What have you been reading in May?
I picked up Inventing the Renaissance: Myths of a Golden Age by Ada Palmer. It’s a big book. I’ll be able to lose myself in it for a while.
I tried a couple of much-recommended fantasy and paranormal romance novels and … I did not enjoy them. Sigh. I won’t name names—and they weren’t new releases, so you won’t be able to guess—but they were disappointing. I think people fell in love with them for what they promised, but for me, after reading the rave reviews, I expected those promises to be met. Instead, the endings fell short.
A few years ago I read that we pick up the next book from an author when the previous book left us with a peak experience, some emotion that moved us and satisfied our expectations.
As a reader I agree with that. Disappointment is discouraging.
As an author, I try to honour the expectations I’ve set up throughout the story. Don’t promise what you can’t deliver!
In better news, I enjoyed Judith Tarr’s Dragons in the Earth. It was both beautiful and wyrd.
I’ve been reading Alice Coldbreath’s Karadock series, a medieval historical romance series set in a fictional kingdom. They are hot ::fans self:: They’re also a delight with banter, strong relationships, and an engaging writing style. I recommend starting with Book 2, His Forsaken Bride. Book 1 didn’t hook me anywhere near as much and it took me ages to try Book 2. I think my favourite is, appropriately enough, The Favourite, Book 6.
I’ve been waiting impatiently for The Witch Roads by Kate Elliott and it is finally out next month (June 10) with the sequel out in November.
Comments
12 responses to “Recent Reads – May 2025”
Thanks for the recommendations to check into!
I hope you enjoy them 🙂
I had a similar experience recently – decided to try some wildly popular books and was disappointed. I don’t know if all the hype made me build it up too much in my head or if, as you say, people were just in love with what it could be and hyped up something the book doesn’t actually do.
So I was just doing a re-read of Anne Bishop’s The Others series. It’s 10 years old, and I haven’t re-read it since that initial read, so it has been a fun rediscovery. It’s been fun, too, reading my reviews after I finish one to compare my thoughts now with my old ones. In this case, I’m still mostly of the same opinion as I was then, but there are times when I feel VERY differently and I’ve marveled at how much I’ve changed since the original read. I’ve ruined a couple of childhood favorites for myself that way, sadly – stuff where in my teens, I just didn’t notice / glossed over the misogyny and etc. Oh well.
I agree with you, though, that we pick up the next book from an author when the previous book kept its promises. Sometimes I’ll try a second series when the first from an author disappointed me, but more often nowadays I wait until the whole thing is out so I can see what trusted friends think about how it landed the ending. It’s just hard to commit and emotionally invest in a story when I have felt like an author has previously not paid that commitment off.
Thanks for the recommendations! Dragons in the Earth looks particularly interesting, so I think I’ll make that one my next up!
I picked up Dragons in the Earth because I couldn’t remember reading any Judith Tarr books. When I asked for recommendations, at least one of her books did ring some vague bells, but I enjoyed Dragons a lot more 🙂
And now you’ve made me think of re-reading The Others. Lakeside maybe? I find her inspiration from quokkas irresistible!
Dogsbody by Diana Wynne Jones is the book from childhood that I refuse to re-read. It was magical in its blend of fantasy and contemporary child/political issues. I couldn’t bear to re-read it and lose the original magic.
Ah, I love Diana Wynne Jones, but haven’t read most of her books in 20 years. I’ve decided to leave childhood favorites alone after a re-read of the first Pern book utterly ruined it for me. Better to hold to the memories of magic that resonated with me as a teen than to revisit and lose that. Though not all re-reads have been tragic – I recently picked up an old Piers Anthony series I adored, and loved it just as much on the re-read, if not more.
If you dip back into The Others, enjoy! I just finished re-reading the Lakeside books, and loved it. 🙂
I’ve had a similar experience with Patricia Wrede. I tried to jump back into her books which I read and reread decades ago and they were good, but I lost the magic from years ago. I changed, not the books. Sigh. Because The Raven Ring is sooooo goood!
I tried Pern for the first time this year and hated the way the relationships were presented 😢. I read the first 2 or 3 books and decided to quit. I still love the Dragonsinger and its sequel though.
Yeah, the vibe in those early books is questionable. My favourite McCaffrey book isn’t actually a fantasy. If you can get your hands on a copy of The Mark of Merlin it’s romantic suspense set in America in the last years of WWII. I love it.
Oh, it’s the worst when you try a hyped book and it’s just not good. 🙁 I have definitely had that happen to me this year.
May was a really good reading month for me though. I read and adored Project Hail Mary, and for reasons I did not expect! I love when the nerds save the world!
I also absolutely loved The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison. It’s political intrigue but strangely cozy, and I love the main character! He’s such a good, gentle person.
Along the same lines I also read The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard. This was very long but spent so much time building a lovely friendship that I didn’t want it to end.
I read a couple of your recommendations and loved them! Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith and Hunting by Andrea Host. Hunting especially made me grin – I thought the romantic element was so well done. They actually talk to each other and discuss their feelings! (Gasp) I wish more YA was like these 2 titles.
Thanks as always for your recommendations!
Oh you had an awesome reading month in May! I love that you enjoyed Hunting by Andrea Host. It’s one of my favourite fantasy rereads. My June is already better than May was for reading. I just finished The Serpent and the Wolf by Rebecca Robinson. I wasn’t keen on the ending, but I enjoyed the dynamic between the protagonists and that the heroine had a constructive personal development journey. That’s clumsy phrasing, but I liked that there wasn’t angst for no reason.
Celia Lake is good for well written fantasy/romance.
The Palmer Rennaissance book is wonderful. And what I classify a chewy read which will take me quite a while to read and digest.
I loved Stars Die. The art deco cover is perfect. Counting the days to the next one.
I’m glad you enjoyed Stars Die – you have no idea how long I’ve dreamed of this series! And thank you for the kind words re its cover – it’s my design 🙂
I’ve been eyeing Celia Lake’s books for a while. Thanks for the push to try them. I wasn’t sure when in the connected series to begin, so I picked up Outcrossing and will dip my toes into the magical world.
I am still chewing my way through Palmer’s book. I hadn’t expected my assumptions to be questioned quite so often – but it’s fantastic!
*edited to add the link to Outcrossing