Hello Readers! While I had a great reading month in May, I still didn’t make it to two of the backlist books I’d placed on My May TBR—thanks to Emily Henry’s latest book (which I can’t believe I forgot to include on my TBR) and a last minute ARC I needed to get to. I’ve joined the #20BooksOfSummer22 challenge and only included backlist books, so I’m hoping that will help motivate me to cross off some of those books I’ve been wanting to read for so long.

I ended up reading 10 books, for a total of 3,690 pages, in a variety of genres, including two graphic novels.

Let’s see what I read!

Be sure to check out The Monthly Wrap-Up Round-Up hosted by Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction!

May Wrap-Up

(Link to synopsis on Goodreads through the book title.)

I started the month finishing up Henry Fry’s debut First Time for Everything. I enjoyed this hilarious and frank novel about Danny’s journey of self-discovery as a gay man in London.

My Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐.25
My Review
Published on May 10, 2022

Another debut, Our Little World by Karen Winn made me very nostalgic for my own childhood in the 1980s. Set mostly in a suburban neighborhood in the summer of 1985, it’s a summer must-read if you’re a fan of mysteries.

My Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐
My Review
Published on May 3, 2022

See You Yesterday, the latest YA novel by Rachel Lynn Solomon, is a time loop or ‘groundhog day’ novel that never grew repetitive. I adored the characters!

My Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐
My Review
Published on May 17, 2022

Book Lovers by Emily Henry was one of my most anticipated books of the year and it did not disappoint. While Beach Read still holds its top spot, I enjoyed this rom-com with a twist.

My Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
My Review
Published on May 3, 2022

I did manage to squeeze in another Mariana Zapata book off my Kindle Unlimited backlist. I enjoyed All Rhodes Lead Here, but not quite as much as From Lukov With Love or Kulti. I did love the setting of Pagosa Springs, Colorado, a charming town I’ve visited before.

My Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Next I picked up the book I’ve been most nervous to get to, City of Orange by David Yoon. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about this apocalyptic style book since I haven’t had much luck with the genre while we’re in a pandemic. But I quickly discovered I couldn’t put it down! I wouldn’t be surprised if it ends up among my favorite books for the year.

My Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐.50
My Review
Published on May 24, 2022

It’s always a welcome surprise when an invitation to read Camilla Isley’s latest romance arrives in my inbox. Sweet Love and Country Roads, a small-town romance, was super sweet and comforting!

My Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐
My Review
Published on May 31, 2022

I finally took the time to read Heartstopper Volumes 1 and 2. This graphic novel series is just as adorable as everyone said it was. I’ve already watched the first two episodes of the adaptation on Netflix, which I’m happy to report follows the books very closely.

My Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Another book I’d been eagerly anticipating was West Side Love Story by Priscilla Oliveras. This romance about rival families in a battle of mariachi bands was refreshingly immersive!

My Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐
My Review
Published on June 1, 2022

In case you missed it…

• Top Ten Tuesday: One-Word Reviews For My Ten Most Recent Reads
• A Little Life Update
• Top Ten Tuesday: Bookish Couples
• Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Was SO EXCITED To Get, But Still Haven’t Read
• 20 Books of Summer 2022
• Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Book Quotes From My Recent Reads
• Top Ten Tuesday: Comfort Reads

Highlights from elsewhere…

I didn’t get to blog hop as much as I would have liked in May, but here are a few things I took note of!

• I enjoyed this article on Bookriot about Movie Novelizations from the past. I was a big reader of them when I was a preteen. I own a few, including Pretty in Pink and Top Gun.
• Kal @ Reader Voracious shared a very helpful post about how to use post tags correctly!
• Bookriot shared another Bookish Coastal U.S. Road Trip, this time along the Pacific Coast Highway!
• I enjoyed Wendy’s review of Our Little World by Karen Winn!
• Leslie and I had very similar thoughts about Book Lovers by Emily Henry!

What I’ve been watching…

• Over ten years ago, my husband and I read Jon Krakauer’s Under the Banner of Heaven, a non-fiction book about a violent crime committed by Mormon fundamentalists, so we were excited to see an adaptation was being made starring Andrew Garfield on Hulu. We’ve watched the first five episodes and they are superb. But not for the faint of heart.
• As I mentioned above, I’ve watched the first two episodes of Heartstopper on Netflix and if you’re looking for something sweet and hopeful, check this one out!
• It’s kind of a tradition in our household to binge Stranger Things once a new season is available, and we spent an entire day watching the newest season 4, mostly to avoid spoilers. It was just the escape we needed. Five stars!
• We finished Ozark (thought it was just okay), caught up on Better Call Saul (amazing), and watched the newest Batman with Robert Pattinson (3 out of 5 stars from us).
• My husband has started traveling some for work again and while he’s been away I made a list on Letterboxd of Rom-Coms that need a nostalgic rewatch, are must-see, and book adaptations I need to read and watch. (Let me know of anything I should add!) If you’re like me and you find yourself spending way too much time searching for something to watch, having somewhere to quickly go and pick out something helps tremendously. Some of the films I’ve watched recently for the first time and recommend: Crazy, Stupid, Love; Destination Wedding; and Set It Up.

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How was your reading month? Have you read any of these books? Did you add any of them to your TBR? Let me know in the comments!

Happy Wandering!