Happy June y’all! How was your May? Mine was busy, as every May is between Mother’s Day, my oldest daughter’s birthday, and my wedding anniversary so close together. The May showers stopped, and the temperatures have been going up. So summer is definitely here! Now let’s look at my May 2023 wrap-up and June 2023 plans.
May Reading Wrap-Up & June TBR
Let’s flashback to my April 2023 Wrap-Up for a glimpse at what I had planned to read in May.
- Permanent Astonishment: A Memoir by Tomson Highway
- Late Bloomers by Deepa Varadarajan (ARC)
- Famous for a Living by Melissa Ferguson (ARC)
- Someone Else’s Bucket List by Amy T. Matthews (ARC)
- After Anne by Logan Steiner (ARC)
- Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manasala (Buzzwordathon)
Of the six books I had on my TBR, I finished four. I am about halfway through another, but I needed a break from the heavy books I have been reading. So, I started on an ARC for a rom-com for June.
Books Read in May 2023
Permanent Astonishment: A Memoir by Tomson Highway (audio) | Late Bloomers by Deepa Varadarajan (review)
Blood Fever by Charlie Higson (audio) | Famous for a Living by Melissa Ferguson (review)
The Princess Bride by William Goldman (abridged audio) | Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree (audio)
Secrets from the Vinyl Cafe by Stuart McLean | Someone Else’s Bucket List by Amy T. Matthews (review)
Blue Lock Vol 1 by Muneyki Kaneshiro | Bad Cree by Jessica Johns (audio)
I did have a couple of DNFs in May as well. Those were Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card and Every Summer After by Carley Fortune. The first was supposed to be a read-along with my daughter as she was assigned the book for school. I think I managed three chapters before giving up. I was finding myself unable to believe the possibility of that happening. As for the second, I wanted to see what the hype was all about. I made it about 10% of the way in when I found myself not caring about the characters.
Of the ten books I finished, my only true 5-star read was Permanent Astonishment. It is a memoir and one that I highly recommend the audio for as there are multiple languages in the books, including Cree, French, and Latin. Be prepared for laughter, heartbreak, tears, and, most of all, love.
June 2023 TBR
In June, I have two ARCs for books to be released this month, and there is also the ARC I didn’t finish in May to work on. The only other book I’m hoping to get done this month is for a year-long challenge. The challenge I’m doing this year is Buzzwordathon from Kayla at Books and Lala. Four books that makes it a short TBR, but hopefully one I can complete with ease!
- After Anne by Logan Steiner (ARC)
- Miss Matched by Wendy Million (ARC)
- Murder is a Piece of Cake by Valerie Burns (ARC)
- Other People’s Houses by Abbi Waxman (Buzzwordathon)
Blogging Wrap-Up and Plans
May wasn’t a terrible month of blogging. I did manage to get nine posts up, of which three were reviews, and four were Top Ten Tuesday lists. I still haven’t managed to do any food-related blogs this year. There are a couple of reviews to do, so I need to get on top of that.
My most popular new post from May was Ten Random Books I Own. And May’s most popular overall post was Ten Book Titles Starting with the Letter A, from September 2022.
Life Updates
There aren’t a whole lot of updates to share. I did cut all of my hair off, much to everyone’s surprise. I’m loving it, and the positive reaction from everyone has been great for my morale. May was a bit of an emotional roller coaster, as one of my co-workers got married at the beginning of the month, and one of my husbands passed away at the end of the month. Between those was the crazy week of Mother’s Day, my daughter’s 21st birthday, and my 22nd wedding anniversary. Oh, and a holiday weekend!
That is my May 2023 wrap-up and June 2023 plans. How was your May? Did you read any good books? What are your plans for June?
Looking for some more ideas to read? Check out my other monthly reading wrap-ups.
I didn’t care for Every Summer After either!
I think it was all of the hype that pushed me to read it. I was so eager to read it, and when I finally could I struggled to connect with the main character.
Not too likable and with all the time spent in the past, I felt like I was reading YA (not a bad thing because I love some YA, but I hadn’t expected or chosen it).
I am definitely intrigued by Permanent Astonishment, Pam. I have tried to read more from Indigenous Authors. I never read Every Summer After, but it is on my TBR based on all the feedback and hype. I think after your comment and Carol’s, I will take it off.
I hope you enjoy Permanent Astonishment if and when you get to read it. I would highly recommend the audiobook, as there are some words that may be unfamiliar to you.