After a two-month hiatus, I’m so glad to be back on the blog again! February, March, and a good portion of April were crazy busy, leaving a lot of room to dream of reading, but little time to sit down and read.
As far as reading goes, I have actually had a wonderful reading year so far. I just finished my 40th book for 2025 last Sunday, but in saying that, almost 60% of the books I’ve read this year were audiobooks.
This month, I’m in the mood to read just about anything, so long as I can read it with my eyes rather than my ears. I’m still working through a few audiobooks, but I’m hoping to prioritize physical sit-down-and-read time this month, because that side of me is feeling slightly deprived at the moment.
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Upcoming Releases/ARCs:
I always find this section the most exciting every time I put together my TBR list! There are so many great authors out there, and it’s a lot of fun to be among the first to get to read these new books.
Releasing May 20: Every Hour until Then by Gabrielle Meyer. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed books #1–4 in this series, and am definitely looking forward to this one! I’ve had a bit of a preview already, and this book looks like it will be a lot of fun and have an intriguing mystery in it.
Doing Life with Jesus by Mrs. Gloria Boakye: I field a lot of emails from authors asking for reviews, and most of the time, the books aren’t a great fit for me. This time, though, this looked like a book I may be able to glean something from, so I decided to try it out.
Releasing June 17: The Atlas of Untold Stories by Sara Brunsvold: I’ve loved Brunsvold’s books ever since her debut novel. With this one being focused on books and a family road trip, I’m certain I’ll love it.
A Year of Maud:
I’ve gotten behind in this readalong, but I’m hoping to get to both March and April’s books this month. I just started Anne of the Island a couple of days ago (I’m loving it so far!), and am hoping to fit Anne of Windy Poplars in somewhere along the line, too.
Read Your Bookshelf Challenge:
I didn’t quite get to reading a book for April’s prompt this past month, but I’ve settled on reading Pride and Prejudice for the flowers prompt. I read that story for school years ago, and enjoyed it, but I’m looking forward to reading it again. Sense and Sensibility really surprised me early in April with how gripping and unputdownable I found it, so I can’t wait to see what I think of this one!
For May’s prompt, “favorite”, I decided to pick Twice Sold Tales. Chautona Havig is one of my favorite authors, and so far, I haven’t managed to read any of her books yet this year—hopefully, this book will change that metric! I’ve been looking forward to this story ever since it was first published, and I really don’t have an excuse as to why I haven’t picked it up already.
Other Books I Want to Read:
A backlisted title: I read Suit and Suitability by Kelsey Bryant many years ago, but somehow neglected to ever leave a review, as I promised. Oops! I’m looking forward to rereading it, especially since it’s a retelling of a book I loved in early April.
A book published in the ‘70s: Mr. Pettigrew’s Train by Leonard Clark: I have no idea where I picked this one up, but it’s been on my decide-if-I-really-want-to-keep-it list for a very long time, so I thought I’d try to get through it this month. It’s an easy reader; it should be a breeze to get through!
A book with an animal in the title: The Wolf Dog by Ken Anderson: I had this on tape as a child, and loved the story. Recently, I found it in print, and I’m looking forward to enjoying this one all over again now as an adult!
Celebrating Jane Austen—May’s prompt: Lover’s Vows by Elizabeth Inchbald: Beyond knowing that this is a play that features in Mansfield Park, I really have no idea what I’m getting into here. I haven’t read a play in ages, though, so I’m looking forward to it!
If I can fit it in: Within the Palace Gates by Anna P. Siviter: This is my all-time favorite Biblical fiction story, which was first published in the 1930s. I recently reread the book of Nehemiah, and that reminded me of this story. I’m looking forward to picking it up soon, if I can make it work!
A buddy read: War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy: A friend of mine has been wanting to read this epic for quite a while, and since I’d like to get through it sometime, too, I suggested we try to read it at the same time. We’ll see when we actually start it, but I’m definitely looking forward to reading it!
And that’s a wrap—with around 13 books on my TBR shelf (physical or digital!) for the month. Am I going to get through them all? I doubt it. But it’s fun to dream, anyway!
What are you hoping to read in May? Have you read any of the books on my list this month?
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