So yeah, this is really late. I enjoyed the vacation my spouse and I took earlier this month, but man did it push all of my posts back. Let’s get into my reading wrap-up for May 2025.
My reading in May was… okay. I know that I could’ve read more books, and a decent part of me wishes that I would’ve read more, but that didn’t end up happening. At least I read more than one novel, though.
Anyway, let’s just start talking about my StoryGraph statistics from last month!
May Reading 2025
I read 2 books and 662 pages
😐 MOODS: I had five Moods in May, which is more than the month before. The Moods from this past month were: Adventurous, Lighthearted, Hopeful, Funny and Emotional.
👢 PACE: The two books I read last month both had different pacing. One was fast-paced and the other was medium-paced.
🔢 PAGE NUMBER: The novels I read last month were between 325 and 336 pages.
📖 FICTION/NONFICTION: It was once again all fiction. As usual.
🎭 GENRES: There were three Genres in the books I read in May. They were: Fantasy, Middle Grade and Romance.
📄 FORMAT: This pie chart was surprisingly correct once again. I didn’t even have to meddle with it this time, either! All of the novels I read last month were on my physical copies.
⭐ RATING: My median star rating for last month was 3.5, as I rated the two books I read 3.25 and 3.75 stars.
📉 PAGES READ DAILY: My reading for May was really up and down. I didn’t really start off that great, but I finally started reading my first novel of the month around the 11th and finished it around the 16th. I started reading the second book on the 27th and finished it on the 31st. My highest reading peak was the 30th.
So yeah, this is late and last month I could’ve done better. I’m hoping that the rest of June will either be better than May, or that I’ll do as well as last month.
Right now the stuff on my immediate TBR consists of The Ashfire King by Chelsea Abdullah and A Spell for Change by Nicole Jarvis. I’m still not sure which one I’m going to read next. There are also a couple of new June releases that I’m interested in, so I might actually read one of them first. We’ll see what happens.
I also do want to get back into buddy-reading One Piece with my spouse, but they have a bit of a TBR pile of their own at the moment, and I don’t think I’ll have time in June. Hopefully we’ll get back into it before the end of the summer, though. And as for blogging and blog posts, I’m just gonna keep doing what I’ve been doing.
Anyway, as always, thank you for joining me in checking out my StoryGraph stats for my May reading in 2025. Thank you also for reading, and I hope you have a great day/night!
Not much to say this time. I posted three times which I’m fine with, even though I did do a book review. I’ll do that ASAP. I finished another book though, which is always a good thing. Especially since I seem to be in an on-and-off slump this year so far.
Anyway, without further ado, let’s get on with the weekly wrap-up!
Tuesday 5/13: Top Ten Tuesday
Last Tuesday, I participated in a Top Ten Tuesday for the first time in a few weeks. Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly post currently hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. It celebrates lovely lists, wonderful books and the bookish community. The prompt for last week was Ways in Which My Blogging and/or Review Style Has Changed.
On Wednesday, I did another Can’t-Wait Wednesday. Two weeks in a row, baybay! So many new interesting looking books lately.
Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme currently hosted by Tressa @ Wishful Endings. It focuses on books you’re looking forward to reading, usually new releases.
Last Saturday, I participated in Birthstone Book Covers. Birthstone Book Covers is a fun little post created and hosted by Leslie @ Books Are the New Black.
Each month, for the post, you feature book covers that are either the same color of the month’s birthstone or include the color in the title. This month was May, and its birthstone is emerald. So the color of the month was green.
So yeah, last week was pretty good all around, though I think it could have been better. I’m happy with it though.
This week I wanna do a couple of my usual weekly posts, but I especially want to get my review out for Impossible Creatures. I’m hoping to do that in the next couple days. I also want to read either Behooved or finally start The Ashfire King. (Regardless, I’m planning on reading The Ashfire King before the month is out.)
Outside of my diet, nothing else has really been going on the past week with my life outside the blog and books. The weather has been really nice throughout the last week, though.
Anyway, as always thank you for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful day/night!
It’s a day late, but the last couple days have either been busy or slightly rough. But doing a Weekly Wrap-Up on a Tuesday isn’t completely unreasonable, and I’ve already done it several times, so I’m not that annoyed.
Anyway, last week I got out the two posts that I was really angling for, so I’m very satisfied with my blog activity last week. The only thing I wish I was able to do was a book review, but I haven’t finished the book I’m reading yet, which is why I didn’t get one done last week.
