May Books 2023
May Books 2023: 11 Books I Read in May
By: Brittany Shields
This was a month for new books. 8 of the 11 books I read were new releases this year or last.
I fulfilled four prompts for the Shelf Reflection’s 2023 Reading Challenge, 1 for the 2022 Goodreads Choice Awards Reading Challenge…
PLUS a couple of these were on my list of Most Anticipated Books of 2023.
I love that I am able to read so many different genres. I learn, I’m entertained, I’m inspired, I’m encouraged, and I’m on the edge of my seat!
If you tend to stick to one genre, I would encourage you to branch out and try something new! You never know what will pique your interest.
Spotlight of the Month:
I think I have to pick The Paris Daughter for the spotlight this month. It is not often that a book makes me cry. Harmel’s writing evokes a lot of emotion and as a mother really resonated with me in imagining the sacrifices mothers have to make during war.
I know WWII novels are a dime a dozen but I feel like this is a special book and is definitely one worth reading.
1. The Search for Synergy (The Talisman Series Vol. 1) by Brett Salter
Genre: Fantasy/Middle Grade
“You are not what you think you are. You are not the normal person you see when you look in the mirror. You come from a long blood-line of great power and tremendous bravery.”
The target audience for this book is probably middle grade boys. The two main characters are boys who realize they are rider and dragon and must fight against the powers of evil to save the world.
It is full of action, adventure, heroism, and the bond of friendship. There are also elements of humor between the boys as well.
The end of this book sets up great potential for the rest of the series.
Plus, other than one instance of ‘BS’ it is a clean book.
Read my full review to see what the few things that annoyed me (as an adult) were.
2. The War Against Boys: How Misguided Policies Are Harming Our Young Men by Christina Hoff Sommers
Genre: Nonfiction
“What we share is a concern for all children, along with an awareness that boys appear to need special help right now. That is not backlash against female achievement; it is reality and common sense.”
This is no doubt a controversial book. We are in a culture promoting ‘girl power’ and ‘women empowerment’ and males are increasingly just associated with ‘toxic masculinity.’
The War Against Boys is a book written to expose the plight of our young boys. They are falling behind. In many ways, but in one surprising way— academics.
Sommers, a former philosophy professor, discusses things like the wage gap, zero-tolerance policies, value-free education, socialization vs. biology, some lady named Carol Gilligan that apparently did a crap job of creating a legitimate study to prove her conclusions about girls being in despair and boys being violent,… among other evidence to show the ways that policies meant to help girls were potentially not necessary and further, were a hindrance to boys.
This is definitely an insightful book and an often silenced perspective that we need to consider.
Read my full review for more quotes and comments on the aforementioned topics.
3. The Paris Daughter by Kristin Harmel
Genre: Historical Fiction
[On my list of Most Anticipated Books of 2023]
“‘I think,’ he said slowly, ‘that sometimes, the roads we don’t know we’re walking are the ones that lead us to exactly where we’re meant to be.’”
This is a beautiful story of motherhood, friendship, art, grief, resilience, and hope.
And it just rips your heart out. I had thought I was incapable of crying lately, but this book did me in.
This is the story of three mothers and friends— Juliette, Ruth, and Elise— living in Paris right before the German invasion. It is the story of what heart-breaking sacrifices mothers must make for their children and the aftermath.
Unlike a lot of WWII books, only the first part takes place during the war. The second part of the book follows the women post-war and how they manage the effects of what happened to them.
I would definitely recommend this book. I have a feeling this is going to make my list of best books in 2023.
Read my full review for more plot details, more on the art aspect of the book, and other things that I liked in the book.
4. Not So Perfect Strangers by L.S. Stratton
Genre: Suspense/Thriller
“Right now, she and I are in a battle of wills, and she thinks she’s going to win, but she forgot that I was with a man for almost twenty years who tried to break me, to make me bend to his will. And even on our last day together, I still rebelled.”
This book is a bit twisted and keeps you hooked until the end.
How convenient would it be for two women (strangers) to murder each other’s dastardly husbands?
I was immediately invested in the story knowing the premise and reading the very first chapter. It begins at the scene of a crime, victims shot and house ablaze. Our main character has called the police to report the crime and confesses to being the perpetrator.
The first line of the book is this: “Guilty people run away from the scene of a crime, and that is what Tasha Jenkins was doing as the Gingells’ house burned.”
After that brief scene we are thrust back in time several months to figure out what has led up to this crime. And is Tasha really guilty?
Read my full review to see what other threads are woven into the plot and to see my recommendation.
5. Risen Motherhood: Gospel Hope for Everyday Moments by Emily Jensen & Laura Wifler
Genre: Christian Living/Parenting
“We cannot will ourselves into finding joy in motherhood because we cannot will ourselves into the obedience or love God requires of us. If we’re to find true, lasting joy in our motherhood journey, what we need is the work of Jesus Christ.”
All mothers of any kind should read this book— not just because it’s beautifully designed and just feels good to hold and read— but because Emily and Laura are able to transparently articulate the thoughts, desires, needs, struggles, and fears of motherhood from the small things to the big things and bring gospel hope into each and every one of them!
These two women, who are also sisters-in-law, have a whole Risen Motherhood ministry including a WEBSITE and a PODCAST.
We hear the phrase ‘preach the gospel to yourself’ a lot. I use it myself. But sometimes we don’t really know how to do this. Emily and Laura do a phenomenal job demonstrating how to take a struggle and view it through the lens of the gospel.
