Hey friends. I’m getting ready to go back to work and the anxiety is killing me. I can’t be the only one who hates returning to work after taking a month off and I’m still here trying to understand why I have to work in the first place? Can’t I just make money reading and talking about books? Anyway, I had more time to read in May which is annoying because I planned to read my academic notes but you know what? I digress. Today, I’ll be sharing the 8 books I read in May with mini-reviews of them.

In no particular order…

Easy Motion Tourist by Leye Adenle

So I first read this in 2019 and held off reading the sequel until this year. I realized I might have forgotten some parts and details and I didn’t want it to affect my experience with the sequel so I decided to reread it. I enjoyed it even more than I did the first time. A fast paced book set in contemporary Lagos with a badass female protagonist? Five stars and some more!!!

Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell

I bought this book without any expectation and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I typically prefer contemporary novels but this was set in the 1500s in England and it’s a story based on Shakespeare’s son and wife. Maggie explored grief in such a deeply moving and nuanced way. It was also quite refreshing to see that the book didn’t focus on Shakespeare. In fact, the author made sure not to name his character in the book. You can read a longer review of the book on my Instagram page.

Aftershocks by Nadia Owusu

I initially thought this was fiction because I avoided reviews like a plague! I obviously figured out it was nonfiction once I opened it. Lol. Nadia tells the story of her life in Aftershocks and what it felt like being the daughter of an expatriate dad. Her childhood consisted of her basically living in so many countries and sadly left her with a sense of having nowhere to call home. I loved how honest she was in acknowledging her privileges and also how vulnerable she was in sharing her mental health struggles. I wrote a review on the blog.

Xeni by Rebekah Weatherspoon

This was the brain cleanser I didn’t know I needed. Lol Listening to this was the result of me randomly scrolling through my downloads on Scribd. I’m so happy I read this because it was so good. If you need a steamy romance novel with the fake marriage trope, then this is for you. This is available on Scribd.

The glass castle by Jeanette Walls

This was my second memoir of the month and I liked it. I hate to say this tho, it felt a little repetitive somewhere in the middle and rushed at the end but I still somehow got emotional a few times. I gave this 3.5 stars. I recommend it if you like memoirs.

The perfect life by Nuala Ellwood

The perfect life follows the life of Vanessa Adams who lost her mother when she was a young girl and had found ways to cope with the loss. She immersed herself in books and was particularly obsessed with a particular author. As an adult she goes for random house viewings using fake names until one day, someone ended up dead. This was written as a mystery but boy was I triggered by Vanessa’s relationship. I thoroughly enjoyed the pacing and the author’s ability to tie the past with the present smoothly. It is set to be released on the 5th of August, 2021.

Make up Break up by Lily Menon

Most of the books I read in May were heavy so this was a nice way to balance things out. I liked this even though one of the main characters was very annoying. This was supposed to be the ideal “enemies to lovers” trope and the premise was fantastic but it wasn’t so believable. I loved the banter, the jokes, the cute moments. Overall, it was a decent read.

You and me on vacation by Emily Henry

I didn’t read Emily’s first novel even though it dominated my bookstagram feed for months. I am so pleased to say I’m definitely going to be reading it. This was a wonderful book and it gave me all the feels especially with the “best-friends to lovers” trope. It was written so amazingly with the author making vulnerability seem so cool. I was shocked by how much I liked it because it started out a bit slow but when the pace picked up, I didn’t want it to end.

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I’m almost done with what was supposed to be the 9th book but I hate uneven numbers. So, I’m going to make sure I don’t finish it till tomorrow. Haha

If you’re reading this, I hope you’re having a good day. Before you go, can you tell me how many books you read in May?

– Tosin