What did you read in May?

[ufcasey]

What books did you read in May? Any you would recommend? 

[meowmaps]

The Broken Girls by Simone St. James 3-3.5* (not as strong as The Sun Down Motel)
Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight 2*
The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton 5*
Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay and a Mother's Will to Survive by Stephanie Land 3*
The Distance Between Us by Reyna Grande 5*
Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue 4-4.5*
Exit West by Mohsin Hamid 4*
Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo 4*
The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston 3-3.5*
The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty 4*
The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena 4*
The House on Mango Street (re-read from middle school) by Sandra Cisneros 3-3.5*

I recommend all the 4 and 5 starred books.

[charlatti]

5* for Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend (reread) and The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin 
4* to Birding Without Borders, The Girl with the Louding Voice, and This Little Light by Lori Lansens
3* to Red Letter Days, The Stranger Diaries, and Missing, Presumed.

Not a fabulous reading month for me.

[Vespasia]

There were a few books I didn't like as much this month but I was trying to go with lighter reads so it's not too surprising. 

Hard Rain by Irma Venter - 3.5*
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan - 3.5*
Lock In by John Scalzi - 3*
Hope Rides Again (Obama Biden Mysteries, #2) by Andrew Shaffer - 4*
The Future of Another Timeline by Annalee Newitz - 4.5*
The Mother-In-Law by Sally Hepworth - 3*
The Southern Book Club's Guide to Vampire Slaying by Grady Hendrix - 4.5*


Recommendations:
The Obama Biden mystery books are a little ridiculous but very funny. 
The Future of Another Timeline was great if you think you would like feminists changing an alternate history. 
Southern Book Club's Guide to Vampire Slaying was campy fun and had some good 90s nostalgia. 

[CrazyLucky]

I read six books this month. I couldn't get through Behind Closed Doors. Not my kind of book. The ones I rated 4 stars are The Guardians by John Grisham, Strangers and Cousins by Leah Cohen, and Hid From Our Eyes by Julia Spencer-Fleming.

I'm in the middle of Accidental Saints and The Boy in the Black Suit right now.

[rootbeerfloat]

Children of Virtue and Vengeance (Legacy of Orisha #2) by Tomi Adeyemi - 2.5*
Smoke Bitten (Mercy Thompson #12) by Patricia Briggs - 3.5*
The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty - 4*
Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams - 3.5*
The Sinner (BDB #18) by JR Ward - 3*
The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez - 3*

[mie]

Breast and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami 3.5*
In Five Years by Rebecca Serle 3*
Moshi Moshi by Banana Yoshimoto 3*
Just As Long As We're Together by Judy Bloom 3*
Here's to You Rachel Robinson by Judy Bloom 3*
The Honey-Don't List by Christina Lauren 3*
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Russell 3*
The Trouble With Hating You by Sajni Patel 3.5*
Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner 3.5*
One for the Murphys by Lynda Mullaly Hunt 4*
Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt 5*
Beard in Mind by Penny Reid 4*

[travella]

4*
Dear Edward by Ann Napolitan

3* (read with kids)
Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator by Roald Dahl

2*
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
In Five Years by Rebecca Serle
The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern

[minzy]

We read books 3, 4 and 5 of the Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder - Farmer Boy (3.5 stars), On the Banks of Plum Creek (4 stars), By the Shores of Silver Lake (4 stars). I’m really enjoying the time with my kids.

I also finished The (Burning) Case for a Green New Deal by Naomi Klein (4 stars). I had a tough time staying focused on it, yet perhaps we’re reaching the point that all kinds of change is underfoot (environmentally, but also on public health/science front spurred by the emergence of coronavirus, and of course with race relations). She argues a comprehensive Green New Deal addresses almost all of it, but that, of course, will take a political sea change.

[rainbowchip]

Bookish and the Beast by Ashley Poston 3* - it was an ARC I won on goodreads and I think it needed some more editing.

