May in Review
Reading
I read 10.5 books in the month of May (half of Jane Eyre was read in April)! It was a good mixture of backreads and ARCs and I feel good about the progress I made. Click the links below to be taken to my review for the book.
- Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, ★★★★★
- UnHappenings by Edward Aubry, ★★★★☆
- * The Testament of Loki (Loki #2) by Joanne M. Harris, ★★★☆☆
- * Anger Is a Gift by Mark Oshiro, ★★★★★
- The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, ★★★★☆
- * Sleep, Merel, Sleep by Silke Stein, ★★★✬☆
- * Jar of Hearts by Jennifer Hillier, ★★★★✬
- Pestilence (The Four Horsemen, #1) by Laura Thalassa, ★★★☆☆
- * Roberto to the Dark Tower Came by Tom Epperson, ★★★✬☆
- The Lifeboat at the End of the Universe by Simon Brading, ★★★★☆
- * A People’s History of the Vampire Uprising by Raymond A. Villareal, ★★★✬☆
ARCs are noted above by an asterisk *
Total Books Read in May: 10.5
Total Books Read in 2018: 66
Goodreads Reading Goal: 50 100
Book Haul
I added a few books to my shelves this month. Have I read any of them? No. Will I stop buying books even though I ran out of space on my shelves long ago? Also no.

eBooks Purchased (not yet reviewed): The Postmortal by Drew Magary, Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, City of Brass (The Daevabad Trilogy #1) by S.A. Chakraborty
eARC approvals (not yet reviewed): The Fragile Ordinary by Samantha Young, Grace and Fury by Tracy Banghart (7/31), The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton (US 9/4), and The Lantern’s Ember by Colleen Houck (9/11)
Vacation
This California girl visited British Columbia, Canada for the first time in May, and LOVED IT! It was really nice to unwind, visit a new country, and hang out with a friend… with a side of reading, of course. Hikes, beers, lakes and a bit of laughter.
Fun fact: the population of California is 3,000,000 people more than the entire country of Canada – and it is no surprise given the stunning natural landscapes of BC! Driving along Hwy 1 and Hwy 3 to get to Penticton (via Hope-Princeton) was so gorgeous that I don’t have words to describe it adequately. I had a wonderful weekend adventure and definitely cannot wait for my trip to Vancouver proper in late September!
Blog & Stats
I moved to WordPress from Blogspot on March 5, 2018 and it has been so much fun to watch my little blog grow. I hit 100 followers by the end of the month (!!) and more than that I am getting to know many of you — and that connection is so special to me!
Here’s how Reader Voracious Blog did in terms of views & visitors in May 2018… look at the comparison to March and April!!! (Note: I decided to add this screenshot and segment on June 5, hence the June stats being present.)
Thanks so much, everyone for visiting, liking, commenting, and sharing your experiences here! I created this blog because I love books so much and wanted a platform to scream about them with others, and this has been such a rewarding and fulfilling experience. I treasure each of you and am humbled that you choose to read the words I write.
(Danielle) Books, Vertigo and Tea
June 3, 2018 at 11:22 PMI love how honest you are about your book haul 😘 Don’t worry, I have no plans to stop buying even when I have not read Haha. I am so glad you enjoyed your trip!
Kaleena @ Reader Voracious
June 5, 2018 at 1:27 AMI figure one of these days I will get around to everything on my shelves, and I am just investing in my future enjoyment… like a retirement account. Or something. 😀
(Danielle) Books, Vertigo and Tea
June 5, 2018 at 12:50 PMThat is a wonderful way of looking at it, and my future arguement to my cause 😉
bookwormbrittanyy
June 4, 2018 at 1:56 PMBuying books long after you’ve run out of space for them is a definite symptom of being a bibliophile. I’m guilty as well! Will we ever stop buying books? Probably not. Will we ever get around to writing a review each and every one? Possibly 😉
Kaleena @ Reader Voracious
June 5, 2018 at 1:23 AMMost definitely, and this is an addiction that I am okay with having! 😉 I just need to go buy some more bookshelves at some point.
booksandblends
June 4, 2018 at 3:18 PMYou had a great month! I hope you love Caraval!
Kaleena @ Reader Voracious
June 5, 2018 at 1:14 AMMe too, I am really excited! Fun fact I could have SWORN I read it already… but I didn’t I guess? My best guess is I thought Caraval was Night Circus lol
booksandblends
June 5, 2018 at 11:42 AMHow was Night Circus?
Kaleena @ Reader Voracious
June 6, 2018 at 4:11 AMYou know… I honestly don’t remember? I know I read it and I gave it 4 stars on Goodreads, but I didn’t write a review and it didn’t leave a lasting impression either way. I should probably re-read at some point because this is bothering me lol
booksandblends
June 6, 2018 at 12:53 PMlol! I kept hearing mixed reviews so I never picked it up!
Kaleena @ Reader Voracious
June 6, 2018 at 10:47 PMWell if I ever decide to re-read it I will be sure to let you know!
booksandblends
June 7, 2018 at 1:45 AMOkay!
Sam @ Sharing Inspired Kreations
June 21, 2018 at 1:52 PMI can’t wait to read Caraval! I can’t believe I haven’t picked it up yet, actually. I hope you enjoy it!
Kaleena @ Reader Voracious
June 22, 2018 at 8:31 AMIt definitely is one of those books I am surprised that I haven’t read yet! Even though I have owned a copy for a month, I still haven’t cracked the book open yet! 🙁 I hope you enjoy it when you get around to it, and thanks for stopping by!