Reading is my oldest and favorite hobby. I literally can’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t love to curl up with a good book. Here are my reads for May, 2023.

Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors (The Rajes #1), by Sonali Dev – I’m always on the lookout for a good Jane Austen adaptation and this was a fun one – gender-swapped. Trisha Raje is a brilliant surgeon but all her brains can’t help her relate to her wealthy family; DJ Caine is an up-and-coming chef hired to cater Trisha’s brother’s political fundraiser. When DJ and Trisha get off on the wrong foot, misunderstandings abound… and so does the romantic tension. Not great literature, but a fun read.

A Countryman’s Spring Notebook, by Adrian Bell – Ever since Slightly Foxed published its collection of Bell’s winter nature columns and hinted at plans for a series, I’ve been hoping for this book! It was every bit as good as its predecessor and a total joy from the first page to the last.

Quidditch Through the Ages, by J.K. Rowling a.k.a. Kennilworthy Whisp – My little guy brought this home from the elementary school library and I took advantage of his early bedtime to read it for myself (bookish mom moment!). A quick read, but such fun.

Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, by Judy Blume – This was a re-read – my work book club selected it for our inaugural meeting. It was fun to re-visit Margaret; I hadn’t read the book since 2015, when I was in a newborn Nugget haze, and I had forgotten almost all of the details. And then I ended up unable to make the meeting.

Curtain (Hercule Poirot #44), by Agatha Christie – I had an episode of Shedunnit on detective swan songs, which contained major plot spoilers, and which I’d been saving until I finally got around to reading this – check, both the book and the podcast. It was a brilliant mystery and a fitting send-off for Hercule Poirot.

Sinister Spring, by Agatha Christie – Guess I was still in the mood for murder and mayhem, because next I picked up this collection of spring-themed mysteries. A fun romp! Lots of jewel heists in this one; classic.

The Three Musketeers, by Alexandre Dumas – Full review (for the Classics Club) to come, but I really enjoyed this swashbuckling, silly whopper of a book.

Letter from New York, by Helene Hanff – I don’t know how this one escaped my notice for so long – I loved 84, Charing Cross Road – but when Manderley Press announced that they were publishing this classic collection of Helene Hanff’s BBC Women’s Hour broadcasts in a gorgeous new edition, I grabbed it. It’s a love letter to Manhattan and a complete delight to read. I loved every word.

Coronation, by Paul Gallico – I bought this cute little hardback on a whim because of the Coronation and really enjoyed it. It follows a working class family who decide to sacrifice their summer holiday in order to travel to London for the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II – and of course, things don’t go to plan. A quick read and very sweet.

A Nature Poem for Every Spring Evening, ed. Jane McMorland Hunter – I have loved reading Jane McMorland Hunter’s daily selections of nature poetry for the past two seasons! This one covers March through May and includes a lovely poem – including some old favorites and introducing some new favorites – for each evening. So far there hasn’t been any announcement of a continuation of this series into summer, but I continue to hope.

Quite a month! May is always a big reading month for me – probably because it’s a long month. It was a good one, too; I enjoyed everything I read this month. There were definite highlights, though… Helene Hanff’s Letter from New York was one of the most delightful books I’ve read in a very long time – maybe ever. (And inspired me to order two of her lesser-known books, Apple of My Eye and Q’s Legacy, from AbeBooks – they’ve just arrived so I’m looking forward to more of her lovely writing in the coming days. A Countryman’s Spring Notebook was another highlight, and I really hope Slightly Foxed is able to continue the series and publish Bell’s nature columns for every season. And any month that includes Agatha Christie is a good month, too – Curtain was a fitting farewell to Poirot and Sinister Spring such a fun collection (with a pretty cover!). Goodness, I was busy in May.

What were your bookish highlights for May?