In April I read Melanie Benjamin's latest historical fiction, The Girls in the Picture. I'm not sure if it was a coincidence, but with all the #metoo stories coming out of Hollywood, this story was really timely and interesting. It focused on the lives of silent movie star, Mary Pickford and her screenwriting bestie, Frances Marion. There were supporting roles from Charlie Chaplin, Rudolph Valentino, and Douglas Fairbanks, but what these two women did in their day and age really and how they accomplished it, was extraordinary. I haven't read a Melanie Benjamin book that I didn't like yet.
My other book for April was Everything Here is Beautiful by Mira T. Lee. This story showed how one person's mental illness affected everyone around here, and although this was some heavy subject matter, this book read like a dream.
April was busy. It's one of those months that just about sucks me under every year, it seems. It started with Easter, took a detour to winter, involved a choir trip for the boy and my husband, and ended with nice weather, a concert dream fulfilled, and hatching chickens. Looking back, I'm amazed I read two books.
In May, I can often see the light at the end of the tunnel with the school year ending and start to believe I'm going to make it. My first book for the month was Tangerine by Christine Mangan. This was taut and suspenseful, different from a lot of things I've read this year.
I don't normally count re-reads for my yearly count, but I'm going to this year because it's my party. And this re-read was significant. As you know if you're a reader, Sue Grafton passed away this year, This was a bitter pill to swallow as she was just one letter short of finishing her alphabet mystery series (which I've mentioned several times that I was hoping she would find a way to continue even after the letter Z). I felt the need to go back to where it all began and re-read A is for Alibi. And just like always, it was like meeting an old friend for lunch.
Last in May (I finished it on the 31st) was One Shot at Forever by Chris Ballard. I'm usually not a sports reader even though I love baseball and am somewhat knowledgable about it. This was an exception as it was a nonfiction account of a high school baseball's team run for the state championship. Said high school team was from a small town just five minutes south of me. This really hit me right in the feels, as I felt like I knew these small town farm boys who were very much like the ones I grew up with and it was a great underdog story, the kind of which I am always a sucker for.
May brought with it a wonderful Mother's Day, the boy's 13th (whaaaaat?) birthday, my twin niece and nephew's graduation from high school (again, whaaaat?), lots of dance recital rehearsal hooopty do, the end of my school year, and some strawberries. All in all, May ended well.
