My Goings On in May:
- BEA!! May was all about BEA. If you haven’t seen my recaps (with giveaways), check them out here: BEA Day 1, BEA Day 2, BEA Day 3
- My daughter turned 12 and we went to a fun indoor waterpark to celebrate!
- I caught up with the current season of Once Upon a Time, so now I need to find a new show to watch while I’m doing the elliptical. Let me know if you have suggestions! My husband and I also starting watching The Path (a Hulu Original series about a cult – I find cults fascinating!).
Most Popular Posts:
#BEA16 Day One Wrap-Up & Giveaway!!
BEA is Coming Soon! What You Need to Know. (BEA Tips) – This was actually posted in April, but it was really popular in May because people were checking it out when it was time for BEA. (I kept it updated with links to publisher’s drop schedules, etc.)
May Discussion Challenge Link-Up & Giveaway
Other Features & Discussions:
Do Stats and Reports Help You? Let’s Discuss!
#BEA16 Day Two Wrap-Up & Jennifer Niven Holding Up the Universe Giveaway!!
#BEA16 Day Three Wrap-Up and Giveaway
My 2016 Reading Progress:
I’ve had a few more two and three star reads lately, but I’ve still had a great reading year overall!
May 2016 Reviews
Slow reviewing month this month since I was really busy with BEA (I was actually completely shocked when I saw how few books I reviewed) – but there should be lots more reviews coming soon because I’m already reading a lot of those BEA books!
Here’s a recap:
- Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys | Review | Rating: 5/5
- The Crown’s Game by Evelyn Skye | Review | Rating: 4.5/5
- The Cage by Megan Shepherd | Review | Rating: 3.5/5
- The Hunt by Megan Shepherd | Review | Rating: 4/5
May Best of the Bunch:
The Best of the Bunch meme is back! Or maybe it never went away and I just didn’t know a new blogger was hosting it? Anyway, I thought I’d link up again (and go back to calling my favorite read the best of the bunch). 🙂
This month was easy because I adored Salt to the Sea so much. But I do have to say that The Crown’s Game is a very close second!!
Reading Challenges:
Total: 15 Books Read
I ended at a total of 14 ARCs books read for the Clean Sweep ARC Challenge! I’m very happy with that total!
Here are all the books I read (links lead to review on my blog or on Goodreads):
The Cage
Top Ten Clues You’re Clueless
The Guardians
Now and Again
The Hunt
The Funnyman
Gemina
The Loose Ends List
Ivory and Bone
Truly Madly Guilty
Towers Falling
This Savage Song
The Problem with Forever
Winging It
Wanderlost
Status: 19/49 Discussions posted
Even though I didn’t link up my BEA recap posts, I’m counting them in my total, since we were discussing the event!
#BEA16 Day One Wrap-Up & Giveaway!!
#BEA16 Day Two Wrap-Up & Jennifer Niven Holding Up the Universe Giveaway!!
#BEA16 Day Three Wrap-Up and Giveaway
Do Stats and Reports Help You? Let’s Discuss!
Do Author Bios Ever Make You Want to Read a Book?
BEA is Coming Soon! What You Need to Know. (BEA Tips)
A Completely Useless (but kind of fun) Bookish Infographic
The Series Dilemma – Let’s Discuss
Sometimes You Just Need to Disappear for a Little While
How Much Do You Read?
The Fine Line Between “Inspired By” and “Copycat”
Can Book Blogging Lead to a Job
Some Books Just Aren’t All That Memorable
Books that Intimidate Us
2015 End of Year Book Survey
Replying to Comments on Older Posts
What Blogging Has Done to My Bookshelves
What Type of YA MC Would You Be?
Culling the TBR
HOST/SIGN-UP LINK – Feed Your Fiction Addiction & It Starts at Midnight
Status: 2/5 Books Read
Top Ten Clues You’re Clueless had lots and lots of lists! (I also read Gemina, but I didn’t review it this month, so I’m not counting that one.)
HOST/SIGN-UP LINK – Shooting Stars Mag
Status: 8/12 Books Read
The Guardians by Elise Marion featured a black hero!