Read my full review to see the kinds of things they talk about, more quotes, and the framework for which they apply the Gospel message.
6. What If? 2: Additional Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions
Genre: Nonfiction/Science/Humor
[Nominee for ‘Best Nonfiction’ category of the 2022 Goodreads Choice Awards Reading Challenge]
Randall Munroe creates delightful books. He must just have the best time combing through questions, figuring them out, and illustrating them. What a fun career!
I’ve already read What If? (volume 1) and How To? which were both informative yet useless in the best way.
What If? 2 takes on more questions from fans of Munroe’s work.
A bonus feature of this book that I liked were the sections: Weird and Worrying (where he just listed questions people asked that were too weird or worrying to answer) and the Short Answers (where he was able to answer the questions in a few sentences or small pictures.)
Read my full review to see what kind of absurd questions he answers and see some of his funny comic illustrations.
7. A Killer’s Game (Daniela Vega #1) by Isabella Maldonado
Genre: Suspense/Thriller
[On my list of Most Anticipated Books of 2023]
“Before leaving the Army, Vega had served in their most elite combat unit, where she had smashed through closed doors, glass ceilings, and preconceived notions. Wu had no doubt she was more than qualified for this assignment. Her only challenge would be dealing with Toro, whose loyalty was only to himself.”
I am a big fan of Maldonado’s Nina Guerrero series so I knew I had to read her newest book, A Killer’s Game.
The book started off a bit slow as it laid the groundwork for the rest of the book, but the pace picked up and Maldonado created, yet again, a suspenseful story with a tough and heroic female protagonist and a formidable opponent.
It’s an action-packed thriller where an undercover mission leads to a trap- a Hunger Games style killing game where only one gets out alive. FBI agent Daniela Vega must use her intelligence and combat knowledge to not only survive but to catch Nemesis who is behind it all.
Read my full review for more on the plot, a few nit-picky things I commented on, and a few other similar book recommendations.
8. The Boys from Biloxi by John Grisham
Genre: Historical Fiction/Legal Thriller
“Corruption never stays in a box. It spreads because greedy men see easy money and there is an endless demand for gratification and the promise of a quick buck.”
Goodreads says this book is a ‘sweeping saga’ of two families whose trajectories lead them to a showdown in the courtroom.
Sweeping and saga are the right words. It’s a long book and it spans from 1948 to 1986.
We get chapters with background on Biloxi, Mississippi and all the corruption that settled into town. We get chapters that detail baseball games and tournaments. Some that detail boxing matches and cockfights. Chapters detailing the litigation involved in the insurance claims after Hurricane Camille. Chapters on a string of jewelry shop thefts.
Really, I think a better title for this book would be ‘Biloxi Vice: Will the Corruption Ever End?’
Read my full review for more reasons why this book wasn’t my favorite, more on the plot, historical aspects, and pondering on capital punishment.
9. The Zero Night (Jonathan Stride #11) by Brian Freeman
Genre: Suspense/Thriller
Another great installment in the Stride series! Very suspenseful with some nice surprises! Kept me guessing til the very end.
There are two plot lines in this one— one focused on Stride’s wife Serena investigating a case from years ago she suspects she handled wrong; and one in which Stride comes back to the force to help with a ransom case in which a woman’s ransom was paid but she was not returned.
I would recommend most books in this series, but if you haven’t read any, this book would probably be find to read as a standalone.
Read my full review for a few more plot details and comments.
10. Cradles of the Reich by Jennifer Coburn
Genre: Historical Fiction
“‘In the four years the Lebensborn Society has been in existence, do you know how many girls have met one hundred percent of our criteria for genetic and aesthetic perfection?’ Dr Ebner paused, ‘One. One girl— you, Gundi.’”
This is a disturbing read.
Not because of the writing but because of the subject matter: Lebensborn Society circa WWII where the Germans sought to create perfect humans using a breeding process. It’s disturbing because of the indoctrination we know happened in Nazi Germany.
Cradles of the Reich follows three characters who find themselves at Heim Hochland, one of the Germans’ centers to breed ‘racially pure’ babies for Hitler. Coburn indicates in her author’s note that she wanted to explore characters with three different attitudes a German citizen may have had.
Read my full review for more on the main characters, a commentary on eugenics and abortion, and why this book became disappointing.
11. Raising Confident Kids in a Confusing World: A Parent’s Guide to Grounding Identity in Christ by Ed Drew
Genre: Christian Living/Parenting
“Someone will be teaching your kids about their souls and their bodies. Make sure it’s you.”
We parents have the hard job of raising kids. We feel the pressure to do it right and not ruin our kids. Of course, as Christians, we must put our faith in God who loves our kids more than we do and trust Him with them. We can only do so much as parents and what we do is no guarantee that they will ‘turn out right.’
But nonetheless we make every effort to care for them and teach them truth. Resources like this book are a huge help as a parent to know how to communicate to our kids about their identity which is one of the most important things our kids are figuring out.
Raising Confident Kids is not exhaustive, but it’s a short, easy to read book that begins with Gospel truth and our identity in Christ— our sinfulness, forgiveness, and grace. It then has chapters on friendship, sex, marriage, and gender.
It’s not necessarily a book you read WITH your kids but will prepare you to know how to talk to your kids about some of these things.
Read my full review for more on what the book talks about, a link to other resources they provide on their website, and a list of other relevant books I would recommend.
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