May Reads

 Hi Guys,

May was a mix of showers and sunshine here in Essex. With two Bank Holiday weekends to fill I managed to get out and about. May Day Bank Holiday I stayed close to home walking locally in Brightlingsea and Alresford to see the bluebells before they withered. The Spring Bank Holiday Weekend at the end of the month I explored Sudbury for the first time. They have a lovely Waterstones shop there and I bought some Suffolk Folk Tales books.

I did a lot of walking so audiobooks took the helm. Here is a breakdown of my May Reads:

The Salt Path by Raynor Winn, Narrated by Anne Reid

A Borrowbox audiobook read between 01/05/2024 and 02/05/2024. 5⭐

My new favourite genre of books is walking/journey books. This book is a sort of diary of Raynor and Moth who have lost everything. Their farm in Wales have been repossessed and Moth has been diagnosed with a terminal condition. They make the decision to walk the South West Coast Path as homeless people, wild camping and living off noodles. The walk spans 630 miles from Somerset to Dorset via Devon and Cornwall. I really enjoyed their journey. Raynor Winn has written several books since this one so I will definitely seek out the other books.

Cursed: An Anthology, Edited by Marie O’Regan and Paul Kane, Stories by Various Fantasy Authors, Narrated by a Cast of Different Readers. 

An Audible audiobook, read between 02/05/2024 and 05/05.2024. 3.5⭐

I have a paperback version of this book as I love Neil Gaiman and Christina Henry. This book is 20 stories based on curses. Some are retellings of fairy tales and some are new imaginings. Neil Gaiman’s story, The Troll Bridge, is one of my favourites. This isn’t the first time that I have read this story. Red Shoes was also a great story. I will re-read these stories time and time again. There is also a second book in this series. I really like the narrators, O’Regan and Kane used the same ones as the Wonderland Anthology, which I read in March.

The Story Collector by Evie Gaughan. 

A Kindle book read between 24/04/2024 and 08/05/2024. 3.5⭐

This is the second Evie Gaughan book that I have read. I love how she links stories set in the past to the present. The story centres around the village of Thornwood in 1911 and 2011. Sarah Harper comes to Thornwood from America on a whim after leaving her husband. She was taken by the tale of a motorway being diverted because of a Fairy Tree. Once in Thornwood she finds Anna’s diary, a story of a local girl who aided an American scholar to collect stories of the Good People. 100 years later the belief in Fairies is still strong in this village. 

I really enjoyed this book. It was an easy read. I love a dual timeline book that is based in historical fact. I will seek out more books by this author.

The Four Kingdoms Box Set One: Three Fairytale Retellings, Books 1, 2 and 2.5 by Melanie Cellier, Narrated by Esther Wane.

An Audible audiobook read between 05/05/2024 and 09/05/2024.  4⭐

Book 1 - The Princess Companion - A retelling of The Princess and the Pea. 

Book 2 - The Princess Fugitive - A reimagining of Little Red Riding Hood.

Novella 2.5 - Happily Ever Afters - A reimagining of Snow White and Rose Red.

I love the world that Melanie Cellier creates in the Four Kingdoms. The stories are interconnected so listening to them in an audiobook box set is an easy listen as they just flow into one another. The stories are great retellings of Fairy Tales and they focus on strong female lead characters who are really inspiring but their flaws need to be overcome in order to become the heroine. I loved each of these books, especially the Princess Companion. They are fun and fast paced. I recommend the whole series to any reader of fantasy. Esther Wade is an amazing narrator too and she narrates all the books so there is consistency. I think I will do a separate post where I go into the whole series once I’ve listened to them all. 

The Four Kingdoms Box Set Two: Three Fairytale Retellings, Books 3, 3.5 and 4 by Melanie Cellier, Narrated by Esther Wane.

An Audible audiobook read between 10/05/2024 and 12/05/2024.  4⭐

Book 3 - The Princess Pact - A twist on Rumpelstiltskin.

Book 3.5 - A Midwinter’s Wedding - A retelling of The Frog Prince.

Book 4 - The Princess Game - A Reimagining of Sleeping Beauty.

This is the second set of books from the original Four Kingdoms. Some of the characters from the first three books are present in these books. From this series my favourite was The Princess Pact. Rumpelstiltskin is a very dark tale from the Grimm Brothers original version. The Princess Game is also a very clever retelling of Sleeping Beauty as Celeste has two personas rather than her being asleep. Cellier is so clever with her take on these tales. I feel that a lot of retellings from other authors have similar plots but these are very unique and modern even though they are set in a chivalric age.

Beyond The Four Kingdoms Box Set One: Three Fairytale Retellings, Books 1, 2 and 3, by Melanie Cellier, Narrated by Esther Wane.

An Audible audiobook read between 09/05/2024 and 17/05/2024. 4⭐

Book 1 - A Dance of Silver and Shadow - A reimagining of The Twelve Dancing Princesses.

Book 2 - A Tale of Beauty and the Beast.

Book 3 - A Crown of Snow and Ice - A reimagining of The Snow Queen.

