America. Incredible.
The Forgiving Kind by Donna Everhart
Loved this unique story! Read my full review here!
A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
My first Backman! I laughed. I cried. I fell in love with quirky old man Ove. And you will too. It’s a heartwarming story, peppered with sadness, and a ton of fun characters and no matter how hard Ove tries to push everyone away – you find yourself drawn to him. LOVED this book!
The Scent Keeper by Erica Bauermeister
Incredible. Reminded me a bit of Where the Crawdads sing. I still think about this story and will never take advantage of the incredible ability to smell. Read my full review here!
Valencia and Valentine by Suzy Krause
An adorably sweet and unique story! Two women, somehow connected – both quirky and fun in their own way. Read my full review here!
Waisted by Randy Susan Meyers
I think I’d be hard pressed to fine a woman who does not relate to this story. We’ve all had weight issues, or food struggles or just trials with our own confidence. It’s great story with a crazy reality show/ documentary twist that is insanely fun! Read my full review here!
Bright Burning Stars by A.K. Small
LOVED this one. If you liked the movie Black Swan, you’ll love this! Read my full review here!
Too Much is Not Enough by Jane Pollack
A really interesting memoir about living your life, and living your BEST life. Inspiring! Read my full review here!
Sunset Beach by Mary Kay Andrews
My first Mary Kay Adrews book! Sunset Beach was FUN. Fun in the Sun! We’ve got murder! History & Mystery! Romance! Twist & Turns galore! This book has got it all – a little something for everyone, juicily spread out in a fun, light-hearted read that I enjoyed so, so much.
We Love Anderson Cooper by R.L. Maizes
May was Short Story Month and I was so excited to receive this from Celadon Books. It’s a really great modern collection of short stories. I’ve never been a short story reader but this collection might have changed that! I’ll be reviewing it soon!
My Lovely Wife by Samantha Downing
INSANITY!! So, I figured out this one early, and I felt the end was bit rushed BUT this book had me TEARING through the pages. I was cancelling plans and slacking on real life with this one. You will not want to put it down! A really FUN thriller!
The Summer Hours by Amy Mason Doan
This was the ultimate beach read! Summer Hours was everything you could want in a juicy love triangle, a road trip, a wedding, a coming of age book, college life, first jobs and first times – it’s got it all!
Hidden, Me by J.L. Rizzo
Jennifer is a friend of a friend in CA, and when I found out she was also a Jersey girl I knew I had to read her book! And I’m SO glad I did. It’s a fun sweet love story peppered with secrets and lies and bravery and courage… I’ve heard Colleen Hoover fans will love her! (I haven’t CoHo’s books but I plan too!)
The Night Before by Wendy Walker
This one was fun – not as “thrilling’ as I typically like my thrillers but…we follow Laura Lochner, who has the most rotten luck with men. Sometimes they pack up and leave, other times they ghost her, occasionally – they die. Laura is now trying her luck at online dating. But when she goes on her very first date – and disappears – it sends her sister Rosie into a panic. Great premise right! A fun thriller!
Small Fry by Lisa Brennan-Jobs
I’m obsessed with Apple. Obsessed with Steve Jobs and I loved his bio so much. I read everything I can on this fascinating man so when I heard his estranged daughter wrote a book about her father – I knew I wanted to read it. The book is kinda slow, she bashes SJ a lot (we already know he was a jerk!) and I think her dad might be the most interesting thing about her. I didn’t love it it but it was still worth the read!
BOOKAPOTAMUS 
wow you have done really well in May!!
I have read Homegoing and it really touched my heart – amazing book.
thanks for this list -some sound really good and exciting!!
-Lena
http://www.lenasnotebook.co.uk
x
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Yesssss!! OMG Homegoing was so incredible, I savored it and read only about 2-3 chapters a week – amazing!
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Wow, you really did have a great May!
I feel like May has been a pretty nice month for book bloggers; it’s been so nice watching you guys blog and tweet about BEA and Book Con.
I’m currently listening to A Man Called Ove, and really excited to see how it goes!
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Thank you! Yes, it was a whilrlwind at the end of the month – I’m glad you enjoyed the posts, I know a lot of people would love to go but it’s just so far, so I thought it would be nice to show a little bit of how it was!
I did the audio for Ove too! I loved it. I feel like I liked the first half, but i LOVED the second half!
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