May 2021 was a slow reading month for me. I blogged much more than I read, which was unusual, but all thanks to the wonderful Wyrd And Wonder challenge. The link has all the posts for that challenge, most of these being SFF rec lists, but one standout read was Susanna Clarke’s Piranesi.
Aside from that, here’s a wrap-up for the month.
Lang Leav’s The Universe of Us
A very short book, with poems of varying length. These are all love/ heartbreak poems, but I think we can view them from a non-romantic lens too. I’m sure we’ve all had friends and loved ones with whom we had a parting, Lang’s poetry would ring true for those relationships as well. Rating: B–
K.S. Villoso’s Chronicles of the Bitch Queen series
Queen Talyien is the daughter of a military general, and her husband is heir of a more prosperous neighboring kingdom. Their marriage was intended as a treaty to end the war between the two kingdoms. Nothing doing. She and her young son are abandoned by her husband right before their coronation, and the treaty almost falls apart because of a proposed partition.
Overnight, Talyien becomes the Bitch Queen who couldn’t keep the marriage and the lands together. And then there are dragons on the outskirts, mad dragons just waiting to wreak havoc… It’s just one obstacle after another for Talyien, and her crises are crises of national importance. How do a queen and her people survive?
The tone of the books is tense, and the dialogue is superbly written. But fair warning: I think the Chronicles are not meant for binge-reading, you really need a break now and then from the relentless tension. A strong politically-charged series. Rating: 8 of 10.
The Twilight of Avalon series by Anne Elliott
This was recommended by Lauren at Always Me. The series is a retelling of Tristan and Isolde legend, and since I like all things Arthurian lore, this was right up my alley.
The characterizations are superb, and I think the historical tone is pretty accurate too. The author doesn’t flinch from talking about the harsh life conditions and the brutality or bigotry of the period. It’s all there, and might trigger some readers. This is no feel-good representation, but it was still un-put-down-able (I hope this is a word!).
The plot is more important than the ill-fated (supposedly) romance of Tristan and Isolde, and the author mixes fact and fiction in interesting ways. Rating: 8 of 10
She Stoops to Conquer by Oliver Smith
Goodreads recommended She Stoops to Conquer for comedies of manners. This is an old comedy play from 1773, and is apparently quite well-known. Much mistaken identity confusion happens when a suitor mistakes his fiance’s home as an inn and his prospective father-in-law as the innkeeper. It definitely surprised me with all the, er, bawdier references for a play of that era. There are multiple dramatizations floating on YouTube, might give it a try if you want something lighter. Rating: B+
What was May like for you? Read much, or blogged much? Tell me about your standout reads or shows that you binge-watched!
16 replies on “Monthly Wrap-Up: May 2021”
That sounds like a lot of reading to me, and like you mostly enjoyed it, which is the most important part.
I did less blogging in May mostly because I needed to do more gardening.
I’ve wondered often about picking up gardening. It seems like something both engrossing and meaningful, and definitely a lot less lazier than just reading! Seems like a wonderful hobby.
It looks like May was a great reading month. I haven’t read Anne Elliott’s Twilight of Avalon – but as I loved her Crown of Stars epic fantasy series, I’d probably enjoy it. The Bitch Queen series looks good, too – love those covers! I was in our college production of She Stoops To Conquer as Lydia Languish – huge fun! I hope June is a successful reading month for you, too:).
Oh, the college production sounds wonderful. Must have been loads of fun. It’s too bad I discovered this play so late, and I was quite amazed by how different it was from some of the other literature of the time. I haven’t tried Crown of Stars, thanks for the rec!
You convinced me to try Piranesi!
I really hope you do! It’s such a cross-over between different genres, I think you won’t mind the SFF elements.
Arthurian lore! Always interested in that. And especially when it’s realistic (even though I like fantasy, the gritty realism is always appreciated).
I hadn’t been expecting the realism / historical accuracy, and it caught me by surprise. I was impressed!
It might have been slow reading but sounds like you read some great stuff! Piranesi is on my TBR but I’m now going to add The Universe of Us and Twilight of Avalon. Those sound really good. Hope June is going to be a great reading month!
Hmm, Universe of Us can be/ should be read in bits and pieces. But Avalon was really good. Hope June goes great for you as well!
Piranesi – yes. The Avolon series – maybe. She stoops to conquer – if I can get hold of it!
No Six Degrees this month?
Have a good week and month Lex!
No #6Degrees this month. For some reason, Bass Rock was just too intimidating. 🙁 And YouTube has several versions of She Stoops to Conquer — try it out when you need some less challenging watch!
Arthurian lore has always interested me, too! I finished up Legendborn in May, which was a modern Black girl magic retelling of the Arthurian legend. If you’re up for a YA take on King Arthur in the modern age, you might want to look into that one.
I remember you talking about Legendborn! I try to avoid YA, but the retelling sounds too good to miss out on.
The Bitch Queen covers are gorgeous!! I have the first book in the series somewhere and I’m looking forward to reading it. 😀
And I’m glad you loved Piranesi, it’s such an odd little book but it’s a really good one. 😀
I hope you’ll like Villoso’s series. Might want to mix it up with other lighter reads, otherwise it can overwhelm!