Welcome to our wrap up for May in 2023. How was your month? Tell us in the comments.
May Book Selection
I generally shy away from 500+ books as they can take a bit to read and don’t really put as much of a dent in my TBR but it does feel good to finish some of them! May was an extra success for this reason. Just for the fun of it, here are my reads, organized by number of pages.
500+ pages
Babel by R.F. Kuang | Goodreads | Alternate History Fantasy
I may have finished reading this book but I am not leaving the world for a long time. Babel is set in the 1800s in a fantastic world when the British empire is rapidly expanding due to the magic of silverwork and translation. The protagonist is Robin who is born in China and immigrated to Britain under an Oxford professor. This book comments on colonization, translation, power, the academy and much more.
The City of Brass by S.A. Chakraborty | Goodreads | The Daevabad Trilogy #1 | Historical Fantasy
I loved the world and the characters of this book. The setting is the Middle East. The different magical races, their wars and histories makes this an immersive world and I can’t wait to read the next one. But discussion first with my buddy, Emilie.
200-under 500 pages
Rising Ember by Arleta Rae | Goodreads | Fantasy
Impossible to put down. The challenge with an origin story of a vampire is how differently can it be done than mainstream? Arleta Rae does a fantastic job of grounding in known-lore while also bringing in her own unique take to vampires. Read my review here.
The Witches of Moonshyne Manor by Bianca Marais | Goodreads | Fantasy
This was an enjoyable read with eighty year old witches. It started strong but the second half was clearly trying to do too much. You can find my full review here.
Closer by Sea by Perry Chafe | Goodreads | Canada | Mystery, Historical Fiction
Closer by Sea is a beautiful meditation on loss, love and childhood friendships. Set on Perigo Island, a small island off the coast of Newfoundland, it tells the story of Pierce and his friends, Thomas, Bennie and Emily as they try to find out where Anna, the missing girl, disappeared to. Pierce’s grief due to the loss of his father is at the center of this search. Over the course of the summer, the kids are confronted with their beliefs around strangers on the island as well as the changing lifestyle due to the declining codfish population. Educational, thought-provoking, poignant, Closer by Sea will take you back to the carefree childhood summers. Read my full review here.
Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom | Goodreads | Memoir
Varun and I haven’t discussed a book in a long time and when he mentioned he was enjoying this one, I decided to put it on hold at my local library. Mitch met Morrie during university. Morrie was the one professor whose gentle encouragement and love led Mitch to reconnect with him during his professor’s last days. In their meet-ups on Tuesdays, they discuss life, marriage, society, children and much more. A quick, thoughtful read, you’ll find our discussion on the blog later this month.
Worth the Risk: How to Microdose Bravery to Grow Resilience, Connect More, and Offer Yourself to the World by Kristen Lee | Goodreads | Non-Fiction
I loved many things about this book including the various chapters’ names (‘you are not your automations’, ‘you are not your fear’, etc.), the numerous examples, quotes, research and worksheets. There are many opportunities to self-reflect in these pages. However, I struggled with the writing in this book.
Maggie’s List by Brittany Severn | Goodreads | Contemporary Fiction
A heartfelt read! Maggie’s List is a beautiful tale about a twin sister on a singular mission to fulfill her decreased sister’s bucket list. Experiencing things Maggie wanted to, Ivy is filled with wonder at the majestic creatures like whales that inhabit the seas, the brilliant aurora lights that illuminate the skies and the breathtaking beauty of cities around the world. Interlaced between an adventurous narrative is a deep sense of loss and grief. I connected with Ivy at that level. Read my complete review here.
When It All Syncs Up by Maya Ameyaw | Goodreads | YA Contemporary Fiction
The story of a 16-year old Black ballet dancer, When It All Syncs Up gave me lots to think about. I learned about the struggles in ballet as well as about Black culture. This is the story of a girl following her dreams to the breaking point and making a decision to pursue it for herself, not her parents or the fame. I am part of the upcoming blog tour for this one so keep an eye out for the review on Monday.
The Lost Art of Good Conversation: A Mindful Way to Connect with Others and Enrich Everyday Life by Sakyong Mipham | Goodreads | Non-Fiction
We communicate through conversations. In this book, Sakyong Mipham, an American and Tibetan Buddhist monk, offers insight into having good conversations, noticing our own internal dialogue and reminding us to be present. I am looking forward to revisiting my notes and bringing you a review.
Under 200 pages
The Liberation of Sita by Volga | Goodreads | Translated, Retelling
This is a retelling of the Ramayana and does a fantastic job of developing Sita’s character, as influenced by the women in the epic. This book reminded me of true feminism values and the ways in which women can support each other.
