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It’s time to wrap up all the books we read in May 2024!
We managed to knock over all the books on our May TBR – woot woot! We had a few 5 star reads, and a good handful of books that weren’t the best (in our opinion) and were shipped off to a new home with our blessing.
I strongly believe that life is too short to continue reading a book you’re not enjoying. All hail the DNF (Did Not Finish)!
Some quick stats before we get into the book reviews:
Keep in mind that we all come at books with a different mindset and preference, so just because I didn’t love a book – or thought it was the bees knees – doesn’t mean you’ll think the same. And that’s great! Grab a copy of any of the books on this list and let us know your thoughts!
We always encourage you to source books from your local independent bookshop. However, we understand this is sometimes not practical based on location or budget.
Therefore, this post contains Amazon affiliate links. This means, if you click on the link and purchase the book from that link, I get a few dollars at no extra cost to you! This way we can both stock up on new reads! 😀
Happy Reading, Friends!
This is a stand-alone novel.
In the fall of 1863, the Union Army is in control of the Mississippi River and much of Louisiana, including New Orleans and Baton Rouge. The retreating Confederate army is being replaced by Red Legs, irregulars commanded by a maniacal figure, and enslaved men and women are beginning to glimpse freedom. When Hannah Laveau, an enslaved woman working on the Lufkin plantation, is accused of murder, she goes on the run with Florence Milton, an abolitionist schoolteacher, dodging the local constable and the slave catchers that prowl the bayous. Wade Lufkin, haunted by what he observed-and did-as a surgeon on the battlefield, has returned to his uncle’s plantation to convalesce, where he becomes enraptured by Hannah.
"Let people tell you war is grand, and do not reprove them. Let them tell you the jingle of the sword and spurs and the whooshing sounds of a mounted knights armour are the music of a medieval balladeer, and do not reprove them. But never let them tell you there is rhyme or reason to war, lest you join the lunatics who have perpetuated its suffering from the cave to the present.' (p218)
I love James Lee Burke’s writing, he always manages to capture a sense of place so well. This book alternates character perspective each chapter, which I often don’t enjoy – but in this story it worked well to showcase how everyone tends to see themselves in a gracious light, while their actions to others may seem the polar opposite. There is a constant undercurrent of violence throughout the novel – as the story is set during a very volatile time – and content warning for sexual assault. This was hard to read at times, but also an interesting glimpse into a place and period of history I know little about. ‘Flags on the Bayou’ also won Best Novel in the 2024 Edgar Awards!
This is a stand-alone novel.
Maggie MacKellar describes a year on a Merino wool farm on the east coast of Tasmania, and all of life – and death – that surrounds her through the cycle of lambing seasons. She gives us the land she knows and loves, the lambs she cares for, the ewes she tries to save, the birds around her, and the dogs and horses she adores. This book is a stunning thanksgiving for a place and a moment in motherhood; and a timely reminder of the inescapable elemental laws of nature.
This was just what I’d hoped it would be, and I seriously recommend listening to the audio version – such a rich description of life on the land. The book itself also has bird drawings throughout so also make sure to get your hands on a hard copy. I thought Maggie did a great job of weaving personal stories of motherhood and finding a sense of self, amongst the lambing and animal life on the farm. A wonderful book and I’d definitely read more from the author. ‘Graft’ was long listed for the 2024 Stella Prize.
This is Book Two in the ‘Dangerous Damsels‘ series.
Charlotte Pettifer belongs to a secret society skilled in witchcraft. Rakish pirate Alex O’Riley has no time for her kind. Because witches and pirates are sworn enemies. So when Charlotte is forced to enlist in Alex’s help, the tension between them is immediate. But little do they know, sparks are about to fly …
I went into this one thinking it would be another 5 star read – I really enjoyed the first book in this series. Unfortunately this one didn’t hold my interest. I’m still very much a fan of the world this series is set in – cool flying houses and rivalry between the pirates and the witches. The story in this second instalment though, just felt lacking for me. Maybe I was missing the original characters from the first book. If you took out all the crooked smiles and unnecessary swooning here, there wouldn’t be much left in terms of character development. I had no interest in the romance and gave this one up at the 50% mark. I do own the third book and will give it a go as a tie breaker for the series down the track.
This is a stand-alone novel.
Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing. But it’s the early 1960s and her all-male team at Hastings Research Institute take a very unscientific view of equality. Forced to resign, she reluctantly signs on as the host of a cooking show, Supper at Six. But her revolutionary approach to cooking, fuelled by scientific and rational commentary, grabs the attention of a nation. Soon, a legion of overlooked housewives find themselves daring to change the status quo. One molecule at a time.
