May's Bookshelf was Rough...

By the 6th of the month, I had managed to get all four kids started in new grades (we homeschool year-round), but I hadn't read more than a few pages of a physical book, and only slightly more on my Kindle app. Some months are just like that (which is also why I read so much in the beginning of the year, because I suspected slower reading months would come, in part due to the busier and more chaotic seasons of life). 

Photo by Mari Potter on Unsplash

Some of the reading desert I experienced in May came from my choices in reading material. Most of the books below had been on my shelves for a number of years and it was time to read them or release them. And since I'm not very good at releasing without reading (or at least attempting to read), I powered through them, albeit a bit slowly. The first four star book this month came from my mother, who handed it to me and said I should read it. Kudos, Mom. And the last book...from a desire to wash the ick of the biography off.

Let me also say, preemptively, that I always feel terrible bashing a book in reviews. I've worked with enough authors over the years that I have seen firsthand the way in which authors pour their hearts and souls into their books. But in all honesty...some of them should never make it past the first draft. Sorry, ladies and gentlemen. And with that...I give you the reviews for May.

1. Don't Overthink It by Anne Bogel - ★★☆ I gave this three stars on Goodreads and IG, but if I'm being honest, for me, it was a two star book. I feel guilty saying that because once upon a time, many years ago, I used to write a monthly book blog post with the author and another blogging friend, so it almost feels disloyal to give her book two stars. While the content could be helpful for those who are chronic over-thinkers, the reality was that, for me, it seemed a bit oversimplified. Then again, I'm an INTJ, researching and considering all the known (and potential) possibilities is what I do, but making a decision doesn't wear me out. So I gave it three stars elsewhere because I don't really think I was the target audience, and also, because I enjoyed her chapter on not overthinking splurges (I'm Scotch-Irish, I'm cheap, it's in my blood to fret over spending money I might not "need" to spend). Two-and-a-half stars. {Amazon Associates Link}
2. Satchmo by Louis Armstrong - ★★ Not the most well-written book, but Armstrong is known for his gravelly voice and smooth trumpet playing, not for his 5th-grade education writing skills. I have loved the music of Louie Armstrong since I was six years old and my adult brother let me listen to Armstrong's album, What a Wonderful World. I don't recall where I first heard about Armstrong's autobiography, but it's been on my shelf since 2021.  I would have given the first half of the book (and his life until the mid-teenage years) four stars, but the latter half got a little iffy, not only with language but also with lifestyle. If you're at all interested in learning more about the humble beginnings of this jazz legend, I'd still recommend it, keeping the disclaimers above in mind. Two stars. {Amazon Associates Link}
3. What She Ate by Laura Shapiro - ☆ That's right. Not even a full star. I, who never skim read books, found my eyes skipping over pages and paragraphs, looking somewhere, anywhere, for a book about six women and the role food played in their lives. It was about the stories of six women. Sort of. The chapter about Eva Braun was more about Hitler and the Nazi party than it was about her or any foods she did - or didn't - eat, and also happened to be the only chapter that held my attention. The thread of food that allegedly ran through the lives of these women was thin, at best. And most of the book felt like a stretch. A incestuous sister (or not, there's a lot of assumptions being made there), a cook who attempted to press herself into high society as an equal, the aforementioned Eva, Eleanor Roosevelt (who did, actually, have some really odd food menus at the White House), and the list continues. My apologies to the author, who clearly loved the idea of this, but it was a seriously boring book, lacking substance and cohesiveness, and I would not recommend. No stars and no Amazon link. 
4. Being Elisabeth Elliot by Ellen Vaughn - ★★★★ All four of those stars absolutely belong to the author for taking a mass of information about a woman who has been the object of hero-worship by many (myself included, at times), and turning it into a very fair portrayal of a human being. Vaughn didn't shy away from the hard stuff, the ugly stuff, and the stuff that people who grew up on the stories of Jim and Elisabeth Elliot might not want to hear. Using Elisabeth's own diaries, her letters to friends and family, and interviews with those who knew her best, we gain a new picture of the woman who is most famous for her first season of widowhood. There were a number of stories and facts that shook every idea that I had of her - from her apparent *need* for a man in her life to her emotional and even physical affair with husband #2 before his first wife was dead - and about halfway through the book I was ready to chuck Let Me Be  A Woman out the window. The bottom line on this book should come from Elliot herself, who once said the only thing that belongs on a pedestal is a statue. One star for the subject (*GASP*) and four for the author. This cannot have been an easy book to write. {Amazon Associates Link}
5. News from Thrush Green by Miss Read - ★★★★ After the duds from the beginning of the month and the heaviness of the Elliot biography, I decided I needed to read something light, to leave the month on a high note. It may not be the kind of book that causes me to think deeply about things, but a visit to Thrush Green never fails to make me sigh deeply and relax into coziness. It's not quite Mitford (lacking the Spiritual aspect), but if you're looking for a way to escape to a small British village in the middle of the last century, where a cup of tea and a good dig in the garden can do wonders for problems, both great and small, then you have come to the right place. In this book (#3 in the series), we find ourselves in the midst of the Piggott's domestic squabbles, finding homes for all of Dotty's surprise kittens, and wondering if a confirmed bachelor might have his head turned by the young widow (and newest village resident) across the way. If you're looking for a fun little series to take you away when the world feels heavy, I would heartily recommend giving any of books by Miss Read a try. Four stars. {Amazon Associates Link} 

What have YOU read this month? 

Best book? Worst? Meh?