Friday, June 4, 2021

Month in Review: May 2021


I know it feels like all we bloggers ever talk about is how fast time is going by–but have you noticed that it's somehow already June!? It's a little appalling, to be honest, how fast this year is flying by, and I'm not sure I like it (not that I think time really cares about our feelings).
 
Well, I guess a lot has actually happened in the past month of May, which is a chance from the usual. I officially graduated with my M.A. in Classics, and as a bonus I finished off my vaccine doses and am officially fully vaccinated! Frankly, which one I'm more excited about is probably a little bit of a toss-up, you know? I really am not sure yet what I'll be doing post-M.A., so for now it's just job-hunting for a new job, related to Classics or not (likely not) so that I can figure out what's next. Since being vaccinated, I also finally got to visit the Getty Villa museum, which is stunning and full of Ancient Greek and Roman antiquities and is basically a sort of heaven for me (and their Covid safety protocols were great!). I also visited the Wild Animal Park (aka San Diego Zoo Safari Park now, but I'll never convert to the new name) this past Sunday with my mom and husband for an early birthday celebration, which was so nice and needed. Since everything was outdoors, it also felt safe and comfortable and we didn't really have to worry about crowds (hooray!). How have you all been doing this year? Things have been so up and down, and I know Covid and vaccinations have been different everywhere, so I hope things are going okay wherever you are.

In book news, I apparently read a lot. There were some really great books, as well as some not-so-great ones, but you can't win everything, right? Standouts were Sidewinders, Mother Pig, The Lost City of Z, The Mountains Sing, and 1491! Reading more works from indigenous peoples of the Americas has been a big interest of mine in the past couple years, so I decided to complement those with a nonfiction–1491–and it was such a fascinating book that is both incredible and devastating all in one. If you're at all interested in the history of the Americas pre- and post-European settlement, I really can't recommend it enough, and I plan to look for more books on the topic as well. I also re-read The Hod King in advance of the final books' release this fall. And in case you're wondering what that blank Don Bernardo Yorba book is, it's a short biographical/reference book I found about someone from my personal family ancestry that I mainly read out of interest and to learn more, so I opted not to rate it because it didn't really feel right. I still felt like I should include it in my monthly reading, though! No DNFs in May, either, but I do think I may already have one for June...😐

Anyway, enough about me--how was your month? Have you read any new favorites books, or anything that just didn't work for you? Do let me know in the comments how things are, I love hearing from you all!


# books read: 16
   


SidewindersMother Pig (Houndstooth, #2)The Memory PoliceThe Lost City of Z: A Legendary British Explorer's Deadly Quest to Uncover the Secrets of the Amazon

Sidewinders by Robert V.S. Redick 
Source: Publisher | Format: Physical ARC

Mother Pig by Travis M. Riddle 
Source: Author | Format: eARC

The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa 
Source: Library | Format: Hardcover

The Lost City of Z by David Grann 
Source: Gift | Format: Paperback

Rabbits1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before ColumbusThe Mountains SingLakewood

Rabbits by Terry Miles 
Source: NetGalley | Format: eARC

1491: New Revelations of the America's Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann 
Source: Owned | Format: Paperback

The Mountains Sing by Nguyen Phan Que Mai 
Source: Audible | Format: Audiobook

Lakewood by Megan Giddings 
Source: Library | Format: Hardcover

MadamThe Priory of the Orange TreeThe Portrait of a MirrorThe Ones We're Meant to Find
Madam by Phoebe Wynne 
Source: NetGalley | Format: eARC

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon 
Source: Audible | Format: Audiobook

The Portrait of a Mirror by A. Natasha Joukovsky 
Source: Publisher | Format: Physical ARC

The Ones We're Meant to Find by Joan He 
Source: Publisher | Format: Hardcover

The World Gives WayThe Hod King (The Books of Babel, #3)The Quiet BoyBlank 133x176

The World Gives Way by Marissa Levien 
Source: Publisher (Orbit) | Format: Physical ARC

The Hod King by Josiah Bancroft (re-read) 
Source: Publisher/Owned | Format: Paperback

The Quiet Boy by Ben H. Winters 
Source: Publisher | Format: Physical ARC

Don Bernardo Yorba by Terry E. Stephenson
Source: Owned | Format: Hardcover



DNF/To-Be-Finished:
None!

 

MadamThe Ones We're Meant to FindThe Quiet BoyAriadneThe Portrait of a MirrorFor the Wolf (Wilderwood, #1)The World Gives Way



(other than reviews)

Top Five/Ten Tuesday:

2 comments:

  1. Yay, congrats on graduation! The zoo sounds like a lot of fun, too!

    ReplyDelete
  2. It looks like you had a great month overall! I'm excited to start Rabbits. We were told this month that we didn't have to wear masks at work anymore since we're all vaccinated, and its been so nice!

    ReplyDelete