Defy Me by Tahereh Mafi 4*
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry 4* -read along with DS for school
Normal People by Sally Rooney 3*
Reveal Me by Tahereh Mafi 3*
Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone by JK Rowling 3* read with my kids
Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson 3*
Rodham by Curtis Sittenfled 5*

I would recommend Rodham for anyone who likes politics even slightly and if you like Hillary.

[wesleycrusher]

-Black Elk Speaks: Being the Life Story of a Holy Man of the Oglala Sioux- interview transcribed by John G. Neihardt (audio) - 4
-Confessions by Kanae Minato (audio) - 1
-The Perfect Escape by Suzanne Park (audio) - 2.5
-Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell (audio)- 3
-Death at Wentwater Court by Carola Dunn (audio)- 3
-Out in the Open by Jesús Carrasco (audio)- 3
-Dispatches from the Edge by Anderson Cooper (audio)- 3
-Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology by Leah Remini (audio)- 4
-High Achiever: The Incredible True Story of One Addict's Double Life by Tiffany Jenkins- 4
-Meant to Be by Lauren Morrill- 3
-Most Talkative: Stories from the Front Lines of Pop Culture by Andy Cohen (audio)- 4
-The Mother-in-Law by Sally Hepworth- 3.5
-Open Book by Jessica Simpson (audio)- 4
-The Beatles: The Biography by Bob Spitz (audio) - 4
-The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan (audio) - 3
-It's Always Something by Gilda Radner - 4

[litskispeciality]

I read "A Nearly Normal Family" 4*'s (possible trigger warning) and about 50% of "Never Let You Go" by Chevy Stevens. Hoping June will be a better month.

Wesleycrusher I'll have to check out The Beatles book. Thanks again to whoever recommended the Beach Boys biography, my dad loves it.

[wesleycrusher]

Jun 3, 2020 12:28:12 GMT -5 litskispeciality said:

I read "A Nearly Normal Family" 4*'s (possible trigger warning) and about 50% of "Never Let You Go" by Chevy Stevens. Hoping June will be a better month.

Wesleycrusher I'll have to check out The Beatles book. Thanks again to whoever recommended the Beach Boys biography, my dad loves it.

That was me also! I love books about music and artist's memoirs. I just watched some Beatles documentaries and youtube videos, too, to fill in some pieces, since there is so much out there. 

I've now moved on to The Rolling Stones but I'm not sure if I like the booked the picked, although I'm only partway through.

[mrspez07]

Audio:
Anna and the French Kiss 4*
The Starless Sea 2*

Book/e-book:
The Mother-in-law 3*
Memory Man by David Baldacci 3*
Skipping a beat by Sarah Pekkanen 3*
China Trade by SJ Rozan 2*
The Ghostwriter by Alessandra Torre 4*
Crazy Love You by Lisa Unger 2*

I haven’t given this many 2* ratings in a long time, maybe I’m just in a critical mood, but these 2* books just didn’t do it for me. A lot of books for me this month though!

[tacokick]

The Girl From Widow Hills by Megan Miranda

The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides (this was possibly the worst book I’ve read in years)

Long Bright River by Liz Moore (very good)

Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner (she shouldn’t write mysteries)

Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning by Cathy Park Hong (uneven but good)

Days of Distraction by Alexandra Chang (very good)

Sigh, Gone: A Misfit's Memoir of Great Books, Punk Rock, and the Fight to Fit In by Phuc Tran (very good)

High Achiever: The Shocking True Story of One Addict's Double Life by Tiffany Jenkins (not good)

All Adults Here by Emma Straub

Pretty Things by Janelle Brown

This Is Big: How the Founder of Weight Watchers Changed the World — and Me by Marisa Meltzer (this was good but totally glossed over some major issues in her life like her coke and meth habit as a HS student)

Perfect Tunes by Emily Gould (instantly forgettable)

Girls of Brackenhill by Kate Moretti

Such a Perfect Wife by Kate White

A Body to Die For by Kate White

Til Death Do Us Part by Kate White

If Looks Could Kill by Kate White