Books Read in May:
Bird Box by Josh Malerman- 5 stars I finally finished the audiobook of this after it came back to me after a couple of months and I loved it. This one is so intense and chilling. Listening to it was scary and at times unsettling.
A Bigger Table: Building Messy, Authentic, and Hopeful Spiritual Community by John Pavlovitz- 3 stars I liked this one. It wasn't a bad book, but I thought a lot of Pavlovitz's arguments were lacking in Biblical backing. It's a great book for personal testimonies, but I was unimpressed overall and felt like it could've done so much more. I do recommend it though. Check out my review here.
Cloak & Silence by Sherrilyn Kenyon- 4 stars It's been forever since I read a Sherrilyn Kenyon novel and it was fun to be back in the world of The League. I really enjoyed being immersed in the world and the battle that is about to go down has me ready to keep reading. Check out my review here.
Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders by Vincent Bugliosi & Curt Gentry- 3.25 stars I finally finished this book!!! I've been reading it since sophomore year, but I was intrigued by the way the story and it left an impression on me. Being more aware of the real and complete story of the Manson Murders is so important because it's more than just the famous Sharon Tate and LaBianca murders. They killed people (a lawyer went missing and was found dead) and there were a lot of smaller character moments and witness statements that are normally glossed over in quick summary YouTube videos.
Searching for Spring: How God Makes All Things Beautiful in Time by Christine Hoover- 5 stars This book was beautiful. I was a fan of how Hoover went through Ecclesiastes and seamlessly ties the themes of cold and harsh Earth seasons to our own hard seasons of life. It was beautiful and brought a lot of solace. Plus there are some very convicting chapters.
Nocturnal by Wilder- 3 stars I like this poetry collection, but it's nothing special. It wasn't horrible and it didn't make me angry, but it didn't bring me joy or really resonate with me. It was just okay. Check out my review here.
Here, Now: Unearthing Peace and Presence in an Overconnected World by Kate Merrick- 4 stars This is a good book for checking yourself when it comes to how plugged into the online world and how unplugged you are to your life around you. Merrick walks readers through her family's trip to Israel in search of medical help for her daughter, Daisy, and how they all decided to unplug and become apart of the Israeli culture and bond with the people. I really enjoyed this one. Check out my review here.
Searching for Spring: How God Makes All Things Beautiful in Time by Christine Hoover- 5 stars This book was beautiful. I was a fan of how Hoover went through Ecclesiastes and seamlessly ties the themes of cold and harsh Earth seasons to our own hard seasons of life. It was beautiful and brought a lot of solace. Plus there are some very convicting chapters.
Nocturnal by Wilder- 3 stars I like this poetry collection, but it's nothing special. It wasn't horrible and it didn't make me angry, but it didn't bring me joy or really resonate with me. It was just okay. Check out my review here.
Here, Now: Unearthing Peace and Presence in an Overconnected World by Kate Merrick- 4 stars This is a good book for checking yourself when it comes to how plugged into the online world and how unplugged you are to your life around you. Merrick walks readers through her family's trip to Israel in search of medical help for her daughter, Daisy, and how they all decided to unplug and become apart of the Israeli culture and bond with the people. I really enjoyed this one. Check out my review here.
With Gratitude by Marala Scott- 3.25 stars This poetry collection takes a look at gratitude and how it's important to implement the practice into our own lives. It's a nice collection and I enjoyed the collection overall, but I wanted more from it overall. Check out my review here.
Us Against You by Fredrik Backman- 5 stars I love Fredrik Backman. This book further cemented my love for this author and I can't wait to read (or listen) to all of his other books. This sequel is so fantastic and is one of the most hard hitting novels I've ever encountered. It is painful in all ways and absolutely heartbreaking in many of the stories it follows. I cried a lot. The ending... my soul still screams. It's so sad.
Between You and These Bones by F.D. Soul- 3.5 stars I am quite impressed with this collection. It has a lot of soul and grit in the poems. It's a very well-done collection. I had some issues with it, but it's one of the few that I would recommend above others. Check out my review here.
Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid- 4.25 stars This audiobook is AMAZING. One of the best productions I've ever listened to and I really enjoyed the story, but it was anticlimactic. It's definitely one of those books that's more of a character study than a plot driven novel and in this case it worked to some extent, but I also wish there was more.
A Cloud by Day, A Fire by Night: Finding and Following God's Will for Your Life by A.W. Tozer- 5 stars This book was amazing. It was one of those fantastically convicting pieces and it just proves how talented Tozer was at delivering sermons. I'm so glad they decided to put together a collection of these sermons on this topic because it was exactly what I needed in this season of my life. Check out my review here.
Emma in the Night by Wendy Walker- 4.5 stars This thriller is brilliant. It's one of the best thrillers I've ever read (or listened to), but I was a little baffled by a certain reveal and I wasn't completely sold on one of the last chapters before the end, but the deception of this book in its use of storytelling was amazing. It's one of my favorite books in the thriller genre and I can't recommend it enough.
