May 2021 Update pt. 1

Good news! May's reading has been numerous enough to warrant a mid-month wrap up. I've read 5 books so far this month. And I'm working on 3 more. That's more than I read in all of April, so I'm feeling accomplished. Let's review.

Jane Austen's Names: Riddles, Persons, Places by Margaret Doody - FINALLY!!! According to Goodreads, I originally started reading this in January of 2016. In March of that year, I put it back on my to-read shelf where it sat until I drew it from my Least Anticipated Jar for April. I didn't finish it in April, but I did finish it May 1. As it turns out, the Riddles section, which came first, was the driest, dullest, most snooze-inducing section. When I started in again with Persons, it went pretty smoothly. The print was small, so it still took some time, but it was much easier to comprehend.

Crazy Brave by Joy Harjo - This is the work book club book for this section. It is an easy read, insofar as there is a lot of white space on the page and includes poems and artwork. It's also pretty small. It's about Harjo's coming of age in Tulsa and New Mexico and it's really moving.

Class Act by Jerry Craft - This is a Middle Grade graphic novel about a kid who goes to a fancy schmancy school for arts and is one of the only black kids there. He talks about the micro-agressions he deals with, and the assumptions people make about him, based on his skin color. Also, one of his closest friends is ridiculously wealthy which makes him feel weird about hanging out with him. He has to work out who he is and what he will tolerate. And where he can provide education to his classmates and school leadership.

Sanditon by Jane Austen and Kate Riordan - Andrew Davies (he of BBC Pride and Prejudice fame) took the original 60 pages of Austen's final, unfinished novel and wrote a screenplay for a TV show. Riordan novelized the TV show script and made this book. I enjoyed being in the Regency era again, but it wasn't Austen. For sure. It was fun if you don't think too hard about how Austen would NOT have added some of this plot. See my full review for more of my thoughts.

Glimpsed by G. F. Miller - I feel kind of dumb for really really liking this book. It's a YA romance, but it was fun. Charity is a fairy godmother. It's hereditary. She can see "glimpses" of a person's deepest wish. Then she works to grant it. After one of her wishes ends horribly, she realizes a boy knows about her. Sort of. He knows she is "messing with people's lives", particularly his former best friend and secret crush who is now dating the football quarterback. He wants her to stop. But when she tries to ignore a glimpse, she gets really sick for several days. He vows to help her learn to control her gift and she vows to help him get his friend/girlfriend back. So they fake date. GLEE! I love fake dating. It's so cute and the ending is fab.

So those are the five books I've read so far in May. I will most likely finish one more this weekend. Maybe 2. But we'll talk about that tomorrow in my Friday Reads post.

What have you read so far this month?