Hello, lovelies! Another month has passed us by, so I wanted to share my reading for the month of May with you all! I was inspired by my amazing friend Taylor to try a new layout for my wrap, so let me know what you guys think!
May Reads…
1. A Court of Frost and Starlight — Sarah J. Maas ★★★★★
REVIEW HERE
I know this book let a lot of people down, but I personally genuinely enjoyed it! I think it helped that I went into it expecting nothing more than fluffly filler material.
2. Wanna Bet? — Talia Hibbert ★★★★★
I really love Talia’s writing, and this one was no exception; a fat black heroine, a South Asian hero, and lots of cuteness and steam.
3. Emergency Contact — Mary H.K. Choi ★★★★☆
REVIEW HERE
I struggled a little with the pacing and the treatment of some female characters, but overall, this was a super cute buddy read with Reg!
4. Fresh Ink — Lamar Giles ★★★★★
REVIEW HERE
This anthology is all own-voice stories by authors of color, primarily contemporary and related to POC struggles (especially in America). Absolutely magnificent, so important, and I cannot recommend it enough.
5. Crooked Kingdom — Leigh Bardugo ★★★★★
I am destroyed. That is all.
6. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy — Douglas Adams ★★★★☆
REVIEW HERE
I’d been putting this book off forever, though I enjoyed the film (the Martin Freeman/Mos Def one!), but I finally read it and really enjoyed it! Super funny. I buddy read this one with my fiance Terry!
7. The Queen Underneath — Stacey Filak ?
This was an unrequested ARC that showed up randomly, and the cover was pretty so I gave it a try… yikes. I DNFed it about 50 pages in because it was so, so, SO bad.
8. Babyteeth, Vol 2 — Donny Cates ★★★★☆
I loved the first volume a little more than this one, but it was still cute demon babies and lots of sweetness and mommies defending their young, and I liked it.
9. The Summer Children — Dot Hutchison ★★★★★
REVIEW HERE
I was so sad to see this series end, but it was absolutely amazing right to the very last page. Major trigger warnings for this entire series if child abuse/death is a trigger for you!
10. A Thousand Beginnings and Endings — Ellen Oh & Elsie Chapman ★★★★★
REVIEW HERE
Another own-voice anthology full of amazing authors of color, though this one is Asian authors retelling Asian fairytales and myths. I couldn’t get enough. ♥
11. A Head Full of Ghosts — Paul Tremblay ★★★★★
I listened to the audiobook for most of this one, and really enjoyed it! The narrator had a fantastic delivery and the story overall is creepy and a bit of a mind-fuck. That ending blew me away and I can’t wait to read more from Paul.
12. LIFEL1K3 — Jay Kristoff ★★★★★
REVIEW HERE
Mad Max: Fury Road meets the Fallout game franchise. Lots of mecha everywhere, super badass characters, and one of the most lovable side characters I’ve ever met!
13. The Princess Trap — Talia Hibbert ★★★★★
Another Talia book, another 5-star review! This one has a fat black heroine and a queer Nordic hero, and is angsty AS HELL, but in the best, most addicting way.
14. Tithe — Holly Black ★★★☆☆
I read this several times as a kid, but hadn’t revisited the series in over a decade! I had no idea how far Holly had come in her writing or how problematic this book was, but it was still a fast and very fun read, and I’ll definitely continue the series (finally!).
15. Sky in the Deep — Adrienne Young ★★★★★
I buddy read this with Taylor, and we both thoroughly enjoyed it! I actually didn’t expect to love it so much, but Eelyn is a very lovable protagonist, and the love interest is my favorite sort of soft teddy-bear-meets-semi-alpha-male type. (#noshame)
16. From Twinkle, With Love — Sandhya Menon ★★★☆☆
REVIEW HERE
I had super high hopes for Twinkle, but sadly, it wasn’t for me; her character was very self-centered and unlikable, and the writing felt extremely juvenile. That said, if you don’t mind a very “young”-sounding teen MC, maybe check this one out!
17. Open Mic — Mitali Perkins ★★★★☆
This was a (mostly nonfiction) anthology by authors of color, and while parts of it dragged, I enjoyed it a lot overall and it’s a very fast read!
18. Before She Was Harriet — Lesa Cline-Ransome ★★★★★
This was my first picture book required for my summer class, and it was the best picture book I’ve ever read. It made me bawl, no joke, and is so good – it’s absolutely stunning, and I think any reader, of any age, would benefit from adding this to their collection.
19. Children of Blood and Bone — Tomi Adeyemi ★★★★☆
You may remember that I DNFed this earlier in the year because it put me into an awful slump, but I picked it back up at the end of the month because it had been voted in as a Life & Lit BOTM choice, and I’m glad I did! While it wasn’t perfect for me by any means, it picked up a lot around the 250-275 page mark, and I finished it off easily.
Other Reviews Posted this Month…
(Click the titles for review links!)
A Gathering of Shadows ★★★★★
Throne of Glass ★★★★☆
Bad Romance ★★★★★
A Girl Like Her ★★★★★
Beneath the Sugar Sky ★★★★★
Nevernight ★★★★★
The Way You Make Me Feel ★★★★★
The Devil and the Deep ★★★★☆
Undead Girl Gang ★★★★★
Favorite Non-Review Posts of the Month…
T10T: Books I’d Cuddle a Nazgûl to Get Early
T10T: Highest Rated TBR Titles
Shortest and Longest Books On My TBR!
