Thursday, May 31, 2018

May Wrap Up!

Hi everyone and welcome back (or to!) my blog! I'm Genni, and today I'll be wrapping up May. I didn't get as much reading done as I'd hoped, but more than in recent months.

Before getting into my wrap up, I'd appreciate if you visited this post, where you get to choose some of the books I read in June! I only got a couple votes, and I'd like a bit more before I start reading them. :)

In May, I read a total of 10 books.

1) Obsidio by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Obisdio is the final book in the Illuminae Files, one of my favorite series. Though Obsidio wasn't my favorite in the trilogy, it was a spectacular conclusion. I would be thrilled if Kaufman and Kristoff ever co-authored again.


2) Sweet Addiction by J. Daniels
I read this during finals week on wattpad, and it was a much needed escape. The drama was overdone, but the book was entertaining. It was one of the better books I've read on wattpad, but wasn't great by any means.

3) Lizzie by Dawn Ius
Whew..I struggled with this one. I had requested an ARC for it, but I lost my interest very quickly. I managed to get around 60 percent of the way through, but then just skimmed the rest. Lizzie is a Elizabeth Borden retelling, but there was just something lacking and I didn't care for the plot.


4) Infinity by Jus Accardo
 I had Infinity on my to-read list for such a long time, and I'm happy that I finally read it! I didn't love Infinity, but it was very entertaining and a quick read. I'm not dying to read the next book in the series, but I wouldn't mind continuing either.


5) Heart of Betrayal by Mary E. Pearson
After almost two years of reading The Kiss of Deception, I finally read the second book in the series! I was intimidated by Heart of Betrayal's size, and have heard some "meh" things about the final book in the trilogy. However, I got the audiobook, and really enjoyed it. The second book is a huge step up from the first, and I loved the political intrigue. I'm currently listening to the third and final book, The Beauty of Darkness.

6) Midnight Sun by Trish Cook
I saw Midnight Sun at Target for 20 percent off, so I picked it up and read it in a day! I did have some of my problems with the ableist language, but it was a quick read. You can learn more about my thoughts here, at my review. Once the movie adaptation comes to Redbox, I'll be picking it up!

7) Too Late by Colleen Hoover
This was a reread for me. I drove my mom to a doctor's appointment, and didn't bring a physical book with me. I remember enjoying Too Late a couple years ago on wattpad, so I decided to give it another go. I thought it was fine, but I did have some problems with it. I think there were unneeded chapters that didn't end to the story, and I was disturbed at other commenters who were romanticizing abuse. 

8) Frostfire by Amanda Hocking
I've been wanting to read Frostfire since I finished the Trylle trilogy a couple years ago, and I got around to it once goodreads chose it for my May tbr! I had some problems with the portrayal of the characters in relationship to their age. The three main characters read like young teenagers even though the protagonist was 19 and other two were 27 and 29. Besides that disconnect, Frostfire was entertaining and I'll be continuing on with the series.
 
9) Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli
Besides Obsidio, this would be my favorite of the month! I loved listening to the audiobook of this, and loved seeing a bisexual fat girl as a lead! I don't think I've read a book with a bi lead, so I appreciated the representation. Once again, Albertalli expertly depicts a high school experience, and it made me nostalgic about my senior year.

10) Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer
Out of the other 9 books I read in May, Annihilation is the one I feel most conflicted on. There were some points where I was invested in the story and interested in the plot, and other times where I just did't care. The writing was dense and at times hard to follow. Personally, I enjoyed the movie more (gasp!), and I don't think I'll be reading the next book.  



Have you read any of these books? What did you think? 

Thanks so much for stopping by and I'll see you soon with another post!

Happy Reading!

Genni @ Ready, Set, Read!

22 comments:

  1. 10 is pretty good, I think! Happy June!

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    1. Thanks Freda! I used to read around 14 in a really good month, but I don't want to keep comparing myself, haha. :) Happy June for you too!

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  2. I'm saving up for Obsidio! I can't wait to read it. Best Sci-Fi series ever :)

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    1. I completely agree! It is so well done. :) One day I'll want to read them back to back so I remember everything!

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  3. Will you be reviewing Annihilation on your blog? I'd love to hear your thoughts on it! I thought it was good, but a little too creepy for me ;) So I'm kinda chickening out of watching the movie as well, although it does look excellent.

    Hope you have a wonderful June, Genni :)

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    1. I think I'll be doing a post comparing the movie and the book. The movie was a bit too creepy for me, but I didn't get the same feeling from the book except when she went down into the Tower.

      Thank you Amy! You too. :)

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  4. 10 books is a great total! Hopefully I will read Colleen Hoover some day - so many bloggers rave about her!

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    1. Thanks Angela! I used to love her books without question, and while that's not the case anymore, I still tend to enjoy them. :) Maybe Someday is definitely my favorite out of all of them!

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  5. I can't wait to read Obsidio and I'm glad to hear you loved it. I also want to listen to the audio book of Leah on the Offbeat as well. :)

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    1. I hope you love it Lauren! It was a bit confusing at first just because it had been a while since I read Illuminae or Gemina, but once I got re-situated it was a blast! The audiobook is great! Enjoy. :)

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  6. It looks like you've had a great May in terms of numbers, Genni! I'm glad you had several great reads :) I hope you have an even better June!

    Laura @BlueEyeBooks

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    1. Thanks Laura! I had some duds in there, but most of them were great. :)

      Thanks Laura! You too. :D

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  7. I was curious about Lizzie but I struggled with the author's Henry and Anne and had a feeling that Lizzie wouldn't be better. I've heard nothing but AMAZING things for Leah and the Offbeat, I need to start my audio soon!

    Happy June!

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    1. I've heard meh things about Henry and Anne, but I didn't connect the dots that they were the same author! I hope you love the audiobook of Leah and the Offbeat!

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  8. I haven’t read any of the books on your list but I have definitely had my eye on some of them! Especially Leah On the Offbeat. I loved Simon vs. and I find Albertalli’s writing so addicting :)

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    1. I agree, Albertalli's writing is addicting! I haven't read The Upside of Unrequited, but I'm more interested now after reading Leah!

      Thanks for stopping by Emily. :D

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  9. I'm a little late to this post, but it looks like you had a great reading month! I love the Illuminae files and had similar thoughts about Obsidio--but it was still wonderful, of course. I'm glad you decided to continue with Mary Pearson's trilogy! I did not expect to like that series, but I ended up reading all through pretty much right after each other and was captivated. I've thought about picking up Annihilation, but I'm very hesitant because I've seen many similar thoughts on that you had about it. I hope June is just as product for you!

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    1. I really liked Obsidio, but I think there were so many different characters to focus on, and since I hadn't read Illuminae and Gemina in a while, it confused me a bit! I'm glad as well! Heart of Betrayal was so well done. I recently finished Beauty of Darkness, and while I didn't enjoy it quite as much as Heart, it was still a great end to the series. :)

      Thanks Jordan! Have a great June as well. :)

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  10. I loved Obsidio and am glad Amy didn't let Jay kill everyone. I will miss that series, but am really excited about their new series. I enjoyed Leah, but wish Albertalli had done the romance a little differently. I didn't like that she messed with the group dynamic to make this happen. Still a good read though.

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    1. I haven't read any of Jay's stuff, but I do hear that he isn't hesitant to kill of some characters! I didn't know that they had a new series! That's wonderful news. :) Yeah, I felt pretty bad about how it all went down, but at the end of the day, it seemed like the characters were okay. Thanks for stopping by Sam!

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