May 2016 wrap-up

This is not fair! Why are Spring and Summer months going faster than Winter months??
Well, I got my revenge anyway, because I managed to read a few good books:

Here is what I read in May:

8  books
=  with 2,146 pages, that is: 69.2 pages/day
+ 1 audiobook
=  with 13H03, that is: 25 mn/day

4 in literary fiction:

1. The Sacred Combe, by Thomas Maloney – ebook
2. Villa Triste, by Patrick Modiano
3. The Vegetarian, by Han Kang
4. The Inferno, by Dante

2 in nonfiction:

1. Thirsty Dragon: China’s Lust for Bordeaux and the Threat to the World’s Best Wines, by Suzanne Mustacich – audio
2. Marcel Proust’s Search for Lost Time: A Reader’s Guide to The Remembrance of Things Past, by Patrick Alexander

1 in play:

1. Lacombe Lucien, by Patrick Modiano

1 in poetry:

1. The Collected Poems, by Marcel Proust

1 in mystery:

1. Tainted Tokay, by Jean-Pierre Alaux and Noël Balen – ebook

A few notes:

1. With Le temps retrouvé finshed last month, I wanted to revisit the 7 volumes without rereading them all. Alexander’s book was perfect for that. And then I thought it was high time to read this book of Proust’s poems, purchased several years ago. Not impressive at all. I think this time, I am Prousted out for a while.
2. I can’t believe I waited for Han Kang to receive the Man Booker Prize International to finally open her book that I had received months ago!

My favorites in May

 Reading Challenges recap

French Bingo: 22/25
Audiobook: 4/15
Classics Club: 4/50 (until end of 2018)
Cloak and Dagger (Mysteries): 12/30
Ebook challenge: 16/25
Historical fiction: 6/15
Japanese literature: 3/5
New authors challenge: 19/50
New Release (2016): 15/30
Nonfiction challenge: 6/15
Books in Translation: 11/12
What’s in a Name: 2/6
Where Are You Reading?: 19/50 – to be finished in 2016??

Total of books read in 2016 = 36/100

Number of books added to my TBR in May = 10

Blog recap

• I hosted 3 guest-posts
• 5 of the 9 books I read were received for review

• French Bingo 2016 has 17 participants and 21 reviews posted so far. It’s not too late to join. Don’t forget to link your reviews! And in case you are stuck, we have plenty of choices regularly updated.

• I organized 5 giveaways in February. The one for June at France Book Tours is here. This is the perfect book to spend your summer in France, without the current annoyance of too much rain, flooding, and insane strikes and demonstrations. Be sure to follow through email not to miss weekly giveaways.

• But of course the most important event in my blogging life was participating for the first time in BEA live, not just from my armchair, because for once it was taking place in Chicago. It was a fantastic experience, I brought back friends, books, and multiple ideas. Look here if you have not had a chance yet to read my recap posts about it.

Most popular book review in May

click on the cover to access my review

Most popular post last month
– non book review –

After BEA16: Haul of books and goodies

Book blog that brought me
most traffic this past month

Mom’s Small Victories

please go visit

Top commenters of the month

Inspired by Becca at I’m Lost in Books!
and her Blogger Shout-Outs feature

= 1 point per month for the top 3.
The one who has the most points at the end of the year will receive a gift!
NB: just congratulating winners of giveaways does not count as a real comment 😉

5: Lucy at The Fictional 100 

4: Karen at Booker Talk

3: Freda at Freda’s Voice

2: Katherine at I Wished I Lived In a Library

1: Elizabeth at Silver’s Reviews

Blog milestones

1,368 posts
over 3,750 subscribers
over 113,650 hits

Plans for June

Another local book event is on the horizon, much smaller than BEA, but still, I met there some interesting authors last year. I’m talking about the Printers Row Li Fest in Chicago. I also love its street ambiance.

And courtesy of BEA and all the generous authors and presses, I have zillions of books to read.

Come back tomorrow
to see what I plan to read in June!

How was YOUR month of  May?

Kathryn at The Book Date
has created a Month In Review meme
I’ll now be linking my monthly recap posts
Thanks Kathryn, great idea!