It's the end of May and we're nearly halfway through 2022. I say this every month, but it seems like time is passing so quickly! This was our month to relax and enjoy Florida life before traveling north for the summer. My sister and BIL visited for a few days, we spent lots of time with local friends and neighbors, went for morning walks/runs, and got to the beach for sunset as often as we could.
May was also an excellent reading month for me. I finished six books... half from my planned reading list and half impulse reads or library holds. Two of those books were 5-star reads and I rated two more 4.5 stars, so this turned out to be the highest quality reading month I've had in a very long time!
- The Absolutist by John Boyne - literary fiction - 4.5/5 stars
- Family of Liars by E. Lockhart - YA fiction - 4/5 stars
- Love & Saffron by Kim Fay - historical fiction, epistolary - 5/5 stars
- South to America by Imani Perry - nonfiction - 3.5/5 stars
- Book Lovers by Emily Henry - contemporary fiction, rom-com - 5/5 stars
- The Promise by Damon Galgut - literary fiction - 4.5/5 stars
June Reading Possibilities//
- Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Grams (in progress)
- Daughters of the Samurai: A Journey from East to West and Back by Janice P. Nimura (in progress)
- The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell
- The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff
- Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
- The Maid by Nita Prose
Other June Plans//
We'll spend the first few days of June driving north, then settle in for the summer. My husband's college reunion is coming up, as well as our niece's graduation party, and Father's Day. Both NYC daughters have also made plans to visit in June. With Covid transmission levels rising, we're still being cautious and hope these events all take place as planned.
How was your month? What was your favorite May book?
You had a good month of May for books. I was able to download Love and Saffron today but, it might be later in the week before I begin. Several of the books on your June list look good; hope the work out well. Safe travels north!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Diane. We made it as far as Savannah today... always a treat to stop here!
DeleteI liked (but didn't love) The Maid and I am really looking forward to Lessons in Chemistry.
ReplyDeleteHelen - The Maid wasn't on my list, but my sister loved it and insisted I give it try. We'll see. Lessons in Chemistry is very good so far.
DeleteVicki - I just know you will enjoy Love & Saffron when you get to it. Funny Farm sounds like such a good read, too!
ReplyDeleteWow, sounds like you had a great month! Safe travels coming north!
ReplyDeleteAngela - May was the best month I've had in a long time!
DeleteBased on your recommendatiojn I have requested Love and Saffron and YES, the library just got iy in for me. I did love Charing Cross Road and since you mentioned similaries I had to get it.
ReplyDeleteI posted the recipe for the tomato red onion tart as promised. Oh my, it;s so good. Thanks for the comment on Twitter :-)
Tina - I hope you enjoy Love & Saffron as much as I did. 84, Charing Cross Road is a favorite... just reread it again a year or so ago and it never gets old. That tart looks so amazing... will try it soon!
DeleteYou're the second person who has mentioned how quickly time is passing. I'm certainly feeling it more and more, especially these past five years (post-retirement). I'm not sure what to do to make life slow down, but if you have any answers, be sure to let me in on your secret. I swear that an hour or two in front of my computer is over in two or three seconds!
ReplyDeleteYou had a good month of reading and I hope to get a copy of Love & Saffron with my next book order. I have Book Lovers in my audio queue and may have to swap it for something on my summer reading list so I can get to it before September. My favorite book of the month was Damnation Spring, which I just posted on my blog. 5-stars! I loved it!
Safe travels north. Hope you can continue to stay Covid-free.
Les - I wonder if the feeling of time passing more quickly is related to retirement... or maybe age in general? I think it's important to be mindful of how we spend our time and to really savor the joyful moments.
DeleteI looked up Damnation Spring after you first mentioned it and it does sound pretty powerful. Surprising there wasn't much buzz about it.
Great month! I have Love and Saffron on my TBR so I'm thrilled to see that you really enjoyed it. Safe and happy travels and have a wonderful June!
ReplyDeleteKatherine - I hope Love & Saffron is a big hit with you, too. It is such a beautiful story!
DeleteYou had a good reading month and have me interested in the Boyne book. I'll be curious if you like Lessons in Chemistry. Have a good road trip up North!
ReplyDeleteSusan - I'm enjoying Lessons in Chemistry so far, despite some annoying mispronunciations in the audio version. (I'm doing a read/listen combo.)
DeleteSounds like May was a wonderful month for you, with lots of time spent with family, outdoors and reading! The month also flew by for me and I can't believer we are nearly half way through the year! I sadly didn't manage to finish no where near as many books as you, however I did read the beastie classic Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens, which I loved!
ReplyDeleteTake care, safe journey north and happy reading in June. 🙂
Jessicsa - Several of the books I read in May were short. I've yet to read Little Dorrit, but hope to at some point... glad to know you loved it!
DeleteWhat a great reading month you had! I hope you are enjoying the new month - reads, family, events, etc!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Iliana. It's good to hear from you! Hope things are going well.
DeleteIt's so nice to be in June, which has yet to be hot in CO, so just enjoying the green and the flowers and the light breezes. I did pick up Love & Saffron from the library, per your 5 stars, and am looking forward to enjoying it. I read Wide Sargasso Sea as a teenager and remember thinking it was so sad, but I should probably reread it before passing judgement.
ReplyDeleteSafe travels!
Jane -I hope Love & Saffron is a book you'll love, too... I'm still thinking about it! Started Wide Sargasso Sea today and it's not at all what I was expecting, but we'll see where it goes. We're here in CT now and ready to start the summer!
DeleteWhat a great reading month...I can't remember ever having a month with so many highly rated books like the one you just had. you are on a roll.
ReplyDeleteSam - May was such a great reading month, but I'm sure there won't be as much reading time in June. Hopefully the quality will continue!
DeleteI didn't know there was a prequel to We Were Liars (I really liked that book). I will have to get it from the library. Hope your summer is great!
ReplyDeleteNise' - I had no idea there was a prequel to We Were Liars until I discovered it in the new release area of the library. I'm surprised there wasn't more publicity!
DeleteWonderful beach sunset pictures. Sadly I abandoned Lessons in Chemistry. Started out grear but didn't hold my attention. Probably just me!
ReplyDeleteNicola - I finished Lessons in Chemistry today and, while I did enjoy it, it did not live up to m expectations. I found very little humor in the story and the audio contained many annoying mispronunciations.
DeleteAh, so I'm not the only one!!
ReplyDeleteLes - You're not! After seemingly endless mispronunciations, I finally had to ditch the audio and just read the rest of the book in print.
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