May Reads

HOORAY! It’s summertime – the season of reading endlessly. I have so many books on my reading list for the summer. Be sure to be following me on Instagram, as I am always sharing reads over there.

So far in 2016, I’ve read 20 books. I’m so thrilled by this. My goal is to read 50 books by the end of the year and it seems that I am on track to do that. Here are the books that I read in May.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet: This book was recommended to me by Anne Bogel on when I was on her podcast What Should I Read Next (episode #18). It goes back and forth between present day and the 1940s and is about a Chinese man who befriended a Japanese girl during WWII. I loved The Girl Who Wrote in Silk and this reminded me a lot of that book (though I liked that one more). It was an easy, enjoyable read.
4 stars

Salt to the Sea: I had been hearing a lot of buzz about this book, which is why I added it on to my Book of the Month subscription box for May (you can add two additional books to your subscription box for $10 each). Told in alternating points of view, this fascinating historical fiction book is about the real-life WWII sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff—the greatest maritime disaster in history. I couldn’t believe I have never heard of this tragedy and was captivated by the story.
5 stars

I Let You Go: I really needed a non-war related book after those first two (plus, I also began Dead Wake on audible, so really it was three war books in a row), so I turned to my latest Book of the Month selection, I Let You Go. It was phenomenal. I could not put it down. I don’t want to give too much away (the twists are phenomenal), but if you liked Gone Girl, Girl on the Train or The Good Girl, you will love this book.
5 stars

Maude: I just finished this book yesterday, and it was my favorite book I read this month. I read it in a day and a half and cannot stop thinking about Maude, a woman who lived from the late 1800s through the 60s. The book was written by Maude’s granddaughter, who heard stories of Maude’s life throughout her childhood. Her life was one of incredible loss, hard work and change (ie: electricity, running water, cars, the Great Depression, WWI and WWII) and they way she persevered, loved the Lord and mothered is incredibly fascinating. If you like memoirs or historical fiction, you will love this book. It reminded me a bit of The Kitchen House in the way I connected with Maude and because it covered such a long span of years (though a different period and topic.) Right now it is just $3.99 on Kindle. I urge you to download this book. You won’t regret it.
5 stars

I am still loving my Book of the Month subscription. The June selections are my favorite since becoming a subscriber. I want to read the first three of the five listed below:

1. Before the Fall by Noah Hawley
2. Enchanted Islands by Allison Amend
3. Veins of the Ocean by Patricia Engel
4. Modern Lovers by Emma Straub
5. Shrill by Lindy West

If you haven’t yet subscribed, you can get 30% off a 3-month Book of the Month memberships with code SUMMER30. It’s the perfect time to join because the new selections were just announced and you’ll have great books sent to you all summer long!

Previous book posts
April reads
February and March reads
January reads

Disclosure: Compensated affiliate links used in this post. Thank you to Book of the Month for sending me their June selections last week.