May Wrap Up
Hello dear readers, how was your reading month?
May was a decent month for me. I finally read a five-star classic that had been on my TBR for quite some time. Overall, I read some quality books, but many of them dealt with heavy subject matter that is still sitting with me. I also tackled some hefty page counts, reading three books that were over 500 pages long.
I read 6 out of the 7 books on my TBR. To balance out some of the heavier reads, I picked up A Very Punchable Face by Colin Jost from Saturday Night Live, which provided some much-needed laughs.
As for ratings, I read one 5-star book, one 4.5-star book, three 4-star books, one 3.5-star book, and one 2.5-star book.
I also had a nice mix of genres this month: 2 horror novels, 2 science fiction novels, 2 mysteries, and 1 nonfiction memoir.
Books reviewed from worst to best:
2.5 Stars:
Night Objects by Eli Raphael is a literary fiction novel with a mystery element. It is a slow burn in every sense of the phrase. Liz Moore blurbed the cover, and if you enjoy her style of mystery that focus more on character choices than the mystery itself, then this book could be for you. I like Liz Moore, and her endorsement was one of the reasons I picked this up. However, where Moore’s novels hook me from the beginning, Night Objects did not.
Night Objects is an okay novel. There are moments when Raphael’s writing really shines, but there are also long stretches where the story struggles to find its footing. The ending is genuinely good, but I’m not sure every reader will make it that far. If you enjoy Liz Moore’s style of literary mystery, this may be worth trying.
3.5 Stars:
You Me Her by Sue Watson is a domestic thriller set in England. The premise is a couple with a child have just moved to an estate on the coast. The realtor who scored the deal won’t leave the house or the family behind until she becomes part of them.
You Me Her is a fast-paced page turner. The chapters often end on reveals that compel you to keep reading. This is the perfect book to get out of a reading slump.
You Me Her is a fun, quick, and easy read. The pacing moves very fast, making it a perfect reading slump book. I think this is a great thriller for newer mystery readers, and the pool subplot elevated it above an average domestic thriller for me. Most of the twists and turns made sense, and I had a good time reading it.
4 Stars:
A Very Punchable Face by Colin Jost is a memoir about growing up on Staten Island, New York, and eventually making it to Saturday Night Live.
The memoir focuses more on Colin’s childhood and early life than his years at SNL. The stories are consistently funny, and he is willing to expose a lot of vulnerability while also having absolutely no shame about certain topics. He talks multiple times about pooping his pants, and some of those stories are genuinely hilarious.
A Very Punchable Face is a very funny memoir with a few meaningful life lessons mixed in. The book is packed with entertaining anecdotes and memorable stories. Jost avoids badmouthing people, though he does lightly hint that Russell Crowe was not the warmest SNL host.
Readers looking specifically for behind the scenes SNL stories may come away slightly disappointed because only about 30 to 35 percent of the memoir focuses on the show itself. The larger focus is on Jost’s upbringing and personal life. Even so, I thought the memoir delivered plenty of laughs, though I still wanted a little more SNL lore.
Empire of Silence by Christopher Ruocchio is an epic, world building science fiction novel. The story takes place far in the future after Earth is long gone. Humanity has spread across the stars, colonized new galaxies, and established a massive empire with strict hierarchies and social classes. Humans have evolved over centuries and now face ancient alien enemies who ruled this section of space long before humanity arrived.
The character we follow is Hadrian Marlowe, who tells his story from a jail cell 1,000 years in the future. We already know from the beginning that he is infamous for destroying a sun.
Empire of Silence is a strong foundation for the seven-book Sun Eater series. It establishes the world, lore, characters, and long-term conflicts very effectively. By the end, I absolutely wanted more.
The prose and terminology can feel intimidating at first, much like Dune, but the deeper you get into the novel the easier it becomes to settle into the world and writing style.
I completely understand why some readers bounce off this book early, but for me the ending delivered enough payoff, intrigue, and emotional weight to make me excited for the rest of the series.
I Know a Place by Nat Cassidy is a novella and short story collection. It follows the same structure as Skeleton Crew by Stephen King, who Cassidy is a massive fan of and who also wrote the introduction for I Know a Place. The novella Rest Stop comes first, much like The Mist opens Skeleton Crew, followed by the short stories.
Rest Stop sets the tone for the collection, and that tone is “hold on to your butts” because anything can happen. The novella thrilled and scared me. I have not been to a rest stop since reading it, but when I do, I will probably think about this story. It is a literal locked door horror story, and the twists and turns are amazing for such a short novella.
I Know a Place contains 1 novella, 1 poem, and 10 short stories. There is also a special Barnes and Noble edition with bonus content.
I Know a Place is a strong horror collection filled with memorable imagery and unique ideas. Cassidy has put scenes into my brain that I will probably never forget. I will never look at rest stops or googly eyes the same way again.
Not every story worked for me, but every story felt unique and completely different from the last. Some focus on shocking twists, while others lean into pure unsettling horror that refuses to let you look away.
4.5 Stars:
The Curse of Hester Gardens by Tamika Thompson is a unique haunted house novel where, instead of a single house, the haunting consumes an entire housing project. The characters are haunted by past acts of violence, and the cycle keeps repeating until it creates an entity that curses the projects, ensuring no one leaves unscathed.
The Curse of Hester Gardens is a powerful debut novel. Thompson creates a community filled with characters who feel fully alive, each with their own heart and soul. The novel is deeply character driven, with people behaving in ways that feel slightly off because of the influence of the curse. That is a difficult balance to pull off, and Thompson handles it masterfully. The book rarely feels like a debut.
The novel makes strong statements about poverty, gun violence, religion, parenting, and policing. It asks difficult questions about the cyclical nature of violence and the culture surrounding guns.
This is elevated horror done right. The horror elements are effective, but the novel also has something meaningful to say. The housing projects are already cursed by society itself, and the ghosts simply make that curse visible.
If you enjoy Jason Reynolds and want something aimed at an older audience, this book is absolutely worth reading. Both Long Way Down and The Curse of Hester Gardens confront the cycle of gun violence through ghost stories.
5 Stars:
Kindred by Octavia E. Butler is a science fiction historical novel. The story leans far more into historical fiction than science fiction. I would compare it to Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, since both stories use time travel but are ultimately more focused on their historical settings.
The basic plot is that on Dana’s 26th birthday she is magically sent back to 1800s America to save her heir. Dana is Black, while her heir is white, and she must repeatedly save him to ensure her own existence. To him she is almost an angel, but to everyone else she is treated as a slave.
The book takes a hard look at the atrocities committed against enslaved people in America. Butler holds nothing back. It is an unflinching portrayal of what slavery was really like. You cannot help but empathize with the enslaved people as they plot escape and cling to hope. You keep wishing the white slave owners would wake up one day and treat other human beings with decency and humanity.
Kindred is a frequently banned book due to its depictions of slavery and sexual assault, but it is also a common book club selection because there is so much to discuss and debate within its pages.
Kindred is an easy book to read stylistically, but emotionally it is difficult to stomach. I recommend reading Kindred for a better understanding of America’s often brutal history. The novel shows how far society has come while also reminding readers there is still work left to do, especially regarding race and equality.
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