May was a huge reading month for me – especially as of late. I completed 13 books in May, and while most of them were on the shorter side (under 400 pages) I just haven’t read as much as May in quite some time. And I am here for it! Lot’s of quiet mornings on the back deck in the empty nest and rainy late afternoons reading on the couch. Will this trend for me continue? We shall see but I am guessing it is a yes. In any case, not only was the amount I read high but the quality mostly was too! I will mention that I am very behind on both my 2025 Reading Goals list and the Advanced Reader Copies (ARCs) that I have to get through. I generally have been very good in the past about finishing my ARCs before publication but I have fallen behind and at this rate I don’t think I will be caught up until July. I have stopped requesting most ARCs as I have some older books I want to read too and there just is never enough time.
In other news, we are busy planning a few refreshes here in our home including redoing our back deck. My husband built our deck over 25 years ago and while he did a great job, it is time for it to be replaced. We also are updating/replacing some very worn furniture in the family room so while I am waiting for that to arrive, I have been trying to search and pick out an area rug and some other finishes. Fun times! I have spent many hours perusing rugs online with an audio book in my ears!
We also are trying to plan a few more trips for the future. Without the kids living here in town, we are itching to travel again more and hopefully this next year that will happen. It will be our 30th wedding anniversary in the fall so I am working on something around that and we will have some mountain weekends coming up this summer.
Here is what I read in May! There are definitely some good ones here, perhaps even my favorite of the year!
The Correspondent – Virginia Evans
I have to admit that this was a book I picked up at the library when I started seeing so many raving reviews from my book friends, and I am so glad I did. The Correspondent by Virginia Evans is quiet in a way that it isn’t loud but my goodness is it a story for one to hear. Sybil Van Antwerp has been writing letters throughout her life to correspond with those both close to her and far away as well way to resolve conflict, make inquiries and learn. Perhaps my favorite of her correspondents is the authors of the books she reads, and they often write back! She has had a full life – a very successful career as a law clerk, a marriage and divorce, children, friends, and hobbies. She now lives alone and as her life advances, her eyesight is threatened by a worsening condition and it may not be long until writing her letters is not possible. I dare not say another word, as it is best to just read this lovely epistolary novel, I suggest it be accompanied with a cozy blanket and a warm cup of tea and be present with it. This could wind up being my favorite book of the year, and will definitely make its way into my list of all time favorites.
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Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea – Jessica Guerrieri
This is a slow burn excellent debut that read to me more like a memoir than a novel. Leah is overwhelmed by motherhood as well as being a wife in a large family that is very close knit and woven together. From Sunday dinners, regular birthday gatherings for all and a family business celebrating the matriarch, she is increasingly agitated and examining her what-ifs. Couple this stress of motherhood with the ever present normalizing of alcohol from wine at dinner, shots of aperitif’s after, solo cups at sporting events, mimosas at brunch – eventually the alcohol reaches a limit that is no longer normal. Guerrieri weaves this book in and out of a timeline that seems as natural yet unpredictable as the waves of the ocean and it becomes suddenly clear that Leah’s more normal pressures of motherhood are suddenly colliding with a storm that needs rescuing.
I received Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea as an ARC and while I didn’t get to it before publishing, I am glad I waited a bit as I was able to couple my reading with the audio version, which was excellent. This is one perfect for book club, there will be lots to talk about when it comes to the stress of motherhood, overwhelming families and the wine culture that often is present in social settings of all kinds. I will be thinking of this one for some time.
Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins Focus and Jessica Guerrieri for an advance copy in exchange for my honest opinion. Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea is now available.
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The Bright Years – Sarah Damoff
I seem to be reading a good number of debuts lately, and Sarah Damoff’s The Bright Years is the latest one. Good news – it did not disappoint. This is a four generation family saga with multiple points of view. Coping with a family member that is an alcoholic woven throughout is a central theme. It certainly isn’t a light book by any means but there is something about the way this one lets us in to the Bright family, it just hits different. Redemption and forgiveness is as central of a theme as the tragedy of lost time. Damoff is a gifted writer and told the story of Lillian and Ryan Bright so beautifully. I can’t wait to see what she does next.
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On Fire Island – Jane Rosen
On Fire Island was a delightful palette cleanser that tells the story of Julia Morse from the afterlife, or somewhere in between as she spends the summer after her death hovering around her husband, family and friends as they continue their lives without her. I didn’t have any expectations in particular going into this one but I found myself tearing through it at the end of the month while I was down & out with the summer crud. You’ll see next month that I continued on with book 2 & 3 shortly after this.