Grandma and the Great Gourd: A Bengali Folktale by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni | Goodreads | Folklore
I enjoyed connecting with my paternal grandmother’s heritage through this short illustrated book. I could not believe I found it in my Canadian suburban library! Read my review here.
Total TBR: 338 (May 1) -> 338 (Jun 1)
I broke my record of not increasing my TBR by anything overall! Wow! 🤩
Here are some new additions:
- I requested and got approved to read The Land of Lost Things (Goodreads, out September) by John Connolly, not realising it is the second book in a series. So along with this one, I added The Book of Lost Things (Goodreads) to my TBR.
- Cat Rector, author of The Goddess of Nothing At All (Goodreads, Review), is coming out with This Too Shall Burn (Goodreads, out September) and I am looking forward to that. She is one of my auto-buy indie authors whom I don’t read ARCs for. I am picky. 😀
- I saw Places Like These: Stories (Goodreads) by Lauren Carter on a Canadian authors list and am going to check it out!
Writing
Updates on TBP (to be posted – reviews that I have written but not yet published to the blog) and TBW (to be written – books I have read but not yet noted down my thoughts about).
TBP: 21(May 1) -> 23 (Jun)
TBW: 7 (May 1) -> 6 (Jun)
Four reviews I enjoyed writing were for books: Babel, From Chaos to Creativity, The Girls of Summer, The Liberation of Sita and When It All Syncs Up. Most of these will get posted this month!
Blogging
In case you missed it, the non-fiction feature of May was Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life by Hector Garcia Puigcerver and Francesc Miralles.
I reflected on the Scotiabank finalists and self-made challenges in the Scotiabank Giller Prize 2022 Wrap up.
I shared reviews of The Empress of Time by Kylie Lee Baker, Brighter Than the Sun by Daniel Aleman, A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers, Grandma and the Great Gourd by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Closer by Sea by Perry Chafe and A Death at the Party by Amy Stuart.
I enjoyed sharing my interviews with Kylie Lee Baker and Daniel Aleman. Also chatted with Hayley Reese Chow about writing series with standalone books.
Staging
I love my Instagram profile and everything that is happening there! Check out my summary of Scotiabank Giller Prize 2022 Finalists:
I did two cover reveals this month: one with Dan Fitzgerald for Unpainted and another with Elizabeth Gilliland for The Portraits of Pemberley.
Ariel and I posted about Dust Child, one of our favorite buddy reads. Also, a book stack with Erynn of our buddy reads.
I shared my review for The Empress of time, Brighter than the Sun, Rising Ember, Ikigai and Closer by Sea. Also, I started my series of posts about Babel. This one is about translation. <embed>
I visited Mandolin Books and Coffee Company with some friends.
A quote about books I found in This is How We Lose the Time War:
Lastly, I joined MTMC Tour for a book promo. There is an international giveaway associated with this and you can check it out in the post below. This cover got my creative juices flowing.
I am honored to have joined Mathila Zeller for a 30-min chat during an Instagram live this past Monday and being featured on Sistah Scifi Bookstore page for my review of The Lies of the Ajungo.
Come join me on Instagram to be in the loop of my everyday bookish activities.
The Noteworthy: A random collection of findings
- If you love bookish memes, check out @trippybookchic and @booksofbrilliance on Instagram. Both share quirky posts and I am often adding them to my stories.
- As kids, it was common to fall asleep during story time. I still fall asleep listening to audiobooks all the time. It is hard to find my place in those too. An alternative I have found is in the Better Sleep app. It has meditative stories that lull me into blissful sleep.
- If you enjoy Lofi music, Out of Orbit by Laffey is a great album to check out. I love the soothing tones of this one.
- Clinton introduced me to the work of Jordan B Peterson and I have always wanted to see him live. We did! On May 24th, he visited Edmonton and we enjoyed his talk. Have you read any of his books or follow his podcast?
- I have been enjoying conversations with ChatGPT about bookish things. I have had it make me an Instagram schedule (or three) and get some tips on finding a balance between blogging and Instagram. Have you tried ChatGPT?
Ariel’s May
In May, I was able to read more, and that felt really nice! This month I read a lot more through audiobooks, which let me listen more than usual– through commuting, gaming, cleaning, etc. I’m excited to be continuing through the Drowning Empire trilogy, and knocking off some arcs off my TBR.
Book Total: 9
Ebooks: 2
Physical Books: 1
Audiobooks: 6
Library Books: 6
Netgalley Arcs: 2
Physical Arcs: 1
Notable Favorites:
The Bone Shard Emperor by Andrea Stewart
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
Yellowface by R. F. Kuang
Not books:
Favorite TV Show this month: Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
Favorite Video Game this month: V Rising
Thanks for being a reader of my blog. Happy June! Hope you have a great one!
Lofi Girl art downloaded from UDH Wallpaper
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