May 2021 WRAP-UP
Another busy month, that didn’t leave me much time for blogging.
Besides books waiting for reviews, I miss not having time to do Sunday Posts and/or Top Ten Tuesday posts.
Hopefully, life will quiet down a bit.
Weeks go by so quickly. It feels like we had snow yesterday, yet we are already eating produce from our garden (lettuce, spinach, and kale and rhubarb that grow back every year).
In May, I took part in #BoutofBooks and did two buddy-reads, on The Andromeda Strain and on The Archipelago of Another Life (our last English-French Q&A will be posted on June 4). Lots of fun!
I was also super busy with an international webinar I organized for France Book Tours: “French artists in fiction: four lives, four authors”. About 70 people signed up, from 7 countries. If you missed it, you can watch the video I made from it, with excerpts read by the authors added. It was fascinating, but a lot of work before and after.
In June-July-August, I will be working on my #20BooksofSummer21.
I am also in the process of streamlining all my Categories and Tags.
And of transitioning France Book Tours to another theme, and other forms of marketing!
As I said above, not much happening on the blog this past month, but I did read a good deal.
📚 Here is what I read in May:
13 books:
6 in print
= with 1,685 pages, a daily average of 54 pages/day
7 in audio
= 24H17, a daily average of 47 minutes
4 in nonfiction:
- The Book of Zechariah
- The Book of Malachi
- The Book of Isaiah
- The Book of Jeremiah – these 4 books were as audiobooks, for The Classics Club and the Books in Translation Challenge
4 in mystery:
- The Regatta Mystery and Other Stories (Hercule Poirot #21), by Agatha Christie
- Sad Cypress (Hercule Poirot #22), by Agatha Christie
- One, Two, Buckle my Shoe (Hercule Poirot #23), by Agatha Christie – these first 3 were as audiobooks, for The Classics Club
- People Like Them, by Samira Sedira – received for review for Criminal Element
3 in historical fiction:
- Monet & Oscar, by Joe Byrd – received for review for France Book Tours
- The Archipelago of Another Life / L’Archipel d’une autre vie, by Andreï Makine
- Flight of the Raven, by Jean-Pierre Gibrat – graphic novel
2 in science-fiction:
- The Andromeda Strain, by Michael Crichton – for The Classics Club
- Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir – received for review through Netgalley
MY FAVORITE BOOKS THIS PAST MONTH
READING CHALLENGES & RECAP
Classics Club: 55/137 (from November 2020-until November 2025)
Japanese Literature Challenge: 12 books
Total of books read in 2021 = 73/120 (60%)
Number of books added to my TBR this past month = 22
NO OTHER BOOK REVIEWED THIS PAST MONTH
GIVEAWAYS
The open giveaways are on my homepage
REVIEW COPIES AVAILABLE
And we offer a Book Box!
And monthly raffle with a Newsletter
(see sample with link to sign up)
MOST POPULAR BOOK REVIEW THIS PAST MONTH
click on the cover to access my review
MOST POPULAR POST THIS PAST MONTH
– NON BOOK REVIEW –
BOOK BLOG THAT BROUGHT ME MOST TRAFFIC THIS PAST MONTH
Julie Anna’s Books
please go visit, there are a lot of good things there!
TOP COMMENTERS
Marianne at Let’s Read
Iza at Books & Livres
Greg at Book Haven
please go and visit them,
they have great book blogs
BLOG MILESTONES
2,345 posts
over 5,470 followers
over 221,800 hits
📚
Come back tomorrow
to see the books I plan to read in June
📚 📚 📚
How was YOUR month of May?
Nicole at Feed Your Fiction Addiction
has created a Month In Review meme
where you can link your monthly recap posts
Thanks Nicole!
Words And Peace 
Very cool that you’ve monitored proper blog stats! And looks like May was a solid reading month for you. Great going~
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“proper blog stats”: what do you mean exactly? Yes, so far, I have read between 13 to 18 books per month, which is more than usual for me. I hope to keep it that way
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As in: counts of how much you’ve read, what you’ve posted about, which posts stood out… I’m hopeless at keeping track of all this. So, “proper” blog stats! 😎
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Oh I see. My wrap-ups have evolved along the years, using ideas here and there. I like my current format, it’s fun revisiting what happened during the past month and looking at wordpress stats
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I don’t know what you are talking about… lol… 13 books is fantastic! 🙂 Happy June!
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I did write the reading was fine, it’s the blogging that’s lagging far behind. Happy June to you too! Enjoy the nice weather
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I have never read Michael Crichton, but I really need to! I always hear such good things about his books!
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If you like classic Scifi, you definitely need to try his books
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Congrats on a great month! I hope you enjoyed Project Hail Mary. I thought it was so cool. 🙂 Happy reading in June!
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For the most part, I loved it too. I found it really too technical in some parts, but the plot and ending redeemed the whole thing. I can’t wait to see it as a movie as well. It HAS TO BE made into a movie, right?
Happy June reading!
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Yes! The ending was great. And it’s supposed to be adapted. I hope it happens too. 🤞
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Yes!!
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You’ve had quite a busy month yet again, but it seems like it was super productive as well! Happy June!
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Thanks Julie Anna, yes that was a good month, and you were part of it, with our buddy-read! Happy June reading to you too!
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I’ve had a hard time fitting in blogging lately too. I’m hoping June will be better as far as that goes.
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The perpetual balance fight between reading vs. reviewing/blogging…
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A good reading month. I finished 15 books in May which is a high total for me. Not much to do on the weekends except for read, and my husband is still doing calls to his parents twice a week which gives me two free evenings.
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Well done. Happy June reading too!
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I think 13 books is excellent, especially if you had such a busy schedule the whole month. I love that you have already harvested veggies from your garden. I had to wait to plant mine because of freeze/frost warnings here, but now I’m starting to get tomatoes for my salads and my peppers are also doing well. June is almost over, but I hope it was a great month for you!
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so glad you are also enjoying produce from your garden, the real thing is so much more tasty!
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You always give me titles I want to read. Have a great day my friend. Hope all is well.
http://www.rsrue.blogspot.com
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All is well. Happy July to you!
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