Coffee Time Tuesdays caught me off-guard this week, with little to no progress or change in my bookish life since I last wrote this column.
But there are a few things I’d like to share today, one of which is supremely spontaneous. I’m curious if other readers have experienced the same thing.
As May is coming to an end, I thought I’d also share my reading wrap-up, which, compared to other months, is a little on the thinner side:
- Simon vs The Homo Sapiens Agenda, by Becky Albertalli — 4 stars, really cute and quick YA coming-of-age romance all about the idea of coming out
- Beautiful World, Where Are You? by Sally Rooney — 4 stars, wonderful exploration of existentialism, happiness, beauty and humanity
- Open Water, by Caleb Azumah Nelson — 5 stars, incredible portrayal of young Black love with all its social, political and emotional implications
I’ve been ticking off at least five books every month since the start of the year, so having a quieter month was going to happen at some point. But I do feel like I connected with the books I read in May on a more profound level, and I took longer to digest their themes.
It’s super gloomy in the North of England today and I woke up with the rain tapping on my ceiling window, so join me and my huge cup of coffee in sharing what we’re reading and thinking about this week.
What I’m Reading
Does it ever happen to anyone not to want to read anything on the last day of the month, so you can start fresh? Because that’s where I am now.
On Saturday, I finished the last book I’ll complete in May, and I spent some time with my audiobook, Written in the Stars by Alexandria Bellefleur, over the past couple of days, but I haven’t felt the urge to start anything new.
I’m still reading Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, and the more I share this in the current reads section, the more embarrassed I feel for taking so long to finish it. But I only read a little bit at a time. There’s a lot of information and wisdom in this book so I enjoy taking the time to assimilate some of the knowledge in it.
Little Fires Everywhere will have to be given another chance in June. I keep wanting to read it, but something stops me. I dread it, in a way. I’m a few chapters in and, although I can see Celeste Ng’s great writing shine, something about the world makes me hesitate.
Bookish Reflections: Do You Have Book Cravings?
This is the spontaneous idea I wanted to explore this week. Last night, as it was pouring it down outside and I was feeling lethargic, I got a very specific urge to start a true crime book.
Do you ever get specific cravings for books?
I always do, although lately, I’ve been trying to go by a structured TBR, rather than by feeling.
So, in June, I’ll start The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. This is the true story of serial killer H. H. Holmes, known for his numerous murders of young women at the Chicago World’s Fair of 1893.
I read Thunderstruck by Erik Larson two years ago and I loved how detailed and well-informed it was. At the end of the book, you get an insight into how Larson gathered all the information to put the book together.
Larson is a journalist and a skilled one at that. He basically creates true crime documentaries in book form. I’m excited to dive in.
Hot New Release
This week’s super hot new release is Phaedra Patrick’s The Messy Lives of Book People. It just came out today and it’s a books-focused mystery fiction, where a maid becomes good friends with her employer, who is an author. When the employer suddenly passes away, she’s tasked with her dying wish: completing her last novel.
How interesting, right? This plot sounds super promising. Stepping into an author’s shoes in order to continue their work is no easy feat. Writing novels is intimate, unique to each author, and hard to replicate. I think this will deal with some juicy bookish themes about writing, life and the emotional connection to our art.
Over to you. What are you reading this week and do you have a TBR planned for June? And please tell me I’m not the only freak who craves specific types of books.
Coffee Time Reviews 