May 2023 Wrap Up // A Letter from Coco 💌

happy end of may, dear friends! i hope may has treated y’all well, and that it’s been filled with lots of good reads 🧸 we’ve got lots to catch up on, so grab a cup of tea and get cozy!! 

as is the new norm, i’m writing this wrap up on the plane — this time, i’m heading home from paris! i spent the last couple of days in london and paris, and of course, had to visit a couple of bookstores while i was there. i’m hoping to go back to bookstagram next month — i know i say this every month, but i really mean it this time — and i’ll post a little photo dump then! 

may has been my best reading month all year, with 23 books read! i read fourteen books while on vacation — including all five of my eARCs (we’re not going to talk about the pile of physical ARCs waiting for me at home), two books i picked up in london and paris respectively, and the off-campus series (booktok + sheer curiosity drove me to this). reading highlights for me this month were margaret owen’s painted devils,and the boy from kyiv: alexei ratmansky’s life in ballet by marina harss. 

here’s a full list of what i read this month:

1. beautiful country: a memoir of an undocumented childhood by qian julie wang (★★★★★)
2. the other black girl by zakiya dalila harris (audiobook; ★★★★☆)
3. check & mate by ali hazelwood (ARC; ★★★☆☆)
4. if i’m being honest by emily wibberley & austin siegemund-broka (reread; ★★★★★)
5. always never yours by emily wibberley & austin siegemund-broka (reread; ★★★★★)
6. do i know you? by emily wibberley & austin siegemund-broka (reread; ★★★★★)
7. romeo and juliet by william shakespeare (audiobook, reread; ★★★★★)
8. joan is okay by weike wang (★★★★☆)
9. technically yours by denise williams (ARC; ★★★☆☆)
10. first position by melanie hamrick (ARC; ★☆☆☆☆)
11. the boy from kyiv: alexei ratmansky’s life in ballet by marina harss (ARC; ★★★★★)
12. the boy you always wanted by michelle quach (ARC; ★★★★☆)
13. woman, eating by claire kohda (★★☆☆☆)
14. immortal longings by chloe gong (ARC; ★★☆☆☆)
15. heartburn by nora ephron (★★★☆☆)
16. a merry little meet cute by julie murphy & sierra simone (★★☆☆☆)
17. the deal by elle kennedy (★☆☆☆☆)
18. the mistake by elle kennedy (★☆☆☆☆)
19. the score by elle kennedy (★☆☆☆☆)
20. the goal by elle kennedy (★☆☆☆☆)
21. the legacy by elle kennedy (★☆☆☆☆)
22. open water by caleb azumah nelson (★★★★★)
23. painted devils by margaret owen (gifted; ★★★★★)

in june, i’m hoping to make a huge dent in my physical ARCs now that my eARCs aren’t as overwhelming! other than that, i don’t think i’ve got a whole lot planned reading wise. maybe i’ll finally pick up one of my abandoned annotation projects — i’m thinking either les miserables or the starless sea. 

i’ve been listening to sunshine baby by the japanese house nonstop, but i’ve also been listening to a lot of griff, benjamin francis leftwich, maisie peters, and of course, the 1975 and taylor swift! in terms of other media consumed, i really haven’t been consuming much else aside from hockey interviews & podcasts, and eras tour livestreams. 

in case you’ve missed it, here are some posts i wrote this month:

• ARC Review: Ruby Lost and Found by Christina Li
• Review: Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
• Let’s Talk: Nonfictions Cossette’s Been Loving Lately

and here are some posts that i’ve loved reading:

• lore of the books’ all about the bookstagram post — i’ve been hoping to go back to bookstagram soon, and meredith’s post was really validating!
• misty realms’ interview with aamna qureshi – author of when a brown girl flees! i really loved aamna qureshi’s the lady or the lion and i’m so excited for her newest, when a brown girl flees!
• i’ve been thinking about booktwitter as a platform a lot lately, and 24hryabookblog’s the power of booktwt & can it still sell books? post is aptly timed!
• 10 things i hate about you is one of my favorite 90s movies, and so i absolutely had to give reading on a star’s kat stratford’s reading list post a shoutout!