#SBS May Monthly Wrap Up

Welcome to our monthly feature where we talk about what we read, adopted into our libraries, and what’s on our minds. After hosting #SignedBookSundays for 4+ years, we are transitioning to this format as a way to share signed books and talk about bookish (and personal) highlights. Join us the last Sunday of every month!

In Case You Missed It

• Jana reviewed all 3 books in the Love & Gelato series by Jenna Evans Welch
• Christy reviewed We Could be Heroes by Mike Chen
• Check out the Author Interview with Goldy Moldavsky as we chat about The Mary Shelley Club
• All of the new YA Releases for May 2021

What We Read

Kelly: It’s queer book season…I mean I clearly read queer YA all year long, but May & June usually have a lot of LGBTQIA+ releases and I started devouring those new books! It almost felt like I got my reading groove back…let’s hope it stays.

• One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston – this is a new adult title, it has great YA crossover appeal as well. Our MC, August, is 23 and is trying to find herself by starting new in NYC. This book is weird and brilliant. I loved the love story and I really adored the wild 70’s punk NYC aspects. It really hit all the things I love about being queer and punk and being just a struggling young adult forging your own way. 5 stars and is definitely on my favorite reads of 2021 list.
• She’s too Pretty to Burn by Wendy Heard – this is a YA thriller that just left me speechless…so maybe just read it okay?
• Cool for the Summer by Dahlia Adler – A sweet contemporary about figuring out who you are versus who you’ve thought you’ve been your whole life.
• Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo – After waiting impatiently for this release, I finally got to reading it this month. Since queer books finally gave me my reading groove back I can’t not keep reading!

Christy: Kelly and I read a lot of the same (also queer) books in the last month! I had a better reading month than previous months, which was nice. I get a lot of satisfaction seeing her read the books I insist she reads (see Wendy and Malinda’s books above LOL).

• The Infinity Courts by Akemi Dawn Bowman: You may have missed Jana’s GORG edition of this book (a pink galaxy!) but definitely do not miss it in general. WOW it blew me away! It was nothing like I expected and that was perfect. I could not stop listening!
• Heartstopper Vol. 4 by Alice Oseman: Ok but for real, Charlie and Nick are literal goals. I love them so much. I am so glad there is more coming.
• Doom Patrol Vol. 1 by Gerard Way, with art by Nick Derington: You may have missed my obsessive IG stories about the TV series. I’ve had this sitting in my library so it was time to pick it up. I love the WEIRDNESS of this story. Can’t wait to pick up volume 2!

I second Kelly with One Last Stop and She’s Too Pretty to Burn. Also, as of writing, I’m not done with Kara Thomas’ That Weekend but I already KNOW it’s going on my best of list!

What We Hauled

Kelly’s Highlights:
ARCs:
In the Wild Light by Jeff Zentner – releases August 10th – courtesy of GetUnderlined & Christy hosting an ARC tour!
A Spindle Splintered by Alix E. Harrow – releases October 5th – courtesy of TorDotCom
Your Life has Been Delayed by Michelle I. Mason – releases August 24th – courtesy of Bloomsbury Children’s

Finished Copies:
The Lucky List by by Rachael Lippincott – releases June 1st – courtesy of Simon Teen
Trouble Girls by Julie Lynn Rubin – releases June 1st! – courtesy of Wednesday Books
It Goes Like This by Miel Moreland – purchased signed from Porter Square Books
Ash by Malinda Lo 10th Anniversary edition – purchased signed from Porter Square Books (Malinda’s local!)
Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean – also received the gorgeous preorder pin from Flatiron Books(do
Some Girls Do by Jennifer Dugan – courtesy of Penguin Teen & I purchased 2 signed copies from Northshire Bookstore – so expect a giveaway!

Christy’s Highlights:

Every month I say I am buying less but somehow my cart is overflowing? There are like 6 textbooks on it, though. Yikes.

Kelly mailed my Christmas gift and ahhhh she gifted me the UK edition of Every Day by David Levithan and it’s signed. I love it so much. She also gave me the UK Goldsboro edition of Light of the Jedi so I definitely do not have 3 copies now…….

Some of the other books I picked up include Stacey Abrams’ While Justice Sleeps (I am in the middle of it now but took a break to start That Weekend), Luck of the Titanic by Stacey Lee (with the gorgeous handmade booksleeve!), and an ARC of Danika Stone’s next book, Sip Sip Bang Bang!

On the Top of Our Minds

Kelly: Well the biggest thing on my mind, is that I turned officially old this week. Whew, I feel it in my hips, and knuckles a lot. I was also dealing with life issues this month, which are so far removed from the book world, which in turn made me very scarce online for this month. My family member who is already very ill, got covid and now we are starting to find out and deal with those long term side effects. My sweetest old doggy finally took that journey over the rainbow bridge and it was one of the hardest decisions I had to make. If we are keeping score, I have lost a dog every year since 2019; and here’s to hoping Ace who turned 13 in April makes it at least until 2022 to keep the pattern going, or longer of course. Yes, I am trying to make light of a very hard situation. But I am a data girl so a pattern does comfort me a little.

Also, I have accepted that at the half way point through 2021, I was never going to make my reading challenge goal. I altered it down to 75 books from 135. It was completely unrealistic since I have only read 23 books so far this year, and I will never accomplish 135. I just can’t concentrate on books very much and although I read 5 books in May, which is hugely exciting as it is the most so far in one month for all of 2021, I am still 7 books behind on the new goal of 75 books…so maybe I will edited it lower again if this reading groove I am experiencing doesn’t keep up

Christy: Well, I left my job. Burnout and stress alongside some organizational decisions lead me to choose transition, which was both terrifying and relieving. I thought I found my long-term home at my current org and it was a tough decision that I am still anxious over. I know it’s the right decision for me but scary in the interim!

With that said, Chris and I are weighing what direction we want to take next. We bought a house last year, which is a decision we’ve been conflicted over since we signed the papers. There was so much drama with this house, with bad contractors and months of the house being a construction mess. We fell in love with this house when we found it….and then quickly fell out of love as we had the ongoing drama. We also had the house interior designed so it really doesn’t feel like OUR house. Combine this with being generally tired and over living in the Bay Area, we started to think about what is next. This lead us to think about leaving the state….which we are very much considering. I’m ready for a slower pace in life, and we aren’t going to find that here in the Bay Area. I’ve worked high stress jobs all of my adult years and to be honest, I am tired. So we are looking at moving back to Oregon or to Colorado! We are still in the decision-making phase but are definitely highly considering it. Just waiting to see on a few things before we decide where to go from here.