May 2025 Reading Wrap-Up
Wow, somehow I managed to complete 15 books in May despite having a lot going on in my personal life. Sometimes reading can be a much-needed escape, I guess. And boy did I do a lot of escaping this month! I feel as though I covered a lot of different genres, too, from nonfiction to historical fiction, from sci-fi to thriller, from literary to YA. So let’s take a look at all the books I finished in May, ranked from worst to best.
Disclaimer: When I say I’ve ranked these books from worst to best, I’m not talking about their literary merit or their overall popularity. I’m only talking about my personal taste and how each book made me feel. Just wanted to make that clear!
(Each title is a link to the book’s Goodreads page, in case you want to find out more.)
2-Star Reads
Berlin Alexanderplatz by Alfred Doblin
Guys, I FINALLY FINISHED IT. I started reading this in January. It’s not that it was difficult to read, although it’s written in a stream-of-consciousness style that can be hard to follow at times. I just… didn’t care. I hated every single character. Everything that happened was either boring or aggravating. I almost gave it 1 star, but the ending actually surprised me and earned it a grudging 2nd. If you’re wondering why I didn’t DNF it, it’s because it sat on my shelf for over a decade, and I was determined not to let it defeat me after all that time. I have conquered! For whatever that’s worth.
The Meanest Doll in the World (The Doll People #2) by Ann M. Martin and Laura Godwin
The 2nd book in The Doll People series. Where did all the magic from the first book go? Book 1 was on my Fave Books of 2024 list, but this one was choppy and wasn’t really trying to make sense. Quite a let-down of an ending, too. I’m disappointed.
The Paris Express by Emma Donoghue
So far my biggest disappointment of the year. Read my full review here.
3-Star Reads
You rarely get to read a book written in second-person, do you? And when you do… nah, I can’t keep this up. I love getting to read something that’s unique in some way, but the second-person in this one grated on my nerves after a while. Maybe I can partially blame it on the audiobook, since that’s already my least favourite way to consume a book… but mostly it gave the narrative a bluntness and sparseness that I didn’t like. Still, I appreciate the experimentation.
The story itself was pretty good, but for the above reasons I had a hard time getting into it. I’ll definitely try another Tchaikovsky, though. I have a feeling this wasn’t a great one to start with.
So I guess the only way I can be convinced to read a romance is if it involves some kind of metamorphosis? I hear “Wife stands by husband as he turns into a great white shark,” and I’m like, “Say less, gimme.” 🤣 This read to me as a metaphor for having or caring for someone who has a debilitating illness, and I loved that aspect of it. Brilliantly done. But I felt like Part One was enough. With each switch in perspective and extending of the story, I felt more and more distanced from the emotional reaction Habeck was so earnestly trying to extract from me. By the end, I felt cold. I need more substance mixed in with the emotional manipulation to fall in love with a book like this.
They Bloom at Night by Trang Thanh Tran
Weirdly enough, this is another book about a metamorphosis, and I read it at the same time as Shark Heart. This one had more of a queer-YA-coming-of-age-romance component that I’m admittedly not the target audience for, but I liked it marginally better than Shark Heart because I love the idea of an algae-bloom apocalypse. I felt like something was off with the pacing, though, and I found it hard to follow the plot at times. It was like I was supposed to know things that the author knew without them being fully explained. I don’t know, I’m torn on this one.
Lytton: Climate Change, Colonialism and Life Before the Fire by Peter Edwards and Kevin Loring
I got this from my library on a whim, because the 2021 Lytton fire really broke my heart when it happened. This is mostly the story of what happened in the 2-ish centuries leading up to that day. I didn’t realize Lytton was such a richly historical place, so I found a lot of this book fascinating. My attention drifted at some parts, though. Maybe I just wasn’t in the mood.
