May TBR

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Hello Hello! How are you?

I’m writing this on the 29^th of April and I’m praying to all the book gods out there that I’m going to be able to finish Shadow of Night and The Third Sun before the 30th at midnight so I can complete my O.W.L.s for the Magical Readathon! Please cross your fingers, say a prayer, do a boogie, I really hope I can do it aha!

I can’t believe how fast April went past. My fiancé and I are soon going to be trying to get home to France and I’m trying to get through a tonne of books. I’ve got quite a few very exciting books on the May TBR and I’m so happy to be doing this post to show you all what I’ll be reading in May!

I’m sure you can probably already guess (because you know I’m a lost cause) that I’ve got another million books on my TBR. As I’m writing this, I still haven’t finished reading all my April books, I’m not going to beat myself up about not finishing all the Hype-A-Thon Readathon books and I think both Noly and I are going to work our way through the backlog once we read the May BOTMs for both the Hype-A-Thon and Middle Grade Marvels. I’m going to be participating in the Medieval-athon this month, it’s my first time and I’m quite excited. Keep reading to find out what beauties I’ll be picking up in May!

On to the May TBR!

I really liked how I set my April TBR up into mini reading categories or mini TBRs, so I’m going to be doing the same thing this time. It was also a really great way to keep track of the books I needed to read and in which order for blog tours and author requests!

Buddy Read

Promises Forged (#2) by Devri Walls

I read Magic Unleashed, the first book in the Venators series in March and I really enjoyed it, so when El from Papertea and Book Flowers and I both realised that we wanted to continue the series quite soon, we decided to jump at the chance and pick it up straight away. I really loved book one and I NEED TO KNOW what happens between Rune and a certain character in book 2.

Author Requests and Blog Tours

The Girl and the Stars by Mark Lawrence

This is my first #RandomThingsTours books of May and I’m insanely excited about it. I’ve had Mark Lawrence books on my TBR for a few years and the blurb and the cover just totally drew me in. It’s been a while since Anne sent me the email with all the info so I think I’ve forgotten quite a bit about this book, but I’m going to leave it at that so I’ll be hopefully pleasantly surprised!

The Summoned Ones by Darryl A. Woods

My first author request for the month, and again, I’m really excited! Darryl sent me a physical copy of this book and it’s not very long so I’m sure I’m going to get through this one quite quickly. I’ve seen a few other reviews of this book on Twitter, but I intentionally didn’t read them so I didn’t get spoiled, and again I can’t recall what this book is about, but I do remember reading the blurb and really liking what I saw.

Harrow Lake by Kat Ellis

Yay!! We have another The Write Reads tour this month and I couldn’t be happier. The last tour I did with Dave was in March I think, so I’m happy to be back on the bandwagon. My review for this book is due in the next few days and I’m yet to start it. The reviews I’ve read of this book so far have been really varied, but I’m still hopeful I’m going to enjoy it. I’ve been surprised lately that I’ve read a few horror books and not been scared… so I’m curious about this one and can’t wait to dive in.

The Carer by Deborah Moggach

Another #RandomThingsTours book! I remember thinking that this wasn’t a very Ellie book when I read the blurb, but I decided to give it a shot because I thought the same thing about the Away With the Penguins blurb, and it ended up being my favourite book of February and actually my favourite book of the year so far. The cover is just divine and I’m really intrigued about reading this one, the premise sounds so cute and I can’t wait.

Ash Mountain by Helen Fitzgerald

For this book and another one later on in the month, I’m going to be participating in my first ever Orenda Book Tour, hosted by Anne Cater. I’ve never read a book set in Australia so I’m really intrigued about this one (I say that about all the books don’t I?). I really enjoyed Hold Your Tongue by Deborah Masson this month so I’m trying to branch out more and read some genres that I usually shy away from and I think that this will be the push I need.

Dagmar of the Northlands by John C. Adams

When I received the pitch from the author a few months ago, I immediately thought that the book had the potential to sound cool but there was just so much info and the blurb and it totally swamped out the actual plot. The blurb is like 6 paragraphs long and is nearly a run-down of the whole book but, my sad fantasy-loving heart couldn’t say no and I’m very curious as to what this book will be!

In Two Minds by K.T. Findlay

I’m also going to be participating in a Rachel’s Random Resources tour for the first time this month and I’m so glad that I’m kicking it off with this book! I couldn’t help but say yes when I saw that it was fantasy, saw the cover and read the blurb, I’m really looking forward to it and hopefully finding another great fantasy author.

When We Fall by Carolyn Kirby

Another #RandomThingsTours YAY!!! And, it’s another WWII historical fiction novel, high five please! I just love historical fiction, you already know this and I’ve read some really good ones this year already, I’m really looking forward to this one and Anne said that she was really enjoying it a few days ago on Twitter, so I have quite high expectations!

