3 Books To Read In May!

Hope you're all having a lovely week so far and not feeling too sad that the bank holiday is over. Now if there's one thing I love year-round: it's reading. In winter time it's perfect for when all you want to do is curl up on the sofa under a massive pile of blankets and hibernate until April, and in spring / summer it's an excuse to sit out in the garden with a cocktail and chill out. 

Now I'm fully aware that my taste in books in fairly niche but to be honest my TBR (to be read) list is getting pretty expansive and I figured that I'm more likely to actually read these books if I express my interest over here on the blog! So without further ado, let me divulge my reading plans for the month of May.

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1 - A Court Of Mist And Fury by Sarah J. Maas

I have been waiting for this book for what feels like a thousand years now. It's the second in a series and I can distinctly remember reading the first (A Court of Thorns and Roses) about June time last year. Literally as soon as I finished I went onto the Kindle store to buy the next book because it WAS SO GOOD butttt I soon realised it wasn't released until May 3rd 2016 and I proceeded to stare at the screen in horrified disbelief. HOWEVER we've finally reached that date and I couldn't be more excited. I'm planning on reading this a little later in the month as I've got a couple of other books to get through first but I cannot wait!

Like with my book reviews, I'll leave the synopsis below:

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Feyre survived Amarantha's clutches to return to the Spring Court - but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can't forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin's people.

Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms - and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future - and the future of a world cleaved in two.

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2 - The Rose and The Dagger by Renée Ahdieh

Now you may or may not have seen my excited ramblings about this on twitter when it dropped last week. I've only just finished the first book (which is reviewed on the blog and I'll link here) and it was such a roller coaster of drama and romance and epic storylines that I knew I just had to invest in the second book as soon as it came out. I'm currently reading this (about 27% into it according to my Kindle) and so far so good! If you're interested in what it is about then have a cheeky look at my review because I go into more detail on there.

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In a land on the brink of war, Shahrzad has been torn from the love of her husband Khalid, the Caliph of Khorasan. She once believed him a monster, but his secrets revealed a man tormented by guilt and a powerful curse—one that might keep them apart forever. Reunited with her family, who have taken refuge with enemies of Khalid, and Tariq, her childhood sweetheart, she should be happy. But Tariq now commands forces set on destroying Khalid's empire. Shahrzad is almost a prisoner caught between loyalties to people she loves. But she refuses to be a pawn and devises a plan.

While her father, Jahandar, continues to play with magical forces he doesn't yet understand, Shahrzad tries to uncover powers that may lie dormant within her. With the help of a tattered old carpet and a tempestuous but sage young man, Shahrzad will attempt to break the curse and reunite with her one true love.

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3 - Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh

What is this I hear you cry?! Lily is reading a classic?! There must be some kind of mistake... 

Well yes my lovely readers, it's true, I rarely divulge into the world of classics because, to be honest, I usually find them a little boring and overly complicated. I KNOW, call myself a writer and I don't even like classics... But last night my dad was telling me how amazing this book was and how easy it is to get into (you've sold it to me) and apparently there's a sort of romance plotline where you don't know if the two characters are just friends or more... My kind of story! Love a bit of intrigue! I don't know a lot more about this story except that it's set at Oxford university in the 1940s (I think) and follows two boys who are students there. I've already downloaded it onto my Kindle and I'm 100% ready to start it!

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The most nostalgic and reflective of Evelyn Waugh's novels, Brideshead Revisited looks back to the golden age before the Second World War. It tells the story of Charles Ryder's infatuation with the Marchmains and the rapidly disappearing world of privilege they inhabit. Enchanted first by Sebastian Flyte at Oxford, then by his doomed Catholic family, in particular his remote sister, Julia, Charles comes finally to recognise his spiritual and social distance from them.

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Okay so there we have it! Three books that I plan on reading this month! Do let me know if you have any recommendations, I'll literally give anything a try.