Library Appreciation Month (Apparently...) | May 2023 Reading Wrap Up

Hey hi hello friends, and welcome back to my blog!

Another month has come and gone, and now we're nearly halfway through the year. I know I keep saying this, but it's really shocking just how fast the year is going by. And how awful it's been, as well. It makes me wonder if there is a quota of how much trauma I can endure, and whether or not I've maxed it out already. I sure hope so. 

Anyway, let's talk books. In the month of May, I read 11 books: 9 novels and 2 novellas. I know, not a ton. I was feeling super slumpy this whole month, to be honest. Even though I read some really great books, I feel like it was mediocre reading for the most part. My heart just wasn't in it. 

Something I find interesting is that every book I read this month came from my library, whether it was an e-book I got from Libby, or a physical copy from my actual library branch. Of course this means that my physical TBR is piling up. In June, I'll make sure to prioritize my own books.

Okay, enough chatter. Let's get into the wrap up!

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Novels

1. The Bone Shard War by Andrea Stewart
Genre: Fantasy, Science Fiction, Adult
Star rating/CAWPILE: 3.5 stars/5.86 CAWPILE
Page count: 642 pages
Day(s) read: 5.01 - 5.18
Goodreads review: Well, I'm a little disappointed in all honesty. I just don't think this was up to the standard that book 1 or even book 2 were. However, everything did come together well in the end, there were no loose threads left and I feel like we got a satisfying ending for all of the characters.

But the fact that it took me over half the month to actually finish the book speaks for itself, I think. I was incredibly bored for the first 400 or so pages, almost DNFing a few times as I just could not get into the story. Thankfully the last third really picked up, but not enough for this to remain a favorite for me, sadly.

2. The Shadow of Perseus by Claire Heywood
Genre: Mythology, Historical Fiction, Adult
Star rating/CAWPILE: 4.5 stars/8.14 CAWPILE
Page count: 289 pages
Day(s) read: 5.02 (ONE DAY READ)
Goodreads review: This was brilliant. I wasn't expecting Claire's take on the Perseus myth to be completely based in reality, especially because it's one of the more myth-oriented stories (Medusa being a creature, Perseus the son of Zeus, getting favors from Athena and Hermes, etc) but she did it flawlessly. She really showed how easily tales can be twisted, and how history is written by the ones left standing, and they are now able to spin the story in any way that they wish. Perseus was always one of the better heroes of myth, described as a pure-of-heart hero who saves the women in his life from terrible suffering, who completes an impossible task all for his mom, but Claire's Perseus is definitely not a heroic man. It's interesting to see this side of him, but even more interesting to see the unknown sides of the women he was surrounded by, since they obviously never got a deeper explanation.

3. A House With Good Bones by T. Kingfisher
Genre: Horror, Paranormal, Gothic Fiction, Adult
Star rating/CAWPILE: 4 stars/7.57 CAWPILE
Page count: 247 pages
Day(s) read: 5.04 - 5.06
Goodreads review: For me, this was everything I wanted from "The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires" and I do believe, in my humble opinion, that this is the superior novel. It has T. Kingfisher's signature quirkiness mixed with a wonderfully spooky atmosphere. It also gave me a much deeper appreciation for vultures than I had before, and a certain validity in my childhood hobby of destroying my mother's rose bushes (though I am sure she would not agree).

4. The Dawn of Yangchen by F.C. Yee
Genre: Fantasy, YA
Star rating/CAWPILE: 2.5 stars/3.86 CAWPILE
Page count: 336 pages
Day(s) read: 5.07 - 5.13
Goodreads review: Honestly I was kind of bored, which the fact that a book in the AtLA universe bores me?? That's alarming. I didn't care about any of the character motivations or relationships, and the action was subpar at best. I don't think I'll be reading the sequel.

5. In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune (Review Here)
Genre: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Queer Romance, Adult
Star rating/CAWPILE: 3.5 stars/6.14 CAWPILE
Page count: 432 pages
Day(s) read: 5.09 - 5.10
Goodreads review: While I did really like this, I think it was my least favorite TJ Klune book so far. The characters were hilarious, as always, and the found family vibes were immaculate, but I don't think I was as invested in their happy ending as I have been with his previous novels.

6. Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
Genre: Literary Fiction, Thriller, Adult
Star rating/CAWPILE: 5 stars/9.00 CAWPILE
Page count: 323 pages
Day(s) read: 5.19 - 5.20
Goodreads review: I mean, was it ever going to be anything other than 5 stars? Kuang’s writing is masterful. Watching Juniper descend into madness was both terrifying and cathartic, and the fact that I actually felt sympathy for her a few times just proves how good the writing is. If you want a modern day “Tell Tale Heart” then this is your next read.

