Before getting into the books I read last month, I want to jump ahead and share two books that I’ve just added to my iBooks app and am currently reading.
I feel they’re important reading in the current moment (and every moment, really), with the Black Lives Matter and Justice for George Floyd protests happening in the United States and around the world right now.
The two books I’ve chosen to purchase and start reading immediately to help educate myself further on the topic of racism are Why I’m No Longer Talking To White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge, and How To Be An Anti-Racist by Ibram X Kendi (Neither of these are affiliate links).
I’d implore every other white person (even if you don’t think you’re racist to start with), to choose some resources like these to help educate yourself further too.
We can all learn more, and we all must do better moving forward.
Becoming a better, more educated, and more vocal ally is my first step.
Now, onto the books I read during May:
Please note that the links provided below are affiliate links, so I would earn a small commission if a sale is made through them, at no extra cost to the buyer. I only ever link items I would truly and honestly recommend.
Lies Lies Lies by Adele Parks
Lies Lies Lies is about Simon and Daisy who, together with their longed-for daughter Millie, are the perfect family.
Or not quite, once you look beneath the surface to see Simon’s drinking problem and the well-hidden lies that bubble below.
In this suspense novel, a party with friends changes everything.
While I really enjoyed this novel, and was once again hooked to the pages of it, I did feel like the ending left me unsatisfied, but that’s just my personal preference concerning my idea of “justice”.
The Heat Wave by Kate Riordan
My favourite read of the month, The Heat Wave is a psychological suspense novel about a mother, Sylvie, who returns to her former home in France with her youngest daughter, Emma.
The home brings back haunting memories of her eldest daughter Elodie, who died ten years before.
Sylvie has tried to put the past behind her, but her return to the French countryside she once called home threatens to spill the truths about Elodie that she has not been honest about all these years.
This story had me itching to know the truth, constantly on the edge knowing something dreadful had happened or was just about to happen.
As the pieces came together I felt horrified and glued to the pages as a result.
The Liar’s Wife by Samantha Hayes
The Liar’s Wife is a psychological suspense thriller (it seems like I had a theme during May, doesn’t it?) that sees main character Ella wake in hospital after a coma to find her loving husband waiting to attend to her every need.
But Ella doesn’t have a husband… or does she?
Ella tries to put her mind back together, as we the audience try to piece together whether Jacob is a loving husband or a total stranger, while also flicking backwards in time to see how she got to this point.
I really rated The Liar’s Wife, especially enjoying the flashback scenes and the character development they provided.