What I Read: May

Along with spring, came reading in the hammock again which is one of my favorite past times. May is such a busy time of year for a teacher and then add in Carter promoting to middle school and all the events that went with it and I didn't get as many books in. I did do a lot of driving so I got through more audiobooks at the end of the month.

Books:

• OMFG, BEES!: Bees Are So Amazing and You're About to Find Out Why by Matt Kracht- I love bees and find them fascinating so when I saw this book on the librarian recommendation shelf at my local library, I immediately grabbed it and started reading. I was laughing so loud in the library, Elise got embarrassed and told me to stop reading it. I even learned a few things about bees from the book.

• For One More Day by Mitch Albom- This was not one of my favorites of his, but it was good. I love the way he writes and his unfailing optimism.

• The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of North America by Matt Kracht- After reading his book on bees, I was thrilled to discover he had written other books. His books on birds were his start and this book had me laughing so hard. One of my favorite sections was about the "Western Meadowjerk," actually a Western Meadowlark (he renamed all the birds). "It builds its nest on the ground in open grasslands, which proves it's stupid. If you can fly, whey the hell don't you build your nest in a tree where it's at least safe from dogs. Plus, it's the state bird of like six states you wouldn't want to live in." It's the state bird of Kansas.

• The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline- When I finished this book I was speechless. I didn't have words to write a review. There was so much to unpack. I just kept thinking about the book and how expertly she used the past to write a story of something that unfolds in a dystopian future. It was heavy and at times hard to keep going, but the end was so worth it and I'm excited to read the sequel. 

• The Twilight Garden by Sara Nisha Adams- I loved her first book, The Reading List, so I was thrilled to see she had a new book out. I just couldn't get into this one. I didn't care about the characters or the plot. I slogged through to finish it without enjoying much about it at all.

• Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross- There was so much to love here: a storyline told partially through love letters, Gods, myths, and strong female characters. Talk about a cliff hanger ending!

• Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross- I usually do best reading books in a series with a separation between them, but after finishing Divine Rivals, I couldn't think of anything else. I went straight into the 2nd book. That may have made me not enjoy it as much as I would have with a break between, but I had to know what happened. I enjoyed getting a glimpse into the underworld and wished we got more of Enva's story. The book seemed set up for a book 3 focusing on Enva which I would love to happen, but I've heard this series will end at 2 books.

eBooks:

• Olivetti by Allie Millington- This book was absolutely adorable. I saw it in a bookstore and loved the cover so I read the book jacket and was intrigued. I'm so glad I read it! It was such a sweet tribute to a family's love and how important it is to lean on each other during difficult times rather than pushing things down and walling yourself off from others.

• The Field Guide to Dumb Birds of the Whole Stupid World by Matt Kracht- I wasn't sure if this would be as funny as the first one, but it was. It definitely made going for hikes more entertaining while observing birds through his lens.

• The Lonely Hearts Book Club by Lucy Gilmore- I loved this book so much. Each character was as vibrant and easy to love as the one before it. I always love a story told from multiple points of view and this one was done beautifully. The ending was just lovely.

Audiobooks:

• The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown- This was such an incredible story and I loved all the details he included. It made me tear up multiple times.

• The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride- I really wanted to like this book, but I just couldn't get into it. I would get invested in a character's storyline and then it would change to a different character's part in the story and that would be the last of that character or they came back much later. There were some characters I would have liked to just skip. My favorite characters both died so there was that too. I liked the ending, but the journey to get there wasn't quite worth it for me.

• Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby- The book started really slowly. It didn't really reel me in until about halfway through. I'm excited to read more of his books!

• This Could Be Us by Kennedy Ryan- This was a really good one! Of course, I enjoyed  the happy ending. I also liked that Soledad was a tough woman and fought back against mistreatment even though it took a bit! I also loved the honest representation of the boys on the autism spectrum. Yasmen and Josiah's cameos were also a nice glimpse into their life beyond book #1.

• First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston- So many twists and turns in this one! There were a couple times I thought I may have things figured out, but I wasn't quite right. I love books that keep you guessing.