May 2022 Monthly Reading Wrap Up

[Jessica]

Hello and welcome to another reading wrap up! As a reminder, this year I’ve decided to partake in the PopSugar Reading Challenge, which is a set of 50 prompts which you read a book to match, so I’ll be including those prompts and my progress in these wrap ups. For more info check this website: https://www.popsugar.com/entertainmen....
I’m currently at 18/50 for the PopSugar Challenge.
Now onto the Wrap Up!

This month I read…

Year of the Reaper by Makiia Lucier- This was one lots of fun. A little different than the typical YA Fantasy I tend to pick up, so that was nice. The world building was good and I loved the history it was rooted in as well. It's inspired by Princess Joan of England who died of the Bubonic Plague en route in Spain to be wed.
This was for the Popsugar Prompt: A book by a Pacific Islander author.

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid- I LOVED this one. Probably my favorite book all year so far. I was engrossed in the characters and their stories. I loved Reid's writing style and it reminded me of one my favorite authors, Fredrik Backman. They both in omnipresent tense that just pulls me in. This made me immediately add all of Reid's other books to my TBR too.
This was for the Popsugar Prompt: A book featuring a party.

The Wonder by Emma Donoghue- This book was interesting. The pace felt very slow and it was hard to get through at times. There was just enough tension and mystery to keep me engaged and going with it though. Overall the whole thing ended up feeling very surface level and while I enjoyed it there were several parts of the story that could have been fleshed out and made things a bit more interesting. For example we never get a full explanation of Lib's past, just glimpses, when it obviously is greatly affecting the person she is in the book. Also, we never get a full picture as to how the people around Anna allowed her to get to the point she did.
This was for the Popsugar Prompt: A book with cutlery on the cover or in the title.

Renegades by Marisa Meyer- I listened to this on Audio. It is not a secret that I’m a big Marisa Meyer fan, however I have really only read her retellings up until now. I did enjoy this, but not as much as some of her others. She always does a great job with world building and I am definitely invested in the world that this series takes place in. For some reason I’m not as invested in the characters as I normally am in her books. The superhero/villain roles in this world are fun and unique though. I will continue with the series to see where it goes.

Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen- This was a reread since it’s been over 10 years since I read it and it has the movie that just came out. I’m going to be honest and say after diving into quite a few of Dessen’s books a few years ago they had started to feel very formulaic and I got kind of burnt out on her. This was one of the first books of hers I read back in the day and I can see why she was a top author of mine for a while. There is just something about this one that connects with me and it is definitely one of my favorites by her. If your going to read a Sarah Dessen book, pick this one up.
This was for the Popsugar Prompt: A book becoming a TV series or movie in 2022.

What did you read this month? Be sure to share down below!

Happy Reading!

[Cadi]

These sound good! I like how you describe Taylor Jenkins Reid. Malibu Rising is on my waitlist on Libby. The only other one of hers that I've read is Daisy Jones and that was great.

I only read three books this month but I'm in my final semester of my BSW (yay me!) so I'm not reading as much.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab. This was fantastic. It was rather long but, unlike a lot of dual storylines, I actually enjoyed both the historic and the present story.

This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger. This was very good but was a slow burn. But, by the end, I was totally engrossed with the characters.

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard. This was good but I read the Red Rising series last year and I just thought they were much better.

[Jessica]

Cadi wrote: "These sound good! I like how you describe Taylor Jenkins Reid. Malibu Rising is on my waitlist on Libby. The only other one of hers that I've read is Daisy Jones and that was great.

I only read th..."

Congratulations on your BSW Cadi!! That's awesome!

Daisy Jones and the Six is next in my TBR stack of books and I'm so excited!
I had mixed feelings about the Red Queen series when I read it as well. I wasn't the best thing I've ever read, but it still engrossed me enough to end the whole series.

[Alyssa]

I’ve was working my way through Charlie Holmberg’s books during May and on into this month. I read the Spellbreaker duology, the Paper Magician triology and standalone, the Star Mother duology, and a few of her standalone books. I tend to binge through the entire body of an author’s work since it makes the decision of what to read so much easier!

Do you have any recommendations on which author to look at next? I’ve been really into fantasy/magic/witch/magician themed books in this vein which was recently kicked off by reading several of Alice Hoffman’s books.

I’ve been reading via checking out ebooks from the library through Libby and Amazon Unlimited since I’m not typically able to get to the physical library during business hours.

[Jessica]

Alyssa wrote: "I’ve was working my way through Charlie Holmberg’s books during May and on into this month. I read the Spellbreaker duology, the Paper Magician triology and standalone, the Star Mother duology, and..."

If you haven't already read them V.E. Schwab has some great ones! There is the Shades of Magic series starting with A Darker Shade of Magic. Also, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue which more romance with a side of magic and mystery. She has a few more series as well.
You could also try Deborah Harkness's All Souls series starting with A Discovery of Witches.

Hope this helps!