May was quite a month! I had 2 exams, an in-class test and 3 final (first year) assignment deadlines. I had the last week off to relax and read, so it’s been quite a good month despite the stress!

Reading Wrap

In May I read 12 books. A crazy number for exam month, but I had started a few of them before May. I actually read 10 whole books, and finished a further 2, which is still a bit much for exam month haha!
It was a great month though; I read everything from sci-fi to nature writing to romance!

Titles with a * have been gifted.

• Cash by Jessica Peterson. I know, I am sure you’ve all fallen over seeing me pick up a cowboy romance! Pagebound is doing a summer romance quest, and I thought it would be a great way to try the genre out as the choices look pretty varied. This is the first one, and it was fine, probably the cheesiest thing I have ever read!
• Awake in the Floating City by Susanna Kwan. A Climate Fiction Prize read, and a very thoughtful one at that. This is a quieter cli-fi than others I have read, really focusing on the characters. Overall I enjoyed it, though it did dip in the middle for me.
• The Annual Migration of Clouds by Premee Mohamed. Another cli-fi, this time the monthly pick for Rewild Yourshelf. This is set post-catastrophe, following a young woman infected with some sort of Cordyceps fungus. I liked this take on what life might be like in a survivors community, and I am really intrigued to read the next novellas.
• If We Cannot Go at the Speed of Light* by Kim Choyeop. A collection of short sci-fi stories translated from Korean by Anton Hur. I really enjoyed this. I thought it was very introspective and thoughtfully written. I wrote a full review which you can read here.
• An Unnatural History of Britain* by Kevin Parr. A non-fiction I started in April, we follow the author as he searches for non-native species that have made a home here. The opposite of Endemic, which I read the other month, but similar in its format. I really enjoyed hearing the author’s stories about his searches and learning about some of the strange and interesting inhabitants we have in the UK.
• Mirrors in the Earth by Asia Suler. In the vein of Braiding Sweetgrass, this is essays on nature and connection with it and how it can heal us. Very beautiful and reflective.
• The Other Valley by Scott Alexander Howard. This had been on my tbr for years, and I’m glad I finally read it. A really unique take on time travel, where people can go backwards or forwards in time to ‘other valleys’ that are essentially the exact same. This is more about the ethics and effects of time travel rather than the act itself and I really enjoyed it.
• Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb. Wow, what a book. The worldbuilding and writing were incredible. I really should have listened to people when they warned me that things will just keep going wrong for our poor MC though!!!
• Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman. This was a relisten for me as I first listened to DCC a couple of years ago. I want to continue the series (I got as far as book 3), so I went back for a refresher. Just as fun and ridiculous as the first time, and I am still a loyal subject of Princess Donut.
• There Is No Antimemetics Division by qntm. What a mind-bender of a book. This was a group buddy read and I think we all had similar reactions. Namely, ‘chapter 1 is great, oh whoops I accidentally read the whole book’. It sucked us in good. It’s creepy in the same way that Annihilation is creepy.
• She’s a Killer by Kirsten McDougall. I had high hopes for a satirical climate fiction. It kind of was, but the ending was so disappointing which is a real shame.
• Strange Pictures by Uketsu. A very quick read, only about 1.5 hours. I don’t want to say too much, but it’s really unique and I definitely want to read more of these books!

Books ACQUIRED

I gained 4 books in May. 3 from publishers, and one preorder I bought from Honnomushi Cat Books, a really lovely UK based indie bookshop selling translated fiction.

• If We Cannot Go at the Speed of Light by Kim Choyeop (publisher)
• Marked for Death by R. O. Thorp (publisher)
• Moon Over Brendle by Jeff Noon (publisher)
• Roadkill by Amil

Reading Challenges

Blog Wrap

REVIEWS:

• Hum by Helen Phillips
• Sea of Charms by Sarah Beth Durst
• If We Cannot Go at the Speed of Light by Kim Choyeop
• Murder at the Spirit Lounge by Jess Kidd

DISCUSSIONS:

• None this month! Oops!

READING UPDATES:

• April Wrap-Up
• WWW Wednesday: 20/05/26

Life Wrap

May has been non-stop! As I said, it was a big deadline and exam month, so classwork took up a lot of time along with my job.

Aside from that, a friend and her little boy came to visit for the day, I did a pottery workshop to make a green man sculpture, and I went out to a new-to-me house and garden!

I also did a lot of stuff in my own garden, which is now getting into full bloom, and struggled through the UK heatwave! One day it got to 31 degrees with a humidity of 70%!!! The cats get frozen lickie treats to help keep them cool.

You Tell Me: How was your May? What was your best read?