May Books – What I read

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It was almost to be accepted that after having a good reading month in April that May wouldn’t be so glorious. I have started a few books which I abandoned after a few pages because they were either so boring or just written poorly. Or maybe I just wasn’t feeling them. I also struggled with one book I was really looking forward to read and that just didn’t do it for me. I don’t know I guess that happens. Still I was able to finish six books.

Wild Remedies by Rosalee de la Forêt & Emily Han | ★★★★☆

What it is about: That’s not a weed – it’s a healing meal! Learn how to use wild plants for food and medicine in this illustrated guide from two expert herbalists.
What I thought: I loved almost everything about this book. It is beautifully structured, very detailed and I have picked up so much knowledge. Accompanied with beautiful photographs and yummy recipes. See my full review in a separate post.
Original Language and Title: English paperback, eBook
Publications: German “Heilende Wildkräuter” hardcover, eBook
Recommend to: Everyone wanting to learn more about plants, nature and wants to live healthy.
This book was send to me by the publisher but my enthusiasm is my own.

Queen of Nothing by Holly Black | ★★★☆☆

What it is about: Now as the exiled mortal Queen of Faerie, Jude is powerless and left reeling from Cardan’s betrayal. She bides her time determined to reclaim everything he took from her. Opportunity arrives in the form of her deceptive twin sister, Taryn, whose mortal life is in peril.
What I thought: This last book in the trilogy left me a bit disappointed. The whole series was loosing momentum in my opinion. I love the fairy world but this one was maybe too dark. Too power thirsty? Not sure. It was still a good read but I won’t read it again and I don’t need it in my book shelf.
Original Language and Title: English hardcover, paperback, eBook
Publications: German “Elfenthron” hardcover, paperback, eBook
Recommend to: Fantasy lovers, readers of the first two books, people loving darker and destructive settings.

Streulicht by Deniz Ohde | ★★★☆☆

What it is about: Deniz Ohde explores the subtle differences in our society in her debut novel. Sentence by sentence, she traces the breaking points in the narrator’s life, the attributions and expectations placed on her as a working-class child, the gap between the promise of education and experienced inequality, the internalized devaluation and the attempt to free herself from it.
What I thought: I listened to this as an audio book. I believe it would have been a better experience reading it. I found it interesting. At times very bleak and depressing. I am sure that’s what it was supposed to be.
Original Language: German hardcover, paperback, ebook
Publications: currently only available in German.
Recommend to: Everyone interested in social studies, industrial, workers lives and people with different ethnical backgrounds.

Map of Salt and Stars by Zeyn Joukhadar | ★★★☆☆

What it is about: It is the summer of 2011, and Nour has just lost her father to cancer. Her mother, a cartographer who creates unusual, hand-painted maps, decides to move Nour and her sisters from New York City back to Syria to be closer to their family. But things are going to be difficult.
What I thought: I really really wanted to like this book more. Heck I was actually sure I would and got a real book instead of reading it as an ebook. I struggled to get into the book and it never really engaged me completely. The book has all the things I usually love in a story. A current and past time line with similarities, travels, cultures, real struggle… But it could not hold my intentions. The most interesting about it was when I learned that the author is transgender and kept wondering how autobiographical the main character is.
Original Language: English hardcover, paperback, ebook
Publications: German “Die Karte der zerbrochenen Träume” hardvover, ebook
Recommend to: People loving a good mystical story but also interested in current events in the east.

One S’more Summer by Beth Merlin | ★★★☆☆

What it is about: Goodreads summery: For twenty long years, Gigi Goldstein has been pining away for her best friend’s guy. She knows it’s wrong and it has to stop, but she hasn’t been able to let go ever since they all met on the bus to summer camp back when they were 7 years old. The same week that her best friends finally announce their wedding date, Gigi loses her high-profile design job. With all of her dreams unravelling, she runs to the last place she remembers being happy.
What I thought: It was a quick and easy read and all about summer and love and home coming. What I needed at the moment but it’s one of those books you read and keep on forgetting. However I had a good time reading it.
Original Language: English paperback, ebook
Publications: Not sure it is translated.
Recommend to: Everyone needing a quick holiday read and loves clean romances.

A Gift for my Sister by Ann Pearlman | ★★⋆☆☆

What it is about: Two sisters with the same mother. Both have – for different reasons – Green up without a dad. But they are not close. Only the death of one sisters husband brings them back together.
What I thought: For the first 150 pages I struggled if I should just stop reading. Then it has gotten a bit better. However I think I was not the right person. I do not care much about music and I do not find the whole rockstar thing fascinating. So this might have been my first issue. The second one I didn’t like any of the characters really. And third I believe it was a bit forced. There were a lot of sensitive topics in this book. Unfortunately it felt like all very superficial. Focus on one issue and go deeper I instead of trying to please everyone.
Original Language: English paperback, ebook
Publications: German title “Apfelblüten im August” paperback
Recommend to:

Let’s hope I have some better luck picking books in June. Can you recommend any to me?

Happy reading

Tobia