This is a very popular book and now TV show – unfortunately I didn’t get the hype with this one. It felt clunky and thematically heavy handed. It lost me very early on with a graphic scene of sexual assault, and I just couldn’t connect with the main character. I also expected more of the cooking show – seeing it develop and grow, but that doesn’t really kick in until later, I hear. Reading other reviews, I’m sad I didn’t get to spend more time with that dog – he seems to have been a hit. This is a hard-pass from me, I’m afraid.
This is a stand-alone novel.
In the island paradise, Prospera’s lucky citizens enjoy long, fulfilling lives until the monitors embedded in their forearms, meant to measure their physical health and psychological well-being, fall below 10 percent. Then they retire themselves, embarking on a ferry ride to the island known as the Nursery, where their failing bodies are renewed, their memories are wiped clean, and they are readied to restart life afresh. Proctor Bennett, of the Department of Social Contracts, has a satisfying career as a ferryman, gently shepherding people through the retirement process–and, when necessary, enforcing it. But all is not well with Proctor. For one thing, he’s been dreaming–which is supposed to be impossible in Prospera. For another, his monitor percentage has begun to drop alarmingly fast. And then comes the day he is summoned to retire his own father, who gives him a disturbing and cryptic message before being wrestled onto the ferry. Soon Proctor finds himself questioning everything he once believed, entangled with a much bigger cause than he realised–and on a desperate mission to uncover the truth.
Phew, this was a chunker! I cheated a bit and started this at the tail end of April on account of the size of the book spooked me. I wanted to give myself plenty of time to read it during the month, though funnily enough, I flew through it in a few days. While I enjoyed the story and writing for the most part – by the end I was feeling a bit cold and meh towards the characters. I had a suspicion of what might be going on, about 2/3rds of the way through. When that was confirmed, I kind of lost interest. I would have liked the story to be a bit darker, and perhaps reduce the number of characters to better the chances of connecting with the core cast. I’d definitely read more of Cronin’s writing, as he reads really well. Onwards and upwards!
This is a stand-alone book.
In this masterpiece of nature writing, Nan Shepherd describes her journeys into the Cairngorm mountains of Scotland. There she encounters a world that can be breathtakingly beautiful at times and shockingly harsh at others. Her intense, poetic prose explores and records the rocks, rivers, creatures and hidden aspects of this remarkable landscape. Shepherd spent a lifetime in search of the ‘essential nature’ of the Cairngorms; her quest led her to write this classic meditation on the magnificence of mountains, and on our imaginative relationship with the wild world around us. Composed during the Second World War, the manuscript of The Living Mountain lay untouched for more than thirty years before it was finally published.
When I pick up nature writing or non-fiction exploration books – I’m never entirely sure what I’m looking for. An ideal mix would be a medley of walking, nature writing and interesting inner dialogue from the writer – which I’m sure is contained in this well-loved book. I just wasn’t in the right head space for this book at this time and felt it was missing the hook that could transport me to the mountain. Glad I gave it a try though. This is part of a series called ‘The Grampian Quartet‘, but can be read separately.
This is Book One in ‘The Deadlands’ series.
Battle rages between the dinosaur kingdoms of Cretacea. When the Fallen Star struck, it brought death and despair, ash and toxic rain. But some dinosaurs survived and were changed. Their minds grew alert. They learned to speak. To dream. To wage war. As the two remaining dinosaur kingdoms fight for territory, Eleri, the disgraced son of a prince, is exiled from his home for saving an enemy soldier. Banished to the merciless Deadlands, a terrifying desert full of tar pits, poisonous gas, and ruthless carnivores, he must join forces with a group of questionable allies―including the enemy soldier he saved―to avoid becoming prey. When Eleri and his fellow exiles discover the horrific truth behind the war, the unlikely heroes must do all they can to save their kingdoms from a lurking predator and a secret plot that might destroy them all.
I got about half way through this book and realised it wasn’t for me. This will definitely have a (younger) audience, and I’m sad that the dinosaur antics didn’t hold my attention. The pacing was a little slow for me, and I didn’t really connect with the Oryctodromeus lol. I love dinosaurs and happy that this made it onto the 2023 Aurealis Awards list – however I need a little more bite in my cretaceous fiction it appears. Would happily watch a TV or movie version of this though, so my lack of connection may also boil down to the fact I have no attention span.
This is Book 2 in the ‘Slow Horses‘ series.