Unfinished May Reads…
A Conjuring of Light — started May 8
Bright We Burn — started May 15
History is All You Left Me — started May 21
City of Glass — started May 22
A Different Mirror for Young People — started May 23
The Astonishing Color of After — started May 24
Kitchen Table Tarot — started May 27
Crown of Midnight — started May 29
Anger is a Gift — started May 30
Scream All Night — started May 30
Gabi, a Girl in Pieces — started May 30
STATS:
AVERAGE RATING FOR THE MONTH: 4.26/5
FORMAT: 47% PRINT, 53% DIGITAL
PERCENTAGE OF MAY TBR COMPLETED: Moody May — no TBR!
Samantha Duffy
May 31, 2018This looks like a great reading month for you! A lot of 5-stars. That always makes me feel super optimistic going into a new month when that happens.
I am hearing nothing but good things about LifeL1k3 and Sky in the Deep; it is really making me want to get my hands on them..
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
June 4, 2018Thank you, Samantha! It always makes me feel good about the following month, too. 🙂 Yesss, Lifel1k3 and Sky in the Deep are definitely two I can highly recommend!
MetalPhantasmReads
May 31, 2018Awesome wrap up! I hope to read that much one day lol 🙂 Hopefully June is also awesome for you.
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
June 4, 2018Thank you! ♥ I hope June is amazing for you, too! Happy reading!
Laura Beth
May 31, 2018Wow! Impressive. Your reviews are adding more books to my own TBR!
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
June 4, 2018Haha, thank you! That’s my goal! 😉
tasya @ the literary huntress
May 31, 2018Seems like you had an amazing reading month! I hope June will be an even better month for you! 😀
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
June 4, 2018Thank you, I hope June is an amazing reading month for you! ♥
The Tsundoku Chronicles
May 31, 2018Wow looks like you had a great reading month! And I totally agree about Crooked Kingdom!
I’m looking forward to reading the anthology and LifeL1k3 but they haven’t released here yet!
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
June 4, 2018Thank you! Crooked Kingdom is so good but so hard to describe, haha. And I hope you enjoy them both when they do release there!
The Tsundoku Chronicles
June 4, 2018I know what you mean lol I can’t coherently describe how much i love it! And thank you! I’m looking forward to reading them!
Kristin @ Kristin Kraves Books
May 31, 2018Wow! You had such an amazing reading month! I have been meaning to read The Hitch-Hikers for ages and I am happy to see that you enjoyed it!
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
June 4, 2018Thank you! It was really fun – definitely recommend it!
becandbones
May 31, 2018I’m loving the new layout! Looks like oh had a fantastic reading month and a really great overall star rating too. Moody May suits you!
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
June 4, 2018Thank you! 😀 I’m glad to hear the new layout is going over well!
onespeculiar
May 31, 2018wow you seem to have read a lot of good books!! I know the feeling crooked kingdom destroyed us all!!
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
June 4, 2018Yessss, CK was amazing but I still haven’t recovered lol@
Kathy @ Books & Munches
June 1, 2018You’re current reads are killing me in the best way possible.
I’d be freaking out – which I’m guessing you are – but you’ll get there! First, you simply have to get mad at Griffin with me. Like, that’s totally not up for discussion. I need to know whether or not you end that book feeling mad. PLEASE.
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
June 4, 2018I AM freaking out, lmao! I need to cut them down so much, but I have so many things that need to be read and so little time… sometimes I wish I could just go be a hermit in a little cabin with no wifi or signal for a few days just so I could knock them all out really fast. And yesss, I have to finish that ASAP. Hopefully tomorrow or the next day? >_>
Kathy @ Books & Munches
June 4, 2018I’d be soooo down for that. Like, simply a “trip” with all the bookworms to a cabin in the middle of nowhere with no wifi / signal whatsoever and plenty of pretty, relaxed reading spots. YES. PLEASE.
I’m keeping my fingers crossed you’ll actually finish it soon, hahaha.
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
June 5, 2018Yesssss! Part of me worries that we’d all just end up talking each other’s ears off about OTPs, though… >_>
Kathy @ Books & Munches
June 5, 2018That’s breakfast / lunch / dinner-talk! Or designated talking-time! Or something like that.. xD
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
June 5, 2018Bahaha that works ?
thebibliophagist90
June 1, 2018Looks like a great reading month. I want to try th queen underneath, I have heard mixed reviews. I liked Sky in the Deep.
I always seem to add books to my tbr list after reading your monthly wrap up posts.
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
June 4, 2018Thank you! If you do check out The Queen Underneath, I hope it works better for you! 😀
thebibliophagist90
June 4, 2018Thanks!
Alicia @ A Kernel of Nonsense
June 1, 2018Yay for Undead Girl Gang and yes, that very pithy statement summarizes exactly how ai felt upon finishing Crooked Kingdom. Have a wonderful June!
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
June 4, 2018Haha thank you, Alicia! ♥ You, too – happy reading!
(Danielle) Books, Vertigo and Tea
June 2, 2018I love the “Moody May – no TBR”. That is pretty much how June is going to be unless something drastic changes with the new meds haha. You had such a stellar month though <3 I am reading at a snail's pace currently and fear a slump is coming on. Here is to hoping June is fabulous for both of us!
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
June 4, 2018Good luck, love! ♥ I hope you have a great June and some good reads, no matter what books you read or how fast or slow you go. Just go easy on yourself and enjoy the summer! ♥♥
(Danielle) Books, Vertigo and Tea
June 4, 2018Aw thanks <3 I am learning to listen to my body and pacing myself the best I can.
Annemieke
June 3, 2018You had a great reading month. So many good ratings and so many books. <3
Destiny @ Howling Libraries
June 4, 2018Thank you, I really did! It was so nice!