Hi!

Me again back with a monthly reading recap. May was so generous to me with reading time. I think getting back into using my local library has invigorated a different kind of excitement for reading – I wonder if I’ll ever go back to using my Kindle(!). There’s something really nostalgic for me about going to the library and reading from plastic-wrapped, crinkly covered books.

Anyway, I ended May with 12 books! V happy with this – didn’t read anything amazing but the list is good!

THE MATRIX by Lauren Groff

A woman is cast off to become a nun in Renaissance England and explores her sexuality throughout her lifetime as she moves up the ranks at the abbey. I had heard sooo many rave reviews about this book, but it was fine – honestly, it felt just like a day in the life of a nun manual: authentic but quite slow-paced. I’ve read more exciting stories about nuns (i.e. Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers). However, I did think the romantic relationships/sexuality explored in this story was interesting and provided a new perspective on nuns – they’re not what you think!

Rating: 3 out of 5

JUST HAVEN’T MET YOU YET by Sophie Cousens

A romantic column writer visits the town where her parents met, only to lose her suitcase to a handsome man and thus sets out to make the suitcase trade-off her meet-cute. I was in the midst of consuming a ton of rom-com-esque stories via audiobook and picked this up on a whim. It was really just okay – the plot and love interest was somewhat refreshing but I wasn’t connected with our female protagonist.

Rating: 3 out of 5

ONE ITALIAN SUMMER by Rebecca Serle

A woman goes to Positano, a trip she and her mother were supposed to go on together, after her mother’s passing. Serle’s romance novels are always tinged with a sadness, but not quite enough to fully tug at my heartstrings. Looooved the Positano vibes though, the setting was captured beautifully!

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

FRIENDS AND STRANGERS by J. Courtney Sullivan

A woman hires a college student as her babysitter and ultimately finds a friend in this babysitter as she struggles with her marriage, her newborn, and her financial situation. For the most part, I felt frustrated with our main protagonist Elisabeth – I wanted to shake her by the shoulders so many times!! The other half of the story is told through the babysitter, Sam’s perspective, and she was more relatable in her decisions & thoughts. Nevertheless it was an entertaining relationship to explore…

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

THE BROMANCE BOOK CLUB by Lyssa Kay Adams

A man unknowingly joins a romance book club among his group of friends to help try to win his wife back. This was another one of my rom-com audiobook listens and this one was actually really fun! I think it’s great when romances have a little more substance like this one; I loved the explorations of what defines masculinity, especially for male professional athletes.

Rating: 3.75 out of 5

YOUNG MUNGO by Douglas Stuart

A teenage boy living in the Scottish countryside struggles with his sexuality and the Protestant/Catholic gang violence his brother pulls him into. Stuart won the Booker Prize in 2020, so his name was on my radar. This story was heartbreaking and beautiful – a bit slower-paced but the dual timelines was done really well. I learned so much about Scottish culture through this novel as well.

Rating: 4 out of 5

INTERIOR CHINATOWN by Charles Yu

An Asian man explores the different roles Asian people play in film/our world in reality via a movie script. Yu fell onto my radar after I heard him speak at a Seattle Arts & Lectures event, recapped here. I was so intrigued by the ideas Yu discussed and knew I had to pick up his book. This book was so witty, funny, and told in such a unique way. Most importantly, I felt so seen. A must-read for those who identify as Asian.

Rating: 4 out of 5

SEVEN DAYS IN JUNE by Tia Williams

An author with a chronic illness reunites with her high school sweetheart and rekindles their romance. This romance had a really intriguing premise, and I was here for the disability representation! Thoroughly entertaining – my favorite part was probably the author’s daughter: she was so wise it made me laugh.

Rating: 4 out of 5

THIS TIME TOMORROW by Emma Straub

A woman who works at her private elementary school in New York copes with the idea of her dying father. This was a departure from Straub’s usual but I really enjoyed this one. It was so touching and at the end, it made me want to call my dad <3

Rating: 4 out of 5

28 SUMMERS by Elin Hilderbrand

A woman living in a cottage on Nantucket island starts meeting her true love in a same-time-next-year over 28 summers while hiding it from their family members. I don’t set high expectations for these beach reads, but I was pleasantly surprised by this one! It was sooo entertaining and actually pretty heartfelt toward the end. Would definitely pick this up for a beach read.

Rating: 4 out of 5

BOOK LOVERS by Emily Henry

A literary agent ventures to a small town with her sister only to run into an editor she first met at a business lunch. Side note – look how happy I was when I finally got my hands on this book!! I had been stalking my library for DAYS. This was my most anticipated book of the year – and while I had a fab, fab time reading it, I don’t think it’s as good as her other rom-coms (Beach Read and People We Meet on Vacation). It was still v sweet – I loved the emphasis on sister relationships.

Rating: 4 out of 5

SOMEBODY’S DAUGHTER by Ashley C. Ford

A woman recounts her life visiting her father in prison and her traumatic experience with sexual assault. Whenever I read memoirs, I’m always grateful to the author for sharing their story, especially when I imagine it was difficult to relive difficult memories while writing and editing it, and in most cases, for them to narrate it and relive it again for the audiobook.

Rating: none (because it’s a memoir)

That’s it for May! What did you read in May? Anything noteworthy?

Thanks for stopping by,

Jen x