It’s been a very long long time since I wrote a reading blog(probably a dozen blogs and 15 years ago when I was still using Blogger), but I’ve intermittently kept personal reading journals and I thought I’d get back into the habit to give me a moment to reflect on things I’ve read. May was fairly slow reading month for me, but then 2026 has been a very slow ready reading year for me, I’ve read 10 books the past five months and in the past that’s what I’ll read in a single month, but for this May I’ve read three.
First off I finished off A Day of Fallen Night by Samantha Shannon which I started in April and then put down for a bit, not because it was bad, but I just got distracted. I had already read The Priory of the Orange Tree, which this book is a prequel to, and liked it a lot so I went into this one expecting to like it too and I did. It’s a book with magic, dragons, and lesbians and if that sounds at all interesting to you, I would tell you to go read this book now. As a fantasy world the series don’t necessarily break new ground in any huge as far as a lot of traditional fantasy tropes , but I do still find it a compelling and well put together and there are some things that set the world apart from a lot of fantasy settings like queerness being largely normalized and women also holding prominent places of power, although part of the conflict with one of the major characters in one of the three main story lines is that her main function is to bear a child so that her bloodline can keep an evil at bay.
Which brings me to the way the book is structured in three distinct story lines with mostly distinct casts of characters that are from three relatively different places in this world. As with the other book in the series, I do like that there are different settings with distinct cultures which helps to keep things fresh and make the world feel more alive and not fall into the trap of so many fantasy and sci-fi stories(especially when we’re dealing with humans and not a lot of other fantasy races or aliens) where there’s the “main” monoculture and then anything thing else is some kind of outside other in opposition. Each story line has their own arc that is parallel to the others, but they don’t really intertwine as much as I like. There is some crossover between story lines, but it almost feels like cameos though one of the three main characters story does partially revolve around a supporting character from another one, they never really all come together, but part of that is because this is a prequel and the big unprecedented team up happens in the other book set later.
This book does have some romantic relationships, but it’s not romantasy, just fantasy that happens to have some romantic relationships. Relationships, both romantic, platonic and family are really the driving force behind the story as much has dragons and magic if not more. Overall I really enjoy Samantha Shannon’s writing style, even though the book is 800+ pages long, it’s a really easy read and never feels like 800 pages and never feels as meandering as character driven fantasy can at time. If you into character driven fantasy with queer representation that’s up front and not confined to token side characters I’d definitely give this one a read.
The second book I read this month was The Killing Moon by N.K. Jemisin, the first book of The Dreamblood duology. Jemisin is already well established as probably my favorite author and this duology is the only thing of hers I haven’t read so I went in with high expectations for the most part wasn’t disappointed, though I think I still like the Broken Earth trilogy more which was setting a pretty high bar for this book that very few books would be able to clear. Comparisons aside, I do really like the book on its own. It’s got Jemisin’s signature creative world building that immediately feels alive and immersive in a such a natural way. The cast of characters feel like real people who have entire lives even when the plot isn’t happening. As usual Jemisin’s prose is fantastic, lovely writing without feeling overwrought or like she’s trying too hard. Like her other books, it’s hard to get too much into the plot without getting into spoiler territory because her world building and stories are so unique, but at the core of it there’s a sort of coming of age story with an apprentice being forced to grow up fast while discovering the corruption and rot in previously trusted power structures. Compared to Jemisin’s other work I’ve already said I like the Broken Earth trilogy more, but while I haven’t finished this series, I do think I may like it more the Inheritance trilogy and would put it on par with the her Great Cities duology. It’s a good, book and I’d recommend it.
Finally I tried something new and read Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney. I’ve seen lots of mixed opinions on Rooney as an author and her books seem kinda polarizing, but I liked this book and definitely now fall into the pro-Rooney camp. The conversational style she writes is interesting, but I think it really works and the book just flows so well. It’s a book about people and their relationships and how those relationships affect each other. I know some criticisms I’ve seen are that the characters aren’t super likable, but that’s because they feel like real people and real people are complex. I guess if you want characters to be paragons of virtue in a story with a moralistic plot this won’t be for you, but if you like characters that seem like real people and seeing their relationships play out, give it a read.
That’s all, like I said not a busy reading month, but I think June might pick up more. Currently reading All Fours by Miranda July as another book that I had heard very polarized opinions on and I’m liking it also. I’m also reading The Black Antifascist Tradition, which I’ve been going back to through out May and still working on. I like it, but I’m much slower at reading non fiction and this one in particular I’m reading in sections then going off to do separate research to expand on the topics it mentions, but I’ll probably finish it in June. I’ve also given Intermezzo by Sally Rooney checked out from the library and on deck to read later this week when All Fours is done.