It’s the 5th month of my self-imposed #50booksin2018 challenge and it’s been a great month for reading. I’m a very lucky girl as I run a book club so lots of publishers send me books to review. This month I was inundated with some fab titles – I haven’t got through them all yet but the ones I did read were fantastic. Next month I’ll be on holiday so I’ve loaded up the Kindle and plan to read A LOT, until then, here are the books I read in May.

Kismet by Luke Tredget

I can’t believe this book was written by a man, the central character XXX is so relatable to me, the author really has the female psyche nailed. Kismet is a modern day anti-love story where most people find their mate via omnipotent dating app Kismet which assigns each person a compatibility score. XXXX is a journalist on the edge while looking for love. While this book is not a rollercoaster in terms of plot, the characters are incredibly well drawn and you’ll be hooked from the start.

Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward

This searing, poetic portrayal of a poor family in the American south is heart-wrenching. It’s told from two perspectives, 13 year old JoJo, a boy wise beyond his years, and his mother Leonie, who won’t win any prizes for mum of the year. The story follows them, Leonie’s friend and baby Kayla as they take a cross-country trip to pick up JoJo’s white father from jail. Race and lass are themes throughout this book and you will be rooting for this dysfunctional family throughout – even though you know they can’t escape their past.

The Pisces by Melissa Broder

This book, besides having a beautiful cover, is just f*cking fantastic. It follows Lucy, a depressed PHD student, who has recently been dumped by her unavailable older boyfriend, as she house and dog sits for her sister in venice beach. In-between sexual encounters on dating apps and group therapy sessions, Lucy falls in love with a merman. Of course. The sex scenes in this (both fish and human) are properly… graphic, and some are very sexy, while others are cringy but relatable. I read this at the Lido and laughed out loud so many times, it may very well be a contender for my book of the year.

Ponti by Sharlene Tao

I don’t know wether this is YA fiction, or maybe I just automatically think that whenever the protagonist is a teenage girl. Ponti is told from the perspective of three female characters: Szu, Circe and Szu’s glamourous mother Amisa. The story flits between three time periods and is really about the complicated relationships woman have – be that familial or with friends. It’s not plot-driven, but there is an interesting story arc and the characters are well drawn. I did like this… I just can’t put my finger on why.

In The Dark by Cara Hunter

I love a good crime novel, they’re so easy to read – which may say something about my psyche (I just race through them for light relief). This is actually book two of a series of three and I haven’t read the other two, but I don’t think that matters. The plot goes as follows: a young woman and her child are found locked in the basement of an old man who apparently has no idea what they’re doing there or how they came to be there. Add in an old unsolved murder and a cast of shady characters and this book genuinely had me guessing until the end.

BOOKS READ SO FAR

My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent
The Girlfriend by Michelle Frances
Why I’m No Longer Talking To White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge
Under The Sun by Lottie Moggach
Conversations With Friends by Sally Rooney
Dietland by Sarai Walker
Postcards from The Edge by Carrie Fisher
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
The F Word by Liza Palmer
Silence by Natasha Preston
Red Clocks by Leni Zumas
Trying by Emily Phillips
How To Stop Time by Matt Haig
Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke
The Most Dangerous Place on Earth by Lindsey Lee Johnson
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine
Dead Girls by Abigail Tarttelin
I’ll Be Gone in The Dark by Michelle McNamara
Kismet by Luke Tredget
Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
The Pisces by Melissa Broder
Ponti by Sharlene Tao
In The Dark by Cara Hunter

23/50