Your Next Favorite Book: May Reads

May was a fantastic reading month.  I got through four different books which puts me at 19 books read for 2016 thus far.  And I really enjoyed three of the four books I read.  And once again, I read four different books from 3 different genres so it made for a very interesting reading month. 

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Goodreads Synopsis:  When Eadlyn became the first princess of Illéa to hold her own Selection, she didn’t think she would fall in love with any of her thirty-five suitors. She spent the first few weeks of the competition counting down the days until she could send them all home. But as events at the palace force Eadlyn even further into the spotlight, she realizes that she might not be content remaining alone.

Eadlyn still isn’t sure she’ll find the fairytale ending her parents did twenty years ago. But sometimes the heart has a way of surprising you…and soon Eadlyn must make a choice that feels more impossible—and more important—than she ever imagined. 

My thoughts: Ok I feel like I have preface this by saying, I LOVED The Selection Series.  Absolutely loved it.  And sadly I hated The Heir and The Crown.  The Heir was bearable, but it was I didn’t even write a review on it.  (If I did I have no idea when because I can’t find it.)  But The Crown was awful.  I didn’t give two shits about Eadlyn.  I was bored with all of her romances.  It was totally predictable who she ended up with and even that relationship was stupid to me.  The only parts I enjoyed were the ones that mentioned America and Maxon.  In fact I think that rather than write two books about their daughter, there should have been books written about America and Maxon after the Selection.  Those would have been way more entertaining and likable.  In fact I just went back and changed my rating….originally I gave it three stars but it as I’m writing this I realized it barely deserves one.  

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Goodreads Synopsis:  A smart, obsessive debut novel about a young woman studying abroad who becomes caught up in a seductive French world—and a complex web of love and lust.

When thirty-year-old Brooke Thompson unexpectedly runs into a man from her past, she’s plunged headlong into memories she’s long tried to forget about the year she spent in France following a disastrous affair with a professor.

As a newly arrived exchange student in the picturesque city of Nantes, young Brooke develops a deep and complicated friendship with Sophie, a fellow American and stunning blonde, whose golden girl façade hides a precarious emotional fragility. Sophie and Brooke soon become inseparable and find themselves intoxicated by their new surroundings—and each other.

But their lives are forever changed when they meet a sly, stylish French student, Veronique, and her impossibly sexy older cousin, Alex. The cousins draw Sophie and Brooke into an irresistible world of art, money, decadence, and ultimately, a disastrous love triangle that consumes them both. And of the two of them, only one will make it home.

My thoughts: I picked this book up at Target a few weeks ago while I was with Ashley from The Wandering Weekenders.  She mentioned that it was also on her to-read list so I decided to give it a try.  I was really intrigued by the synopsis.  I think I’ve mentioned this but one of my biggest regrets from college is never having studied abroad.  So when I saw this was about two friends doing just that, I knew it was something I wanted to read.  

I liked the book overall.  It was fairly predictable but I was in the mood for a book like that.  I liked reading all about France and it was fun recognizing different places in Paris the characters went in the book.  There were times when I felt like I needed a French dictionary because some of the lines were said in French and then never translated into English but it was bearable.  But overall I really enjoyed reading it.  It didn’t blow me away but I would definitely pick up another book written by this author! And it’s worth a read if you’re looking for something a little dark and a lot French.

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Goodreads Synopsis:  Six-year-old Gretl Schmidt is on a train bound for Auschwitz. Jakób Kowalski is planting a bomb on the tracks.

As World War II draws to a close, Jakób fights with the Polish resistance against the crushing forces of Germany and Russia. They intend to destroy a German troop transport, but Gretl’s unscheduled train reaches the bomb first.

Gretl is the only survivor. Though spared from the concentration camp, the orphaned German Jew finds herself lost in a country hostile to her people. When Jakób discovers her, guilt and fatherly compassion prompt him to take her in. For three years, the young man and little girl form a bond over the secrets they must hide from his Catholic family.

But she can’t stay with him forever. Jakób sends Gretl to South Africa, where German war orphans are promised bright futures with adoptive Protestant families—so long as Gretl’s Jewish roots, Catholic education, and connections to communist Poland are never discovered.

Separated by continents, politics, religion, language, and years, Jakób and Gretl will likely never see each other again. But the events they have both survived and their belief that the human spirit can triumph over the ravages of war have formed a bond of love that no circumstances can overcome.

My thoughts:  This was another book I picked up from Target.  And another that I really enjoyed.  Then again that’s no surprise because 1. it’s a historical fiction novel and 2. It’s based during WWII.  And if you know me you know that is the perfect recipe for a book I will like.  What I especially liked about this book was that it was about a part of WWII that I didn’t know anything about.  I had no idea that orphaned German children were taken to South Africa and adopted by South African parents.  And it gave me a little more background into the war in Poland.   I really enjoyed following Gretl’s story, she was forced to adapted to some very intense situations which she did with bravery and confidence that I know she must not have felt.  

I think this is one of my favorite historical fiction books of 2016.  

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Goodreads Synopsis:  Lou Clark knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick.

What Lou doesn’t know is she’s about to lose her job or that knowing what’s coming is what keeps her sane.

Will Traynor knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he’s going to put a stop to that.

What Will doesn’t know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of colour. And neither of them knows they’re going to change the other for all time.

My thoughts: THIS BOOK.  Y’all I can’t even put into coherent words my thoughts and feelings for this book.  I loved it.  Everything about it.  It made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me think, and it made me feel all the feels.  I haven’t read a book that did all of those things in forever.  I really want to read some of Jojo Moyes’ other books because I really enjoyed her writing style and I’m sure I would enjoy them.

This was my choice for the book club I’m part of at school and we haven’t met yet to talk about it.  We’ve planned to meet to talk about it on June 23, we’re going to dinner first to talk about the book and then we’re going to see the movie.  Which I have also heard amazing things about.  BAH I’m so excited.  

Whatever book you’re reading now you need to hurry and finish it and read this one.  You won’t regret it! 🙂

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Alrighty, so June is looking to be a pretty good reading month as well.  I’m gonna have tons of reading time next week, since I’ll be heading home to see my parents.  We’re going to be going up to our family cabin which is the perfect environment for reading.  I’m pretty excited about it! 🙂

As always, hopefully you find at least one book you want to add to your to-read list. 🙂

Happy Thursday friends and happy reading! 🙂