After a great reading month in April, May ended up being an odd reading month for me. I think that mostly has to do with current events.
I read eight books in May, which is a decent number of books for me, but six of the books were fiction books. I usually read about more nonfiction than fiction. In May, I think I just needed some easier fiction reads.
I loved several of the books that I read in May. A few of the books though were proof that I often go against the crowd when it comes to books. Two of the books on my list this month are books that most people seem to love. I didn’t.
The Prayer Box by Lisa Wingate
Lisa Wingate is quickly becoming one of my favorite fiction writers and The Prayer Box is now one of my favorite books of hers.
I read mainly nonfiction, but occasionally I need an easy fun fiction read. Not all Lisa Wingate books are easy or fun, many deal with tough topics, but The Prayer Box for me was a fun lighter read. I loved this book so much that I bought the next two books in the series.
84, Charing Cross Road by Helen Hanff
I have heard 84, Charing Cross Road described as a love story and in a way it is, but it isn’t so much a love story between people. This book is more of a love story and friendship of people who love books.
And not just any books. This is a love story of people who cherish old quality rare books.
When I first heard about this book I thought that is was fiction, but it isn’t. 84, Charing Cross Road is the true story of Helen Hanff, New York writer and a London used book dealer, who corresponded for twenty years during the years following WWII. If you love books about books or books about friendship, this is a great read!
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
I have seen I Capture the Castle on so many reading lists that I knew I had to give it a try. This book is considered a modern classic by many. Some consider it the first real young adult novel.
It is on must read lists for those that love Jane Austen or love books set in England. I love both those things, so I was sure I would enjoy this book. I didn’t… I am going against popular opinion on this one. It just wasn’t the book for me. If you have read it, I would love to hear your thoughts.
Cilka’s Journey by Heather Morris
Cilka’s Journey is the second book in the The Tattooist Auschwitz series. I loved The Tattoosist of Auschwitz and Cilka’s Journey was a great follow up book. I liked the first book a little better, but Cilka’s Journey was a good way to continue the story of one of the characters in The Tattooist of Auschwitz. Cilka’s Journey did contain more graphic details than The Tattooist of Auschwitz, so keep that in mind if you read it.
Don’t Overthink It by Anne Bogel
My husband bought me Don’t Overthink it after he heard me talking about it. He also bought me a don’t overthink it t-shirt. It was kind of a half serious half joking gift. I am an over thinker. My family tells me all the time to stop overthinking things. I over think conversations and situations all that time. Anne does a good job of reminding us not to overthink things.
The ideas in the book aren’t super original, but Anne states them in a relatable and applicable way. I know I am an over thinker and this book was a good reminder that I need to work better at not overthinking things. And that I can start doing that in even small everyday ways that I hadn’t thought about. If you tend to overthink things this is a good read!
The Giver of the Stars by JoJo Moyes
I have so many mixed thoughts on The Giver of the Stars by Jojo Moyes. I have heard so many good things about this book. I don’t think I have ever read anything by Jojo Moyes before. I thought this would be a good book of hers to try. It wasn’t a good one for me.
I am definitely in the minority on this book. It has four and half stars and over 4,000 reviews on Amazon. I can see why so many people enjoyed this book, but it was another popular book that just wasn’t for me.
The House On Cannon Beach by RaeAnne Thayne
I picked The House On Cannon Beach because I needed a light easy read. This book was just that. It was an easy fun read. One of the reasons that I choose this book was that it is set in Cannon Beach, Oregon. I grew up about an hour from Cannon Beach and have been there many times. We still go there every year when I visit my family.
When I read this book I felt like I was back home. I recognized the places she talked about. It was a fun read that had me feeling like I was back home on the Oregon Coast. It was a bit more of a romance book than I normally read, but I enjoyed it.
Reunion On Rocky Shores by RaeAnne Thayne
After enjoying The House On Cannon Beach, I knew that I wanted to read the second book in the series, which was Reunion On Rocky Shores. I enjoyed Reunion on Rocky Shore, but not as much as The House on Cannon Beach.
It was set in Cannon Beach, just like the first book, but I didn’t like the characters quite as much. It also had quite a bit more romance, especially near the end of the book. There was one scene that I totally skimmed over, it was way to graphic for me. There is a third book in this series, but I think I will skip it.
All You Can Ever Know by Nicole Chung
I enjoyed All You Can Ever Know. I read this one is just a couple of days, because I was trying to get it read so that I could add another nonfiction book to my May books read list. It is a memoir about adoption.
I am not sure where I heard about this book, but I enjoy memoirs and thought this was one that I would enjoy. It was an interesting and honest look into one persons journey of finding her biological family.
I did not care for I Capture the Castle either. In fact I only made it through about half of the book. I skipped to the end to see if my biggest issue with the book was resolved, and it wasn’t. So I’m glad I didn’t spend anymore time on it. It’s getting easier for me to stop reading a book if I don’t like it.
I have been wanting to read 84, Charing Cross Road for a long time, though, and hope to get to that soon!
I am so glad that I am not the only one that didn’t love I Capture the Castle. I probably should have done what you did and skipped to the end. 🙂 I really liked 84, Charing Cross Road. It was a fun read.
I wasn’t s fan of I Capture the Castle, particularly the second half of the book. The love stories seemed far-fetched. I grew up in Portland and love Cannon Beach, so that book sounds interesting from that perspective, but I don’t typically read romance. Were there graphic love scenes? I try to avoid those. Can you pick out what you didn’t enjoy about The Giver of Stars? I liked it but not as much as a similar book called The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek. It was also about a pack horse librarian, but I liked the protagonist a lot more in this one! I connected to her and rooted for her more.
Linking my May reads, if interested!
I am so glad to know that I was not the only one that didn’t enjoy I Capture the Castle. It seems like such a popular books, that I felt like I was the only one that didn’t enjoy it. I love to hear from people that live or grew up in Oregon! I think you will enjoy the book about Cannon Beach. It is romance and a bit predictable, but it was so much fun to read if you know the area. The first book was clean romance. It was romance, but not really any graphic scenes. The second book in the series had one scene at the end that was pretty descriptive and I skimmed those pages. They aren’t Christian romance, but for romance the first book in the series doesn’t have any grahpic stuff.
On The Giver of the Stars… I can see why so many people love it. The writing is really good and there are some tough and important issues addressed in the book. I just had trouble liking the characters and some of the decisions that they made. Which I know sounds bad since some of them go through tough stuff, but I like books that have at least once character that I really like or can connect to. I didn’t feel like I had that in Giver of the Stars. I am not sure that makes sense, but I think that is the best way to describe why I didn’t love it.
Thanks for sharing your May reads!