Can you believe it’s June already? I can’t— and you can blame the London weather for being rainy, cold and windy. I’m pretty sure none of those adjectives should exist when describing the summer months, but here we are. Thanks a lot, UK. As for my reading, I think I read a pretty good amount of books considering the fact that I had to balance leisure reading with case law reading.
Things that happened in May 2021:
Our rescue dog has been quarantining
Yes. Even dogs have to quarantine before they travel. Apparently, it’s mandatory for dogs to be quarantined for 21 days in Bosnia before they can travel to the UK. It’s almost as if time is going by even slower than normal whilst he was in quarantine. Luckily, the rescuers regularly sent us some photos and videos of him to keep us sane.
By the way, his name will be Stark (yes, after Tony Stark aka Ironman)
Exam term has started
The most dreaded part of the academic year– exams. My first exam this year was EU law (how fun! Not.) The good news is that I think I’ve discovered my “exam prep technique” that works for me, and so far it’s been helping me a lot with my revision. I would also like to add that the amount of reading I have had to do for my course literally gives me migraines at this point, and I sometimes find myself cursing at the fact that I choose to do law; but oh well.
Mum and her green thumb
As I mentioned in last month’s wrap-up life update, we had moved into a new house and have settled inside quite nicely. The outside, the garden, has been left practically untouched till this month when my mother all of a sudden discovered that wanted to try this gardening thing out. She’s bought flower pots, seeds, gardening tools– and even bags of soil! Who is she, and where did my mum go?
We’ve been gradually fixing up the garden and pulling out the weeds, and I must admit that it is quite enjoyable when you feel like it. However, my white (now brown) trainers disagree.
Secondhand book treasures
I visited a couple secondhand bookstores around my area, and have even discovered a new secondhand bookstore filled with books within walking distance from home– don’t be jealous. I plan on visiting so many more next month; hopefully.
The Reading Stats May 2021
Total stats:
Books Read: 6
No. Of Pages: 1,891
Average Star Rating: 3 stars
Genres:
Young Adult – 3
Thriller – 1
Classic – 1
Graphic Novel – 1
The Books that I Read in May 2021
Touch of Power
by Maria V. Snyder
Goodreads blurb:
Stressed and tired from hiding, Avry is abducted by a band of rogues who, shockingly, value her gift above the golden bounty offered for her capture. Their leader an enigmatic captor-protector with powers of his own is unequivocal in his demands: Avry must heal a plague-stricken prince, the leader of a campaign against her people.
As they traverse the daunting Nine Mountains, beset by mercenaries and magical dangers, Avry must decide who is worth healing and what is worth dying for.
Quote from Book Review: “The initial idea of the plot was so good, but in my opinion it could have been executed better. I will admit, I did genuinely enjoy some parts of the book…”
Link to full Book Review: Touch of Power by Maria V Snyder | Book Review
Star Rating:
Cinder
by Marissa Meyer
Goodreads blurb:
Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless Lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl. . . . Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg.
She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future.
Quote from Book Review: “I loved the way he flirted with Cinder and how persistent he was when asking her to be his date to the grand ball. I will admit that I was quite heartbroken when everything about Cinder comes out in front of everyone to see. This quote said by Kai will always break my heart; “You’re even more painful to look at than she is.”
Link to full Book Review: Cinder by Marissa Meyer | Book Review
Star Rating:
In the Heat of the Night
by John Dudley Ball
Goodreads blurb:
It’s the 1960s. A hot August night lies heavy over the Carolinas. The corpse — legs sprawled, stomach down on the concrete pavement, arms above the head — brings the patrol car to a halt. The local police pick up a black stranger named Virgil Tibbs, only to discover that their most likely suspect is a homicide detective from California — and the racially tense community’s single hope in solving a brutal murder that turns up no witnesses, no motives, no clues.
Quote from Book Review: “The murder mystery case was straightforward— a man is murdered and now we have to figure out who did it. However, I will say that the murder mystery is almost a subplot to the overarching theme of racism and what it means to be a black man in America at the time.”
Book Review Link: In the Heat of the Night by John Ball | Book Review
Star Rating:
Teen Titans: Raven
by Kami Garcia
Goodreads blurb:
When a tragic accident takes the life of seventeen-year-old Raven Roth’s foster mom—and Raven’s memory—she moves to New Orleans to live with her foster mother’s family and finish her senior year of high school.