HOST/SIGN-UP LINK – Chasing Faerytales & Read Sleep Repeat
Status: 9/21-30 Books Read
Top Ten Clues You’re Clueless by Liz Czukas
The Cage by Megan Shepherd – I’m once again breaking my personally-set rule with this one (I wasn’t planning on counting ebooks). I’m counting it because I’ve had it for over a year and have really been meaning to read it!
HOST/SIGN-UP LINK – Chapter Break, Second Run Reviews & Bookworm Brandee
Status: 4/12 Series Finished
I read the first two books in The Cage series this month! (But I keep forgetting to link up to this challenge!)
HOST/SIGN-UP LINK – Love at First Page
Status: 5/9-10 New Series
The Cage counts for this one too!
HOST/SIGN-UP LINK – Lisa Loves Literature
Wrap-Up Round-Up!
Don’t forget to link your May wrap-up posts up to the Monthly Wrap-Up Round-Up! And check out the giveaway, which is posted on Falconer’s Library!
Thanks for linking up! I have hosted the Best of the Bunch linkup since October 2014. I hope you will link up again next month!
I don’t know how I didn’t realize that – I participated in Best of the Bunch for a long time and when it ended abruptly, I even emailed the old host to ask her if I could take it over. (I didn’t know you already had!) I really loved the idea, and that’s why I eventually started my own monthly wrap-up link-up! Feel free to link up to mine too, if you want – we do a monthly giveaway for the wrap-ups that are linked up!!
How could May not be all about BEA!! I just started Salt to the Sea on audio so I am really excited to see it was your favorite this month. Great job on all the challenges!Have a great June!!
I hope you’re loving it! The chapters are so short – I was worried it would make the book feel choppy, but it didn’t at all. I’m curious to see how it works on audio. Oh, my mom and I are both done with Truly Madly Guilty so I’ll be sending it your way within the next few days!
Salt to the Sea was my choice for the best of May as well. You had quite a month!
Yay! Such a fantastic book!
Looks like you are having a great reading year so far. That’s a lot of 5 star reads! I love when that happens.
It’s relatively typical for me, actually. I tend to have a decent number of 4.5 star reads (which I round up on Goodreads) and a handful of 5 stars too. I rate a bit easier than some people, I think, but that’s just me!!
You did awesome!! I have to read Salt to the Sea! Happy June!
You should definitely read it!
Any month where BEA happens, that would definitely be THE highlight of that month! And I know what you mean, BEA means less reading and less reviews, there’s too much fun stuff going on for it to be any other way 🙂 I’m so happy you went and had fun though! I’m hoping to make it out next year so hopefully you will to and we can meet up again! Happy June Nicole! xx
Yes, but now I have TONS of reading to do and lots more reviews coming! 🙂
BEA, definitely makes the whole month! I wish I could have gone. And I was thinking of going next year, but now I’m not sure. Issues with my sister. But we’ll see. Looks like you had a good month! You can see my end of the month wrap up in the link below!
Hope you’re able to make it next year – I’m hoping to go again and then we could meet in person!!
Almost everybody’s been talking about The Crown’s Game lately… Should I read it too? *strokes nonexistent beard* I don’t even know why I haven’t decided if I should or shouldn’t read it yet. xD
Also, BEA looked so fun! Too bad I couldn’t go. T_T Maybe one day I’ll finally fly a plane just to attend lol. xD
Oh and belated happy birthday to your daughter! <3
You should read it!! I want everyone to read it! 🙂
You’re making progress on your goals! I always think I’m going to read more than I actually end up doing. I plan to amp up my own reading soon!
Yes, I’ve been doing great with my goals – I’m very happy with my progress!
Your challenges are coming along well, Nicole. Keep up the good work!
I’m still working my way through my Friends DVDs, but I’ve been splitting my time between my eleptical, the boys in the stroller and Jillian Michael videos (they’re crazy intense!). But Grimm looks like a lot of fun and if you have Prime then the first four seasons are on Amazon for free.
And yay you for doing so awesome on your challenges so far! ?
I need to catch up with Once Upon A Time! As for a new show, I have a soft spot for Elementary 😀 Your slow reviewing month is still pretty good, and well done on finishing 14 ARCs for a challenge! Hope June will be a good one for you!