May ’18 Wrap

May 31, 2018

Hello, lovelies! Another month has passed us by, so I wanted to share my reading for the month of May with you all! I was inspired by my amazing friend Taylor to try a new layout for my wrap, so let me know what you guys think!

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May Reads…

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1. A Court of Frost and Starlight — Sarah J. Maas ★★★★★
REVIEW HERE
I know this book let a lot of people down, but I personally genuinely enjoyed it! I think it helped that I went into it expecting nothing more than fluffly filler material.
2. Wanna Bet? — Talia Hibbert ★★★★★
I really love Talia’s writing, and this one was no exception; a fat black heroine, a South Asian hero, and lots of cuteness and steam.
3. Emergency Contact — Mary H.K. Choi ★★★★☆
REVIEW HERE
I struggled a little with the pacing and the treatment of some female characters, but overall, this was a super cute buddy read with Reg!
4. Fresh Ink — Lamar Giles ★★★★★
REVIEW HERE
This anthology is all own-voice stories by authors of color, primarily contemporary and related to POC struggles (especially in America). Absolutely magnificent, so important, and I cannot recommend it enough.
5. Crooked Kingdom — Leigh Bardugo ★★★★★
I am destroyed. That is all.
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6. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy — Douglas Adams ★★★★☆
REVIEW HERE
I’d been putting this book off forever, though I enjoyed the film (the Martin Freeman/Mos Def one!), but I finally read it and really enjoyed it! Super funny. I buddy read this one with my fiance Terry!
7. The Queen Underneath — Stacey Filak ?
This was an unrequested ARC that showed up randomly, and the cover was pretty so I gave it a try… yikes. I DNFed it about 50 pages in because it was so, so, SO bad.
8. Babyteeth, Vol 2 — Donny Cates ★★★★☆
I loved the first volume a little more than this one, but it was still cute demon babies and lots of sweetness and mommies defending their young, and I liked it.
9. The Summer Children — Dot Hutchison ★★★★★
REVIEW HERE
I was so sad to see this series end, but it was absolutely amazing right to the very last page. Major trigger warnings for this entire series if child abuse/death is a trigger for you!
10. A Thousand Beginnings and Endings — Ellen Oh & Elsie Chapman ★★★★★
REVIEW HERE
Another own-voice anthology full of amazing authors of color, though this one is Asian authors retelling Asian fairytales and myths. I couldn’t get enough. ♥
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11. A Head Full of Ghosts — Paul Tremblay ★★★★★
I listened to the audiobook for most of this one, and really enjoyed it! The narrator had a fantastic delivery and the story overall is creepy and a bit of a mind-fuck. That ending blew me away and I can’t wait to read more from Paul.
12. LIFEL1K3 — Jay Kristoff ★★★★★
REVIEW HERE
Mad Max: Fury Road meets the Fallout game franchise. Lots of mecha everywhere, super badass characters, and one of the most lovable side characters I’ve ever met!
13. The Princess Trap — Talia Hibbert ★★★★★
Another Talia book, another 5-star review! This one has a fat black heroine and a queer Nordic hero, and is angsty AS HELL, but in the best, most addicting way.
14. Tithe — Holly Black ★★★☆☆
I read this several times as a kid, but hadn’t revisited the series in over a decade! I had no idea how far Holly had come in her writing or how problematic this book was, but it was still a fast and very fun read, and I’ll definitely continue the series (finally!).
15. Sky in the Deep — Adrienne Young ★★★★★
I buddy read this with Taylor, and we both thoroughly enjoyed it! I actually didn’t expect to love it so much, but Eelyn is a very lovable protagonist, and the love interest is my favorite sort of soft teddy-bear-meets-semi-alpha-male type. (#noshame)
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16. From Twinkle, With Love — Sandhya Menon ★★★☆☆
REVIEW HERE
I had super high hopes for Twinkle, but sadly, it wasn’t for me; her character was very self-centered and unlikable, and the writing felt extremely juvenile. That said, if you don’t mind a very “young”-sounding teen MC, maybe check this one out!
17. Open Mic — Mitali Perkins ★★★★☆
This was a (mostly nonfiction) anthology by authors of color, and while parts of it dragged, I enjoyed it a lot overall and it’s a very fast read!
18. Before She Was Harriet — Lesa Cline-Ransome ★★★★★
This was my first picture book required for my summer class, and it was the best picture book I’ve ever read. It made me bawl, no joke, and is so good – it’s absolutely stunning, and I think any reader, of any age, would benefit from adding this to their collection.
19. Children of Blood and Bone — Tomi Adeyemi ★★★★☆
You may remember that I DNFed this earlier in the year because it put me into an awful slump, but I picked it back up at the end of the month because it had been voted in as a Life & Lit BOTM choice, and I’m glad I did! While it wasn’t perfect for me by any means, it picked up a lot around the 250-275 page mark, and I finished it off easily.


