Good Reads {May 2017}

"Books are a uniquely portable magic." -- Stephen King

People sometimes ask me how I read so much, and I guess one of the reasons is that I am rarely without a book! I almost always tuck one into my bag so I have it when I'm waiting for a doctor's appointment or waiting to pick up the kids. Books are portable and they certainly are magical, taking you to new places and letting you experience incredible new worlds. Reading is my favorite!

May is an insane month, as anyone with kids knows, but I still managed to read 12 books in May -- partly because all I wanted to do at the end of a very long day was curl up in bed with a good book.

Here are my favorite reads from the month of May: 

Short by Holly Goldberg Sloan

This new middle grade novel by the author of Counting by 7s was so much fun. Julia is short for her age and ends up in a summer performance of The Wizard of Oz, as a munchkin, of course. As the story unfolds, Julia discovers much about herself. I just adored this book!

Anything Is Possible by Elizabeth Strout

If you have read My Name is Lucy Barton, you'll want to read this collection of nine stories set in Amgash, Illinois. The stories aren't directly about Lucy Barton, but we learn about Lucy through the lenses of others. Strout is a masterful storyteller.

The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women by Kate Moore

Beginning in World War I, thousands of young women took coveted jobs in radium dial factories, painting watch and clock faces with luminous radium. Assured that radium was safe and even beneficial to their health, these women literally glowed. But the glory days were short-lived, because within a short time, these radium workers began to fall mysteriously ill. Their stories and the fight for workers' rights are incredible. This work of nonfiction may be my favorite book of the year to date. 

All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda

This psychological thriller was my book club's May pick, and it was a fun, suspenseful read. Told in reverse, two girls go missing from the same small town in North Carolina, ten years apart. Are the cases related? A fun read for those who enjoy thrillers.

Gods in Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson

Joshilyn Jackson is one of my favorite writers. She deals with serious issues (domestic abuse, racial tensions) while still maintaining humor and lightness. In Gods in Alabama, Arlene returns home after being away for 10 years and has to come to terms with the past and missing quarterback Jim Beverly. The plot line (missing person, returning home after 10 years) is the same as All the Missing Girls, but with a completely different feel. This is Southern literature at its best.

The Dry by Jane Harper

This debut mystery also ties in nicely with All the Missing Girls and Gods in Alabama. All three novels deal with missing teens and returning home after a long period of time but all three are so different. The Dry is a police procedural set in western Australia. The small town of Kiewarra is reeling after Luke Hadler commits murder-suicide. When detective Aaron Falk returns home for the funerals after 20 years, he starts investigating the murder-suicide to determine if it is connected to the case of the missing girl from 20 years before. A fantastic debut. 

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

I listened to this on audio and it was a fun, light read, perfect for summer. The story follows Rachel Chu as she visits Singapore with her boyfriend, not realizing his family is insanely rich. The story is laugh-out-loud funny and I highly recommend the audio version. 

Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond

This Pulitzer-prize-winning work of nonfiction is an incredible, heartbreaking book. Set in the poorest neighborhoods of Milwaukee, Harvard sociologist Matthew Desmond follows eight families as they struggle with evictions, homelessness, drug abuse, hunger and all the other problems that result from extreme poverty. The American system doesn't work for the poorest of the poor. This is a book that everyone should read.

What have you read lately?