Monthly Rundown: May 2015

I read FOURTEEN BOOKS last month! I’m excited since I read only nine in April so, yay for improvement. (Okay, one of them was a short story but whatever). Posting was a little slow (only 7 reviews for the month) because I was working a lot of really long days but I’m still pleased with the progress I made on my Review books stack. And I have like 5 posts scheduled for June so I’m doing better already.

• [4 May] Undertow by Michael Buckley ★★★★
• [8 May] The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh ★★★★½
• [21 May] The Awesome by Eva Darrows ★★★★½
• [22 May] The Lottery by Shirley Jackson ★★★★
• [28 May] Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen ★★½
• [29 May] Lady Thief by A.C. Gaughen ★★½
• [30 May] Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor ★★★★

Best of the Month: The Awesome by Eva Darrows
I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again… this was seriously awesome. This story was not only hilarious but had a positive and healthy approach to sex and a fantastic mother-daughter relationship that rivaled the Gilmore’s. I loved this one. Definitely a new favorite.

Least Favorite: Scarlet (Scarlet #1) by A.C. Gaughen
Oh golly. I had been saving this series for years. I kept waiting for the hype to die down, wanting to love this, but even after waiting this one did not impress me in the least.

Biggest Surprise: (A TIE) The Wrath and the Dawn (The Wrath and the Dawn #1) by Renee Ahdieh and Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Daughter of Smoke & Bone #1) by Laini Taylor
An Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir was a massive disappointment last month and there seemed to be an equal amount of hype surrounding both it and The Wrath that I feared it would amount to the same. Imagine my surprise. I adored this one. Absolutely cannot wait for the sequel. And I had to put DoS&B in here because this was actually a re-read for me… I didn’t much care for the first one. I really enjoyed my re-read and actually plan on continuing reading the series now!

Biggest Disappointment: Book Review – Lady Thief (Scarlet #2) by A.C. Gaughen
I put this second installment on the biggest disappointment list because I had hopes that the first book was a fluke and that this one would turn it all around for me. Is it bad that I still have those hopes for the third and final book? Probably.

Reading Plans for June

I made a lot of progress on Bookish Bingo! According to my recently updated card I have 12 squares remaining. In all actuality I only have 9 remaining (finished 3 but reviews are pending) and I’m already in the middle of reading 2! I’m completely determined to finish this month since I’ve been slacking on the last few cards. I think it’s going to happen this time though. 🙂

The following nine books are the ones I have picked to fill my remaining squares. This is all of course subject to change because I can’t ever stick to a Bingo plan.

2 Currently Reading

Dreams of Gods & Monsters (Daughter of Smoke & Bone #3) by Laini Taylor (Yellow Cover)
You’re Making Me Hate You by Corey Taylor (Nonfiction or Memoir)

7 Left to Read

Cuckoo Song by Frances Hardinge (Historical)
Every Breath (Every #1) by Ellie Marney (Aussie Author)
Violent Ends by Shaun Hutchinson (Anthology or Collection)
Marrow by Tarryn Fisher (Dark Contemporary)
Lion Heart (Scarlet #3) by A.C. Gaughen (Part of a Trilogy)
Stormdancer (The Lotus War #1) by Jay Kristoff (Rain or Storm in title)
The Devil You Know by Trish Doller (Green Cover)