The Body in Question by Jill Ciment- 2 stars I hated this book. The minute I scrolled to the last page on my laptop I said, "Well, that book sucked." It was a solid three-star book for a large portion of the novel, but it went down hill real fast. I was disappointed by this one because the concept of following an unknown juror on a top case who decides to start a love affair with another juror has some promise. I will probably lower my rating after I write my review.
Us Against You by Fredrik Backman- 5 stars I love Fredrik Backman. This book further cemented my love for this author and I can't wait to read (or listen) to all of his other books. This sequel is so fantastic and is one of the most hard hitting novels I've ever encountered. It is painful in all ways and absolutely heartbreaking in many of the stories it follows. I cried a lot. The ending... my soul still screams. It's so sad.
Between You and These Bones by F.D. Soul- 3.5 stars I am quite impressed with this collection. It has a lot of soul and grit in the poems. It's a very well-done collection. I had some issues with it, but it's one of the few that I would recommend above others. Check out my review here.
Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid- 4.25 stars This audiobook is AMAZING. One of the best productions I've ever listened to and I really enjoyed the story, but it was anticlimactic. It's definitely one of those books that's more of a character study than a plot driven novel and in this case it worked to some extent, but I also wish there was more.
A Cloud by Day, A Fire by Night: Finding and Following God's Will for Your Life by A.W. Tozer- 5 stars This book was amazing. It was one of those fantastically convicting pieces and it just proves how talented Tozer was at delivering sermons. I'm so glad they decided to put together a collection of these sermons on this topic because it was exactly what I needed in this season of my life. Check out my review here.
Emma in the Night by Wendy Walker- 4.5 stars This thriller is brilliant. It's one of the best thrillers I've ever read (or listened to), but I was a little baffled by a certain reveal and I wasn't completely sold on one of the last chapters before the end, but the deception of this book in its use of storytelling was amazing. It's one of my favorite books in the thriller genre and I can't recommend it enough.
The Body in Question by Jill Ciment- 2 stars I hated this book. The minute I scrolled to the last page on my laptop I said, "Well, that book sucked." It was a solid three-star book for a large portion of the novel, but it went down hill real fast. I was disappointed by this one because the concept of following an unknown juror on a top case who decides to start a love affair with another juror has some promise. I will probably lower my rating after I write my review.
Overall Thoughts:
May was a fantastic reading month for me. I read 14 books and found some great ones in the month (and some not so great ones). Here are my 5-star reads:
1. Us Against You
2. A Cloud by Day, a Fire by Night
3. Bird Box
4. Searching for Spring
1. Us Against You
2. A Cloud by Day, a Fire by Night
3. Bird Box
4. Searching for Spring
2019 TBR:
*Searching for Spring
*Cloak & Silence
*Cloak & Silence
Total Read: 11
Currently Reading / Hoping to Finish in June:
Books I Finished: Spinning Silver, Disciple Her
Netgalley ARCs: What the Wind Knows, The Invited, A Darker Shade of Magic, DEV1AT3, Untroubled, Kingdom of Exiles
Audiobooks: Not Forsaken, Good Omens
Books I Own: Misery, Gone with the Wind, Vulnerable, The Spiritual Gifts Handbook, Always Enough Never Too Much, Moments of Grace, The Purple Book, East of Eden
Netgalley ARCs: What the Wind Knows, The Invited, A Darker Shade of Magic, DEV1AT3, Untroubled, Kingdom of Exiles
Audiobooks: Not Forsaken, Good Omens
Books I Own: Misery, Gone with the Wind, Vulnerable, The Spiritual Gifts Handbook, Always Enough Never Too Much, Moments of Grace, The Purple Book, East of Eden
E-ARCs:
June ARCs: I have 14 ARCs listed here. That's a lot. I won't be reading all of them this month, but I do have a couple that I want to make a priority or at least dip my toes into. I'm excited about a lot of these, but I'm really interested in the new Blake Crouch and Mira Grant book.
Audiobooks:
Books I Own:
I am really hype for the Doctor Sleep film and it's been a year since I've read The Shining. I'm also wanting to get to these other three, but they are just kind of ideas in the back of my mind.
What was your May reading month like? What was your favorite book / the book that you recommend the most? Have you read any of these books? Let me know down below in the comments!
I really want to listen to the audio for Daisy Jones & the Six! I've heard amazing things about it. Congrats on finishing your junior year with awesome grades and a tolerable summer job. ;)
ReplyDeleteI was in the middle of Spinning Silver when my hold expired, so now I'm back on the wait list, haha.
Lindsi @ Do You Dog-ear? 💬
The audiobook is definitely worth hunting down! I hope you enjoy it when you finally get to read it! Thanks so much, Lindsi! A lot of exciting things have been going on. Spinning Silver was so good! It's worth waiting for. I really loved it!
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