May was a great reading month for me!
OK reads
Fractured Fairy Tales by A.J. Jacobs: I read this to help Jack cut a storytelling piece for nationals, and it was super cute.
The New Menopause by Mary Claire Haver: Women of a certain age should read this. I am turned off by the author's supplement business, which felt kind of MLM-y to me, but otherwise this was great.
The Galveston Diet by Mary Claire Haver: LOVED THIS and am trying to follow it. It has been hard for me to eat enough fat (old habits die hard) to get the macros right, but I am working on it.
People of Means by Nancy Johnson: This was just OK for me-- a story about a mom's college activist years and then her daughter's. **2025
Good reads
My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult: LOVED IT.
The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware: Another backlist gem. **audio
Society of Lies by Lauren Ling Brown: A good but not great thriller.
The Griffin Sisters' Greatest Hits by Jennifer Weiner: An enjoyable summer book. **2025
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach: This is wild, and you should read it.
A Well-Trained Wife by Tia Levings: About a blogger's escape from Christian patriarchy and her abusive marriage-- riveting. **audio
Saltwater by Katy Hays: I expected to love this thriller but I only just sort of liked it. **2025
Liquid: A Love Story by Mariam Rahmani: This is funny and sad and quirky and sweet. I love any book that tears down academia. **2025
Great reads
Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave by Elle Cosimano: This was ADORABLE. This series has had some ups and downs, but book 5 might be my favorite. **2025 **Audio
One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune: A May 2025 book! This is a sort of sequel to her Every Summer After but features Charlie's story (although you do catch up with Sam and Percy). Loved it. **2025 **Audio
Andromeda by Therese Bohman: So sad and spare. **2025
Early Thirties by Josh Duboff: I loved this breezy, chatty book about friends in the surprisingly small NYC media scene. It reminded me of being young and the sense of possibility that entailed. **2025 **Audio
The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop: She reads this herself-- you gotta listen! **Audio
BOTY contenders
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins: SO GOOD YOU GUYS I LOVED IT. **2025 **Audio
The Favorites by Layne Fargo: OH YESSSSSS-- this is about Olympic ice dancers, and it has been optioned by Netflix... **2025 **Audio
Every Tom, Dick &Harry by Elinor Lipman: I adore this author, and this book was as delightful as I hoped it would be. **2025 **Kindle!!
The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff: A May 2025 book! And maybe the best book I have read this year. It's a story of a couple through their marriage told form their perspectives as well as their daughter's. I cried at the end even though I was poolside. **2025
STATS
BTM 21
Book books: 12
Kindle books 1
Audio books 8
2025 books: 12
BTY 87
Book books: 49
Kindle books: 3
Audio books: 35
2025 books: 44
I made the mistake of reading the section of Stiff about body decomposition while trying to eat a salad on a plane. I had to put the book aside!
ReplyDeleteI have heard great things about The Bright Years! I wanted to love The Favorites but it felt sooo long!
Okay THANK YOU for mentioning The Favourites. I heard about it on a podcast and thought yes, must note that down. Then I forgot the title. Then I tried to find the title by lamely searching "figure skater book" and was inundated by children's picture books. So I gave up, completely forgot about it UNTIL NOW. Putting it on hold.
ReplyDelete_Liquid_ is on my list now; thank you! And I'm saving _Sunrise on the Reaping_ for the hammock.
ReplyDeleteTwo faves in here for me: The Favorites and The Third Gilmore Girl. Both were 5 star reads!
ReplyDeleteI need to read that fifth Finlay Donovan book - I went on a binge last year when I needed something more frothy, and then needed to take a break ha.
I appreciate the recommendations. I'm reading Crow Mary right now, and I really like it.
ReplyDeleteAgree with you about Saltwater; I found the Griffin Sisters so disappointing. It's like Jennifer Weiner felt pressured to jump on the whole bring back the band trend. Ugh. I'll look for The Bright Years!
ReplyDeleteWe listened to Stiff on a roadtrip and it was so fun (and made for some weird family conversations)
ReplyDelete