I Should Read That

May is over and it’s time for the best part of the month: the reading round-up.  I didn’t achieve my reading goals for the month, however it was still a good one.

Books I read

The Wrath and the Dawn by Renée Ahdieh

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor

The State of Grace by Rachel Lucas

Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee

False Hearts by Laura Lam

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

Blackwing by Ed McDonald

I was hoping to read ten books this month and fell short of my goal.  I ended up not reading as much on holiday as I had hoped; I was too busy running around with friends!  Despite this, I managed to read seven books, which isn’t too bad.  You can read my thoughts on The Wrath and the Dawn and Strange the Dreamer here, but I’ve fallen a bit behind on reviewing (again, blame the holiday) so the remaining are forthcoming.  I’m really pleased with the books I did manage to read, they’re a diverse group but I liked them all.  I think Strange the Dreamer and Blackwing were my favorites of the month.

Books I am currently reading

Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdeih

The Secret History of Georgian London: How the Wages of Sin Shaped the Capital by Dan Cruickshank

I read The Wrath and the Dawn in anticipation of Flame in the Mist and I wish I hadn’t read them so close together.  I’m enjoying Flame, however there’s just something so special about Wrath that makes it fall a little short.  I am still enjoying it and am looking forward to the rest of the book, but it doesn’t have that same spark.

I can feel myself reaching a dreaded reading slump, in which I cannot decide on what to read so I read nothing.  I’m taking a little break from fiction and picked up The Secret History of Georgian London from my parent’s bookshelves.  It’s all about the sex industry in Georgian London and how it pervaded the economy, culture and life in the city.  It’s a long book, but incredibly engaging and entertaining so far.

Books I bought

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

The Island at the End of Everything by Kiran Millwood Hargrave

Gap of Time by Jeanette Winterson

Defy the Stars by Claudia Gray

The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle

I’m getting much better about buying books!  I’m really looking forward to reading all of these, particularly the first two.  I absolutely adored The Girl of Ink and Stars and am looking forward to her followup, The Island at the End of Everything.  It looks to be a little heavier than The Girl of Ink and Stars, but her prose and imagery are lovely.  The Hate U Give is another priority for me this month.  It’s the book everyone has been talking about!  It may be a little outside of my comfort zone – we all know how I feel about contemporary YA – but I think it’s going to be one of the most important books of the year.

That’s it for May!  I’m going to pull together a June reading strategy and see how well I can stick to it.  June will be a fun month because my birthday falls at the beginning of it!  I’m hoping to treat myself to a great big stack of books!

Have you read anything great this month?  Are any of these books on your list?  Let me know!