Ah, May. The 3 letter month. This was such a relief after my recent reading slump. Maybe too much of a relief. I think I got a bit cocky at a few points and should probably have focused on some of the longer books earlier on. Especially as it was another difficult “Y” month. I knew that I already owned a book for that letter but it was a longer one than I’ve read in a while. I’m just not used to books above 250 pages anymore. God knows how I’d cope with Ann Radcliffe of Tolkien these days. Anyway, let’s take a look at the titles I picked out for May.

M

Monsters by Emerald Fennel

Book 2 of the month.

Synopsis:

A blackly comic tale about two children you would never want to meet.

Set in the Cornish town of Fowey, all is not as idyllic as the beautiful seaside town might seem. The body of a young woman is discovered in the nets of a fishing boat. It is established that the woman was murdered. Most are shocked and horrified. But there is somebody who is not – a twelve-year-old girl. She is delighted; she loves murders. Soon she is questioning the inhabitants of the town in her own personal investigation. But it is a bit boring on her own. Then Miles Giffard, a similarly odd twelve-year-old boy, arrives in Fowey with his mother, and they start investigating together. Oh, and also playing games that re-enact the murders. Just for fun, you understand…

A book about two twelve-year-olds that is definitely not for kids.

Read my review.

A

The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie

Book 3 of the month.

Synopsis:

hen Alice Ascher is murdered in Andover, Hercule Poirot is already on to the clues. Alphabetically speaking, it’s one down, twenty-five to go.

There’s a serial killer on the loose. His macabre calling card is to leave the ABC Railway guide beside each victim’s body. But if A is for Alice Asher, bludgeoned to death in Andover; and B is for Betty Bernard, strangled with her belt on the beach at Bexhill; then who will Victim C be?

Read my review.

Y

You by Austin Grossman

Book 7 of the month.

Synopsis:

When Russell joins Black Arts games, brainchild of two visionary designers who were once his closest friends, he reunites with an eccentric crew of nerds hacking the frontiers of both technology and entertainment. In part, he’s finally given up chasing the conventional path that has always seemed just out of reach. But mostly, he needs to know what happened to Simon, his strangest and most gifted friend, who died under mysterious circumstances soon after Black Arts’ breakout hit.

As the company’s revolutionary next-gen game is threatened by a software glitch, Russell finds himself in a race to save his job, Black Arts’ legacy, and the people he has grown to care about. The deeper Russell digs, the more dangerous the glitch appears — and soon, Russell comes to realize there’s much more is at stake than just one software company’s bottom line.

Review coming soon.