It’s that time of the month! Time to introduce some of the books I plan to read in the month of May.

Truth be told, April was not a very good reading month for me. It wasn’t a very good blogging month for me either, as you can probably tell by my lack of posts over the last few weeks. I only finished one book from my April TBR, which means I only posted one Friday book review on my blog. Kind of disappointing, but I’m excited to start a new month. I’m feeling optimistic and newly energized to focus on my goals!

I don’t know if I’ll actually get to all of the books I’ve picked for May (the third trimester of pregnancy has been hectic!) but I’m going to try my best, as usual.

This month, as my due date gets closer and closer, I want to make sure I am preparing myself for labor as well as I can, so I have picked out two pregnancy-related books. I also want to give myself some easy reading wins, so I picked out a couple of quick, adventurous, young adult novels that will hopefully help me regain confidence and keep me on pace for my reading goals. For most of this year, I’ve been reading digital books on the Kindle app, which is great for portability and reading in bed, but I do miss the feel of paper books and the motivation that comes from seeing a bookmark move through the book as I read, so I’ve picked out one physical book from my shelves that I can enjoy reading out on the balcony now that the weather is nicer.

Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy by Myra J. Wick, M.D., Ph.D.

I featured this book on my April TBR list, and while I did start reading it last month, I didn’t realize quite how long and information-packed this book would be, so it’s taking me a lot longer to finish it than expected. So far it is very detailed and informative, but kind of scary sometimes. It’s good to know about all of the possible complications that can occur before, during, and after birth, but sometimes I wonder if ignorance actually is bliss. I’m going to push through and keep reading even though it’s a bit stressful, but hopefully, the next book on my list will help me find peace and calm as I prepare for labor.

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Feng Shui Mommy by Bailey Gaddis

I came across this book in the Kindle store while I was looking for books about hypnobirthing and other mindful birthing practices, as I’m planning on having a natural birth. There are a lot of more popular books on this topic out there, but according to the reviews, some of them can be judgemental against medical interventions, and I wanted to hear from a more neutral voice on the subject. The reviews for this book were reassuring and I also checked out the author on YouTube and liked what she had to say.

Even though I’m not spiritual or “woo-woo,” I understand that meditation, visualization, mindfulness, etc. are all useful tools with real mental and physical benefits, so I’m willing to give these methods a try if they will help me prepare for a more peaceful birth. I’m curious to see how the author will incorporate the principles of feng shui into the birthing process.

The reality is that births don’t always go the way we plan them–you might plan for a natural birth but end up desiring pain relief in the moment. Or you might plan to get an epidural, but labor progresses quicker than expected and you miss the window of opportunity to have it administered, and suddenly you’re having a natural birth. Or, for the health of you or your baby, you might require an emergency c-section. Births are all different and kind of unpredictable! Regardless of what happens when the time comes, I want to be able to stay calm and centered so I’m hoping I can learn how to do that with this book.

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Daughter of the Pirate King by Tricia Levenseller

I don’t really know much about this book except that it’s about a teenage girl who is the daughter of a pirate king, as the title states. It was free on Kindle Unlimited and had some good reviews, so I thought I would give it a try! Nothing like a quick YA novel to help get you back into reading!

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The Elite by Kiera Cass

I read the first installment, The Selection, last year, and while it wasn’t ground-breaking, it was still a fun read and I remember zooming through it quite quickly. Dystopian YA novels are like that – fun, quick, with lots of angst, action, and romance, so they’re hard not to enjoy.

I’ll be honest, I’m not dying to read this book right away, but I’ve had it in my Kindle library for a while, so I thought I’d try to get back into this series. Like I said, I need an easy reading win! I might have to skim through the first book to refresh my memory, but once I’m all caught up, I think I can knock this one out easily.

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Marie Antoinette: The Last Queen of France by Évelyne Lever

I’ve had this book on my reading list for over a decade! I think Marie Antoinette is a fascinating historical figure so I wanted to learn more about her life. I fell in love with the cover art for this book when I saw it in the bookstore and was so excited to read it. But I would only read a chapter or two and never get very far. I let it collect dust for ages.

Soon after I moved to South Korea, my dad told me he had a friend who would be going to Korea and she would be able to bring a few belongings for me in her suitcase. I asked for her to bring this book and a few other personal items. For one reason or another, that person brought my stuff in her suitcase, but never actually gave me my stuff! Thus, the book was lost…

A few years later, I found myself thinking about this book again, so I searched on Gmarket to see if, by some minute chance, I could find it. Lo and behold, there was a single copy for sale, so I snatched it up! I like to imagine that this is my original book, finally returned to me. And who knows, it could be! It’s not exactly a popular title. How many copies could there be floating around South Korea?

Since I’ve been very into French culture lately, I’m looking forward to reading this book out on the balcony, maybe with some fresh pastries to munch on, and finally reading this book once and for all.

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So that’s my reading list for May! I’m very optimistic that I’ll be able to do a better job of getting through my list this time, since I have a good balance of educational material and fun YA, and a mix of digital and physical books to keep things interesting.

What books will you be reading in May? Let me know in the comments!

Thanks for reading!