Why do you read?
I read for entertainment, and I read to escape.
I am a mood reader. I don’t do well with a to-be-read list. I won’t follow it. I read whatever I am in the mood to read at that moment. Luckily, I have a pretty big selection of books to choose from. I am trying to get more books read now that I am retired and have more time. I would like to start utilizing the Library more.
I had a productive reading month. The past few days I have kind of fizzled out but most of the month, I always had a book or two to read.
I read seven books in May. All were mysteries.
The Agathas by Karen Glasgow – I gave it 5 stars.
The Last Word by Taylor Adams – I gave it 5 stars.
Rose Cottage by Mary Stewart – I gave it 4 stars.
The Housemaid by Freida McFadden – I gave it 4 stars.
The Lost Women of Lost Lake (Jane Lawless #19) – I gave it 3 stars.
Silence for the Dead by Simone St James – I gave it 4 stars.
K is for Killers by Sue Grafton – I gave it 3 stars.
The star rating here is mine. I’m not sure how others rate them. A three or above is good for me. A three could be a book I enjoyed but I doubt I would read again. Mainly because I have so many books to read.
A four means I really liked it and would probably read it again someday.
A five is the holy grail for me. If I rated, it a five it means I felt it could someday be a classic for readers in the future.
It also is how I felt at the time and that too could change if I chose to re-read it. I think it is similar to when you go back to your childhood home as an adult. Everything always looks smaller. Re-reading could be like that and I could wonder how I ever rated it the first time.
Everyone has different interests. I may have rated a book that you felt was a five star or a one star and I rated it three. That is okay. It’s all each reader’s own perspective.
How do you decide if a book is worth keeping or re-reading? Do you re-read or keep books?
If you want to see my full review of these books, just click on the dates in the May calendar on my blog and it will direct you to all my May 2023 book reviews.
Now to answer – where did I go in May?
For the Agatha’s it was Castle Cove, California. – I am guessing that is a fictional town.
The Last Word – was on the coast of Washington State
Rose Cottage – was Todhall, England. Even though there is a Todhall England, I thought I read somewhere where the author did make it a fictional one for the book. For this one, I also travelled back in time.
The Housemaid – was the Winchester Home. I don’t think I got what state this was located in. It is not the famous haunted Winchester Mansion in California.
The Lost Women of Lost Lake – was Minnesota.
Silence for the Dead – was Portis House – a mental hospital in England. I believe this was fictional. This too involved time travel for me, as a reader.
K is for Killer – Santa Teresa, California
Out of all these locations this month, I have actually travelled to California and Minnesota so it’s easier to imagine those settings. So those are the places I escaped to this month in books. Where did you go with your reading in May?
As of May 30th – My blog visitors for May came from the United States, Finland, United Kingdom, Poland, Canada, Germany, Ireland and Chezia.
So far, my most popular post for 2023 is still – What I Read in January with 107 views. Let’s see if we can break that record. I am doubting that will happen in May but there is hope for June. If you enjoy reading my blog and know other like-minded readers, please suggest your friends check it out, subscribe, and like. I would really appreciate it.
Do you have a book you think I need to read? Let me know in the comments. What are you reading in June?
Until next time – happy reading,
Virginia
All The Books 