Books Read in May

Wow, June 1 already?  Summer is almost here (already feels like summer here - hot and humid).  This month went by so quickly, filled with all sorts of school events, soccer games, and a whirlwind of activity.  Despite all that, it was a great reading month for me.

I read 7 books in May, a pretty substantial tally for me:

• Cutting for Stone, a novel by Abraham Verghese
• Blood, Bones, and Butter: The Inadvertant Education of a Reluctant Chef, a memoir on audio by Gabrielle Hamilton
• Sapphique, a teen/YA audio book by Catherine Fisher
• The Tiger's Wife, a novel by Téa Obreht
• The Condition, a novel by Jennifer Haigh 
• The Deathday Letter, teen/YA novel by Shaun David Hutchinson
• The Story of Beautiful Girl, a novel by Rachel Simon

These were all very good books - I enjoyed every one of them.  I read four adult novels this month (a lot for me!), one memoir, two audio books, and two teen/YA novels.  I didn't read as many kids/teen books as I usually do because I had two book group meetings scheduled back-to-back, so I was busy reading for them.


My favorite book read in May?  Wow, that's a tough one.  I guess I'd have to choose the one I just finished last night, The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon.  It's about a deaf man and a mentally handicapped woman, both institutionalized in the 1950's, who fall in love and then are separated.  It's a beautiful story, beautifully told, and I really loved it.


I see that I have been falling behind in reviews.  I keep hoping to catch up, but I haven't been feeling well, so we'll see how that goes.


Where Are You Reading update:  I also got behind on my Where Are You Reading map this month, but I just caught up on that.  My new tallies:

8 U.S. States:

• Pennsylvania (2)
• Michigan
• Minnesota
• Massachusetts
• Maryland
• Connecticut
• California
• New York 
• Florida

Plus 6 other countries:

• UK (3 locations now)
• Afghanistan
• Pakistan
• Rome, Italy
• Ethiopa
• An unnamed Balkan country

All in all, a good month for books.  What was your favorite book read in May?