From the Intelligence Service purgatory that is Slough House, where disgraced spies are sent to see out the dregs of their careers, Jackson Lamb is on his way to Oxford, where a former spook has turned up dead on a bus. Dickie Bow was a talented streetwalker once, good at following people and bringing home their secrets. He was in Berlin with Lamb, back in the day. But he’s not an obvious target for assassination in the here and now. On Dickie’s phone Lamb finds the last message he ever left, which hints that an old-time Moscow-style op is being run in the Intelligence Service’s back-yard. Once a spook, always a spook, and even being dead doesn’t mean you can’t uncover secrets. Dickie Bow might have tailed his last target, but Lamb and his crew of no-hopers are about to go live.
"Near his feet a pigeon scratched the ground in imitation of a bird that might make an effort." (p41)
Another enjoyable read – feeling lucky to have stumbled across Mick Herron’s writing (though he’s very popular and I may be the last one to realise it). This is Book 2 in the ‘Slow Horses‘ series, and we learn a bit more about our cast of characters. Even sidelined, they’re keeping the MI5 accountable. I’m LOVING Jackson Lamb as a character and will definitely check out the TV series once I get a few more books in to avoid any potential spoilers. If you’re in the mood for a well-paced, well-written crime series – then I’d definitely recommend giving this series a try.
This is a stand-alone novel.
For generations, every Frankenstein has found their true love and equal, unlocking lifetimes of blissful wedded adventure. Clever, pretty (and odd) Angelika Frankenstein has run out of suitors and fears she may become the exception to this family rule. When assisting in her brother Victor’s ground-breaking experiment to bring a reassembled man back to life, she realises that having an agreeable gentleman convalescing in the guest suite might be a chance to let a man get to know the real her. For the first time, Angelika embarks upon a project that is all her own.
Frankenstein = cool. Sassy main character who’s not weirded out by the science her brother is doing = cool. What wasn’t cool? This gross book lol. I just could not get onboard reading spicy scenes about a corpse – no matter how lifelike he is. He didn’t even want to be there and was quite upfront with saying – thanks for bringing me back to life, I suppose, but I don’t really want to be your boyf. Angelika is a very entitled and delusional character, and there was some very off putting consent issues going on here. She could probably do with someone to talk to that isn’t reanimated.
This is a stand-alone novel.
It’s been 25 years since the shocking disappearance of a female student and the distinguished Creative Writing professor who died while searching for her. The Briarwood College community has never forgotten the double tragedy. Now, the college President is bringing together faculty, donors, and alumni to honour the victims from all those years ago. On a cold December weekend after the fall semester has ended, guests gather on the vacant campus for the commemoratory event. But as a storm descends, people begin to depart, leaving a group of alumni who were the last ones taught by the esteemed professor. Recriminations and old rivalries flare as they recall the writing projects they shared as classmates, including chilling horror stories they each wrote about their greatest fears. When an alumna dies in a shockingly similar way to the story she wrote, and then another succumbs to a similar fate, they realise someone has decided at long last to avenge the crimes of the past. Will the secret of what they did 25 years ago be revealed Will any of them be alive at the end of the weekend to find out.
The atmosphere of this book carried me through to the end, as opposed to the storyline. We read from dual timelines, which I’m not usually a fan of – but worked well together here. We’re also with the same cast of characters – just different ages in varying chapters. When our main cast are drawn back to the College for a memorial, they start being killed off one-by-one. I can’t say that I loved any of the characters – we focus mainly on Nell, who is now the Dean of the College, and was quite passive and easily-lead when she was with the group in her Uni days. Everyone seemed to either blindly support or betray their friends at the drop-of-a-hat. I’d read more from Goodman, however this one was just ok for me. This book was nominated for the Simon & Schuster Mary Higgins Clark Award, as part of the 2024 Edgar Awards.
This is Book One in the ‘Oxford Mysteries‘ series.
Jesus College, Oxford, 1881. An undergraduate is found dead at his lodgings and the medical examination reveals some shocking findings. When the young man’s guardian blames the college for his death and threatens a scandal, Basil Rice, a Jesus College fellow with a secret to hide, is forced to act and finds himself drawn into Sidney Parker’s sad life. The mystery soon attracts the attention of Rhiannon ‘Non’ Vaughan, a young Welsh polymath and one of the young women newly admitted to university lectures. But when neither the college principal nor the powerful ladies behind Oxford’s new female halls will allow her to become involved, Non’s fierce intelligence and determination to prove herself drive her on. Both misfits at the university, Non and Basil form an unlikely partnership, and it soon falls to them to investigate the mysterious circumstances of Parker’s death. But between corporate malfeasance and snake-oil salesmen, they soon find the dreaming spires of Oxford are not quite what they seem.
