In May I read eight books which is the most I’ve read in one month all year. Of these books four were graphic novels and one was an audio book. TV wise I’ve mostly been watching different documentaries and some reality shows. I have also started playing Persona 5: The Royal.
Books:
The first book I read this month was Letters to the Pumpkin King by Seanan McGuire. This book is separated into three sections. Section one is comprised of essays and posts from Seanan’s blog. These essay cover everything from different aspects of fandom to writing advice and some more political topics. Sections two and three are reprints of previously published limited poetry collections. I preferred the first section as I’m not a huge fan of poetry. A fairly quick read that allows you to get into Seanan McGuire’s head a bit and understand where some of her ideas for stories come from.
Race the Sands by Sarah Beth Durst is a standalone young adult fantasy novel about racing monsters known as Kehoks. After an accident Tamra must find a new Kehok and rider who will win the upcoming races. Raia is running from her family and convinces Tamra that she can win. Through this meeting and attempting to win the Kehok races history could be changed. A very fast pace fantasy story about family and freedom. I won an advanced copy of the book from Goodreads and I have a full review up.
Next I read the last four volumes of the Sandman graphic novel series to finish out the series. Sandman volumes 7 through 10. Volume seven follows Dream going on a quest with his sister Delirium to find their brother Destruction. This story expands on the family dynamics of the Endless. Volume eight follows a group of people who got caught in a story and find their way to a tavern. This tavern connects multiple worlds and times of people waiting out the storm. To pass the time they tell stories, some that involve Dream. This volume doesn’t feel like it fits with the rest of the series and I only finished it to finish the series.
Volume nine is the weakest of all the Sandman graphic novels. The story follows Lyta Hall who after the death of her son calls on the Furies to curse Morpheus. This volume is very boring and the art is awful. Characters that you’ve met before looking nothing like they did and if there were more volumes after ten I would have stopped reading. Volume ten is a direct continuation of the events in volume nine. It is the wake after Lord Morpheus (Dream) dies and a little bit with who will become the next Dream. Not the greatest ending considering how great the series starts out.
I Was Anastasia by Aariel Lawhon is the story of both Anastasia Romanov and Anna Anderson, the woman who claimed she was Anastasia who had survived the murder of the Romanov family. As we are reading two stories they start at different places and end where they met up. So Anastasia’s story stars at the beginning in 1919 while Anna Anderson starts at the end in 1970. An interesting way to tell the story that many know the answers to but wish that Anastasia had survived. Not my favorite historical fiction novel about this subject as I’m more interested in Anastasia and less of Anna Anderson who’s story is the main focus of the book.
The last book I read in May was Summer Knight by Jim Butcher. I read this on audio as I plan to with the rest of the series. This is the fourth book of the Dresden Files. The story follows Harry Dresden dealing with the consequences from starting a war with the vampire courts. His deal with his Fae godmother has been sold to Queen Mab of the Winter Court who he is forced to work for by finding out who murdered the Summer Knight and stop a war from starting between the Winter and Summer Fae courts. Each book in the Dresden Files is getting better and I want to see where this story goes.