Wow, okay, I’ve got to be honest, April flew by and I can’t believe I just had to write my May TBR..? But I’m back to my nonsense and have a way-too-big list of hopeful reads this month. I couldn’t stop myself.
But before that - April reads! I had a somewhat ambitious TBR for April including one book club book and two Books with Pals books. And they were not short. But, not only did I read them all, I also snuck in an extra audiobook (because I couldn’t get enough Bridgerton I guess)! I haven’t been able to stop thinking about how much I loved the Becky Chambers book I read, and we had such a lovely book club discussion about Daughter of the Moon Goddess. I picked up Dearborn by Ghassan Zeineddine for Arab American Heritage Month and really enjoyed the way a collection of short stories still made a cohesive book and the way I was able to step into a culture and community other than my own while still recognizing so many regional references (since Dearborn is in Michigan, the state where I live). And I’ll be honest, I cried a bit when I read On A Sunbeam, I forgot how incredible Tillie Walden is and how queer her worlds and stories feel. Anyways, truly an incredible month of reading. I’m not sure what the opposite of a reading slump is called but… I’m in that.
Now, May books! I am keeping with my excited reading energy and sharing a TBR that is seven books long. And almost every single one of them is a book I’ll be reading with other people which is so exciting! I’ve got two book club books, two community buddy reads, one Books with Pals book, and one buddy read with some of my closest pals. There’s literally only one book I’ll be reading completely on my own (and it’s poetry)! I’ve been really enjoying getting to discuss books with friends through book clubs and online discussion spaces, so this feels like such a great treat for me. And, so many of these social reads are open to others so if you’d like to join in keep an eye on the links below, my Discord server, and my StoryGraph page for opportunities to read with me!
Alright, I’ll stop yapping. Keep scrolling for my concise lists full of links and reviews and all that jazz. Happy May, happy reading!!
April Reads
- Seven Days in June by Tia Williams ⭐ 4
- Dearborn by Ghassan Zeineddine ⭐ 4 - Arab American Heritage Month
- On A Sunbeam by Tillie Walden ⭐ 5 - re-read, April Books with Pals selection
- The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers ⭐ 5 - April Books with Pals selection
- Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan ⭐ 4 - April Discord Book Club selection
- The Duke and I by Julia Quinn ⭐ 3.5 - audiobook
April Numbers
📖 read: 1503 pages
🎧 listened: 12 hours, 9 minutes
🖼️ observed: 533 pages of graphic novels
May TBR
- Faebound by Saara El-Arifi - May Discord Book Club selection
- Babel by R.F. Kuang - May Books with Pals selection
- Uglies by Scott Westerfeld - re-read, Community Buddy Read
- Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao - morifae book club selection
- Dear Wendy by Ann Zhao - Petal Pages buddy read
- Funny Story by Emily Henry
- Time is a Mother by Ocean Vuong
AAPI Heritage Month
May is Asian American, Native Hawain, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month here in the United States, making it a great time to add additional books to your TBR that highlight AAPI voices and stories! I’ve added some AAPI authors to my TBR for this month. Here are some places to look for book recommendations:
- Penguin Random House book recommendations for AAPI Heritage Month
- Powell’s Bookstore AAPI Reading Recommendations to stop anti-asian racism and violence
- Twitter thread from @lagunabayfables of books by Asian and Pacific Islander authors
Additionally, keep an eye out for ways to get involved with organizations in your local communities working to offer support and resources to folks in the AAPI community and education for folks outside the community to create a more inclusive and safe world. Here’s an org local to me in Michigan, Rising Voices.
Books with Pals Schedule
Our first Books with Pals for April was postponed! We’ll be joined by our guest Aster (they/them) on Saturday May 11th at 11am ET for a discussion about graphic novels, science fiction, queer stories, and some of Aster’s favorite books. We’ll also be discussing On A Sunbeam by Tillie Walden and The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers.
For May’s Books with Pals we will be joined by our guest C7andr7 (she/her) on Saturday May 18th at 2pm ET for a discussion about fantasy, romance, “popular” genres, and how to enjoy them while prioritizing diverse perspectives and voices in our reading! We’ll also be discussing Babel by R.F. Kuang.
Saint Martin’s Press (SMP) Boycott
Social media influencers who create book content are currently boycotting Saint Martins Press (SMP) in response to their lack of accountability after an employer made harmful zionist, islamophobic, and racist statements. Please read more about this boycott from the Readers for Accountability carrd. I encourage fellow book-focused influencers to join me in boycotting SMP!
More Book Stuff
You can watch the VOD of the December Books with Bella stream and keep an eye out for future streams on my Twitch channel. If you miss a Books with Bella stream you can catch up on all of them in this YouTube playlist. I also post regularly on my book-focused Instagram.