Books I Read in May | Cup of Kee
Books I Read in May
I read a total of four books in May, all of which I really enjoyed and would recommend! So here are all the books I read, and a handful of my thoughts to go along with them. If you're looking for mystery, literary fiction, or horror recs, you might find your next read here!
Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy
Wild Dark Shore was my book club's May Mystery pick, and it came recommended by my best friend through the medium of a crying selfie sent in the middle of the night. I will say I did go into it expecting a five star read and came away rating it a 4 - but I feel like with all the online hype for this one lately, I may have set my expectations slightly too high.
Wild Dark Shore's narrative is split between five perspectives, each belonging to one of the Salt family, or the woman who mysteriously washes up on their remote island. It was a slow start for me, getting used to each character and remembering who was who, but as the story picked up and the mystery unfolded, it made for an enjoyable if not heartbreaking read.
The nature aspect of this book was beautifully written, and the setting of Shearwater was so visceral and emotive, it was probably the highlight of reading this book.
The Chapters & Chai book club members sat around an average 3.5 stars on this one too!
Broken Country by Claire Leslie Hall
I'd been meaning to read Broken Country after seeing all the praise from Izzy at the Reading Room Book Club, and it did not disappoint! This was a contender for our May book club read, and I do think it would have made for great discussion.
Broken Country is a historical fiction mystery/thriller which intertwines a loss, a love story, and a murder... at 320 pages I do feel like it would have benefitted from being longer so offer more opportunity for some character development, but overall I enjoyed the reading experience. I read the first 50 or so pages in short 15-20 page sittings, and devoured the remaining 200+ pages one evening into the night
Heart the Lover by Lily King
Heart the Lover is yet another recommendation from my best friend, once again in the form of a crying selfie - I think there is something to be said for the validity of these recommendations!
This was definitely my favourite book from this month - a beautiful yet devastating literary romance following the protagonist, Jordan, as she navigates her senior year of college as well as her relationships with Sam and Yash. It was so bittersweet, and is definitely a book I will be recommending to anyone who wants a good literary fiction or coming-of-age read. This book kept me up into the early hours of the morning, crying my way through its conclusion, and has definitely left a lasting mark.
I'm attending Lily King's evening at Brighton Waterstones this week and I could not be more excited to hear about this book directly from her. This book is also a contender for my book club's July contemporary literary fiction pick!
Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle
This one had been on my TBR since last year, and I am so glad to have finally picked it up. This is the first of Chuck Tingle's books I've read, and it has definitely made me want to add Camp Damascus to my list.
Bury Your Gays follows closeted scriptwriter Misha following his first Oscar nomination, and as he is faced with studio pressure to kill off his queer main characters in the upcoming season finale of his TV show to benefit the algorithm and increase profits. As he struggles between doing what he wants for his characters and keeping on the studio's good side, he is haunted by his past, and past mistakes...
This book was a great commentary on queer representation in media, and made for a really fun, engaging, and gripping read!
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All in all, May was a great reading month and I am really looking forward to seeing what June has in store!
Happy reading, and happy Pride Month!
~ Kee