Monthly Wrap-Up: May 2022

Posted May 30, 2022 by Stephanie in monthly wrap up / 13 Comments

Happy end of May, everyone!

I can’t believe (as usual) that we’re going into June already. Almost time for summer and vacation! So last month was a very slow month and this month was… not. I read 17 books which is way more than I usually read, thanks goodness for audiobooks! And yes, I finally finished House of Sky and Breath. Sadly enough I felt a little meh about it, overall. Not all books can be winners. I hope June will be an equally good reading month!

 

Stats:
physical books: 5
e-books: 5
audiobooks: 7

 


Stuck with You by Ali Hazelwood — 3/5★
The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry — 3/5★
The Other Half of the Grave by Jeaniene Frost — 4/5★


Heartstopper: Volume One by Alice Oseman — 3/5★
Hollow: a Love Like a Life by Jazalyn — 2/5★
vViIrRuUsS: I Never Forget by Jazalyn — 3/5★


The Letter Carrier by L.C. Lewis — 5/5★ (my review!)
House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas — 2/5★
The Fall of Troy by Rebecca Sharp — 4/5★


Below Zero by Ali Hazelwood — 3/5★
Nectar of the Gods by by Liv Albert, Thea Engst, Sara Richard — 4/5★


10 Women Who Ruled the Renaissance by Joyce E. Salisbury — 4/5★
The War That Made the Roman Empire: Antony, Cleopatra, and Octavian at Actium by Barry S. Strauss — 5/5★ (my review!)


Evil Has a Name: the Untold Story of the Golden State Killer Investigation by Paul Holes, Jim Clemente & Peter McDonnell — 4/5★
Choice by Jodi Picoult — 5/5


The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix — 4/5★
Loving Michael by Kate Pearce — 2/5★

 

 

 

FAVORITE BOOK OF THE MONTH:

The War That Made the Roman Empire: Antony, Cleopatra, and Octavian at Actium by Barry Strauss
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The gripping story of one of history’s most important and yet little-known wars, the campaign culminating in the Battle of Actium in 31 BC, whose outcome determined the future of the Roman Empire.

Following Caesar’s assassination and Mark Antony’s defeat of the conspirators who killed Caesar, two powerful men remained in Rome—Antony and Caesar’s chosen heir, young Octavian, the future Augustus. When Antony fell in love with the most powerful woman in the world, Egypt’s ruler Cleopatra, and thwarted Octavian’s ambition to rule the empire, another civil war broke out. In 31 BC one of the largest naval battles in the ancient world took place—more than 600 ships, almost 200,000 men, and one woman—the Battle of Actium. Octavian prevailed and subsequently defeated Antony and Cleopatra, who eventually committed suicide.

The Battle of Actium had great consequences for the empire. Had Antony and Cleopatra won, the empire’s capital might have moved from Rome to Alexandria, Cleopatra’s capital, and Latin might have become the empire’s second language after Greek, which was spoken throughout the eastern Mediterranean, including Egypt.

In this riveting and exciting history, Barry Strauss, ancient history authority, describes this consequential battle with the drama and expertise that it deserves. The War That Made the Roman Empire is essential history that features three of the greatest figures of the ancient world.

 

 

Have you read any of these books?
What was your favorite book of the month?

 

13 responses to “Monthly Wrap-Up: May 2022

  1. Whoa, that’s a lot of books!! I’m glad to see you enjoyed The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires, that was a fun (but gruesome!) one!

  2. Wow, 17 reads is amazing! I’m sorry you felt a bit meh about Crescent City #2 – I definitely had mixed feelings about it too and I honestly think I only rated it higher because of nostalgia for the first book which I had just re-read prior to starting book two. But that’s okay, glad you still had some amazing reads this month too!

  3. That is an impressive amount of books, Stephanie! I find that audiobooks do help to get in a few extra reads when I am busy as well. I am a bit disappointed to see you didn’t enjoy House of Sky and Breath. I have been holding off on this series because of the time commitment. I hope that June has many more great books in store for you! 🙂

    The Candid Cover recently posted: Review: Happily Ever Island by Crystal Cestari
  4. Quite a lot of books for May, well done. A nice variety as well. I have not read any of the books. I have heard from other book readers that Heartstopper should be good. I feel that it might be more for younger readers, but who knows.

    Lisbeth@The Content Reader recently posted: May wrap-up

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