Camelot by Giles Kristian

Happy Ellie! Happy HAPPY Ellie! Okay, I’ll calm down now lol! So, first things first, it’s another #RandomThingsTours *smiling forcefully*, I just can’t believe the number of amazing book tours that Anne hosts and I’m so privileged to be on her reviewer list. When I saw the title in my inbox and then the cover I was instantly won over. I’ve not read much about the legend of Arthur, but it has always been one that I want to get to. This is the second book in The Arthurian Tales series, I have the first one on my Kindle and I’m going to try to get to it before my tour date! I’m really excited though!

Escape to the French Farmhouse by Jo Thomas

Another #RandomThingsTours book and you’re all going to laugh at me but what pulled me towards this book was the fact that I really want to go home to France and I’m hoping this will tide me over until I can get there. I’ve always wanted to read more books set in France, but I don’t read many books written in French because it just … I don’t know, something about the French language in novels is a bit meh mostly and I’m just not a fan. But, I’m really looking forward to this book, I’m expecting all the feels, I think it’s going to be cute, nostalgic and just what I need right now!

Reckless by Gemma Rogers

For this other Rachel’s Random Resources tour, I decided to branch out and try another thriller as I have already said. I’ve not been in a thriller mood for quite a few years, but this blurb drew me in and Hold Your Tongue reignited that mood, so now I’m looking forward to getting to this one, and I’m not going to say much more because I still have a million books to talk about urgh!

Marked by Time by Victoria Basnuevo

Oooh YAY! You may already know that I joined the YABS Facebook group a few months ago and that’s where I found the author’s request for Ranger’s Oath by Blake Peel, also known as one of my fave fantasy discoveries of the year. So when I saw this wowowow beautiful cover and that blurb I was like “yep, that’s for me”. I was so glad when Victoria told me that she still had some ARCs to give out, so here we are. I’m a sucker for fantasy and I love me some magic, so I’m looking forward to this.

One? by Jennifer L. Cahill

This author’s request has been on my TBR for months, but I’m finally getting to it in May! I’m not going to go over the synopsis in much detail, but the reason I was drawn to this one was because it sounded unique, it discusses the “one” as in the “one true love” and I thought that it sounded kind of cool.

The Fall of Jack Edgerton by Robert C. Lee

Another author request and another really unique sounding book! I thought that the blurb sounded like nothing I’d ever read before so I decided to give it a try. Robert was kind enough to send me a physical copy before the lockdown madness and it really isn’t a very long book!

Along Came a Soldier by Brenda Davies

We have yet again, another Rachel’s Random Resources tour and once again, you’ve guessed it, a book Ellie couldn’t say no to. From what I remember of the blurb, it’s a historical fiction, fantasy, thriller? I could be totally wrong but I remember that it is about a forbidden love and that’s all I need to know!

Catalyst by Tracy Richardson

Another The Write Reads Tour youhou! I’m actually really happy about all these tours I’ve been doing over the past months and am going to do for the next few months because I would NEVER have heard of any of these books, let alone picked them up without them, so that’s already a win in my books. I remember Dave being really excited about this tour when he announced it a few months back and when I read the blurb I was right there with him. It’s the second one in the series and I have the first one as well, I believe Dave said that you didn’t have to read the first one before the second one, which is good in case I run out of time aha!

Behind Blue Eyes by Anna Mocikat

I’ll also be doing a Booktamins tour this month and this book isn’t on Goodreads yet, which is strange, so I can’t remember the blurb for the life of me and I’m too far down the TBR hole to go and find it in my emails, but I know it’s about a bot or someone with enhanced AI, and it’s a science fiction book, that’s all I know, but I do remember thinking that the blurb sounded so cool and I’m quite excited to be reading another science fiction this year.

The Secret of Hawthorne House by Donald Firesmith

This is the first time on my blog that I’ll be talking about Voracious Readers Only. I apparently decided I wanted to read loads of the books they were offering and around the time I requested and got approved for this book, my old computer died and stole the book (my heart is breaking). So it was only when the author reached out again last month that I remembered it, sorry! I’m really looking forward to this one though, I remember being so excited for it the first time around and it’s a Middle Grade book, so that’s perfect for our kick-off of MGM, I’m hoping to be able to add it to the Recs list.

Winter’s Gift by Florence Keeling

Another Rachel’s Random Resources tour! I don’t usually do women’s fiction/ chick lit/ romance, but I thought that the blurb sounded really interesting and I am still trying to branch out and read more out of my comfort zone! I love bookish books, so I’m excited to experience it!

A Good Demon is Hard to Find by Kate Moseman

I promise you, we are nearly at the end of this first list, I know I’m crazy aha! And it’s yet again another Rachel’s Random Resources tour, I can’t help it if loads of her May tours appealed to me can I? I’m not a fan of the cover, I have to say, but this book is described as paranormal romantic comedy and that sounds fab, don’t you think?