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Everything is Tuberculosis – John Green
I decided to read John Green’s Everything is Tuberculosis as a part of Sharon McMahon’s Governerds book club. I wound up listening to most of it on audio, narrated by Green, which definitely added to the experience. While the books covers much of the history, socio-economics, research and current state of the disease, the focus becomes Green’s relationship with Henry, a young patient that he meets in Sierra Leone when he was traveling with Partners in Health. The relationship that is formed brings an emotional element to the story and it is easy to become transfixed with trying to understand the repercussions of healthcare decisions made today.
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Four Walks in Central Park – Aaron Poochigian
I have been to Central Park a few times in the last couple years as my daughter lives nearby. The title caught my eye in my ARC offerings and I am glad I scooped it up. I loved reading it and of all of the stories of the park and the creative eye that the author has. I can’t wait to use it the next time I visit Central Park. Thank you to NetGalley and Familius for an advance copy in exchange for my honest opinion. Four Walks in Central Park will be available on 9/9/25.
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When In Rome – Sarah Adams
When in Rome is an entertaining palette cleanser. I’ll continue with the series. Is it plausible whatsoever? No. But I still enjoyed it. Amelia Rose is a enormous pop star stranded in a small town (Rome, KY) when her car breaks down on Noah Walker’s front lawn. She’s burnt out and needing an escape from the spotlight, badly. Noah is grumpy and busy running his inherited pie shop. Just about every cliche romance trope is included, and I was here for it 100%.
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My Friends – Fredrik Backman
I struggled through the 1st half of My Friends, it took me weeks to get to 40%. I did enjoy the 2nd half of the book much more. I was frustrated by the trouble I had sinking into it while everyone was raving about this being the book of the year. It is a very emotional and slow moving story that was raw but overall a bit too slow for me to move it into the “loved it” range. I am clearly in the minority on this one and goes to show that not every book and every author is for everyone. Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. My Friends is now available.
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Home of the American Circus – Allison Larkin
This one is a toughie to review. I was really looking forward to Larkin’s latest but it didn’t completely hit for me. I think the writing itself was very well done, but I think it was the length and pace that put it out of reach for me to really sink into. Freya is short on rent after a medical emergency and as she faces eviction, she flees to her hometown of Somers, NY, where she fled from years ago. She takes up residence in the dilapidating house that she inherited from her parents and becomes reacquainted with her 15 year old niece Aubrey. Freya’s sister Steena is one of the most abhorrent characters I have ever “met” in a book and I couldn’t relate to her one bit. This sad, slow, character driven novel took me what seemed like forever to get through. Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for an advance copy in exchange for my honest opinion. Home of the America Circus is now available.
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King of Ashes – S.A. Cosby
King of Ashes is a very dark, gritty violent story as our MC, a successful businessman in Atlanta, returns home to VA after his father is in a terrible car accident. Or was it an accident? He quickly finds out his brother is in very serious, deep debt with a bunch a gangster criminals and his sister is barely holding it, the family business and the family together while she also is deeply invested to find out why her mother disappeared years prior. I do think the audio added to the story, excellent narration. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advance audio copy in exchange for my honest opinion. King of Ashes is now available.
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The Love Haters – Katherine Center
I have enjoyed most of Katherine Center’s books and while this wasn’t a favorite I still enjoyed it. Katie has not had great luck in relationships and now she’s at risk to loose her job due to lay-offs. She takes an assignment to help her chances of keeping her job – profiling Hutch, a rescue swimmer in Florida. But, she can’t swim. Both are a bit grumpy about love and the rest is pretty typical rom-com territory. It was a bit too predictable to bump it up into the 4’s for me, but still a solid read. Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and St. Martin’s Press for both an audio and digital copy of the Love Haters in exchange for my honest opinion. It is now available.
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Great Big Beautiful Life – Emily Henry
2.5 feels generous to me on this one but I will stick with it since I have enjoyed some of her earlier books. There are some reviews here and elsewhere that voice the opinion that this book feels like it was written specifically for a quick screen option with a Taylor Swift song playing as the credits end the film. Couldn’t agree more. I am pretty sure this is my last Em Hen. It is likely a scenario of – it is not you, it is me. What does T-Swift say? “It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me.”
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Climbing in Heels – Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas
Who told me to read this? I don’t remember. Why? It had promise but never delivered for me at all.
Audio needs more editing. Several repeated sentences including one case with a big cough in between the repeats.
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