How has May come and gone already?! I had a similar experience to April – too many challenges, too little time. I also read some cracking books – three warranted five stars!
To see more about the books I loved and hated this month, click here.
What I’ve learned this month:
1. To sign up to fewer challenges. See the start of this post. And last month’s post. Okay, I’m seeing a pattern.
2. One book on the EU is not enough! I never thought I’d say that, but I have and it’s true! I can now recommend that if you have a limited attention span, try The EU Referendum by David Torrance, it’s only 118 pages. If you’ve got a bit more time and want a bit more detail, read Europe In Or Out by David Charter. I read the latter this month, and it’s incredibly accessible. I strongly believe it’s our duty to put some effort in to understanding what we’re actually voting for – please, please, please don’t just vote us out of the EU based on sensational headlines! Immigration and reduced democracy won’t necessarily be solved by leaving – in fact, it could get worse, because in order to continue trading with the EU, we may be required to sign up to very similar immigration rules, but we would have even less say because we would no longer be part of the EU – a la Norway or Switzerland. There will be benefits to leaving, but everything I’ve read so far suggests that they will be far, far, outweighed by the costs.
3. There’s nothing quite like being utterly swept away by a gorgeous novel. I fell completely in love with The Firebird by Susannah Kearsley. I find myself still thinking about the characters four books later – hello Rob McMorran!
4. Last month I spoke about how much I was enjoying moderating a book club on Goodreads. This month, we chose our first Group Reads – All the Bright Places and I Am Malala. All the Bright Places was my first five-star rating of the month; I found it deeply moving and could not put it down. I can’t speak for its portrayal of Bipolar disorder as it’s not something I have any experience of; however, Niven’s reflection of the struggle with mental illness resonated deeply, and was incredibly well written. Highly recommended.
On the menu for June
You can see all of my choices and reviews by following me on Goodreads, let me know what you’re reading so I can get inspired!
NB. Some of my reviews do include spoilers, so please check the top of the post for a warning before reading.
Martha Is 
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