On the tin, this looks right up my street. Historical murder mystery with a plucky female lead barrelling around an old-timey setting. Sadly, I was just bored and ditched it ahead of a book slump. Our main character ‘Non’, was unlikeable and seemed to dismiss every other female character that she was supposedly trying to trail blaze for and with, as an idiot. Very heavy handed modern moral messaging superimposed on a historical character, and it never quite sat right. This book was nominated for both a Gold and Historical Dagger in the 2024 CWA Dagger Awards, so I’m sure it will appeal to some readers – just not a series I’ll continue with. Side Note, typing ‘modern moral messaging’ sent me into a Gilbert and Sullivan song spiral – just fyi.
This is a stand-along novel.
Sibyl is the apprentice hotel witch at the splendid Grand Mirror Hotel. She is busy each day, under the watchful eye of her grandmother, drawing useful spell patterns to keep the hotel guests happy- spells to shine shoes, spells to make the pastry chef’s cakes rise, spells to remove dust and spells to return lost things like hats and gloves to their owners. But Sibyl dreams of other possibilities-possibilities like her mother returning from the Black Mountains, and like Grandma letting her draw spell patterns from the Book of Advanced and Dangerous Magic. When Grandma gets stuck in last Tuesday, somewhere on the hotel’s thirteenth floor, Sibyl must perform all the magic herself. Just when a very mysterious and perplexing problem arises and a very important guest must be taken care of. With the help of her friend Ahmed, the lift attendant, an aloof cat called Alfonso and Dora the concierge, Sibyl must solve the mystery of the missing shadows and find the right spell pattern to get them back. Will she open the Book of Advanced and Dangerous Magic? And will it contain the answers she needs?
This was a sweet middle-grade read. I really enjoyed the magic of the hotel, the visiting guests and the vibe of the world. I’d be more inclined to read a series with these characters if the main girl was a bit less dense though lol. I felt like she had the potential to be a clever proactive character, but was missing very obvious clues just to delay the plot and flesh out the book. It got quite repetitive in places, hammering home the need for our main girl to concentrate. She kept banging on about wanting to learn more complex spells, but not demonstrating any practical aptitude other than the basics when her gran was standing over the top of her. I did like the talking cat 🙂 This book was nominated for Best Children’s Fiction in the 2023 Aurealis Awards.
This is a stand-alone book.
In ‘Future Fit,’ author Andrea Clarke says that if we want to outrun the algorithm to stay secure in the future of work, we need to upgrade our own capability in ways we may not have considered. As artificial intelligence is adopted into the workplace and traditional employee arrangements transform, we’re heading into a far less structured era of work. For organisations, it means re-imagining talent models, re-skilling the workforce and re-defining business practices for a digital age. For individuals, it means the onus of responsibility for finding, securing and delivering work lies with us more than ever before. While the fault-line is clear, so is the opportunity: those who take their ‘human skills’ to the next level will be powerfully differentiated in a dynamic and demanding new market. Drawing on a fascinating international career spanning TV journalism, foreign aid, and corporation communication, Clarke’s new book will equip you with the eight critical human skills we all need to invest in for a new working environment. From Reputation Capital, Communication, Adaptability, and Creativity to Networking, Leadership, Problem Solving and Continuous Learning, you’ll also learn how to deploy these core #FutureFit skills in new and modern ways.
We’ve had the opportunity at work in recent weeks, to hear Andrea Clarke talk about adaptability and being ‘Future Fit’ in the workplace – and she’s a great and engaging speaker. Because I’m so easily influenced, I grabbed a copy of her book & it was an interesting read with some tips on how to self-evaluate the impact you’re having on those around you and reminders to grow your network and be open to change. Lots of stories and examples of Andrea’s processes and life experience in here too. Recommended for those who are looking to boost their pivoting prowess.
This is Book One in the ‘Professor Challenger‘ series.
There’s only one way for Professor George Edward Challenger to prove that dinosaurs still roam the earth. He invites skeptical journalist Edward Malone to accompany him and a group of adventurers to see the creatures with his own eyes. But when they arrive at the fantastic volcanic plateau in the Amazon where time stands still, their expedition quickly becomes one of survival. With its cliff-hanging escapes, rousing humour, and nail-biting suspense, The Lost World is a pioneering work of fantasy-adventure that paved the way for every thrill ride to follow.
Just finished this one, and it was both a hoot and a product of its time. I was surprised that the dinosaurs themselves played only a minor part, and the later part of the book is more focused on a war between ape-people and early-humans that the explorers come across. By the end of the story I had no sympathy for our initial adventurers, as they basically help slaughter a whole society of ape people because the apes are too violent, and then shrug as the early-humans enslave the stragglers. I like to think that ACD was shining a light on how humans can be the most fearsome ‘animals’. Glad I can tick it off the classics list & was a fun read despite all the shooting and stealing of pterodactyls.
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