Well, looking at last month’s picture, the TBR is about the same but with fewer review copies balanced on top, so that’s a win, right? I’ve left my stash of Three Investigators novels in the pic although they don’t count in the “official” TBR somehow. Sorry for the slightly wonky picture.

I only managed to finish fifteen books in May, that’s still one every two days or so but I’d hoped to read more. I don’t have any read in May to review fully here but there are two reviews for Shiny New Books that I haven’t mentioned on here yet. I read or am still reading all of the print TBR I said I MUST read. I read and reviewed seven out of the nine NetGalley books I had TBR for May, DNF’d one and have one still to read (“The New Doctor at Peony Practice”; I need to read the first six in the series, I’ve got the NEXT one now too, but the publicist at the publisher is fine about the delay). I read and loved “The Scapegoat” for Ali’s Daphne du Maurier reading week.
I picked two books off the TBR out of my new quarter of TBR challenge books but haven’t finished them yet, so still have 36 left to go.
Shiny New Books
I reviewed Jude Rogers’ “The Sound of Being Human” for Shiny New Books – a wonderful memoir of her life in and with music and exploration of how music shapes our lives.
Incomings
I was actually quite restrained with print books in this last month.

I’m reading and reviewing Nicholas Orme’s “Going to Church in Medieval England” for the Wolfson History Prize book tour, something I’ve been taking part in for several years now. It looks fascinating and approachable and I’ll be reviewing it on 15 June. I saw mention of “Iceland: People, Sagas, Landscapes” by Hans Swik on Paul’s Half Man Half Book blog and had to track down a copy for myself (I had a lucky catch of a copy on Abe Books); a super book of photos and essays. “Haramacy” edited by Zahed Sultan is my latest Unbound subscription copy to arrive: it’s essays from the Middle East, South Asia and diaspora. And Hayley from Rather Too Fond of Books highlighted Patrick Hutchinson’s “Everyone Versus Racism: A Letter to Change the World” by the guy who carried a White counter-protestor to safety out of a Black Lives Matter protest last year and I had to pick up a copy.
I bought NO e-books for Kindle this month.
I won a few NetGalley books this month again:

I haven’t actually read Ibram X. Kendi’s well-respected earlier books but was intrigued by his “How to Raise an Antiracist” (published July), which concentrates on bringing up children to be actively antiracist. I was offered Emily Kerr’s “Take a Chance on Greece” (July) by the publisher and it looks like a fun holiday read with a setting somewhere I’ve only been once myself. “Refugee Wales: Syrian Voices” edited by Angham Abdullah, Beth Thomas and Chris Weedon (November) continues my strand of reading about Wales and its diverse populations. I was offered “100 Queer Poems” (June), selected by poets Mary Jean Chan and Andrew McMillan by the publisher on the strength of my review of “Bless the Daughter Raised by a Voice in Her Head”; it collects past and contemporary poets together. And the Reverend Richard Coles’ “Murder Before Evensong” (June) was a must-request when I was reminded by Hayley that I wanted to read it: I assume we’re in Richard Osman territory but it should be fun, too.
“The Wilderness Cure” by Mo Wilde (August) looks like it came from an email where the first 100 to request get the book: it’s the author’s description of living off free and foraged food for a year. Emiko Jean’s “Mika in Real Life” (September) is a novel about a woman trying to create a relationship with the teenage daughter she gave up for adoption when she was a teenager herself. Tasneem Abdur-Rasheed’s “Finding Mr Perfectly Fine” (July) is a novel about a Muslim girl in London trying to find Mr Right before her mum finds him for her. And Christie Barlow’s “New Beginnings at the Old Bakehouse” (July) is the one I mentioned in the Love Heart Lane series that is waiting on me reading the first six, with the PR’s blessing.
So that was 15 read and 13 coming in in May – not too bad!
Currently reading

I’m currently reading “The Virago Book of Women Travellers” edited by Mary Morris, which Ali kindly passed to me as it’s a massive, heavy hardback; it fitted in with the LibraryThing Virago Group’s life stories theme for May and it’s full of wonderful tales (I have skipped those that are in the Travellers books I bought recently so I get the full effect when I read them). I’m loving Sheila Gear’s “Foula” about life on a remote Shetland island, and I’m also loving Helen Ashton’s “Yeoman’s Hospital” which is a novel set over 24 hours in a wartime regional hospital and fascinating. I’m still reading “Cut From the Same Cloth?” with Emma, too: these essays from British women who wear the hijab are so interesting.
Coming up next, the start of my print TBR …

Obviously I’m prioritising “Going to Church in Medieval England” and then I have my Larry McMurtry, “The Late Child”, sequel to “The Desert Rose” which I loved in May. Then it’s also the start of my 20 Books of Summer project (see my introductory post here), so Ruth Pavey’s “A Wood of One’s Own”, Helen Ashton’s next Wilchester novel (they’re hard to find so it’s not the next one after “Yeoman’s Hospital”), “The Half-Crown House”, Stella Gibbons’ “The Bachelor” and Jeffrey Boakye’s “Black, Listed”. Hopefully I’ll get through more than those and the three books I’m currently reading.
My NetGalley TBR for June is nice and small which should help with the above.

