Hi everyone! May was quite a mixed month for me. It started with another camping trip in Northumberland for the early May bank holiday, and then went rapidly downhill after a work social turned out to be a super-spreader event 😷. I did at least manage to recover fully before heading off to this year’s Hay Festival, which was as wonderful as always. My favourite events were those with Anthony Horowitz, David Nicholls, and Amor Towles although it’s hard to pick just a few. I’ve come back a little poorer, but with lots of new books added to my shelves, and that’s no bad thing at all.
I read ten books this month, although my reviewing is still somewhat inconsistent. I really need to up my game now that 20 Books of Summer has started again…
Read in May:
- Exiles by Jane Harper
- Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
- Adèle by Leïla Slimani
- The Drift by C. J. Tudor
- The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar
- The Last Murder at the End of the World by Stuart Turton
- The Narrow Road Between Desires by Patrick Rothfuss
- Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier
- Speak of the Devil by Rose Wilding
- The Morningside by Téa Obreht
Favourite books from the last month
Other Blog Posts
I also shared my Spell the Month in Books post for May as well as my 20 Books of Summer 2024 sign up, in which I tried to vaguely lay out some of the books that I might read over the next three months.
Books acquired
Books purchased or otherwise acquired throughout the month.
And then there’s my Hay Festival haul:
And that’s my bookish month! I hope you had a good one, and that next month is even better! Happy reading! 🥰
Jo's Book Blog 
I hope you’re feeling better now xxx I want to read The Drift, I didn’t know Speak of the devil and now Im curious!
Thank you! ❤️ And yes – much better now, particularly as I’ve finally got rid of the residual cough!
I’m trying to get my review of Speak of the Devil out this week, but I enjoyed it x
No TBR update, eh? Books in, books out? Scared? 😉😄
Did you get Horowitz’s signature in your book?
Hope you’re on the mend! xx
Ha! I wondered if anyone would notice. It’s BAD, so I’m taking the head in the sand approach! 😀
I did get my Horowitz signed – he was great in his event, so funny and engaging!
All better now, thank you – took a while to shift the cough though, and I’m still fuming that after the last couple of years, some people don’t know to stay at home with a respiratory illness!
Glad you were feeling well enough to go to the festival and enjoyed yourself there.
Thanks, Joanne! It was a relief to recover in time, as it lingered for longer than expected! x
I’ve just had covid (was that what you had?) and it was much worse than the first time. I was floored for a week!
Yes, I think so. Mine was much worse than the first time around as well. I was really bad for about a week, and then had a lingering cough for another two! Hope you’re feeling better now! x
Yes I am now thanks but like you, the cough lingered for a while!
Sorry you were ill Jo, but glad you were able to get to Hay and bring home all those books! x
Thanks, Nicki! All better now, and rich in books if nothing else! 😀
Hope you’re feeling much better, Jo
Thanks, Cathy! Much better now, thank you x
Good to know x
It’s great you feel better before the festival and look like you got many interesting books to read in May. Wish you a joyful June.
Thanks, Yesha – and I’m very happy with my purchases! I hope you have a great month 🙂