May is month of unpredictability: we had a late frost, we hit 90 degrees. I’d say “it’s all about balance,” but it honestly felt more like a rollercoaster {or maybe a runaway stagecoach} … However. Between the cold and the heat, and the much-needed rain, the natural world is fully awake and ready to shine. The garden is growing by the day, the flowers are transitioning from Winter/Spring blooms to Summer’s riot of intense color. The reading is shifting. Let’s look at May …

🎧 The Bodyguard | Katherine Center | ⭐⭐⭐⭐
📱 The Art of Vanishing | Morgan Pager | ⭐⭐⭐
📖 Crown of Midnight | Sarah J Maas | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
📖 My Fair Frauds | Lee Kelly & Jennifer Thorne | ⭐⭐⭐⭐1/2
🎧 Welcome to Beach Town | Susan Wiggs | ⭐⭐⭐
📖 This Weekend Doesn’t End Well for Anyone | Catherine Mack | ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Not the best reading month, but not the worst. It is surprisingly hard to pace myself through the Throne of Glass reread, since I’m trying to read with my friends, but this series is such an addictive read. It’s also extremely interesting to reread after reading everything else SJM has written, and seeing all these blatant “Easter eggs” right there in the open. I am beyond impressed with her long-range planning all over again.

I also got an early start on summer reading, even though Welcome to Beach Town was not as summer-beachy as originally thought. {Spoiler: there are some heavy topics involved!} It did get me thinking “Summer” though {as did the temperatures officially hitting 90*, oof!}, and I’ve been working on a Summer Reading list to share this year.

Have to take a moment to call out My Fair Frauds for being the wildest Gilded Age con story ever, but also such a good time. I loved the twist/reveal at the end! Also not sure why I waited so long to give Katherine Center a read, but The Bodyguard was such a good listen – I guess this means I’ve got a lot of backlist discovery ahead of me!

The library sign continues to track my year’s reading, and I love switching out the tiles. I also now have a decent-sized pile of crochet blocks, so I can share a teaser of this year’s book blanket soon!

Listening:
Audiobooks and more audiobooks. I’ve managed to find myself picking up slightly longer ones, so the time spent listening is still “high” but the number of books is lower. I’ve already got my next several lined up as well, thanks to suspended holds in Libby.

Watching:
Honestly? Not a whole lot. We’ve watched a little YouTube together while eating, mostly cooking videos from a handful of favorites, but most nights I’ve been reading instead of watching.

On the Blog:
It was another slow-ish month, but there has been a lot of behind the scenes planning for content and posts. I’m excited to indulge in another Summer of Jane, and with garden tours back on the schedule, there’s more of that to look forward to! We had our little adventure, and ate our way through the mountains. And the most adorable update of the month was the addition of 6 new chicks! As if I hadn’t shared enough photographs during the month, we also got a Glimpses post, because we all need to be reminded to find the JOY and BEAUTY in small things.

I’m hoping to settle back into a “normal” routine as Summer creeps onto the scene. My reading should increase, as more things need watering = more time with audiobooks. Unless the daily rain pattern continues, that definitely streamlines the garden/flower tending process.

Are you ready for Summer?
What was your best read/watch/listen of May?
What are you looking forward to in June? I am waiting impatiently for the newest installment of the Mr Darcy and Miss Tilney Mystery series!

Here’s to a month of moments to treasure, bites to savor, and stories that enchant!