May Book Report

Frankie, Molly, Ruth, Pamela, Sewanee, Margaret, Tina, and more -- a panoply of strong female characters in this months' books. Plus, looking ahead to the excitement that is summer reading (!!)

It has been a VERY GOOD reading month for me — lots of books and many of them five-star, rave reviews. On top of that momentum in the chaos of May, there are always two exciting summer reading announcements that jumpstart my summer reading momentum.

First, Camp TOB reads were announced for this year which is often where I start building my summer TBR list. Second, the Seattle Public Library 2024 Book Bingo board was released! This annual partnership with Seattle Arts and Lectures is honestly one of the most exciting things of my year (tied with the annual Tournament of Books…).

I’ve gone for blackout five years in a row (!!!) and absolutely plan to this year, too. Strategizing my bingo TBR plan is half the fun — I’ll start with what I’m already reading, add the Camp TOB list, and go from there. SPL always has helpful lists for each bingo square and I have plenty of bingo friends to bounce ideas around with.

Are you local to Seattle (if not, you can still play!)? What exciting books do you have lined up for your bingo board? Let me know in the comments — I’d love to strategize together!

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May reads

And now, for all the books I loved this month — so much good stuff here!

Young Bright Women by Jessica Knoll

I was skeptical of this for a while — I wasn’t dying to read about a serial killer. But the story wasn’t about the killer at all! Which was intentional and incredibly well-done. The narrative has elements of the true crime story weaved into the lives of fictionalized women who were certainly near-composites of the actual victims and women behind the scenes of this high-profile serial killer’s spree.

Throughout, he is never mentioned by name, only as the defendant. It’s powerful and devastating with an engaging timeline that jumps between narrators and years. I loved it. The audio narration was great and I appreciated that the story so intentionally celebrated the women whose stories have not been told.

Slow Productivity by Cal Newport

I’m a big fan of Cal Newport and took oodles of notes while reading this. Many of the ideas he introduced weren’t brand new but I had read in scattered places elsewhere on the internet and I appreciated having them all tied up in a neat little bow (book). He shares an easy to digest philosophy with actionable strategies for making actual shifts away from a lifestyle careening toward burnout — the kind of nonfiction I love. Highly recommend this book, this philosophy, and a slower lifestyle devoid of psuedo productivity — that’s what I’m working toward, at least.

The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

I LOVED the premise of this— expats from another time? Learning about the modern world as adults with no prior concept of it? Fascinating.

The narrative got a bit complicated with extra characters and additional time travel confusion and conspiracies and I got kind of lost at about two-thirds. The complication detracted from the main plotline but, despite the confusion, the unique and thrilling premise is worth a recommendation.

James by Percival Everett

This re-imagined classic was stunning in the way only an Everett book can be. It was clever, funny, and poignant, all while discussing slavery and other incredibly challenging tangential topics. I devoured it in a couple of days and can’t stop thinking about it. I’ve read and loved enough of Everett’s books now that I want to read his entire collection.

I was afraid I’d be a bit lost since I haven’t read the original Huckleberry Finn in a while (or maybe ever?) but that didn’t matter at all. I’m not sure I missed anything important (am I wrong there? Let me know, if so!)

Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan

A very meta (and enjoyable!) reading experience. A former actress-turned-audiobook-narrator gets roped into narrating a romance series with the anonymous sultry stud of the romance audiobook world. No unexpected plot twists, we all know where this is going, and it’s a very fun ride. The characters had surprising depth and I appreciated that in an audio romance. The narration was excellent, which was expected from Julia Whelan, dubbed the “Adele of Audiobooks".”

The Unfiltered Enneagram by Elizabeth Orr

I keep returning to sections of this and flipping around — it’s an excellent companion to The Road Back to You, and it’s been fascinating to dig deeper into the Enneagram paradigm to understand myself, those I love, and how we all interact and coexist.

The Maid by Nita Prose

I’m late to the party here but this one has been on my list forever. I listened to the audio and loved it! Molly is another example of a protagonist whose voice I wouldn’t have gotten quite right in my head if I had been reading the print. Her voice — the character of it and the actual language she used — was so rich and endearing. I absolutely loved her and have found myself adopting some of her words (panoply and posthaste, among them).

The second novel in this series is near the top of my list to read next (wonder which bingo square it will fit in…), once my audiobook hours top up on Spotify.

The Women by Kristin Hannah

Another five-star read for the month. I love Kristin Hannah’s stories— how they all have such a strong female protagonist and highlight an issue in history that’s often less well-known. She has such a powerful way of teaching the reader about women in history. This one especially provoked a desire in me to learn more about the Vietnam War era— I’m shocked by how little I know! I devoured this in two days — it’s a lot of pages but they flew by.

The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez

Still loving Abby Jimenez and the relatable nuance she gives her characters amid juicy plotlines. I got all three in this psuedo-trilogy and liked this one much better than the second in the series. I read them both in 48 hours so needed a bit of a cleanse afterward — will get to the third in due time.

And that’s all for now! Until next month, happy reading! 📚✨

Hi! I’m Liz. Thanks for being here and reading my journals on the journey. If you’re new, learn a bit more about me and this space here and consider subscribing to my weeklyish posts. You can choose which types of posts to receive via email or make other changes to your subscription with the button above.

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