It’s already the fifth month of the year, can you believe it? Here in Scotland we’ve gone from 5pm to 9pm sunsets seemingly over the course of the past month and I’m loving all the sunlight. I’m in Edinburgh, so we’ve also had beautiful weather for the past couple weeks (although today is overcast), even if it is still chilly. Sun and not hot = perfect combination. I was walking back from a class at 8.30pm last night and people were still out picnicking in the park. Definitely one of my favourite times of year.
I’m also excited because May is Wyrd and Wonder month! (Find out more here.) This is officially my first Wryrd and Wonder post (“set your path”), although I did include my non-fantasy TBR books here as well.
Without further ado, let’s take a look at my (ambitious) May TBR!
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The Apothecary by the Sea by Victoria Bennett
Victoria and her family move to the Scottish islands of Orkney. Inspired by the local landscape and folklore, she builds an apothecary garden.
This is one of the books I preordered for spring and I’m hoping it’ll have the perfect atmosphere for this time of year.
When We Cease to Understand the World by Benjamin Labatut
A series of stories about the descent into madness of great scientists of the 20th century, ranging from factual to the completely fictional.
This is the next buddy read pick for me and one of my IRL friends to read.
이상한 나라의 스물셋 [The Strange World of 23]
Short stories about the difficult process of growing up and existing in society (and your own brain) during your early-mid twenties.
I’ve only got two short stories left in this collection now so I’d like to see if I can finish them both this month.
異人茶跡：淡水1865 [Formosa Oolong Tea: Tanshui 1865] by 張季雅 [Zhang Jiya]
The first installment in a manga series chronicling story how a Scottish merchant and Xiamen trader brought Taiwanese oolong tea to the world in the late 19th century (based on a true story).
Reading this is going to be part of my Chinese language study for the month.
Since May is Wyrd and Wonder, I wanted to make sure that I had a decent number of fantasy books on this TBR as well.
Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
A professor of faerie folklore travels to a small, wintry town to investigate the local Folk and is joined by her charming, irritating colleague and only friend, who’s hiding a secret of his own.
This is my current IRL buddy read book that we’re about halfway through, so I should be finishing it shortly.
The Inn at the Foot of Mount Vengeance by Chiara Bullen
An ambitious young scholar is sent to document the journeys of adventurers to Mount Vengeance, ends up finding a new home and goes on an adventure of his own.
I have an ARC of this book and although it doesn’t come out until July, I thought it would work well for Wyrd and Wonder.
The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett
A tree erupts from the body of an Imperial officer. An eccentric detective and her new magically-altered assistant must investigate.
I’ve been wanting to read something by Robert Jackson Bennett for a while, so I’m very excited to get to this book.
검을 든 꽃 1 [A Flower Holding a Sword 1] by 은소로 [Eun Soro]
Ekinesia is a master swordstress – but her sword controls her, making her kill those she loves. When she gets a chance to go back in time, she’s determined to become a knight and get a new sword.
I read the first 50 pages of this book last summer and then stopped reading it because I was busy with nonfiction things, but since it’s a fantasy romance, I thought Wyrd and Wonder might be a great time to pick it up again. I’m not set on finishing it this month, but I’d like to see how much I can get to.
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
Life aboard the space ship Wayfarer is chaotic and crazy but when the crew is offered the job of a lifetime things get dangerous – fast.
Finally, we have some science-fiction. Not quite fantasy but still in the speculative realm of things and I have been meaning to read this book for ages – it’s the only book/series by Becky Chambers that I haven’t read yet.
Finally, I also need to really commit to doing some dissertation reading this month. I’ve selected two books to try and read in their entirety and then I will be reading bits and pieces from other books as well. I’d like to get a sort of reading habit for my dissertation early in the day so that I can make sure I’m slowly getting the research done!
Herself an Author by Grace S. Fong
An examination of late Ming and Qing women’s poetry, travel writing and critical discourse on poetry reveals how women found self-empowerment and community through writing.
I started this at the very end of last month but didn’t get very far, so this will be my first focus for May.
조선 후기 여성 한글 산문 연구 [Research on Hangeul Prose Writing by Late-Joseon Women] by 김정경 [Kim Jeongyeong]
An exploration of women’s prose nonfiction writings from early modern Korea, including Confucian, non-Confucian and epistolary works.
I also decided to balance reading about China with reading about Korea since my dissertation includes both.
Summary
It’s a pretty big TBR this month – definitely doable if I stick to it, but I’m not always the best at doing that. It is fairly varied, though, so I might be better at keeping to it. We’ll see how it goes in my wrap up at the end of the month.
What books are you planning on reading in May? If you’ve written a TBR, please leave me a comment so I can check it out!
Keira x
Keira's Bookmark 