My 5 Favourite May Reads

I managed to get through sixteen books in May.  Not quite sure how that happened although tour commitments and imminent publication dates always provide motivation…and switching off the television helps.  There were some five-star reads and a few that fell just short of that but, once again, no stinkers!

Click on the book title to read my full review.

You can find a complete list of all the books I’ve read so far this year here, with links to my reviews.  If we’re not already friends on Goodreads, send me a friend request or follow my reviews.

First up we have Mr Peacock’s Possessions by Lydia Syson.  Set on a remote volcanic island in the Pacific in 1879, this is a powerful story that explores the various meanings of possession, including the desire to own and control others.  I described it as being like ‘the strange but wonderful lovechild of Swiss Family Robinson, Lord of the Flies and The Tempest’.  Highly recommended.

Staying with historical fiction, The Magpie Tree by Katherine Stansfield is a mystery set in North Cornwall in 1844. The second in the author’s Cornish Mysteries series (I’m planning to read the first book, Falling Creatures, soon I hope) it features two colourful female protagonists, Shilly and Anna, both of whom have secrets in their pasts.   It ticked all the boxes for a historical mystery as far as I was concerned: intriguing story line, interesting and engaging central characters, great period detail and atmospheric location.

Next up is Juliet & Romeo by David Hewson, a retelling of the story made famous by Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet.  The inversion of the names in the title is relevant – and deliberate – and the author hasn’t been afraid to introduce changes that will surprise those who know the play but certainly won’t disappoint readers.  The book was born out of a script the author created for an audiobook version of Romeo & Juliet narrated by Richard Armitage.  The audiobook recently won a prize at the Audies, the audiobook Oscars.

My fourth choice is The Cliff House by Amanda Jennings and we’re back to Cornwall, this time in the summer of 1986.  The book is an exploration of obsession, loss and desire.  What I particularly enjoyed was the brooding sense of emotional turmoil and impending tragedy, like a great storm approaching from out at sea.   In fact, staying on the Shakespearean theme, I described the sun-drenched terrace of The Cliff House of the title on which the final scenes of the book play out as like the stage of some Shakespearean tragedy.

Finally there is The Last Day by Claire Dyer in which the dynamics of the relationship between Vita, her ex-husband, Boyd, and his new girlfriend, Honey, are explored as, through necessity, they are forced to share the cramped surroundings of the formal marital home.   There were lots of things I loved about the book, although I restricted myself to ten in my review!  I’ll pick out two for you here: the depth of the characterisation and the intense atmosphere created within the house.  There are secrets to discover too.

My local Waterstones in Reading recently hosted an evening with the authors of the last two books mentioned, as both live locally.  You can read my review of the event here.

Some great summer reads here, I think.  (By the way, well done to The Dome Press for getting two of their titles – Juliet & Romeo and The Last Day – on to my list this month!)  What were your favourite reads in May?