My May TBR feels like it’s all over the place. At first, I decided to keep my TBR to five/six books. That way, I would always have wiggle room for library loans and ARCs that come my way. 

I also wanted to keep my May TBR to physical books only. My main goal is to reduce my physical TBR substantially so I can start buying and loaning other books again. Right now I’m at 56, which may not be a lot for some but for me it’s enough for me to feel uncomfortable about taking on more books. But then I decided to do some requesting on NetGalley, and that resulted in two more books in the queue. 

And my last issue with my TBR was that I wish it had a better mix of books. But if that’s where my physical TBR is at right now then that’s what it’s going to feel like for a bit. Ultimately I’d like to keep my physical TBR under 30 – moreso under 15, but 30 is the first goal I want to hit – so this will be going on for a couple more months!

So my May TBR is going to be a bit less structured than I wanted it to be. Instead it’ll be a bit more of a longlist, and we’ll see how far I get!

Emma by Jane Austen

Emma is one of Jane Austen’s more famous works. It follows the day-to-day life of Emma, who likes to play matchmaker in her town. But Emma may be a little too confident in her matchmaking abilities, which causes some problems down the road. 

I meant to read this book last year, so I really want to get to it soon. The only other book by Jane Austen I read was Pride and Prejudice, so I want to continue trying her works. 

The Power by Naomi Alderman

The Power is a dystopian novel that at first looks like our world today. But when teenage girls suddenly have deadly physical power, the world begins to change, and power begins to lie in the hands of women.

I’ve been interested in (and owned) this book for quite some time, so I’m surprised I haven’t read it yet! I feel like I haven’t read books like this so I’m curious to see how the themes here are explored.

Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D.H. Lawrence

Lady Chatterley’s Lover is a famously banned classic from 1928 featuring an affair between Constance Chatterley and the gamekeeper. After being banned shortly after publication, the original version did not see its way back into the states until 1960.

I saw this book at a library sale and decided to pick it up. Considering its legal history and bans in so many nations, I’m curious to know how the content of this novel compares to more recent novels or memoirs on similar subjects. 

The Luxe (Luxe #1) by Anna Godbersen

The Luxe is a young adult historical fiction series set in 1899 Manhattan. It follows Holland sisters Elizabeth and Diana, considered to be on top of Manhattan’s social scene. But when their father dies, the sisters are sent away for school, and upon their return, things are not as stable as they originally hoped for their family. 

I picked up this book up completely at random from a library sale, not knowing a single thing about it. I didn’t even know the plot in this detail until now. I figured it would be fun to read something at random, so we’ll see how this goes! 

A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking 

A Brief History of Time is Stephen Hawking’s book on the study of the universe written for general readers. The first edition was released in 1988, with a newer edition expanding upon its original content and including chapters on wormholes and time travel.

This is another book I found at a library sale, and this was a must-read for me. I want to read many more STEM books, and this feels like a good starting point (on top of what I read so far). I’ve also been finding lots of STEM books at library sales in general, so it’s a nice surprise whenever I come across one. 

A Choice of Catastrophes by Michael Schuster

A Choice of Catastrophes is an original series Star Trek book that follows Dr. McCoy. On the way back from a mission from delivering medical supplies, the Enterprise gets caught in a time warp – and a series of oddities occur that Dr. McCoy must get to the bottom of. 

I have so many Star Trek books that I’ve found in various places – this being the first! And I’ve definitely been craving more sci-fi lately, so I’m looking forward to finally reading this one. 

NetGalley TBR

So the above accounts for everything on my original TBR. But now I have two books I’m adding on from NetGalley! 

I currently also have two other books that have been pending for weeks now – Girl, Serpent, Thorn by Melissa Bashardoust and Ingredients by George Zaidan. I think both of these I have a pretty low probability of being accepted for but I figured I’d give it a try. If anything I can purchase these or get them from my library as I’m very interested in reading both of them!

But onto my May NetGalley TBR:

Shadowplay by Joseph O’Connor

Shadowplay is set in 1800’s London just after the discovery of the killings by Jack the Ripper. It follows Henry Irving, who opens a theater to be managed by Bram Stoker. It also follows Bram Stoker and how his time at the theater insipres him to write Dracula.

Given my interest in gothic novels I thought this would be an interesting book to request. I’m also interested in requesting from this publisher again in the future as they publish international fiction. 

Mortmain Hall by Martin Edwards 

Mortmain Hall takes place in 1930 and follows Rachel Savernake, who is holding a gathering for those who cheated the gallows. But things turn south quickly as a body is found beneath the cliff, and Rachel Savernake must seek answers. 

I haven’t read a mystery like this in a long time and really want to get back into reading them. However, I didn’t notice until after the fact that this book is the second in a series – but doing some further research I don’t think I would be impacted too much by reading this one first.

That’s everything for my May TBR. I’m not sure how far I’ll get this month, but if this month was anything like the last I’ll be reading quite a bit!

What about you? Have you read any of these? Let me know if you have!