Starting over isn’t easy. Raven remembers how to solve math equations and make pasta, but she can’t remember her favorite song or who she was before the accident. When strange things start happening—things most people would consider impossible—Raven starts to think it might be better not to know who she was in her previous life.
But as she grows closer to her foster sister, Max, her new friends, and Tommy Torres, a guy who accepts her for who she is now, Raven has to decide if she’s ready to face what’s buried in the past…and the darkness building inside her.
From the #1 New York Times best-selling co-author of Beautiful Creatures Kami Garcia and artist Gabriel Picolo comes this first graphic novel in the Teen Titans series for DC Ink, Teen Titans: Raven.
Quote from Book Review: “My favourite part was definitely the artwork. The illustrations in this graphic novel is absolutely amazing. I think I spent more time looking at the illustrations rather than the text on the pages. Gabriel Picolo, the illustrator, did a great job using different hues and shades of purple to illustrate the changes in the tone of the story”.
Full Book Review Link: Teen Titans: Raven | Graphic Novel Review
Star Rating:
The Couple Next Door
by Shari Lapena
Goodreads burb:
It all started at a dinner party. . .
A domestic suspense debut about a young couple and their apparently friendly neighbors–a twisty, rollercoaster ride of lies, betrayal, and the secrets between husbands and wives. . .
Anne and Marco Conti seem to have it all–a loving relationship, a wonderful home, and their beautiful baby, Cora. But one night when they are at a dinner party next door, a terrible crime is committed. Suspicion immediately focuses on the parents. But the truth is a much more complicated story.
Inside the curtained house, an unsettling account of what actually happened unfolds. Detective Rasbach knows that the panicked couple is hiding something. Both Anne and Marco soon discover that the other is keeping secrets, secrets they’ve kept for years.
What follows is the nerve-racking unraveling of a family–a chilling tale of deception, duplicity, and unfaithfulness that will keep you breathless until the final shocking twist.
Quote from Book Review: “I bet you’re intrigued now, and I was too. The initial premise of this book was great. I love domestic thrillers where the conflict is rooted among a small group of people with interconnecting and complicated relationships— especially between intimate relationships because think of all the juicy secrets and lies that are bound to be exposed.”
Full Book Review Link: The Couple Next Door | Book Review
Star Rating:
A Pho Love Story
by Loan Le
Goodreads blurb:
If Bao Nguyen had to describe himself, he’d say he was a rock. Steady and strong, but not particularly interesting. His grades are average, his social status unremarkable. He works at his parents’ pho restaurant, and even there, he is his parents’ fifth favorite employee. Not ideal.
If Linh Mai had to describe herself, she’d say she was a firecracker. Stable when unlit, but full of potential for joy and fire. She loves art and dreams pursuing a career in it. The only problem? Her parents rely on her in ways they’re not willing to admit, including working practically full-time at her family’s pho restaurant.
For years, the Mais and the Nguyens have been at odds, having owned competing, neighboring pho restaurants. Bao and Linh, who’ve avoided each other for most of their lives, both suspect that the feud stems from feelings much deeper than friendly competition.
But then a chance encounter brings Linh and Bao in the same vicinity despite their best efforts and sparks fly, leading them both to wonder what took so long for them to connect. But then, of course, they immediately remember.
Can Linh and Bao find love in the midst of feuding families and complicated histories?
When Dimple Met Rishi meets Ugly Delicious in this funny, smart romantic comedy, in which two Vietnamese-American teens fall in love and must navigate their newfound relationship amid their families’ age-old feud about their competing, neighboring restaurants.
Quote from Book Review: “I really enjoyed this book. It was a fun, light read that had me craving for my own rivals to lovers story AND a bowl of authentic Vietnamese Pho— let me tell you I was so close to order Pho to really immerse myself into the story. The food descriptions just made me want to go to the nearest Vietnamese restaurant and order all their speciality dishes.”
Full Book Review Link: A Pho Love Story | Book Review
Star Rating:
How was your May reading month? Did you read more or less than you thought you would? And of course, if you have any book recommendations, feel free to leave them in the comments below!
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