What I Read in May 2023

It’s Book Review Day!  May was a great reading month! This month I read 5 books.  I loved 1 of them, thoroughly enjoyed 3 of them, and was a touch disappointed with 1 of them. If you have read any of these or have recommendations of what you think I should read next, definitely leave me a comment below.

Hidden Pictures – Jason Rekulak (B)

It took me a while to get into this one, but once I did, I enjoyed it. The story begins with Mallory Quinn, a recovering drug addict who is trying to get her life back together after tradegy.  She is hired to nanny for an affluent family with a charming 5-year-old boy – a shy sweet boy who is always sketching.  But when his sketches become darker and darker, Mallory starts to believe that these are glimpses into an unsolved murder. This was a creative thriller that was not too complicated and gave off all the eerie vibes.  3/5 stars

Warror Girl Unearthed – Angeline Boulley (A)

This author has quickly become one of my favorites – I will read anything she writes!  The author’s first book, Firekeeper's Daughter, was my top book of 2021.  I LOVED it.  So while I was excited to read her next novel, I was also nervous that I would not love it as much as Firekeeper's Daughter.  I had no reason to worry. Warrior Girl Unearthed was another fantastic read with characters that I care about, a mystery that keeps me guessing, and so much history and knowledge about the Ojibwe tribe. Talk about history that they are definitely not teaching in schools!  Boulley’s book are an education in themselves and I think everyone should ready them.  And while her books deal with some tough topics, these books are in the YA category – so it is not overly heavy or graphic. 5/5 stars  

Demon Copperhead– Barbara Kingsolver (A)

Set in the mountains of Southern Appalachia, this book centers around Demon Copperhead – a little boy survivalist with copper colored hair and scrappy wit.  Life has not given him a fair shake, but he persists in finding his way through the foster system, child labor, athletic success and addiction. Inspired by Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield, Kingsolver weaves this carefully crafted story into an epic tale that is both inspiring and heartbreaking.  I read this one as part of my book club and the conversation was really good.  So many layers and modern day troubles to dissect and discuss. 4/5 stars 

Finley Donovan is Killing It – Elle Cosimano  (A)

Okay, this book was delightful! It is fast-paced, completely unrealistic, clever, and so much dang fun.  It kind of reminded me of the Netflix show, Dead to Me.  It is about a stressed out single mom who is on deadline to finish her next book while trying to navigate the ever-piling mountain of unpaid bills.  When Finley is overheard discussing her next book plot with her agent, she’s mistaken for a contract killer.  All sorts of misunderstanding and calamity follows after that pivotal moment. If you are looking for a quick and fun beach read that is not heavy, I highly recommend this one.  And I will definitely be reading the next one in the series.  4/5 stars

Cradles of the Reich – Jennifer Coburn  (B)

I have read a lot of WWII books.  So when I stumbled across this one, I was intrigued because I had never read any that were specifically about the Nazi’s Lebensborn Society that existed during WWII in an effort to “breed” racially fit Aryan babies.  This book is told from 3 alternating perspectives.  I liked this book; but did not love it.  The writing was okay and a touch too superficial for me.  The ending was abrupt and I was left wondering about the fate of these women that I had come to care about. But I did love the history aspect of it.  2.5/5 stars

B – Physical Book

A - Audiobook

As always, you can see a consolidated list of all my book reviews HERE.

Now it’s your turn – what book have you recently read that you can’t stop thinking about?  I don't know about you, but I need some solid book recommendations to get me through the next few months.  Something that will pull me in immediately and keep me going through to the very last page.  Tell me in the comments what you are reading, what you are loving, and what book recs you have for me.

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