But yeah, I’ll shut up now. Without further ado, let’s get on with the weekly wrap-up!
Tuesday 5/6: The Most Interesting Looking New Books of May 2025
Last Tuesday, I posted a list of the books that I’m looking forward to this month. Or, at least the ones that I think look the most interesting. It was the Most Interesting Looking New Books of May 2025. As always, it’s basically only fantasy and science fiction, as those are the two genres I primarily read. This time I had five books on my list.
On Wednesday, I did another Can’t-Wait Wednesday for the first time in a couple of weeks. The new books coming out that I’m intrigued by are amping up again.
Can’t-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme currently hosted by Tressa @ Wishful Endings. It focuses on books you’re looking forward to reading, usually new releases.
Last Friday, I posted my Monthly Reading Wrap-Up for April 2025. It was once again posted at a reasonable time in the month, and I actually posted it earlier than I did last month. For those who don’t know, monthly wrap-ups are when I go over the books I read over the past month, as well as my stats over on The StoryGraph.
Though I didn’t manage a post this past weekend, Sunday was Mother’s Day!! 🌸🌼 I hope that everyone who wanted to had the opportunity to spend time with their mom this weekend. We met for breakfast at one of my aunts’ houses mom’s side of the family, and spent the afternoon hanging out with my husband’s immediate family. It was a nice day.
Books I Read Last Week
💖🎁 Wrapping It All Up 💖🎁
So yeah, my productivity definitely improved last week, both with my reading and my blog posts. I’d still like to do better this week, however, and do another post during the weekend. I haven’t really posted on a Saturday or Sunday lately, and I’d like to rectify that.
Regarding the coming week, I want to finish Impossible Creatures and do a book review on it. Then I want to start reading a new book, though I’m a little undecided on whether it’ll be one of my anticipated books of May 2025 or The Ashfire King next. Regardless, I’m determined to read The Ashfire King sometime this month. I’d also like to do my favorite monthly post this week, too, as well as a couple of my usual weekly posts.
As for stuff outside the blog and books, I’ve been continuing my diet of course, and it’s been going really well. But my spouse and I have been pretty interested in Blue Prince lately, a roguelike puzzle adventure game that released about a month ago. I personally haven’t played it myself, as I’m pretty sure that I have the patience for roguelikes, but I have watched other people do so, and my spouse has really enjoyed what they’ve played of the game. My spouse has found the secret room, reached the credits and explored a great deal of the manor and it’s grounds before finding the room and a little after – so they’re probably at least 30% through the game.
I’ve definitely very much enjoyed what I’ve seen myself of the game, and especially love the story and how you discover it through your exploration. And I adore the ending when you find the secret 46th room (it’s not a spoiler because the game tells you this is your goal from the outset). I also really enjoyed and think the puzzles are super awesome and creative. It’s such a fantastic game and more than deserves all of the accolades it’s been getting.
Anyway, I’ve talked more than enough here. As always thank you for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful day/night!
Hey there everybody! Another month, another bunch of new books that are coming out! Yep, it’s The Most Intriguing New Books of May 2025.
This used to be a quarterly post, but I’ve recently decided to do it monthly instead. Also, even though this post is about new releases, it’s primarily focused on fantasy and science fiction, as those are the genres I tend to prefer to read. (Not to say other genres won’t ever appear on these lists – it just isn’t super likely; it’s likely to be a very rare occurrence if it happens at all.)
If you’ve seen this post by me before, you know the drill; I’m only interested in these books – there’s no guarantee that I’m gonna read all of them. There’s not even a guarantee that I’m gonna read even half of them. We shall see. Anyway, let’s get going! This month there are five books that have caught my eye.
RELEASING: May 6th
Who is Mary Darling? In this smartly subversive Victorian mash-up of the legendary literary novels Peter Pan and Sherlock Holmes, the intrepid mother of the Darling children is on the case―and always one step ahead of her inept husband and a famous detective.
Mary Darling is a pretty wife whose boring husband is befuddled by her independent ways. But one fateful night, Mary becomes the distraught mother whose three children have gone missing from their beds. After her well-meaning uncle John Watson contacts the greatest detective of his era (but not that great), Mary is Sherlock Holmes’s prime suspect in her children’s disappearance.
