WellRead in May

From Emily Lex's website. My pic wasn't nearly as pretty.

1. Freely & Lightly by Emily Lex (5/5)

Heavily inspired by John Mark Comer’s The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry (Do I sound like a broken record yet?), Emily’s work is beautifully written and beautiful to look at. I got to be on her book launch team, and it just made me love her even more. Buy her book!

2. Betty by Tiffany McDaniel (5/5)

I loved this book. If you like dysfunctional-family memoir that makes your family feel less like crazy people by comparison (think Glass Castle, Educated. Hillbilly Elegy), I definitely recommend! However, warning: it is very R-rated with lots of heavy topics including abuse, incest, and a lot of violence. The redemption story made it worthwhile.

3. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig (5+/5)

I read this book in one day. (Granted, it was a Saturday and we had zero plans. But I could not put it down.) A story about the beauty of ~life~, it reminded me a little of the greatest love story of all time: About Time, which, by the way, is on Netflix. If you have ever felt like you made the wrong career choice, spouse choice, or other regret big or small, this novel offers great perspective.

4. The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith (4/5)

I’ve been wanting to read J. K. Rowling’s other works for years (Robert Galbraith is another one of her pseudonyms. Did you know she doesn’t even have a “K” in her name?), and I finally checked this out from the library. When I was in high school, I forced my grandmother to read the first Harry Potter. She said she enjoyed it (though that may have just been saving my feelings since Hogwarts is personal), but she also said that the many characters made it hard to follow. I found that to be true for this detective story. J. K. Rowling can keep a lot more in her head than I can. But a fun read all the same!

5. The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary (2.5/5)

Very much a “beach read”--and I’m all about a good beach read. Cute and sweet and set in London, but I wasn’t in love with the story itself. If you’re looking for a light summer read, this might be for you!