everything i read in may

reading diary

Somehow we’re at the end of May. MAY! I’m typing this furiously before my kids wake up and I have to finish the last few bits of packing so we can leave for Ireland to visit family. So let’s not doddle. Let’s talk about books!

** I always mean to add the disclaimer to these reading round ups that all the book titles link to my Bookshop.org storefront where if you choose to purchase from, I may receive a commission.

Heartwood by Amity Gaige

Heartwood had been on my list for a while now to read, so when my husband started reading it and told me I’d like it, I took it as my sign that it was time. For some reason, I thought this book was about a cold case of a woman who gets lost hiking on the Appalachian Trail. It’s not a cold case, it’s about the high-scale search and rescue operation that happens after 42- year-old Valerie Gillis doesn’t show up at her meeting point with her husband.

The story is told in three POVs: 1) Beverly, the Maine State Park Warden, 2) Lena, a 72 year old bird watcher residing in a retirement community in Connecticut, and 3) Valerie, the lost woman through letters to her mother.

Overall, I did like this story, but I did have to adjust my expectations. I came into thinking it’d be a fast-paced mystery about a cold case, and it’s not that. It’s way more literary. I underlined many of the sentences, and I liked the overarching themes of motherhood, what it means to be a mother, and mother-daughter relationships.

More literary than thriller for sure, but still a beautifully written book I ultimately enjoyed.

Bright Objects by Ruby Todd

Sylvia Knight is a widow who works at a funeral home, where she gets to stay close to the numbing sense of grief she has lived in ever since her husband’s death in a car crash a few years prior. The small Australian town she lives in has become obsessed with a comet that is making its way past Earth’s orbit and will be visible to the naked eye.

When she meets Theo St. John however, the astronomer who discovered the comet, her life gets shaken up. It’s hard to fully describe this book in a compelling way without giving away a ton of spoilers, so I’ll just say this: I really liked this one.

It’s a thriller, the writing is STUNNING, and it had the right amount of romance for me— in that it focused more on the relational aspect and less on descriptions of sex (which personally I find boring, sorry!!). If you’re looking for a moody thriller with lots of surprising twists, this is a good one to pick up. In general it seems like literary mysteries are having a moment, and I’m here for it.

Wives Like Us by Plum Sykes

Switched up my literary mystery diet with this absolutely DELIGHTFUL and hilarious book about the upper crust, wealthy elite housewives of the Cotswolds. I inhaled this book, mostly following the social parties, teas, riding parties, and spa trips of a few silly rich women, and the mischief and heartache they get up to.

I’ve heard this book be compared to Crazy Rich Asians, in that the wealth of the characters in the story is almost a character all on its own. The writing is witty, laugh-out-loud funny and the perfect summer read. I also recommend Googling all the outfits and designers Skyes describes, it really brought some of these lovable characters to life!

Here’s To Us by Elin Hilderbrand

To cure my Wives Like Us hangover, I turned to Elin. I read my first Nantucket book last year and honestly was kind of snob about it. It didn’t feel “high-brow” enough for me — what nonsense. Anyway, her stories always end up staying with me like a good chick-flick. The setting of Nantucket, the love stories, the food descriptions, the house descriptions, the beach descriptions, the window into wealthy living, it turns out I enjoy the whole thing.

Here’s To Us, is about famous chef and TV personality Deacon Thorpe, and how his family— three ex-wives and their children— cope after his untimely death. What is there to say about this book? There’s a reason Hilderbrand is the queen of the beach read. This book will go down as easy the cold sparkling glasses of wine they’re always drinking in this story.

Non-fiction

Eleanor and Hick by Susan Quinn

I loved this book. Most people will probably pick this book up to read more about the love story between one of America’s most beloved First Ladies and the female journalist who was by her side the last 30 years of Eleanor’s life. But while the book certainly does cover the timeline of their love affair as revealed through the thousands of letters the women wrote to each other almost daily, it’s also a granular look at the FDR presidency, Great Depression and World War II. Cheery stuff, I know, but actually I’m finding it really comforting to read. Something about reading how Americans weathered hard times, economically, politically, and ideologically, feels soothing even though it wasn’t without pain.

In many ways, reading these historical account of Eleanor Roosevelt’s word during the years of the presidency and beyond, was like focusing on Mister Roger’s “helpers” during hard times. I found her commitment to helping people, to being teachable and passionate about causes near to her heart, while also being the matriarch of her family incredibly inspiring. I feel like America could really use another Eleanor right now.

I really liked this book but it does get a bit slow in the middle. It’s just a detailed historical accounting. But I think still worth the read, especially if you’re an American.

What’s Coming Next

I thought it could be fun to wrap this post up with a little reveal of what’s coming up on a my reading list this month! If you have books you want to add this list, let me know in the comments. Thanks for reading!

The Colony by Annika Norlin sounds like it’s going to be right up my street. I love a Nordic mystery and this one has been so beloved in Sweden they’re adapting it to TV.

Okay that’s all from me!

love

g xx