Wednesday, June 1, 2016

Monthly Wrap-up: May 2016


Well I am not sad to see the month of May go, as it was one of the most challenging months for me so far this year. I am happy to report that things are starting to get a little big easier. I am keeping busy just trying to make the days go by faster. You can mostly find me with my nose in a book, which is a wonderful escape from reality.

The weather is now hot, hot hot which I am dealing with by keeping my apartment as cold as an igloo (lol). As I mentioned in a my previous Sunday Wrap-up, everything looks so beautiful outside now that all the flowers are in bloom and the fields are brilliant shades of green.


Above is a picture of my Mom's beautiful purple irises, that are growing in her garden.


And here is a picture of one of her lilac bushes. I just love the smell of lilac's. Its too bad they only bloom for a short time.

My Reading Progress

I had a great reading month in May. I have read a total of 30 books since January, which I know may not be all that much compared to some readers, but for me this is an amazing number. As I write this post I find myself curious as to how many books I've read each month, so I decided to go back and include those stats in this wrap-up. 

Books Read By Month
January: 8
February: 5
March: 6
April: 4
May: 8

At 8 books read in May, I doubled my total from April. I am pleased with this number and think that it is going to be my aim for each month. Although I do realize that some months this might not be possible, but clearly it is an attainable goal for me. I read some great books in May and my total was achieved in due part to the Bout of Books Read-a-thon

This past month I decided to do an expariment to see how it would affect the total number of books I read. Normally I would read multiple books at once, but for the month of May I decided to read only one at a time. The only time this month that I had two books going as once was when I listened to Percy Jackson in audio with my partner. I think that this really helped me to achieve the number of books I completed.
  1. Becoming Phoebe by J. Michael Neal
    Rating: 3.5/5
    My Review
  2. Unbearably Deadly (Roger and Suzanne South American Mystery, Book 9) by Jerold Last
    Rating: 2/5
    My Review
  3. The Quieting (The Bishops Family, #2) by Suzanne Woods Fisher
    Rating: 4/5
    My Review
  4. The Girls They Left Behind by Bernice Thurman Hunter
    Rating: 4/5
    Review Date: June 3, 2016
  5. Banished From Our Home: The Acadian Diary of Angelique Richard (Dear Canada) by Sharon Stewart
    Rating: 4/5
    Review Date: June 8, 2016
  6. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
    Rating: 4/5
    Review Date: June 10, 2016
  7. The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1) by Rick Riordan
    Rating: 4/5
    Review Date: TBD
  8. Little House on the Prairie (Little House, #2) by Laura Ingalls Wilder
    Rating: 3/5
    Review Date: TBD
DNF: A Place Called Bliss (Saskatchewan Saga, #1) by Ruth Glover
Reason for DNF: I couldn't get into this story even though the premise sounded like a book I would like. I didn't care for the characters or the way they were described. After reading some less than favorable Goodreads reviews for it I decided to move on.

May Notes

  •  Becoming Phoebe is one of the most diverse books I have ever read. 
  • I learned a lot about Alaska and how their national parks are run.
  • Suzanne Woods Fisher is definietly one of my favourite authors. 
  • The teenage girls of today really aren't that different than their 1940's counterparts. 
  • I learned more about the expulsion of the Acadian people from a middle-grade book than I was taught in history class. 
  • Not all classic books are as daunting as I fear.
  • I tried out a series that I didn't think I would enjoy and ended up loving it!
  • Re-reading a book from my childhood didn't necessarily have the same emotional affect it did than I was younger. 

The Stats

 Favourite Book of the Month: 




Favourite Cover of the Month:

 Favourite Setting: Stoney Ridge (The Quieting)
Favourite Character: Grover (The Lightning Thief)
Total Books Read: 8
Total Number of Fiction: 8
Total Number of Non-fiction: 0
Total Books Sent for Review: 3 
Total Books Read From My Shelves: 2
Total Books Sent for Review: 3
Total Library Books Read: 3

Formats Read

Physical Books: 4
eBooks: 3
Audio Books: 1






 Like last month I am going to try to concentrate on reading one book at a time (with the exception of the audio books I listen to with my partner). This may be more difficult this month because I am signed up to participate in COYER and my goals are kind of lofty. 

I hope that you all had a wonderful May. What did you learn from the books you read over the past few weeks? Did you post a Monthly Wrap-up? If so please leave your links in the comments so I can return the visit. 

Hosted by: Book Date








 

6 comments:

  1. Great month! I also enjoyed the books I read in May...and I'm looking forward to June reads. Enjoy!

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    1. Thank you Laurel-Rain. Glad to hear you had a good reading month as well.

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  2. Love the plants, I love lilac bushes too and while I think mine might be slightly darker than your mother's it only flowers for a short time too. It is now in its winter stage here. Nice that you surprised yourself with the number of books read for May. All the best for June.

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    Replies
    1. We had a darker lilac bush at my childhood home. I think it may have been even more fragrant than the lighter ones. Thank you Kathryn. You too!

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  3. I wish lilac bushes would bloom longer too. Hope June is a great reading month for you.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Nise'. Hope it is a great month for you too.

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