The Creak on the Stairs by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir

Firstly, thank god for Goodreads so I could copy and paste the author’s name because I’ve been dreading having to write it aha! This is the second Orenda Book tour that Anne is hosting this month and when I read the blurb, I just couldn’t pass up this chance! I’ve never read a Nordic Noir before and I am so so so so looking forward to it. I’ve definitely fallen back into a thriller – murder mystery mood and I think this is going to be a really great book!

Beyond the Moon by Catherine Taylor

My last author request of the month is this beauty and I’ll tell you something I’m sure you already know, I am so EXCITED to read this book. I love historical fiction (I wonder how many times I can say that in one post) and this one just really appealed to me when I read the blurb. Catherine sent me a physical copy and it’s quite a hefty book, but I’m expecting it to be quite good. I’ve read a recent review by another blogger about this book and it sounded like she really enjoyed it, so I’m optimistic.

Coffee Break Book Club

The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead

I’m only going to read one of the two picks from the May BOTMs for my Goodreads book club (or should I say, one of my Goodreads book clubs, wink wink). I already read the second pick, Woven in Moonlight by Isabel Ibanez in February, I’m still going to be one of the discussion leaders but I’m not going to be reading or rereading it. However, I’m very excited to read The Glittering Court and I have to admit that I hadn’t a clue what it was about until a few minutes ago. This synopsis gave me The Remnant Chronicles and The Selection vibes so I’m really curious about starting it now. 

Hype-A-Thon Readathon and Middle Grade Marvels

A Darker Shade of Magic (#1) by V.E. Schwab

Noly and I decided to play it cool this month and not give ourselves too much to do so, after about a million polls and some crossed fingers behind the scenes, and a few screams when we saw the result, we will be reading ADSOM for #MagicalMay. I’m insanely happy about this, so many people love this book and I’ve wanted to read it for such a long time, so I hope it’s going to be amazing.

Tilly and the Book Wanderers (#1) by Anna James

You may have seen our announcement, or not, so I’m going to gush about it again aha: Holly, Noly, and I have created a book club focusing on Middle Grade books and starting in May, our first BOTM is this one. We had loads of books to choose from, and we eventually picked this one, I’m so excited about it and I know the general gist of this plot but intentionally haven’t reread the blurb so it’s more of a surprise. I’m so excited that we are kicking things off in a matter of days and I’m really looking forward to seeing people join and discuss Middle Grade with us. If you were wondering, the MGM Twitter is live, we are still working on the various lists and the Goodreads but it should all be done this week!

Medieval-Athon

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I’ve got many many many books on this May TBR, so I’m not going to try to kill myself by making another 7-book TBR specifically for this, and Fiona from Fi’s Bibliofiles kindly pointed out that if I went for the 7 books I didn’t need to do any prompts, but you know me, I can’t say no. I’m going to try to wrangle a few books from my TBR into these prompts, it’s probably cheating but oh well aha. This is what I’ve got so far!

I’m going to go for Emperess because why the hell not! Also, I was super happy to see a little sword emoji, so I’m rolling with it!

⚔️ A Pristine Book – A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

⚔️ Start or Finish a Duology – The Arthurian Tales: Lancelot and Camelot by Giles Kristian

⚔️ A Book High on Your Bookshelf – The Summoned Ones by Darryl A. Woods

⚔️ Under 300 Pages – The Fall of Jack Edgerton by Robert C. Lee

⚔️ A Book Title that Begins with a “C” – Catalyst by Tracy Richardson

⚔️ A Book You Have High Expectations For – Promises Forged (#2) by Devri Walls

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Okay, I’ll admit, maybe I cheated, but at least I have managed to get 7 of my May TBR books into the Medieval-athon prompts, so that’s not too bad, right?

I think I have 26 books on this TBR? I honestly feel like I’ve forgotten something but I just can’t put my finger on what, it’s probably my self-conscious telling me to add one of the many books I have on my shelves here to the TBR. As I’m writing this I have read 28 books this month, I had an essay to write at the start of the month so I couldn’t read for a few days, so I feel quite confident about this month’s TBR. I have some challenge TBRs that I really, REALLY ned to get to, so I might try to tackle one or two if I have some extra time on my hands!

I’m really excited for all of these books and I can’t wait to start reading them all. What books do you have on your May TBR? Are you going to be participating in any Readathons this month? Or are you part of a book club? Tell me all about it in the comments!

Ohhhh, I nearly forgot, I’ve also seen a few people on Twitter and their blogs saying that they are taking part in the Hype-A-Thon this month and I just can’t begin to tell you how happy Noly and I are about this. Whenever I see someone talk about it, I send it to her and we have a little screaming session aha! Thank you so much also to all the wonderful people who said they wanted to join our book club, we are so happy to welcome you, and even though May is our little test run, we are so excited, but please bear with us, because we have no idea what we are doing aha!

That’s all for now (you could say it’s already quite a lot aha), I hope you enjoyed this overambition post. See you soon, stay safe,

Ellie xx