Other Reviews Posted this Month…

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(Click the titles for review links!)

A Gathering of Shadows ★★★★★
Throne of Glass ★★★★☆
Bad Romance ★★★★★
A Girl Like Her ★★★★★
Beneath the Sugar Sky ★★★★★
Nevernight ★★★★★
The Way You Make Me Feel ★★★★★
The Devil and the Deep ★★★★☆
Undead Girl Gang ★★★★★


Favorite Non-Review Posts of the Month…

T10T: Books I’d Cuddle a Nazgûl to Get Early
T10T: Highest Rated TBR Titles
Shortest and Longest Books On My TBR!


Unfinished May Reads…

A Conjuring of Light — started May 8
Bright We Burn — started May 15
History is All You Left Me — started May 21
City of Glass — started May 22
A Different Mirror for Young People — started May 23
The Astonishing Color of After — started May 24
Kitchen Table Tarot — started May 27
Crown of Midnight — started May 29
Anger is a Gift — started May 30
Scream All Night — started May 30
Gabi, a Girl in Pieces — started May 30


STATS:

AVERAGE RATING FOR THE MONTH: 4.26/5
FORMAT:
47% PRINT, 53% DIGITAL
PERCENTAGE OF MAY TBR COMPLETED: Moody May — no TBR!


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More about Destiny @ Howling Libraries

Just a horror aficionado/geek girl trying to juggle motherhood, reading, blogging, gaming, and everyday life.

Leave a comment
    1. This looks like a great reading month for you! A lot of 5-stars. That always makes me feel super optimistic going into a new month when that happens.
      I am hearing nothing but good things about LifeL1k3 and Sky in the Deep; it is really making me want to get my hands on them..

      1. Thank you, Samantha! It always makes me feel good about the following month, too. 🙂 Yesss, Lifel1k3 and Sky in the Deep are definitely two I can highly recommend!

    1. Wow looks like you had a great reading month! And I totally agree about Crooked Kingdom!
      I’m looking forward to reading the anthology and LifeL1k3 but they haven’t released here yet!

    1. I’m loving the new layout! Looks like oh had a fantastic reading month and a really great overall star rating too. Moody May suits you!

    1. wow you seem to have read a lot of good books!! I know the feeling crooked kingdom destroyed us all!!

    1. You’re current reads are killing me in the best way possible.
      I’d be freaking out – which I’m guessing you are – but you’ll get there! First, you simply have to get mad at Griffin with me. Like, that’s totally not up for discussion. I need to know whether or not you end that book feeling mad. PLEASE.

      1. I AM freaking out, lmao! I need to cut them down so much, but I have so many things that need to be read and so little time… sometimes I wish I could just go be a hermit in a little cabin with no wifi or signal for a few days just so I could knock them all out really fast. And yesss, I have to finish that ASAP. Hopefully tomorrow or the next day? >_>

        1. I’d be soooo down for that. Like, simply a “trip” with all the bookworms to a cabin in the middle of nowhere with no wifi / signal whatsoever and plenty of pretty, relaxed reading spots. YES. PLEASE.
          I’m keeping my fingers crossed you’ll actually finish it soon, hahaha.

    1. Looks like a great reading month. I want to try th queen underneath, I have heard mixed reviews. I liked Sky in the Deep.
      I always seem to add books to my tbr list after reading your monthly wrap up posts.

    1. I love the “Moody May – no TBR”. That is pretty much how June is going to be unless something drastic changes with the new meds haha. You had such a stellar month though <3 I am reading at a snail's pace currently and fear a slump is coming on. Here is to hoping June is fabulous for both of us!

      1. Good luck, love! ♥ I hope you have a great June and some good reads, no matter what books you read or how fast or slow you go. Just go easy on yourself and enjoy the summer! ♥♥

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