From the incomings above I have “100 Queer Poems” and “Murder Before Evensong”, then “These Impossible Things” by Salma El-Wardany (three British Muslim women against the world, then something happens to divide them), “Dele Weds Destiny” by Tomi Obaro (three Nigerian women against the world, then one of them marries a White man and moves to the US, we see their friendship over 30 years), and Mya-Rose Craig’s “Birdgirl” (story of a young environmental activist).
With the ones I’m currently reading (not including my readalong which will take a while), that’s 3 books to finish and 11 books I plan to read this month, plus more off the 20 Books of Summer and a couple of Love Heart Lane e-books if I can. Seems doable, right?
How was your May reading? What are you reading this month? Have you read or picked up any of my selection?
Jun 01, 2022 @ 10:44:52
Lots of interesting reads there; I’ll be looking out for your review of Dale Weds Destiny which I was eyeing on NetGalley but didn’t pick up. Ruth Pavey and Orme also look very interesting. Happy reading month!
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Jun 01, 2022 @ 16:42:34
Oh, cool, I will read it for you and hopefully give a good recommendation. I have got a good set to read this month, haven’t I!
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Jun 01, 2022 @ 15:16:00
Mika in Real Life sounds interesting. I don’t see much fiction about adoption.
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Jun 01, 2022 @ 16:43:31
Yes, I think you’re right, I’m trying to think of any on that theme (plenty where there’s an adopted child in the family, I think). I’m looking forward to that one when its time comes.
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Jun 02, 2022 @ 13:32:41
I only see books about parents adopting and people who were adopted. I suppose there was a theme of adoption in Lucky Boy, but adoption was not looked at favorably in that book because the want-to-be parents were essentially stealing a child from his mother because she was poor and an immigrant and the had money and wanted a baby.
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Jun 01, 2022 @ 18:01:39
Well I think 15 is incredible, I am so sad that I read so little now. I am glad you’re enjoying the Virago travellers, and the Helen Ashton, I loved Yeoman’s Hospital. I loom forward to hearing about the Richard Coles book too.
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Jun 02, 2022 @ 14:44:16
I know, and 15 is good esp as I didn’t have so many coming in – it’s the balance that matters, I think! I am loving Yeoman’s Hospital, very deeply involved in it now. My blog friend Hayley said the RRC novel surprised her so now I’m very intrigued!
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Jun 01, 2022 @ 19:17:18
Gosh, lots of lovely stuff! So glad you’re enjoying Foula, too!!
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Jun 02, 2022 @ 14:44:56
It’s great, isn’t it! So glad I became aware of the imprint through you – and, indeed, Mike Walmer became aware of me through you!
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Jun 01, 2022 @ 19:57:47
Thanks for linking back to my blog – I hope you enjoy Patrick Hutchinson’s book as much as I did. It was such an interesting read. It looks like you’re doing well with your TBR. I’m currently reading through my physical TBR and I think I have around 70 unread books left. My Kindle books are out of control but at least there’s no danger of them taking over my house!
I started reading Richard Cole’s book and it’s different to what I was expecting but I’m really enjoying it now I’ve got into it. I hope you enjoy it too.
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Jun 02, 2022 @ 14:45:58
I want to pull it off the shelf soon – I’ll see how I do this month as not too many to read (I say). You are doing well with your print TBR and a sensible move. I hope the RRC book wasn’t different from expectations as in it’s incredibly dark and gory!
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Jun 02, 2022 @ 09:32:17
I’m not sure I listened to 15 books in May, I think I only read one actual physical book. And how you write 15 reviews I can’t imagine. You did have one win with me though – today (on Audible) I bought Akwaeke Emezi, You made a Fool of Death with your Beauty.
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Jun 02, 2022 @ 14:47:01
I’m pretty sure I read faster than I could listen … some of the reviews are a bit scrambly but I get there (well, there are two missing this month that I need to write Shiny reviews for and I had two hang over from April so only wrote 13 or so …). That’s cool, who’s narrating it, is it the author or someone else?
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Jun 04, 2022 @ 16:17:32
Liz, 15 books, wow!!! Very impressive. I was so happy about the two books I read in May lol
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Jun 05, 2022 @ 17:14:48
I do read a lot and quite fast and have quite a quiet life, I hope you enjoyed yours!
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Jun 06, 2022 @ 11:32:54
Great reading month I would say. And a lot of divers titles as well.
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Jun 06, 2022 @ 11:39:46
Thank you, yes, I was pleased with how it went, and love that I can keep things varied still!
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Jun 06, 2022 @ 17:03:29
Whoa, so much there looks attractive and tempting, look away, look away! I have enough on my own TBR already, but of course one can never resist adding more.
At the moment I’m finishing up Women Talking by Miriam Toews and confess to being underwhelmed. I need something really good to read next, but there are so many choices I feel a bit paralyzed. However, I will make some choice and the adventure will continue.
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Jun 06, 2022 @ 18:09:33
Oops-a-daisy, sorry! I wasn’t that sure about that Toews, I have to say, I’ve not picked up any of her last three, though I liked her early ones. Hope you make a fun and interesting choice.
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Jun 14, 2022 @ 02:15:33
Fifteen books in May is amazing! I’m glad you’re honoring how that’s still a wonderful number even if you also feel some disappointment. I am proud of myself for continuing to make time to read at all given the business of moving and the year. This year I haven’t read too many five star books though that makes me cherish the ones I have read. I did not love How to be an Antiracist and my Goodreads review has attracted quite the polarizing response so I’d be curious if you read the book what you make of it. Yay for books!
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Jun 20, 2022 @ 10:09:36
Oh you’re doing REALLY well, I can’t really remember reading at all during my postgrad and that was just a Master’s! I haven’t actually read How to be an Antiracist itself, but it was a classic case of seeing it on NetGalley and going for it. I’ll try to find your Goodreads review.
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