What I Read: May 2022
We MAY-de it through!
Are you reeling from all of the end-of-the school year festivities (and it’s only 4K!)? Have you, also, caught every cold your children have brought home all spring? Have you, too, got your garden in, but with a bit of sunburn to pay for it?
Feels like May.
We’ve had every kind of weather (41 degrees! 80+ degrees! Wet! Dry! Wind!). Every kind of emotion (anger, sadness, grief; elation, excitement, relief). And, thankfully for this newsletter, almost every kind of book (new ones, old favorites, hits and misses).
Here’s what I read in May:
Let’s Talk About Hard Things
by Anna Sale
I’ve never actually listened to Sale’s podcast, Death, Sex & Money, but I was intrigued by this on the library new release shelf after recently hearing Kate Bowler’s interview with Sale on Everything Happens. It was a good companion to Now What? as I anticipated, and I remember it being an enjoyable read — but 30 days later, I couldn’t tell you many specifics. Sale is a good writer, and I like the encouragement and examples of conversations that centered around tough topics: Death, Sex, Money, Family, Identity.
The Wordy Shipmates
by Sarah Vowell
This is nonfiction about the Puritans landing at Plymouth Rock and the subsequent years that follow. It’s also part political commentary, hilarious, and very, very stream-of-consciousness. As a history major and a nerd, I enjoyed it, but I have some criticisms. First, there are no chapters, just breaks in the text at unpredictable (and IMHO, too long) intervals. And second, I got to the end and thought, “What was the point?” I found this hard to read since there were no real breaks to gather your thoughts — it all felt like one big run-on. This is, apparently, a typical Sarah Vowell book, but I’ve never read others. If you are also a history nerd and enjoyed reading Anne Bradstreet poetry in Early American Lit (guilty!), I’d pick this one up. But it’s likely got a narrow audience beyond that.
Meet Me in the Margins: A Novel
by Melissa Ferguson
This is fluffy, easy literature that got me out of a reading slump that The Wordy Shipmates put me in. A book editor by day, Savannah Cade really wants to write — and not just anything, but Hallmark-style romances. The problem: her publishing house only puts out serious literature, and is very intense about the fact. When she accidentally leaves her manuscript in what she thinks is a secret hiding spot and comes back to find someone has edited it, she begins to hope that her story might just find the publishing house it needs — and that her mystery editor might turn out to be the love of her life. Cheesy, predictable, and distracting — exactly what it intended to be. Read it in one morning, only breaking to fix and eat breakfast.
Anne of Green Gables & Anne of Avonlea (audiobooks)
by Lucy Maud Montgomery
I listened to both of these on Spotify this month when the news was too heavy to take in via my usual podcasts. I have loved the Anne books since I was a child, and listening to them brought them to life in a whole new way. Heartily recommend listening to your favorites sometime!
Green Gables on Goodreads | Green Gables on Spotify
Avonlea on Goodreads | Avonlea on Spotify
What I’m reading with the kids:
Arthur & Audiobooks
Arthur (age 5) has fallen for audiobooks — he listens while he does his afternoon quiet time while his sister sleeps, and I can confirm that he does actually play more quietly while listening to a book. So far, he’s liked these (we’ve borrowed them all from our library, these are affiliate links to Libro.fm which supporst Indie bookstores):
The Henry Huggins Audio Collection by Beverly Cleary
Ramona the Brave by Beverly Cleary
The Big Foot and Little Foot Collection by Ellen Potter
The Wild Words Handbook: Creatures by Andrea Debbink
Summer Picture Books
We’ve also started checking out books about summer as we countdown to the end of our first year of school (three more days to go!). We’ll collect them as we read them on this list at Bookshop.org, but here’s the ones we’ve loved so far:
Goldfish on Vacation by Sally Lloyd-Jones: Based on a true and delightful story, with excellent illustrations. We’ll definitely be adding a copy to our shelves.
Everything You Need For a Treehouse by Cater Higgins and Emily Hughes: This is beautiful and poetic, but lacks a narrative arc.
Captain Jack and the Pirates by Peter Bently & Helen Oxenbury: From the illustrator of We’re Going on a Bear Hunt — fun and funny.
Florette by Anna Walker: So pretty! SO PRETTY. And what a cute story. I would live in this book.
A Perfect Day by Jennifer Yerkes: Really sparse words, cute illustrations focus on the sounds of summer.
The Golden Glow by Benjamin Flouw: This one is about a hiking fox in search of a special rare flower. A slight educational bent — but very story driven. We’ll probably buy a copy of this someday.
We’ve got a list of favorites for spring, winter, and Christmas, too!
What I’m reading next:
I haven’t touched The Making Biblical Womanhood in weeks, but it’s still on my nightstand. I want to really dig deep in that one, and May was not the month for it.
We’re headed out on vacation in June, and I always try to read a book set in the place where I’m going. This time, drumroll please… it’s Wisconsin! Ha. We’re heading up north to spend a week with friends at a cabin, but I do actually have a few unread books on my shelf that are set in Wisconsin, so maybe I’ll pull out one of those for the trip.
Teacher Gift: Books!
We’re wrapping up Arthur’s first year of school, and I confess: teacher gifts stump me. How much do you spend? What do you get that’s useful and personal, but also doesn’t make more clutter for them? I landed on books (of course).
We will gift his 4K classroom one book for each season: Goldfish on Vacation (summer), I Am Too Absolutely Small for School (fall), Red Sled (winter), and Spring for Sophie (spring). I’m going to see if I can get gift cards to the local coffee shop for each teacher, and maybe bake Arthur’s favorite cookie to package with a note from all of us.
If you’re a teacher, can you hit ‘reply’ and tell me if this is a truly terrible gift idea? Ha!
That’s it for May’s reading! Let us limp together into summer.
(Dare we ask it to be boring?)
I also loved Anne of Green Gables as a child. If you haven't seen "Anne with an E" on Netflix, it's well worth checking out. I was shocked by BOTH my teenagers loved it as much as I did. It's a rare show these days that the whole family likes! Hope all is well with you and yours!