May 2019 Book Recap & Star Ratings

May 2019 Book Recap & Ratings

Month in review:

Hello! Happy last day of May! Did this month speed by for you? It felt like we did a lot of things but it also felt like a pretty long month…which when it is 31 days, I guess it really is!

Audiobooks and going back and forth:

I have moved into my more busy season at work which means that my audiobook listening starts to make up a part of my monthly book count. I often will listen to a book on Audible or the Libby app and also read it either with a hard copy book or on my Kindle. I did this with A Woman Is No Man this month for instance.

This reading juggle works rather well for me and keeps me engaged with books during the times of the year when I don’t have as much downtime. I tend to listen to non-fiction books or fiction books that are a little more slow-moving (vs. a page turner) because otherwise, I get way too confused.

My May reading high:

I always love looking back on Goodreads to see how everything I read played out. I have a terrible memory so I would be lost without Goodreads! Not only is it the way I keep track of the books I am reading but it also is where I keep my list of books I want to read in the future. It’s the best.

The highlight of my reading month was definitely A Woman is No Man. It was amazingly powerful but also so readable and I know it will stick with me for a long time…you can read my full review HERE.

I also loved If You Only Knew (currently a Kindle deal!!) & Montauk, and think both of them would be great to add to your summer reading list.

Different reactions and perspectives to books:

I did read a few books this month that I found were just okay. I always find it is interesting how people react so differently to a book. Even more own experience as a reader can be affected so much by what is currently going on in my life.

I would always rather talk about book highlights than books I didn’t love, but I think there is a place for both in a thoughtful and respectful way. When I don’t love a book, often it just wasn’t the right fit for me at that specific time. My own perspective can change things so much and just because I didn’t love it doesn’t’ mean someone else won’t love it!

A few months into having a public IG page one a person that had been following along DMed me and said: “I can’t believe you recommend this book, I thought it was terrible!” I immediately felt awful but as time has gone on, I really have come to terms with the fact that we all react to things so differently, and that is what makes life interesting.

My reading lows this past month:

I often have a hard time when reading a second book by an author that I initially just loved. I was a huge fan of Lilac Girls and Lost Roses just didn’t’ wow me, and I had a hard time feeling engaging with the characters. I also really struggled with The Last House Guest, and I have previously really enjoyed her work.