To save her family, Mary must escape an attempt to have her locked away as mad, and to travel halfway around the world. Along the way, her allies include a Solomon Islander whose village was destroyed by Western civilization; a Malagasy woman on an island that is run by women; Captain Hook and the crew of the Jolly Roger; and of course, Nana, the faithful dog and nursemaid.
This witty and adventurous new novel from Pat Murphy (The City Not Long After) will delight fans of classic Victorian tales, as well as those who are looking for a radical new take on the British Empire.
RELEASING: May 13th
A brand-new epic fantasy from New York Times bestselling author Joe Abercrombie, featuring a notorious band of anti-heroes on a delightfully bloody and raucous journey.
Holy work sometimes requires unholy deeds.
Brother Diaz has been summoned to the Sacred City, where he is certain a commendation and grand holy assignment awaits him. But his new flock is made up of unrepentant murderers, practitioners of ghastly magic, and outright monsters. The mission he is tasked with will require bloody measures from them all in order to achieve its righteous ends.
Elves lurk at our borders and hunger for our flesh, while greedy princes care for nothing but their own ambitions and comfort. With a hellish journey before him, it’s a good thing Brother Diaz has the devils on his side.
RELEASING: May 13th
Wielding a magic that allows him to pop off limbs, con-artist Phyllis ransoms body parts to make a living. At least until his cold heart is moved when a mark claims his sister, Adeline, was taken.
Adeline is not the only missing girl in their seedy city, and Phyllis’ best chance to unravel the mystery is to become Lord Phillip of Rabbiton and strike a deal with the ambitious madame, Adeline’s former employer, for info on his leads. As a duke, Phillip finds the girls who are not dead—but undead. And when the madame finds out, she twists Phillip into helping her with her plans to rule the city.
To cement his future as a duke, save his new family of mostly-dead girls, and earn Adeline’s affection, Phillip will have to stop the madame and discover the depths of his magic—before his own lies destroy him.
RELEASING: May 20th
A charming slow-burn romantasy featuring a duty-bound noblewoman with a chronic illness, a prince who would rather be in a library than on a throne, and a magical ride through a world of cozy enchantment.
Bianca knows her duty comes before her heart. So when the threat of war looms, she agrees to marry the neighboring kingdom’s heir. But not all royal weddings are a fairytale, and Prince Aric, Bianca’s betrothed, is cold, aloof, and seems to hate her on sight.
To make matters worse, on their wedding night, an assassination attempt goes awry—leaving Aric magically transformed into a horse. Bianca does what any bride in this situation would do: she mounts her new husband and rides away to safety.
Sunset returns Aric to human form, but they soon discover the assassination attempt is part of a larger plot against the throne. Worse, Bianca has been framed for Aric’s murder, and she’s now saddled with a husband who is a horse by day and a frustratingly attractive man by night.
As an unexpected romance begins galloping away with their hearts, Bianca and Aric must rely on each other to unravel the curse and save the throne.
RELEASING: May 27th
From the NYT-bestselling author of Dreadful, Big Little Lies goes to magic school, cozy fantasy perfect for fans of T. Kingfisher, Olivia Atwater and Heather Fawcett. Featuring orange sprayed and stencilled edges, with magic symbols, unicorns and baked goods from the book.
Two parents and their recently-bitten-werewolf daughter try to fit into a privileged New England society of magic aristocracy. But deadly terrors await them – ancient prophecies, remorseless magical trials, hidden conspiracies and the PTA bake sale.
When Vivian’s kindergartner, Aria, gets bitten by a werewolf, she is rapidly inducted into the hidden community of magical schools. Reeling from their sudden move, Vivian finds herself having to pick the right sacrificial dagger for Aria, keep stocked up on chew toys, and play PTA politics with sirens and chthonic nymphs and people who literally can set her hair on fire.
As Vivian careens from hellhounds in the school corridors to demons at the talent show, she races to keep up with all the arcane secrets of her new society—shops only accessible by magic portal, the brutal Trials to enter high school, and the eternal inferno that is the parents’ WhatsApp group.
And looming over everything is a prophecy of doom that sounds suspiciously like it’s about Aria. Vivian might be facing the end of days, just as soon as she can get her daughter dressed and out of the door…
So yeah, these are all of the books releasing in the in May 2025 that I’m at least a little interested in. What books are coming out soon that you’re looking forward to? Do we share some of the same ones?
As always, thank you all so much for reading, and I hope you have a great day/night!
