May Reads

I have decided to change the format of this monthly post a little bit by adding my plans for the upcoming month to the summary of the month behind. I have found that if I actually write or verbalize something, I tend to stick with it or at least make a greater effort to fulfill my plans than if I just thought about what I'd like to do.

This is what I managed to read last month:

1. The 13th Reality. The Hunt for Dark Infinity by James Dashner - YA/ fantasy - it's a very nice, creative and fast-paced series for middle grade/young adult audience but The Maze Runner is much better.

2. New World Monkeys by Nancy Mauro - contemporary American fiction - I thought I'd like this book a lot more than I actually did. The beginning had a lot of 'reading between the lines' humor that I enjoyed but towards the middle I started thinking that the story wasn't going anywhere and it indeed stalled completely towards the end. I just dislike the books that leave me wondering what the purpose of them was at all.

3. Lockdown by Alexander Gordon Smith - YA/thriller - a very exciting, dystopian (not post-apocalyptic) beginning of a new series for teenagers. Tons of non-stop action, not a dull moment in there and i just can't wait for part two, supposedly coming up late this year.

4. The Coral Thief by Rebecca Stott - historical fiction/post-revolutionary Paris/19th century

5. Raven Stole the Moon by Garth Stein -magic realism/Native American fiction

6. The Passage by Justin Cronin - horror/ dystopian/ vampires

7. Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok - Asian fiction/ women's lit.

8. Blood Oath by Christopher Farnsworth - paranormal thriller - I am very thrilled that this awesome, new series entered the book market. Mr. Farnsworth came up with a brilliant idea of a 140-year-old vampire and a secret agent to the president of the United States, Nathaniel Cade. He was bound by an oath to serve all presidents of our country and to fight the evil that humans don't even believe exist, not to mention know how to battle themselves. Cade just got a new sidekick to work for him, Zach Barrows, a young White House employee climbing the ladder of success. 

This pair turns out to be quite funny and I am looking forward to all the new installments. I like Nathaniel Cade, the vampire but I just adore Zach's character. He adds a lot of humor to the story and you will find yourself rooting for him. This book has been compared to The Dresden Files, but i actually think that besides the paranormal component, the two are quite different. But if you are a fan of Dresden, you will definitely like Blood Oath.

Audio books:

1. The Castaways by Erin Hildebrand - contemporary American fiction - it was okay, I liked it enough to finish it but I have to say I will probably not be picking this author's books up again. Reading about privileged couples, who just have to come up with problems to make it seem like they are just like everyone else is just not my cuppa' tea.

The best picks for the month of may are Blood Oath, Girl In Translation & The Passage. Lots of vampires this month but since they are one of my favorite characters to read about, I'm not complaining. Also, with the three books, I got very lucky to find very likable characters: Zach from Blood Oath, Kimberly from Girl In Translation, and Amy from The Passage.

As far as most disappointing reads, there weren't any really but New World Monkeys was the one I thought I would like but didn't in the end. I just wish it went somewhere interesting or meaningful. Instead, I got a whole lot of nothing.

Now, as for my plans, I decided to read one chunkster a month. I have tons of them on my shelves and they are usually my favorite kind of books but because there are also so many other books I have committed to read, I am always afraid to reach out for a large tome because I know it will take me at least five to six days to finish it. Not anymore. So in June, I will be reading either No Angel by Penny Vincenzi which is 626 pages long or A Suitable Boy by Vikram Chandra which is as chunky as they come (1349 pages). I'm looking forward to reading either one. 

Last but definitely not least, I know that I have been a bad blogger as far as commenting on your posts guys. With a four-month-old, a translating job, reading for pleasure, reading and reviewing commitments, and running this blog, it's just so difficult to find enough time to visit and comment on all my favorite blogs (there are around 100 of them). I am truly, very sorry if you haven't seen me around your blog recently and want you to know that I'm not some stuck-up blogger who thinks other blogs are not important. I'm not, I do visit your blogs and read as much of what's being written as my time allows but there just isn't enough time in the day to leave meaningful comment and engage in conversations as much  as I'd like. I hope you'll forgive me and be patient until the time that I have this whole routine of my life under control.