May Reading Wrap-Up

 

Crab Apple blossoms and May always go together in my mind.  We have had a variety of weather in May.  The first part of the month was pleasant and dry, maybe a little too dry.  Then we had heat, humidity and rain.  It looks like we are headed for heat again.

The big event for our family this month was our oldest son's wedding.  The wedding was held outside, so the weather was a concern.  The day dawned warm, humid and rainy.  The ceremony was to be held in the midst of a grove of pine trees.  However, in case of rain it would be moved under a pavilion.  By postponing the ceremony a little, we were able to hold the ceremony in the pine cathedral.  It was absolutely beautiful!  

It has been a joyous month, but my reading and blogging have suffered a little.  That is okay.  There will always be time for that!  So, on to the reading...

In May I read 8 books.  I read many good books, but my favorite was The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin.  Here's the break down:

Christian Fiction: 1

Mystery: 1

Cozy Mystery: 2

Romantic Suspense: 1

Non-fiction: 2

Historical Fiction: 1

Christian Fiction:

 

Father Elijah: An Apocalypse by Michael D. O'Brien - Father Elijah is sent to the Vatican in order to assist the Pope.  His mission  is to get to know the new President of Europe and convert him to the Catholic faith.

Mystery:

The Mugger by Ed McBain - The second book in the 87th Precinct series.  Burt Kling and the other detectives at the precinct deal with a rash of muggings.  Unfortunately they don't have much to go on other than the mugger wears sunglasses and before leaving the scene he bows and says, "Clifford thanks you". 

Cozy Mystery:

The Secrets of Bones (Jazz Ramsey #2) by Kylie Logan - When a decomposed body is found in a closet on the fourth floor of the St. Catherine's Girls' School, Jazz suspects it might be the body of a former employee of the school.  She has not been heard of for three years.  But, why would someone kill her?  And why would they put her body in this closet?  

Bookmarked for Murder (Mystery Bookshop #5) by V. M. Burns - Samantha Washington is on a bus trip with some of the residents of Shady Acres Retirement Village.  One of the residents is her grandmother.  When a man is found expired in his seat on the bus, the trip is delayed.  Sam's grandmother and her friends beg Sam to figure out what happened.  Is it murder?  Who was this man?  

Romantic Suspense: 

Collateral Damage (Danger Never Sleeps #1) by Lynette Eason - Since Asher James left the military he has been dealing with PTSD.  He finally agrees to see former Military Psychiatrist Brooke Adams.  However, when he arrives for his appointment he finds her office ransacked and her assistant murdered.  Asher and Brooke work together to figure out who is after Brooke and why.

Non-fiction:

The Dressmaker of Khair Khana by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon - This is the story of Kamila Sadiqi, a young woman living in Afghanistan.  The year is 1996 and the Taliban has taken over the country.  As some of her family flees the city of Khair Khana, Kamila uses her resources to find a way to support her siblings.  A riveting story told by a reporter who met Kamila while researching her graduate thesis. 

Goodbye, Things:  The New Japanese Minimalism by Fumio Sasaki - The author shares his personal experience with clutter and the effect it had on him.  He also shares his journey toward letting go of things.  Included are some tips on how to minimize and the benefits he has found living with less. 

Historical Fiction: 

The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin - Grace moves to London to live with a friend of her mother.  She gets a job working at a bookshop.  As war descends on London, Grace finds herself sharing her new-found love of books with others as a way coping with the terror that is surrounding them. 

Other things on the blog:

Spring in My Yard -  I shared some photos of spring in my yard, including one of a red fox that visited.

Last, but not least, our library has opened again for browsing!  I sure missed wandering the aisles, pulling books off the shelf.  

I hope your May was full of good books!

~ Gretchen

I am linking up with The Monthly Wrap-Up Round-Up hosted by Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction and Shannon @ It Starts at Midnight.