Hey Bibliofriends!
May was such a brilliant reading month for me. It seemed that some of my bookish and blog goals were coming together as I managed to read some of my first NetGalley requests and also got approached by some authors and publishing companies through both my blog and Twitter! It’s definitely helped me to keep topping up my blog content and I’ve found a brilliant way to utilise my FairyLoot Reading journal as a blog planner so that I can keep track of my reading and blogging all in one place!
May was also my birthday month as it seemed a little strange not being able to go and celebrate with all of my friends together however I did have a wonderful picnic and walk through our local countryside with my family. I’m so lucky to live in a place with lots of hills and woodland on my doorstep. The sunshine has been pretty spectacular too!
So with birthday presents and all, this month has seen a pretty spectacular book haul which is why this post may be super long. There’s a kind of contents list below so you can skip to any part you wanted to! Thanks for reading about my topic month!
- Books I Read in May
- May’s Book Haul
- Movies I Watched
Books I Read In May
The Flat Share by Beth O’Leary
Rating: 📚📚📚
After the absolute mission that was OWLs Readathon I felt like I needed something light and funny to kick off May. I’d had a chapter sampler of this sent to me pre-publication and it was brilliant. I liked the uniqueness of Leon and Tiffy’s situation. Read the review here.
The Carpet Cipher by Jane Thornley
Rating: 📚📚
I requested to read this through Netgalley and managed to get through it in about 2 days. To be honest, I don’t think my read pile would have been terribly sad if this wasn’t in it. I rarely get annoyed by a book but there was so much promise for this from the blurb but for me, it raised more questions than actual enjoyment. Read the review here.
The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller
Rating: 📚📚📚📚
Wow, wow, wow! This book was the dark, delicious poisoned apple offered by the Wicked Queen that I devoured. Luxurious, deceptive and romantic; if you love a Slytherin romance with a determined and headstrong character then you need to add this to your TBR. Read my review here.
The Spaces Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson
Rating: 📚📚📚📚
It’s been a while since I read something purely sci-fi without the fantasy element and this was my first actually accepted request from NetGalley!!! *still jumping up and down in excitement* I loved idea of the book set in a multiverse of 382 Earths and the idea of being able to walk in all of the worlds your doppelganger no longer occupied. The mixture of scientific and spiritual was really well-balanced and I enjoyed the journey the main character took into finding her identify and place in the world. Traverse on over to the review here.
Descendant of the Crane by Joan He
Rating: 📚📚📚📚
May was a super lucky month for NetGalley approvals as I also received this book which had been on my TBR ever since its first release date in 2019. Descendant of the Crane did not disappoint. This book is more of a slower-paced read as there was a lot of description and information to digest as each new revelation was revealed. At the centre of it all was a trial and investigation into who killed the King which led to lots of other backstories and crises of revolt and impending war upon the country of Yan. If you like lots of world-building and information interspersed with plenty of action in a deliciously oriental palace setting, then check out my review on 10th June to see if Descendant of the Crane is right up your literary street.
Queen of Ruin by Tracy Banghart
Rating: 📚📚📚.5
As part of my mission to try and finish off some of the series that I had already started I read this sequel to Grace and Fury. I managed to steamroller my way through this book really quickly. I absolutely love the whole concept of Mount Ruin, not that it’s a prison (obviously) but just the role it plays in the story. Review coming up soon!
A Touch of Death (The Outlands Pentalogy) by Rebecca Crunden
Rating: 📚📚📚.5
I am so grateful to Rebecca for approaching me to read this first book in her series. I had so much fun getting to know the characters and explore the Kingdom of Cutta. The book had a fantastic dystopian vibe and it was wonderful to read something which seemed to balance both ends of the Sci-Fi/Fantasy genre quite well. I’m currently in the process of writing my review which will be coming up later this month!
May Book Haul
With it being my birthday this month, the rule about not-buying any more books was not just broken, but annihilated! Some of these were treats to myself and some of them were birthday gifts. Many of these were sequels that I purchased specifically just to try and finish some off before starting others.
Physical Books
Bone Crier’s Moon by Kathryn Purdie [Fairyloot March Box – Exclusive Edition]
Queen of Ruin by Tracy Banghart (sequel to Grace and Fury)
Shadow and Flame by Mindee Arnett (sequel to Onyx and Ivory)
These Divided Shores by Sara Raasch (sequel to These Rebel Waves)
Rage by Cora Carmack (sequel to Roar)
All the Wandering Light (sequel to Even the Darkest Stars)
Given to the Earth (sequel to Given to the Sea)
Cloak of Night by Evelyn Skye (sequel to Circle of Shadows)
Crescent City: House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J Maas
Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare (Book 2 of The Infernal Devices trilogy)
FairyLoot’s April Box Book (I kept this one spoiler free for now!)
E-Books / E-Arcs
The Spaces Between Worlds by Micaiah Johnson (NetGalley e-arc)
The Carpet Cipher by Jane Thornley (NetGalley)
The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary
Descendant of the Crane by Joan He (NetGalley e-arc – rerelease)
The Rain Heron by Robbie Arnott (NetGalley e-arc)
Ignite the Sun by Hanna Howard (NetGalley e-arc)
Twelve: Poems Inspired by the Brothers Grimm Fairy Tale by Andrea Blythe (Netgalley e-arc)
My Fence is Electric by Mark Newman (Short Story Collection: ePub thanks to Odyssey Books)
A Touch of Death (The Outlands Pentalogy) by Rebecca Crunden (thank you Rebecca! ☺️)
Movies I Watched in May
Having the Sky Cinema bundle on NowTV has been such a lifesaver for my film addiction whilst in lockdown! Some of the films are brand new streams and some were a little older.
Dora The Explorer: City of Lost Gold
Darkest Hour
Stuber
Fast and Furious: Hobbs and Shaw
Hudson Hawk
Closer
Hotel Artemis
The Meg
Escape Room
Captain Marvel
Avengers: Endgame
Spiderman: Far From Home
American Made
The Billionaire Boys Club
Back at the tail end of 2019, I purchased the Marvel Cinematic Universe boxsets on Blu-Ray as I hadn’t seen them all. Making my way through all of the films across the four boxsets reminded me a little of the guys that paint the Forth Bridge in Scotland; once they get to the end, it’s pretty much time to start repainting again from the beginning – it’s taken me so long to get through the entire Marvel Universe that now I feel that I need to go right back and watch them all in chronological order! 😂
What has been your highlights of May? Did you get an impressive book haul or achieve any of your bookish goals? What are you looking forward to in June? As always, drop me a comment to chat!
T xx
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