May Book Notes

I read SO much in May & it made me so happy.

Hi friends! My client cancelled today, it’s grey & sorta drizzly & I don’t have anything to do until my 130 meeting with a new school for Blake (wish us luck! Finding the right school for non-school kids with some neurodiversity going on is HARD!) so here I am ready to yap about all TEN books I read & listened to in May.

I think ten books in a month may be a record for me, & you know what? Choosing books over any other form of entertainment is perfect for me. It makes me calmer, helps settle my nervous system & genuinely makes me happier. Books forever!

OK, let’s dive in.

Book 1-Beth O’Leary’s new book, The Name Game. 3 stars. Physical Book

Nothing wrong with this book, I liked it, but nothing to rave about either. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad book; it was fine. Would I urge you to read it? No, but I also wouldn’t tell it was a waste of time.

Book 2- Janet Gover The Knitting Club at Wagtail Ridge. 3 stars. Audiobook.

This was my bedtime listen. It’s a rural romance kind of thing. These types of stories are my comfort reads. I know what I am getting & that’s the whole point.

Book 3- Carley Fortune’s new book, Our Perfect Storm. 5 stars. Physical Book.

I read my first Carley Fortune book a year or so ago & she instantly became an autobuy author for me. I think she writes near-perfect romance books. I loved this book.

Book 4- Caro Claire Burke, Yesteryear. 5 stars. Audiobook.

The buzziest book of the year so far & I inhaled it in less than 24 hours, towards the end I was listening on 2.3 speed (I’m usually at 1.75-2 speed listener) because I just HAD to know what the hell was going on. I went into this book expecting one thing, & it ended up being nothing as I expected. I had one friend who didn’t like & another who loved, which is fun because it leads to interesting discussions. I say give it a go.

Book 5- Penny Moodie, The Joy Thief. No rating. Ebook.

After I was diagnosed with OCD, my friend Honae sent me some podcast recs along with this book. It gave me a clearer insight into people living with different types of OCD, even if it didn’t always align with my own (new) experience of understanding my own OCD. Lots of good information sprinkled throughout the book, along with Penny’s own story. I choose not to rate biographical/autobiographical/non-fiction these days, hence no rating.

Book 6- Frances Whiting, The Nocturnal. 5 stars. Physical Book.

I loved this book. It has everything I adore in a story- high school friends, romance, multiple storylines, and a small amount of magical realism right at the end. I have zero negative things to say about this book; I loved it that much. Go read it!

Book 7- Lily King, Heart the Lover. 4 stars. Audiobook.

A few people have told me to read this, & I did try a while back, but wasn’t in the mood for this type of book (literary fiction) at the time. But May must have been the right time because when I borrowed it on BorrowBox this time round, I inhaled it & again, I finished it in around 24 hours. Literary fiction can be hit or miss for me, & you can see I didn’t give it 5 stars, but I still really liked it & will read more of Lilly’s work based on this book.

Book 8- Sarah Walker, The Water Takes. 4 stars. Audiobook.

I borrowed this from the library, but when I noticed it was also available on BorrowBox, I thought I would read & listen to it, but the narrator of the audiobook (again, I think I listened on 2 speed because it was too slow for me at any other speed) was SO good I ended up only listening & not reading my physical copy at all. This is a strange book because you never really know what is happening, & I found the ending very unfulfilling, hence the 4 stars. There were times during the book where I actually laughed out loud at some of the lines, & the I really liked the two main characters, especially Pam, a widow in her mid 70’s, but like I said, the ending left me wanting more. That is a flaw of mine as a reader; I do like things to be tied up neatly at the end of a story. I would recommend this book, especially as an audiobook, purely for Pam & some of the things she says & thinks. It was great.

Book 9- Elizabeth Strout, The Things We Never Say. 5 stars. Audiobook.

Some of you may remember I went on a big Strout reading binge last year (or was it 2024….), listening to all 5 of the Lucy Barton books one after the other. I adored those books & I often think about re-listening to them as I found them so incredibly comforting, so of course I jumped on this book as soon as I could. I loved it. It was narrated perfectly & tells the type of story I am so fond of- an ordinary person living an ordinary life in a way that makes you feel more human & connected to people.

Book 10- Elle Kennedy, The Goal. 2 stars. Ebook.

I read two books in the Off-Campus series a year or two ago & liked them just fine. I am not above reading smutty college sports romance, when done well, they are super fun to read, but this one was just not it for me. After watching the TV adaptation of the books, I thought maybe I should revisit the series & now I wish I hadn’t. Let me just say, watch the show, it’s a good time, but don’t waste your time on the books. In this case, the show is MUCH better than the books.

As you can see, I rate books purely on vibes & feelings. There is no real system; it’s just how I feel as I finish the book, so take my ratings & thoughts with a grain of salt. I do recommend downloading BorrowBox & Libby so you can borrow ebooks & audiobooks using your library card. And if you have a Kobo ereader, you can borrow books from your library on that, too. Yay for local libraries!

What did you read in May?

Talk soon xx