May 2025 Wrap-Up

Well, hello there! Long time no see… You may have noticed I’ve been very absent on here over the past few weeks. Unfortunately, life has been life-ing and work has left me with no time to actually sit down and finish writing all the posts I meant to write. I’ve missed you all so much!

So, today I’m coming back softly with my May wrap-up. Nothing too exciting sadly, as I had very little time and energy to do anything other than collapse on my bed at the end of the day… Hopefully I’ll find some of my reading and blogging mojo again in June as the days get longer and work calms down a bit, fingers crossed!

What I read…

As I said, May was a slow reading month for me, mostly due to having almost no time and energy. BUT! I finally read Sunrise on the Reaping and I have thoughts! I have a mostly written post ready, so hopefully I’ll find enough time in the next few days to finish editing it and share it with you, because I need to talk about this one.

I also finally managed to finish The Feminist Killjoy Handbook. My library loan for this ebook had expired so I had to wait for my hold to show up again, with only a handful of pages left (a reader’s nightmare). That serves me well for not checking the due date properly lol. Anyway, I did finish it this time and I’m glad I read it, as it offered some interesting prompts for reflection. At the same time, though, I don’t think I got quite as much as I hoped out of it, maybe because I had read similar books already. Still, I’d recommend checking it out if you’re into gender/feminism theory as it offers a different perspective on certain key issues.

To end the month, I needed a cosy, comforting read, so I finally picked up The Cat Who Saved Books, which is one of the titles I selected for my 25 in ’25 challenge. Yay for finally checking a book off that list! I’ll post a review of this later on, but although it wasn’t the most memorable Japanese cosy fiction I read, it was perfect for my mental health this month.

What I added to my shelves…

I’ve been really spoiled this month with new books! Huge thanks to all the publishers and authors who sent me their books for review this month. I’m always deeply honoured to be trusted with these, and so grateful that I get to discover so many talented authors and magical stories.

Gifted

I’ve been really curious about Butter by Asako Yuzuki ever since I saw it announced, but I hadn’t yet had a chance to pick up a copy. I was super lucky that a friend decided to gift it to me when she heard I was interested in it! Friends who support book-buying habits are the best friends – fact. I’ve already picked this as the book I will be taking with me on holiday this year, so I can truly savour it.

For Review

• Hive by D.L. Orton – out now! I was on the blog tour for this one (organised by the amazing Dave at TheWriteReads). The postal service held up my copy forever, but I’m looking forward to reading this now it’s in my hands, as I heard nothing but good things from other bloggers.
• The Healing Hippo of Hinode Park by Michiko Aoyama – publication expected in August 2025. I really enjoyed the author’s previous book, What You Are Looking For Is in the Library, so I’m delighted to have an e-arc of this one!
• A Splintering by Dur e Aziz Amna – publication expected in September 2025. This book is described as tracing “the class struggle of a woman stuck between province and metropolis, between motherhood and ambition” in rural Pakistan. Which sounds exactly like my kind of book.
• The Magical Legacy of the Ryūjin and The Discovery of the Inner Magic by Stephan Lethaus – publication expected in July 2025. When Stephan first told me about his book being translated into English from the original German version, he asked me: “Have you ever debated the ethics of killing… with a dragon?” And while I definitely cannot publicly say to have ever done that, I just had to find out more! I’m looking forward to this epic fantasy blending ancient magic, reluctant heroes, and shifting power structures.
• Of High Kings and Mages: Arlan’s Pledge Book 3 by Jenn Lees (cover not final) – publication expected June 2025. I read the first two books in the series – Of Myths and Portals and Of Warriors and Sages – last year and loved these portal romances, even though they’re not usually my thing. So, when Jenn was kind enough to ask if I would read the third book in the series, I couldn’t say no! I absolutely need to know what’s next for Arlan and Rhiannon and the rest of the cast.

What I’m reading…

I’ve been running a bit behind schedule, but I’m savouring the final few chapters of The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak, which I’m reading as part of the blog tour organised by Random Things Tours – watch out for my review coming this week!

I’m also still listening to the audiobook for Dream Count by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. I haven’t had much listening time but also, I’m not finding this majorly compelling. I’ll still finish it because I want to see where it ends up going, but for me so far it’s definitely not up to the standard set by Half of a Yellow Sun.

What I’ve been watching…

Again, not a particularly busy month viewings-wise, but it was definitely spy-themed haha! These were all really fun, and I had a blast attending my first ever ScreenX viewing for the new Mission Impossible.

I also finished watching season 2 of The Rehersal and can confirm it is one of the best things I’ve seen on TV in a long time. Nathan Fielder is a mad genius, and I’m here for whatever he decides to create next.

That’s it for now!
What have you been up to?
Tell me in the comments or leave a link to your wrap-up post so I can visit!