I understand that they’re trying to rebuild Lytton in the most fire-resistant ways possible, but considering the hot, dry climate in the area and the fact that it’s burned down more than once now, I have to admit, I wouldn’t want to live there anymore. History is history, and that’ll always be there. But you have to think about the lives you’re risking by staying. Climate change is only going to get worse, fire or no fire. I don’t know, I wasn’t exactly cheering at the end when people were talking about rebuilding, but that’s just me.
Certainly an interesting book, though, and a good closeup look at Canada’s history.
My Next Breath: A Memoir by Jeremy Renner
This is a heartfelt memoir about an extremely traumatic event, and for the most part it’s an inspiring read. I just wonder if Jeremy Renner should have waited another year or two to write it from more of a hindsight perspective. Perhaps then his message wouldn’t have felt so urgent or his emotions so raw that they’d take over the whole memoir. Read my full review here.
4-Star Reads
Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane
If you enjoy poetic writing and philosophizing about rivers and the natural world, you’ll probably love this. If you already believe that rivers are alive, as I do, you might end up a little traumatized to find out just how badly we humans treat them. However, if you’re expecting a scientific treatise proving once and for all that rivers are living, breathing entities, that isn’t what this is. Someone who comes to this book saying, “No. Change my mind,” could probably walk away feeling no different. But I’m not sure that this book is intended for people like that anyway. This is perhaps best viewed as a sermon directed at a choir that has become complacent and needs a good stirring-up. Rivers are alive, but they’re under attack. They need our help before it’s too late.
The Magician’s Daughter: A Memoir by Katy Grabel
This charming memoir of Katy Grabel’s coming-of-age behind the scenes of her father’s traveling magic show in the 1970s is a joy to read. Those who would love to know the inside details of how magicians pull off the seemingly impossible will learn a lot, and not in a way that will destroy the thrill of magic. Read my full review here.
Another banger from S.A. Barnes! Loved the vibes, the plot, the setting, the main character… I just had one slight quibble that ruled out a 5-star rating. As always, though, I’ll be champing at the bit to snatch up her next publication! Read my full review here.
20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill
I don’t know how Joe Hill’s stories can swing from gory horror to almost wholesome sweetness, but I greatly appreciate it. Some standouts in this collection for me were 20th Century Ghost, Pop Art, The Black Phone, The Cape, and Last Breath, but I mostly enjoyed the others, too. Great collection!
5-Star Reads
Our Last Wild Days by Anna Bailey
This isn’t the mindless thriller I was expecting when I first saw it. Firstly, it’s more of a slow-burn murder mystery, emphasis on slow. And secondly, this book has some things to SAY. I dug it. I dug it a lot. Read my full review here.
The Story of ABBA: Melancholy Undercover by Jan Gradvall
I really enjoyed this book a lot. Gradvall has somehow captured the comforting, feel-good magic of ABBA within these pages, and I’ve walked away an even bigger fan of them and their music. Read my full review here.
Talking to Canadians by Rick Mercer
5 stars aren’t enough for this memoir. I absolutely loved every second of it. For the uninitiated, Rick Mercer is a beloved TV personality here in Canada. To make an American comparison, he was Jon Stewarting before Jon Stewart was Jon Stewarting. In other words, he made the news funny, pointed out government hypocrisy and social insanity in a nonpartisan way, and generally made Canadians feel better about ourselves. This is his first in a series of memoirs, and it relates his story from childhood to the day the Rick Mercer Report went on the air (in 2004). Rather than focusing on life’s hardships (which, as a homosexual growing up in small-town Newfoundland, he must have experienced), Rick as always focuses on making us laugh, and boy did I ever.
This is quite simply the best memoir I’ve ever read, from one of the greatest Canadians who has ever lived. I laughed out loud and cried real tears and swelled with Canadian pride. 6 stars.
Just for kicks, have a Rick Mercer rant! “Escalators and Elevators” is a classic. 😁
And those were all the books I completed in May! As always, if you would like to purchase any of these books and support this blog while you’re doing it, you can follow this link to my affiliate shop on Bookshop.org. I receive a small commission from any purchases made through that link, at no additional expense to you. Thanks, and happy reading!
Leave a Reply