It’s time for my May 2025 wrap up. Let’s get to it.
It was a good reading month with more hits than misses.
Jade City
Synopsis:
Jade is the lifeblood of the island of Kekon. It has been mined, traded, stolen, and killed for–and for centuries, honorable Green Bone warriors like the Kaul family have used it to enhance their magical abilities and defend the island from foreign invasion.
Now, the war is over and a new generation of Kauls vies for control of Kekon’s bustling capital city. They care about nothing but protecting their own, cornering the jade market, and defending the districts under their protection. Ancient tradition has little place in this rapidly changing nation.
When a powerful new drug emerges that lets anyone–even foreigners–wield jade, the simmering tension between the Kauls and the rival Ayt family erupts into open violence. The outcome of this clan war will determine the fate of all Green Bones–and of Kekon itself.
My Rating: 4/5
My Full Review: https://wildwoodreads.com/2025/05/16/jade-city-review/
The Shadows of the Gods
Synopsis:
A century has passed since the gods fought and drove themselves to extinction. Now only their bones remain, promising great power to those brave enough to seek them out.
As whispers of war echo across the land of Vigrid, fate follows in the footsteps of three warriors: a huntress on a dangerous quest, a noblewoman pursuing battle fame, and a thrall seeking vengeance among the mercenaries known as the Bloodsworn.
All three will shape the fate of the world as it once more falls under the shadow of the gods.
My Rating: 4/5
My Full Review: https://wildwoodreads.com/2025/05/28/the-shadow-of-the-gods-review/
Thunderstruck
Synopsis:
In Thunderstruck, Erik Larson tells the interwoven stories of two men—Hawley Crippen, a very unlikely murderer, and Guglielmo Marconi, the obsessive creator of a seemingly supernatural means of communication—whose lives intersect during one of the greatest criminal chases of all time.
Set in Edwardian London and on the stormy coasts of Cornwall, Cape Cod, and Nova Scotia, Thunderstruck evokes the dynamism of those years when great shipping companies competed to build the biggest, fastest ocean liners; scientific advances dazzled the public with visions of a world transformed; and the rich outdid one another with ostentatious displays of wealth. Against this background, Marconi races against incredible odds and relentless skepticism to perfect his invention: the wireless, a prime catalyst for the emergence of the world we know today. Meanwhile, Crippen, “the kindest of men,” nearly commits the perfect murder.
My Rating:
My Thoughts: The end of Thunderstruck was good, but it took way too long for this one to come together. It started off telling the story of how Marconi created wireless telegraphy. In great detail. In too much detail. Honestly, it was mind-numbing in the beginning. And then I couldn’t figure out how the two stories connected and even at the end it was a shaky connection. It was a bit of a reach. I’m glad I finished it, but it was a fight to get through.
Spooky Lakes
Synopsis:
From Geo Rutherford–the creator of the hit series Spooky Lake Month (over 65 million likes!)–comes this thrilling nonfiction book that plumbs the depths of 25 unusual lakes around the world.
Backed by extensive research and packed with all-new content–including eerie and eye-popping watercolor illustrations in full color–Spooky Lakes takes readers on an adventure through weird and wild waters.
Some of Earth’s strangest–and creepiest–wonders lie deep below the surface…
There’s Lake Natron, a Tanzanian lake so briny that its waters can mummify any creature that touches its surface; Lake Maracaibo, a Venezuelan tidal bay where a constantly brewing storm sends an average of 28 lightning bolts per second into the water; and at the bottom of Lake Superior, the crew of the USS Kamloops–which mysteriously disappeared in 1921–remains somehow almost perfectly preserved to this day.
Readers will learn not only about the science of hydrology, but why understanding the natural world is crucial to protecting it from pollution and climate change.
My Rating: 4/5
My Thoughts: Spooky Lakes was really interesting. I enjoyed learning weird facts about the different types of lakes. The audiobook could have used some editing because there was repetition and mistakes here and there. But overall, the content itself made for a fun, quick read.
If You Ask Me
Synopsis:
In this candid take on everything from the unglamorous reality behind red-carpet affairs to her beauty regimen (“I have no idea what color my hair is, and I never intend to find out”), Betty White shares her observations about life, celebrity, and love (for humans and animals).
My Rating: 5/5
If You Ask Me was great, but it’s written and narrated by Betty White, so of course it is.
And that’s it for my May 2025 wrap up. What did you read this month?
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