May Haul and Wrap Up

Hi everyone, welcome to my May Book Haul and Wrap Up.

It’s been a pretty good month for books, and with so many big name authors releasing books this month, I couldn’t help but go a little overboard on the hauling. Again, there were some books sent by friends and publishers mixed in with this, as well as some e-arcs, so I’ve set myself up quite nicely for June. June will see me on a book buying ban, so I can save up some money for YALC, but I still have some pre-orders I’ve already bought released in June, as well as some books from late boxes and things, so it won’t be an entirely book-free month. And I’ve still got a LOT of my May TBR being carried over to June too, so I definitely need to get reading!

(Not pictured is my copy of ACOFAS, Smoke in the Sun and Beyond A Darkened Shore because annoyingly, I forgot I’d got them this month.)

Books I Bought:

• Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertelli. I read Love, Simon last month and really enjoyed it, and since this happened to be on offer at the same time as another book I wanted, I figured it was an opportunity I couldn’t miss out on.
• Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman. Again, this was in the buy one get one half price deal at Waterstones, and since I was a big fan of Scythe, I felt like it was an immediate buy book.
• Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody. Not one I anticipated buying but a friend had ordered two copies for the pre-order incentive by accident, so I bought the spare copy from her. I loved the book when I read an E-ARC on my kindle, and since I gave it a full ten stars, I felt like I needed a physical copy on my shelf.
• The Smoke Thieves by Sally Green. This one was a YALC preparation buy. I did quite enjoy this book when I got an E-ARC of it, and since Sally Green will be there signing copies, I felt like it was a good thing to buy. Plus, pretty purple/pink spray edges make it look nice on the shelf.
• Legendary by Stephanie Garber. This has been pre-ordered from Waterstones for a while, since it came signed. I probably won’t get around to it for a little while but it is SUCH a pretty book, and I love the different designs on the naked cover.
• War Storm by Victoria Aveyard. Another signed pre-order from Waterstones. I was quite tempted to go to her signing instead, but I don’t get back in time, so this was a good alternative for me. Also means I now have the whole series signed 😀
• A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J Maas. Um, of course this is on the list. I pre-ordered this one too, so I could walk into store and pick it up on the day it was released.

Books From Book Boxes:

• Beyond a Darkened Shore by Jessica Leake. Came as part of my April Fairyloot, which arrived a little bit later than anticipated. Thankfully, it means I could add it to my May Haul instead.
• The Queens of Innis Lear by Tessa Gratton. This gloriously gorgeous book came in my May Stargazers themed Book Box Club box.

Books From Friends:

• Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao. I was sent this by Moon Kestrel. I already have a paperback copy, but she was unhauling her signed Fairyloot edition with the author’s letter, so I couldn’t pass this up. Thanks again, Moon!

Physical Books From Publishers:

• Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian. Sent to me by the awesome Macmillan books to read and review. I was so pleased when I was offered a copy of this, and I really enjoyed it so it is a very welcome addition to my shelves.
• The Summer of Us by Cecilia Vinesse. Sent to me by Hachette. It’s another YALC book, and it’s been great to read and review it before the convention. Thanks again, Hachette.
• Smoke in the Sun by Renee Ahdieh. This was sent to me by Hodder and Stoughton. I have been so excited for this book since I read book one, Flame in the Mist last year, so I was incredibly delighted to be sent a copy of this to read.
• Deposed by David Barbaree. Thanks to Hot Key Books for this one. I was a bit surprised to get this in the post, since they emailed me about the book and I said it sounded interesting, but as a mainly YA blogger, adult historical fiction wasn’t my usual thing. I didn’t hear anything back from them for a little while, so I figured they’d just passed me up, but then one day it was there in a package.As a big fan of history nerdiness, I’m excited to read all about Nero and Rome.

E-Book ARCs [All From Netgalley]:

• Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik. I absolutely loved Uprooted, so a book based on Rumplestiltskin by this awesome author is definitely a very anticipated read for me.
• The Sea Witch by Sarah Henning. Again, I’ve heard a lot of hype about this book, so getting an ARC of it on my kindle was a very happy moment for me.
• Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody. I got a physical copy in the end, I loved this book so much.

Overall in May, I got 14 physical books, and 3 e-books 😀 quite a haul!

May Wrap Up:

I read 12 books in May, which was a little less than I’d been hoping to, but with June so full of social stuff and uni deadlines looming, I thought it would be best for me to be a little responsible and actually do the not so fun academic stuff, rather than devote the whole month to books. Here are my May Reads:

• A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J Maas
• Out of the Blue by Sophie Cameron
• Charmcaster by Sebastien de Castell
• The Little Friend by Donna Tartt
• I Was Born For This by Alice Oseman
• Ace of Shades by Amanda Foody
• From Twinkle With Love by Sandhya Menon
• Smoke in the Sun by Renee Ahdieh
• Big Bones by Laura Dockrill
• Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian
• The Summer of Us by Cecilia Vinesse
• The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton

And that’s it really folks. What did everyone read and haul in May? Anything you recommend? Let me know in the comment section, and I hope you’re all having a fabulous weekend