This series is about three of the younger princesses from the Four Kingdoms who cross the seas to visit a series of kingdoms that have been long forgotten. Their adventures start by being entered into a tourney, the winner will become betrothed to ‘The Beast’. The kingdoms in these realms are blighted by curses which the princesses strive to break. The question is will the High King help once true love is found in these kingdoms?

Again, Cellier has done an amazing job creating these new kingdoms and retelling classic tales. A Dance of Silver and Shadow was without doubt my favourite book in this box set. 

Beyond The Four Kingdoms Box Set Two: Three Fairytale Retellings, Books 4, 5 and 6, by Melanie Cellier, Narrated by Esther Wane.

An Audible audiobook read between 17/05/2024 and 19/05/2024. 4⭐

Book 4 - A Dream of Ebony and White - A reimagining of Snow White.

Book 5 - A Captive of Wing and Feather - A reimagining of Swan Lake.

Book 6 - A Princess of Wind and Wave - A retelling of The Little Mermaid.

I am loving Cellier’s world of princess stories. These three books are pretty epic! We encounter Snow in the first box set at the Princess Tourney, in her own book, A Dream of Ebony and White, she is pushed to her limits when she escapes her stepmother who tried to have her murdered. She fights to regain control of her kingdom. A Captive of Wing and Feather was an enchanting story for me as I did not really know the story of Swan Lake. It was so fast paced and I loved the seven swans that helped her throughout her story. Finally, A Princess of Wind and Wave, is Cellier’s take on The Little Mermaid. I love Isla as a character. She has many sisters but she questions everything and saves her kingdom from ruin.

The Beyond The Four Kingdoms box sets are amazing as they have great character development and they flow a little easier than the original Four Kingdoms books. A Dance of Silver and Shadow introduces all of the characters that you meet over the course of the six books. I love these worlds where women are strong and overcome their flaws. The moral messages are strong. This is a great series for adult readers and YA readers. There is no foul language so you could listen to the box sets with the family in the car too. I can’t wait to read the Return to the Four Kingdoms Series and the books that were not included in the box sets.

Pageboy: A Memoir by Elliot Page, Narrated by Elliot Page.

A Borrowbox audiobook read between 20/05/2024 and 21/05/2024. 3.5⭐

This memoir is harrowing! Elliot has always wanted to be a boy. This book tells the story of his childhood, being told he has to be a girl, through to his awkward teens when he knew he liked girls. In his early career he had to keep his girlfriend secret as coming out would ruin his career. These experiences affected his mental health. Once he eventually came out his life gradually improved to the point when he started transitioning. He can eventually start to live how he wants to live.

This is a rollercoaster of a memoir, very raw in places. I have always been a fan of his work. It upsets me that someone has to struggle so much to be who they really want to be! I hope Elliot writes another memoir later in life as the book ends just after transition.

I’m Glad My Mum Died by Jennette McCurdy, Narrated by Jennette McCurdy.

A Borrowbox audiobook read between 22/05/2024 and 23/05/2024. 3.5⭐

I didn’t know who Jennette McCurdy was when I first started reading this book. iCarly was after my time, I watched Sabrina and then Lizzie McGuire when I was a teen/early 20s student. This memoir was a hard read. She had a severe eating disorder due to her mum's advice on how to stay in younger roles. The life she lived was her mothers dream and she did everything to make her mum happy. It was not what Jennette wanted. She was mentally and emotionally manipulated throughout her career. When her mother died she was actually relieved that she could live life for herself.

This was an extremely truthful memoir. I was hooked listening to it. I also like memoirs to be read by the author. I really felt for Jennette and the OCD and ED that she has from her experiences. I am glad that she is now doing screenwriting which was always her passion. 

Poisoned by Jennifer Donnelly, Narrated by Helen Duff.

A Borrowbox Audiobook read on 26/05/2024. 3.5⭐

This is another Snow White retelling, but with a feminist twist. Her heart was taken by the Huntsman but she was taken by the Seven Men who lived in the woods. She was given a new clockwork heart and when she woke up she was determined to get her heart back, however the clockwork heart has a limited lifetime. The King of Crows has her heart and she needs to get to his castle to get it. Once she has reclaimed her heart she gathers an army of unlikely followers on her way to take back her kingdom.

I really loved this retelling. It was quite fast paced and I finished it in one sitting. I love the introduction of the King of Crows as a character in the story and then you find out his true identity at his castle. It was really clever. I will seek out more of Jennifer Donnelly’s books.

These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly, Narrated by Kim Bubbs.

A Borrowbox Audiobook read between 27/05/2024 and 31/05/2024. 3.5⭐

This is not a fairy tale retelling but a historical crime mystery. It is full of twists and turns. Jo Montfort’s father is found dead in this study. Jo enlists the help of a journalist to help find the truth behind her father’s death. She navigates her society life and the dark side of late nineteenth century New York. She finds a murky past, shady business deals and not everything is as it seems.

I really loved the characters in this book, they made it for me. I love the subtle connections between the characters too that are unravelled throughout the book. It was also very descriptive, I could visualise Victorian New York. This book also left me thinking about the characters for days after.

I hope you have enjoyed my reviews this month. I will update my GoodReads too with these reviews. If you have read any of these books or if you have any recommendations please drop me a comment below.

See you next month!

Sammie x