Wednesday, June 09, 2021

End Of May Reading

Here are the books I read the last half of May. Considering I was working full-time during this time, I'm surprised I got as much reading done as I did. I've said it before, but I'll say it again, clearly this is one thing which has normalized for me since Covid started, and I couldn't be more thrilled! It also gives me a lot of hope that eventually other things will normalize as well.

Beach Read

This might be deemed "chick lit" but I really think it was more than that. I loved this surprising book and how each character pushed the other one out of their comfort zones. I also liked the message that maybe the assumptions you have about someone at twenty might not hold up.

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You

I finally bought myself a copy of Stamped From the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America because I realized I needed time to slowly digest the ideas rather than trying to cram them in in the three weeks I can borrow the book from the library. However, this version is very accessible. In fact, I'm thinking of taking it out again so Sam can read it. Some of it might go over his head but I think it would be helpful. I also want to get Stamped for Kids for Rachel (and possibly Sam). All this is to say, this version of Stamped was very accessible and I highly recommend it.

To Sir Phillip, With Love (Bridgertons, #5) The Viscount Who Loved Me (Bridgertons, #2) An Offer From a Gentleman (Bridgertons, #3)
I spent most of our May long weekend with the Bridgertons and really had a great time! I just love these books. They are predictable with the occasional line which makes me laugh out loud. And unexpectedly, I was crying towards the end of An Offer From A Gentleman. Something about Sophie just really touched me :)

Heroine
This was a book club book and I LOVED it. It is so powerful and was terrifying to read, as a parent. I don't know what the extent of the opiod crisis is in Canada but I want Sam to read this so he knows what to stay away from.
 
The House in the Cerulean Sea
You know when absolutely everyone raves about a book and you finally get a hold of it and then, well, clearly it couldn't stand up to all the hype??? Well, this book wasn't one of those ones. Add me to the list of people who will now rave about how amazing this book is and how you HAVE TO read it. It was dreamy and lovely and magical and talked about some hard truths about overcoming prejudices and how to live a life that's bigger than you imagined. And I LOVED it. This is another one I'm considering passing on to Sam for him to read because it's so lovely.
 
The Vanishing Half
I was so happy to have this book and wish I could have spent more time with it. This is a book to be savoured, not devoured. Sadly, I didn't have as much time to savour it as I'd hoped for. I'm also a little sad about the ending. But it was definitely worth the wait to read it.
 
The Midnight Library
This was another book which lots of people had raved about. I LOVED this book and again, it was well worth the wait. I think my "in between" would be a library as well! And this made me think so much about decisions I'd made in life and how things might have turned out differently -- or very much the same :)
 
When He Was Wicked (Bridgertons, #6)
This is another Bridgerton story I flew through. I really don't want my time with this family to end although one thing I missed in this book was getting to see how Francesca interacted with the rest of her family more. I love the community of the Bridgertons and this one was more about Francesca and less about the rest of her family.

So that wraps up my May reading. I'm starting to get super-excited about days of reading at the pool this summer -- if the pool opens up, that is my favourite way to read in the summer. And just to give you a sneak preview -- I don't often pick favourite books but I started June off by reading one of the best books I've read this year and I will be recommending it to everyone who hasn't read it yet!!!

8 comments:

  1. ohhh what a great list! Adding a couple to my queue- thanks for sharing!

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  2. I read The House In The Cerulean Sea and Stamped out loud to my kids. Heroine scares me!

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  3. I have The Vanishing Half & have been holding off reading it just for that reason - to have time to know I can go slow in it

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  4. I haven't read Heroine, but it reminds me of The Tennis Partner by Abraham Verghese. It was about a medical student who got into drugs. It was really haunting.
    You have some really good ones on this list that I will probably refer back to. :)

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  5. I really need to read the Midnight Library!

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  6. I'm with Tamar, I need to read the Midnight Library!

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  7. I have also heard so much about "The house in the cerulean sea" so I'm glad it lived up to expectations. I'm down to 5th on the waitlist for the "Vanishing Half" so hopefully I will FINALLY get that soon (been waitlisted since early February).

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  8. Really liked The Midnight Library, The Vanishing Half was pretty good and Beach Read was fun.

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