I read a real mix of books in May - some brand new books I was excited for, some surprise book mail that I loved, as well as some adventures on audiobook! Here’s what I got up to…
The Fellowship Of The Ring by JRR Tolkein (audiobook)
I’ve been trying and failing to read LOTR for years. But, I love and adore fantasy, and feel like I really ought to have read LOTR as a fantasy fan. Also, I really want to watch the films, and I refuse to do that until I’ve read the books. So, I’m finding the only way to get through these properly dense books is on audio, read by Rob Inglis. I actually really enjoyed this, even if from time to time I zoned out (does every character feel the need to explain everything at such LENGTH?). And it was a bit of a beast - 20 hours is possibly the longest audiobook I’ve ever finished. But I did enjoy it, and want to find out what happens next!
Burn by Patrick Ness
This was one of my most hyped books of 2020. A new Patrick Ness is always an excuse to get excited, in my book, and this certainly didn’t disappoint. Set in the 1950s, it all starts when a dragon comes to work on the family farm. But really, this is a twisty, mind-blowing, multi-layered adventure about what sort of a world people want to live in, set in a time of change but also of great division. I absolutely loved it.
The next three books I read were all proofs sent to me by Walker as part of my work for my local independent bookshop, and all views are my own!
Blood Moon by Lucy Cuthew
I’ve been wanting to read more verse novels for ages, so I was excited to see this arrive in the post! It’s all about breaking down taboos around periods, told through the lens of teenagers being… well, teenagers. Frankie fancies this boy called Benjamin, and when they’re together her period starts. But then it gets out at school, and all of the intolerances and shame around periods are brought to the fore - and this story is about challenging those. I thought it was really excellent. Would be a great choice if you’re a fan of books like Holly Bourne’s Spinster Club - although Blood Moon is more understated, I think. (And I liked that about it!)
Wonderscape by Jennifer Bell
This is a middle grade book that’s sold as Jumanji meets Ready Player One. I haven’t watched or read either of those books, but I figured I was in for some video game adventuring! Things started more rapidly than I was expecting, but once I settled in to this, I absolutely adored the in-reality video game world that Bell created. There are guest appearances from amazing figures in history (that I would loved to have learned about through this book as a kid!) and honestly, my overwhelming feeling when I finished this book was I WANT TO PLAY THIS VIDEO GAME. Will be recommending to all MG readers!
Every Little Piece Of My Heart by Non Pratt
I honestly hadn’t expected to get a copy of this for at least another month, so when I actually received it, I full on squealed with excitement. And it didn’t disappoint. It felt Sara Barnard-esque in terms of atmosphere (although that’s how I describe most authentic, awkward, serious-undertones UKYA contemporary, to be fair) and so very Non in terms of characters. There are four perspectives in this book, and they all knew Freya - who’s disappeared. And so they have to piece together their clues, address the ways in which they all knew her, and figure out how to move forwards. It’s absolutely bloody marvellous and you should all pre-order this immediately. I read most of it in one evening because I was so sucked in to the world I couldn’t bear to look up. Also, I think Sunny is my fave.
After these proofs all impressed me so much, I really didn’t know what to read! So I attempted to tackle my backlist…
Aristotle and Dante Discover The Secrets Of The Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
I really dithered after finishing Non’s upcoming book, and so I decided to pick a book I’d been meaning to read for years - Ari and Dante. Reading it now was a really interesting experience, because it’s the sort of book that teen emo me would have ADORED, because I think comparatively speaking I was a fairly insular teen but also had no social media. So that was fun. This book follows Ari and Dante’s friendship. I loved how different they were, how earnest Dante was, how the author deals with the ordinary trials and tribulations of growing up. It felt like a real teen throwback, which I loved. I also found the ending really interesting - I thought it could have gone two ways, and while I like the ending as it is, I wouldn’t have been mad about it being the alternative, either.
A Darkness of Dragons by S.A. Patrick
This was great fun! A proper medieval-inspired fantasy adventure featuring friendships, hijinks, mild peril, and a sassy dracogriff. Oh, and it plays around with the story of the Pied Piper. Such absolutely wonderful fun! Patch was an apprentice Piper, until he left under circumstances he won’t tell anyone about. But when he tries to save a town from a rat infestation using a forbidden tune on his definitely forbidden pipe, all manner of chaos is unleashed. It brings back memories of the evil Piper of Hamelyn, who nobody dares to speak about… A really enjoyable and fun read - exactly the sort of magical romp I love from middle grade fantasy. I’m excited for the sequel!
Threads of Magic by Alison Croggon
Alison Croggon is one of my favourite authors. Her Books of Pellinor are staples of my bookshelf, and when I heard she was releasing a middle grade adventure, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy! I also found it really interesting to read this off the back of A Darkness of Dragons, which was really fast-paced. It’s impossible to race through an Alison Croggon book. The writing is too intricate and the threads of the plot so interesting that to whizz through means you might miss something important. And the slow build of this book is what I really liked about it. A really great book for the top end of middle grade, moving in to the lower end of YA fantasy.
And that’s what I read in May! Have you read any of these? What did you think? Let me know!
