#reading wrap-up

May Monthly Reading Wrap-Up

I read four books this month. ✨

1. The Handmaid’s Tale, Margaret Atwood — ★ 5/5 stars ★

2. Winter’s Orbit, Everina Maxwell — ★ 4.5/5 stars ★

3. The Darkness Outside Us, Eliot Schrefer — ★ 5/5 stars ★

4. The Charm Offensive, Alice Cochrun — ★ 4/5 stars ★

Happy Pride! Today is also the one year anniversary of this blog! In honor of the occasion, I updated the web version, so it’s acceptable — or at the very least, tolerable — for those of you who use tumblr web. <3

We also reached 500+ followers this month! Welcome to those of you who are new. My asks are always open, so don’t hesitate to leave me an ask or comment. <3

Keep reading for my unsolicited opinion on what I read this month.

Like the last months, I wasn’t able to use the “Keep reading” feature without it duplicating or outright deleting my reviews, so I apologize in advance for the lengthy post. <3

2. Winter’s Orbit by Everina Maxwell

Winter’s Orbit had galactic politics, mystery, and, of course, romance. It had all of my favorite tropes: queer arranged marriage, gruding allies to lovers, only one bed, and forced proximity. Kiem and Taam’s relationship was full of angst and misunderstanding, but contained surprising depth. Although the mystery was not as complex as their relationship, it provided the perfect backdrop for these grudging allies to fall in love.

3. The Darkness Outside Us by Eliot Schrefer

I picked up The Darkness Outside Us for the slow burn enemies to lovers romance — which it delivered! — but I stayed for the spectacular science-fiction thriller. The mystery of their existence forces Ambrose and Kodiak to depend on one another in a brilliant depiction of human fragility, vulnerability, and intimacy. The Darkness Outside Us argues for the need for vulnerability and intimacy (in whatever form it should take, whether it be platonic, romantic, and/or sexual) in order to prevent insanity. It also argues that we should accept the inevitability of death as we must die in order for future generations to live. Ultimately, it is not a romance, thriller, or mystery, but a poignant portrayal of life, death, and the depth of human connection.

4. The Charm Offensive by Alice Cochrun

The Charm Offensive portrayed love after heartbreak, vulnerability, and intimacy. Dev and Charlie’s relationship felt incredibly real, despite the fact that it was set against the backdrop of a heavily-faked reality TV show. I appreciated the sensitive depiction of depression, anxiety, and OCD. I also appreciated the demisexual representation. Altogether, it was a wonderfully wholesome read.

may reading wrap-up

i really got into a good reading roll for one week this month and read a book a day for that whole week, so for once i have enough books to justify a reading wrap up. so, the books and some thoughts.

• battle of the labyrinth by rick riordan — definitely not the best pjo book, the pacing and the scenes were all wonky, but it did still have a good rick sparkle.
• on earth we’re briefly gorgeous by ocean vuong — worth all the hype and more. i want to read more literary fiction but it tends to be a little hard to get into which was not the case with this one.
• no one is talking about this by patricia lockwood — i get what this book was trying to do, but it felt very detached from both itself and its surroundings. i know the whole point is that it’s supposed to seem like social media posts, but it was a little too realistic and repetitive.
• these violent delights by chloe gong — i have been struggling to find goo new ya for ages and finally! a good one! had a lot of fun reading this and a good gang book always gets me.
• there but for the by ali smith — my first ali smith book! i don’t think this one was necessarily the best one to start with, but it was still whimsical and bizarre in a way that slowly drew me in.
• the raven boys by maggie stiefvater — this is where the downhill started, with the decision to reread this series for no good reason. i still have no particular feelings about the raven boys except that the witchy vibes are good.
• dream thieves by maggie stiefvater — the only thing you need to know about me is that i read these books for ronan and ronan alone. i truly don’t care about any of the other characters, so this was good.
• blue lily, lily blue by maggie stiefvater — i absolutely love the atmosphere and the settings in this one, which is really what kept me going. and, you know, ronan.
• the raven king by maggie stiefvater — i still really don’t like this ending, even the second time around. there are about two scenes in this book that i really truly enjoy, and the rest is just not for me.
• summer of salt by katrina leno — i don’t know how it took me this long to read this! this is truly theperfect summer book with witches, islands and such a good, casual wlw romance, all of which i’m always on the lookout for.