Rearview Mirror // May 2022

Ohho! Look who only took a week to get to the next month’s wrap up!  Progress!!  :-D

Favorite May Read

Even though I technically rated my reread of Jane of Lantern Hill higher (and, if I’m honest, do love it more), I’m going with a brand new read for this slot – Cress was my favorite of Lunar Chronicles series.  I read a lot of really good books in May, so competition was tight this month!  Look at all those 4 & 4.5* ratings!

Most Disappointing May Read

Probably The Heart’s Victory by Nora Roberts.  It was just too 80s romance haha

Other May Reads

• 3*
  • Athena’s Airs by Zabrina Faire
  • Rules of the Game by Nora Roberts
• 3.5*
  • Better Than the Movies by Lynn Painter
  • Meet Me in the Margins by Melissa Ferguson
•  4*
  • Fairest by Marissa Meyer
  • Lady Susan by Jane Austen
  • Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
  • Summer at the Cape by RaeAnne Thayne
  • Wires and Nerve by Marissa Meyer
  • Wires and Nerve: Gone Rogue by Marissa Meyer
• 4.5*
  • As You Wish by Cary Elwes and Joe Layden
  • Kids of Appetite by David Arnold
  • Stars Above by Marissa Meyer
  • Winter by Marissa Meyer
• 5*
  • Jane of Lantern Hill by L.M. Montgomery

May Stats

• Total Number of Books Read:  17
• Total Pages Read:  5462
• Average Star Rating for March:  3.91
• Longest Book: Winter (823 pages)
• Shortest Book:  Lady Susan (71 pages)
• Oldest Book:  Lady Susan (published 1871)
• Newest Book: Summer at the Cape and Meet Me in the Margins (published 2022)
• Top Genre: Science Fiction (7 books)
• Top Format: Paperback (12 books)
• Top Source: Purchased (8 books) (“Purchased” is books purchased within the last six months vs “Owned” haha)

May Challenge Updates

• New states visited: Indiana was my only new state – spent most of my month in space!!
• Chunksters read (800+pgs): 1
• Almost-a-chunksters read (450-799pgs): 2
• Classics read: 0
• Nonfiction read: 1

TBR Update

This is current as of today, not the end of May, and since it’s only been a week since the last Rearview, it may not be tooooo different haha

• Standalones:  480 (holding steady)
• Nonfiction:  130 (holding steady)
• Personal (which includes all books I own (fiction and nonfiction), but lists any series I own as only one entry…):  620 (down three!)
• Series (each series counted separately, not each book within a series):  250 (holding steady)
• Mystery Series (each series counted separately, not each book within a series): 111 (holding steady)
• New Arrivals – (I have a lot of books that I have been gifted or that I pick up somewhere and they get put on my “oh I’m so excited about this shiny new book” shelf… and then of course don’t actually get read.): 168 (down one!!)

Current Reads

I’m in the midst of several chapter-a-day-ish reads right now!

• Still reading The Hidden Hand and The Secret World of Weather and enjoying both.
• Started my August classic – The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens.  Honestly kind of weird so far.
• Go Hex Yourself by Jessica Clare is a buddy read for Litsy.  It’s a little outside my usual romance wheelhouse, but so far it’s been engaging.  We’ll see if it turns into a bail, though haha
• The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip by Sara Brunsvold is my current “regular” read – it’s one from the publisher, so I’ll actually be reviewing it within the next week or so.

Last Time on “Up Next”

Did I actually read my probable next five reads from last time?

The answer is – no to all of them because it’s only been a week haha  Although actually, looking at this list, I did actually read The Last Olympian.  I did enjoy it, but don’t think I’ll read the spin-off series.

Up Next

The probable next five(ish) reads –

Still planning to read the books I mentioned last time, but also –

• The Hidden One by Linda Castillo – this is the latest installment in the Kate Burkholder series.  I’ve really enjoyed these books and am looking forward to jumping back into Kate’s world soon!!
• The It Girl by Ruth Ware – following my attempt to read new books by authors I like as they come out, Ware’s latest just came in at the library for me, but since it’s new I’ll need to read it pretty promptly.  I’ve only read two of Ware’s books – one of which I liked and on I didn’t, so I’m curious about this one.
• His Majesty’s Dragon by Naomi Novik – I actually finished TWO series in the last couple weeks, so I’m ready to start another one!! I’ve been wanting to read these books for a while – set during an AU of the Napoleonic Wars WITH DRAGONS!!!
• Moonlight Cove by Sherryl Woods – still working my way through the Chesapeake Shores series, and this one is the next on the list.
• Jane and the Unpleasantness at Scargrave Manor by Stephanie Barron – This is the first book in a mystery series wherein Jane Austen is the heroine.  I have really mixed feelings about reading fiction books that “star” real-life people.  Another buddy read on Litsy, I thought I would at least give it a try as I have actually heard a lot of good things about this series.  Soooo we’ll see!!

So those are the latest updates!!! Hopefully I can get on top of my June reviews as well!!

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