May Book Recap

Can you believe that reading wasn't my jam growing up?! Clif Notes were my best friends in high school - I'd read 'enough' to get by, but other than that I didn't enjoy the act of reading so never did it... like ever. Maybe I wasn't reading things that held my interest or maybe it was because it was "required" so I didn't like it, but, whatever the reason, I'm glad I challenged myself to add the goal of reading 17 books in 2017 (which became 88 books in 2017, 77 books in 2018, 67 books in 2019, 66 books in 2020, 67 books in 2021, 41 books in 2022, 98 books in 2023 and 224 books in 2024). The majority of my "reading" has been listening to audiobooks since I haven't had as much time to sit and read physical books once I started working again full time out of the house. Even still, holding a physical book is my JAM and I hope can add more physical reading vs listening. Just like in years past, writing a monthly recap of the books I finish is a great way for me to both record what I'm reading and to stay accountable. So, here are the books I completed in the month of May:

• All the Things We Never Knew by Liara Tamani - I had come across this book when I was scrolling through the YA genre on my Libby app and thought it looked interesting. I mean, it's playoff basketball season, so it makes sense to listen to an audiobook that centers on two high school basketball players, right?! I think so ;) I thought this one was sweet. As per usual, I really enjoy the books that are told from multiple perspectives (and when those different POVs are read by different actors on the audiobook). This story felt real to me. Some of the YA books are too perfect, but this one was raw and had lots of drama - relationship, family, sports, etc. Oh yeah, and one of the main character's name was CARLI (I know, it was spelled differently, but it sounds the same on the audiobook ;))! I would say this skewed a little on the older edge of YA because there was a decent amount of cursing and talk about sex, but I am mature enough to handle that, hehe. The dialogue was great and it reminded me of first loves. I felt like I was there and feeling all the feels with the characters. I could totally see this being made into a teeny-bopper type movie (and I would be eating it all up!). I would give it a 9 out of 10. 

• Say One Kind Thing by Susan Verde - I'm not sure how I got this book on my 'for later' list, but it became available on my Libby app and at some point I thought it seemed interesting, so I snagged it. The author of this book normally teaches mindfulness and yoga to kids, so this was a little outside of her wheelhouse, but interesting nonetheless. I felt like it read more like a memoir than a how-to type book. The goal seemed to be to get folks to speak to themselves with compassion and acceptance - all great things. Each chapter ended with a manta or intention that wrapped up the section of the book. It was a quick read, so the essay like chapters kept me engaged without too much woo-woo. I wouldn't say this was really my jam, but I enjoyed it enough. I appreciated the 'expert' not always practicing what she preaches and being willing to share that because it felt more authentic (and reminds us why it's called "a practice"). I would give it a 7 out of 10.

• Nothing Like the Movies by Lynn Painter - After I finished the first book in this series last month, I hurriedly added the second to my hold list and got in line. As you probably know by now, sequels aren't normally my jam (as they rarely compare to the goodness that is the original), but I really enjoyed this one. There was just enough time between the first and second books (two years and quite a bit of life lived) that it felt real and not rushed. All of the cutesy nods to other romcoms were still there (with quotes at the beginning of each chapters) and there were plenty of 'awwwwww' moments throughout. I could totally see this becoming a summer Netflix release (and hopefully a mini series rather than chopping the 10+ hour book down to a 90 minute movie :)). Because I love love, I sort of wish the two would've made up earlier in the book (oops, that might've been a spoiler, but it was also pretty obvious that it was going to happen too so hopefully not too much of a shocker). It was cheesy, it was cute, it was witty, it was relatable, it was satisfying, I heart it. I would give it a 9 out of 10.

• Betting On You by Lynn Painter - I was stoked that while I was listening to the previous book another one of the author's titles became available on my Libby app. Another young adult romcom was exactly what I was looking for (sometimes fluff is what you need ;)). This time around the story centered on two characters that couldn't have been more different. Bailey was a very rigid Type A personality (and I say that in the most loving way because I know that is me too ;)) while Charlie is a fly by the seat of his pants sorta guy. Bailey loves following the rules while Charlie is a cynic (and a bit of a smart @$$) through and through. I really enjoyed the way these two vibed together, but at points I would say they seemed like they were older than the 17 year olds that they were supposed to be. I also would have liked a little more from Charlie's perspective, but that was just my opinion. The pacing kept me engaged and overall I really enjoyed it. I would give it an 8 out of 10. 

• The Book of Doors by Gareth Brown - Last month, when I shared what I had finished reading in April, a friend mentioned that she was reading this book and suggested I check it out. Thankfully my Hoopla app had it available, so once I had finished the first few books of the month on my Libby app, I downloaded this one. This book is about "special" (magical books). There are these books with powers that allow the holder of the book to "magic" when holding them - for example the book of joy allows the holder to have complete joy, the book of despair allows the holder to take away all hope of the person they touch, the book of shadows allows the holder to become invisible and slink away in the shadows, etc. The book that this story centers around is the book of doors, which allows the holder to turn any door into another door. So, say the holder wanted to go to Rome, they could open their bedroom door while holding the book and imagine a door in Rome and walk through from their room to Rome. Think of it sort of like a portal. Well, not only can the holder use the book to travel to any door in the present, they can also use it to travel through any door in the past, so this portal becomes an option for time travel. Of course there are a select few people who know about these books and covet them - think book collectors, criminals, people who want all the power, etc. Well, as you can imagine, drama ensues when magic is afoot ;) There were a few parts of the book that were a bit too fantastical for me (like where the books were created), but for the most part I was swept up in this magical world of books. I really enjoyed how all of the stories were woven together. I would give it an 8 out of 10. 

• Swedish Death Cleaning by Cloe Hampton - I had heard of the concept of Swedish Death Cleaning from one of the YouTube channels on minimalism I had watched. The premise is that people go through their things in a mindset of what will happen with all of this once the person passes away (for example, will someone else find joy or use out of this particular item). This was a quick listen (only about 90 minutes, which meant more like 50 minutes since I listen to my audiobooks at 1.75x speed) so I thought I would give it a go to see if there were any nuggets of wisdom I could take into my own life. Let's just say I want my hour back. This book was poorly written (I'm not sure if it was translated into English and not everything was a perfect translation or what) and I didn't gleam any information from it. It sort of felt like it was an AI summary of what a book on Swedish Death Cleaning would've been. I probably should've guessed from the sexist subtitle... I would give it a 2 out of 10.

With that, May is done-zo. If you have suggestions, let me know! I'm always looking to add to my "must read" list! 

What's the best book you've read lately?