I have so many books on my May TBR it’s a bit ridiculous; I can already guarantee I’m not going to read them all. But these are the books I’m planning to prioritize this month!

Right off the bat, I’m going to rollover my January purchases from my April TBR that I didn’t quite make it to. They include Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan, Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, My Own Words by Ruth Bader Ginsburg with Mary Hartnett and Wendy W. Williams, and This Will Be My Undoing by Morgan Jerkins.

The bulk of my TBR in May is books I purchased in February whose three-month deadlines are coming up this month. I’m disappointed in myself for buying way more than I could read in such a time frame, but I have cut back on buying books, and now I have a better idea of realistically how many I should allow myself to purchase in a month (ideally a maximum of five right now, I think).

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

I’ve heard so many amazing things about Pachinko, plus it was Roxane Gay’s favorite book of 2017! I’m really excited to read it, I just haven’t quite made it to it just yet. Hopefully putting it on this list will be the motivation I need.

Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

Little Fires Everywhere is another book I keep hearing amazing things about and that was frequently named a favorite book of 2017, plus I’m pretty excited that Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington are planning to adapt it. And I really enjoy following Ng on Twitter, so I genuinely have no reason not to have already read this book!

The Late Show by Michael Connelly

My coworker really enjoyed The Late Show and gave me her copy to read because she thought I’d like it too. I don’t think it’s something I would normally pick up, but since a large part of my reading goals are to read outside my comfort zone, I’m excited to check it out!

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

I found a lot of books by researching for the Book Riot Read Harder Challenge, and When Breath Becomes Air is one of them that popped up repeatedly for the challenge of reading a book published posthumously. While I’ve technically already completed that challenge, I have no problem doubling up with what everyone seems to swear is a life-changing read.

Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates

I’ve been meaning to read Between the World and Me for ages, and I finally bought a copy during a sale in February. For some reason I just haven’t gotten around to picking it up just yet, but I’m really hoping to get to it this month.

The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton

Not going to lie, I kind of regret buying The Belles and getting it signed. For whatever reason I have yet to be able to determine, I love going to book signings, even if I haven’t read the author’s works before. I try not to do that too often since I’ve been burned before and found myself with a signed copy of a book I really don’t like, but I was really excited to check out The Belles based on all the hype before its release and I didn’t have plans on the day of the signing, plus Adam Silvera was there and I wanted his signature, so I went and got a copy. I clearly didn’t read it right away, and since its release, I’ve heard a lot of lackluster reviews of The Belles. I feel like I’ll enjoy it overall, but I don’t think I’ll be wowed by it, and I probably wouldn’t be reading it if I didn’t have a signed copy. This is why I need to do better at not giving in to the hype!

Downtown Owl by Chuck Klosterman

Downtown Owl is another book I was gifted by a coworker! She knew I was from North Dakota and had just read this book, which is also set in North Dakota (the author is from there, too), so she figured I should check it out. It honestly doesn’t sound like something I would normally read, but again, I think it’s good to read outside my comfort zone, plus I love supporting North Dakota authors!

It’s Hard Out Here for a Duke by Maya Rodale

I picked It’s Hard Out Here for a Duke as the book that came with my ticket for Word’s Galentine’s Day event in February. It was a really fun event and I enjoyed getting the chance to speak a bit with the author, but I just haven’t picked it up yet. Definitely something I need to remedy soon!

The Demon King by Cinda Williams Chima

I totally knew better than to buy The Demon King, as I clearly had plenty of books on my TBR already, but I’ve been wanting to read this book for a long time and it was super discounted, so I caved and bought it. I’ve been in the mood for some good fantasy lately, so hopefully this fits the bill!

The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

I bought The Girl of Fire and Thorns at the same time as The Demon King because I’ve been wanting to read this one for a while, too, and clearly threw my plans not to buy books to the wind. I’m excited to finally dive into this series!

Beneath the Sugar Sky by Seanan McGuire

I really enjoyed the first two books in the Wayward Children series, and I’ve heard great things about the third book, Beneath the Sugar Sky, but like all of the other books on this list (seriously, I’m a broken record at this point), I just haven’t gotten to it yet.

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi

Homegoing is another book I’ve heard nothing but amazing things about. Realistically, I knew when I bought this that I wouldn’t get to it for a while, but I 100 percent intend to read it this year (it’s on my list of 18 books to read in 2018) and I could only hold out for so long. So I got it, and I’m excited to finally read it!

Autoboyography by Christina Lauren

In hindsight, I probably shouldn’t have bought Autoboyography. I think it’s going to be a cute, fun read and I’m sure I’ll enjoy it, but I feel like there are a whole bunch of other books on my TBR that I’d rather read right now. This is exactly why I want to get to the point where I read books as I purchase them, so I don’t have a chance to lose my excitement about them and then never go back and read them!

You Bring the Distant Near by Mitali Perkins

You Bring the Distant Near is another book I probably shouldn’t have purchased. Again, I think it will be a really good read, but I’m just not super excited to pick it up right now.

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I also want to give a shoutout to a few preorders I have coming in May. There is absolutely no way I’m not immediately reading A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas, so you know that’s going to be read in May! I also preordered the paperback of Thick as Thieves by Megan Whalen Turner, and I’m considering picking it up right away since I’ve been enjoying that series so much. I also have a preorder of Surpassing Certainty by Janet Mock coming in the mail, but I don’t think I’ll be reading that one right away. Oh, and Not That Bad edited by Roxane Gay is out in May. I don’t think I’ll buy a copy right away because I doubt I’ll be ready to read it just yet, but I definitely plan to get it later this year.

I’m torn about what to do for my goal of reading my 2017 purchases. Last month I figured I’d read ahead enough that I didn’t need to stick to my goal of reading four a month, but this month I’m thinking I ought to stick with it and just spread out my 2018 purchases a little longer. I mean, I’m already missing my three-month goal regardless, so there’s no sense in falling behind on two goals at once. Idk, we’ll see what I’m in the mood to read. I still really want to get to The Song of Achilles by Madeleine Miller, and I’m getting excited for Vicious by V.E. Schwab with the upcoming release of Vengeful.

As for my book club book, I actually won’t be able to make the June meeting since I’ll be at Book Con, so I’m not planning to read the pick. Ideally I would anyways, but since I have so many other books I want to get to this month (especially since I anticipate getting a bunch of new books at Book Expo), I don’t think I’ll read it.

May is also the last month that my reread of the A Court of Thorns and Roses trilogy is good for. Ideally I’d like to reread something this month anyways just to stay in the habit (I should really continue my Harry Potter reread with Order of the Phoenix), but again, I have a lot of new purchases I should get to! So there’s a good chance my reread will get pushed off until June.

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So yeah, I wasn’t exaggerating when I said my TBR this month was a little excessive! This doesn’t even count a number of library loans that just came through or the box of books that Avon just sent me, so who knows how many of these I’ll really get to? Oh, and my friend is really talking up What Should be Wild by Julia Fine, so I will probably borrow that from him and read it this month. Plus I’m starting a new job in May, so I suspect my reading is going to be cut back a fair amount, unfortunately. So this entire list is absolutely not happening, but my fingers are crossed I’ll still be able to make a good dent!