7. In the Tropic of Serpents by Marie Brennan
Genre: Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Adult
Star rating/CAWPILE: 4 stars/7.43 CAWPILE
Page count: 354 pages
Day(s) read: 5.22 - 5.26
Goodreads review: This series is feeling more and more like the female version of Temeraire (which is by no means an insult, since that is one of my favorite series). I love the scientific approach to dragons that these books take, and I also enjoy how carefully each culture is described; their beliefs, customs, taboos, and more. My only gripe is actually that our narrator Lady Trent tends to glance over the scientific things, as these are her life memoirs and not her academic research. I get that, but it's still frustrating to read "I won't bore you with the details" or "I'm sure you're eager to move on." I want to know the science, dammit!

8. Don't Fear the Reaper by Stephen Graham Jones
Genre: Horror, Slasher, Adult
Star rating/CAWPILE: 3 stars/5.57 CAWPILE
Page count: 464 pages
Day(s) read: 5.23 - 5.24
Goodreads review: Well, I read it! All of the over-the-top killings in true slasher fashion didn't bother as much as the LENGTH. It felt way too long! The last 100 pages with the final battle felt so ridiculous that I couldn't believe when someone died because I was just waiting for them to pop right back up again.

I have no idea what the third book in this trilogy will bring, but you can bet your ass that I'll be reading it. I'm in too deep to quit now, folks.

9. Atalanta by Jennifer Saint
Genre: Mythology, Historical Fiction, Adult
Star rating/CAWPILE: 4.5 stars/8.00 CAWPILE
Page count: 304 pages
Day(s) read: 5.26 - 5.31
Goodreads review: I loved this! Atalanta's story is one that few people know, and even fewer know in its entirety, from birth to death. You can really see the care for detail that Jennifer Saint took with this novel. I love that the majority of the book focused on her journey on the Argo for the Fleece, rather than the footrace that seems to be the only thing people remember about her. And I especially enjoyed the agency that Atalanta had throughout the book. In the original myths, she's often seen as a passive character, one that has things happen to her rather than someone who makes things happen herself. Like all of Jennifer Saint's mythology novels, Atalanta takes her life back and lives it herself. Very good!

Novellas

1. Silver in the Wood by Emily Tesh
Genre: Fantasy, Queer Romance, Adult
Star rating/CAWPILE: 4 stars/7.57 CAWPILE
Page count: 112 pages
Day(s) read: 5.20 (ONE DAY READ)
Goodreads review: This was simply delightful. Very spooky and atmospheric, a perfect Autumn read (even though it's late Spring right now). I love that there wasn't any big looming thing, just two men getting to know each other and falling in love. I mean yes, there was a big conflict at the end, but it didn't feel ominous or something to worry about in the beginning. The majority of the story was simply, at its core, a love story.

2. The Salt Grows Heavy by Cassandra Khaw
Genre: Horror, Fantasy, Adult
Star rating/CAWPILE: 3 stars/5.43 CAWPILE 
Page count: 106 pages
Day(s) read: 5.29 (ONE DAY READ)
Goodreads review: I wasn't expecting this to be a love story, and such an emotionally heavy one at that??? I feel like this needed to be much longer, there wasn't enough explanation of the lore and I was left feeling confused more than once. Also, the writing was too exaggerated, there were too many metaphors used and it was like the author was trying to do flowery, purple writing but it ended up just feeling clunky and unnecessary.

However this was a definite improvement from Blackened Teeth. I can see how the author has been growing in their craft. I'll still pick up the next thing they publish, because this was *almost* there.

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Total page count: 3,609 pages

Favorite read of May: Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
                                  Atalanta by Jennifer Saint

No DNFs this month

No unfinished books this month

May book haul: The Sun and the Star by Rick Riordan and Mark Oshiro
                         Oathbringer by Brandon Sanderson
                         Lost in the Moment and Found by Seanan McGuire
                         Seasonal Fears by Seanan McGuire
                         Everyone Knows Your Mother is a Witch by Rivka Galchen
                         Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
                         The Song of Kieu: A New Lament by Nguyen Du
                         The Archer by Paulo Coelho
                         The Zahir by Paulo Coelho

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And that's all I have for May! I'd love to know; what's your favorite book that you read in May? Let me know in the comments below, or DM me on Instagram (link in sidebar under heading "More Media").

Until next time, friends!