Before I launch into my TBR for May, how did I go with April’s?

First I read book two of Amy Kuivalainen’s Magicians of Venice trilogy, The Sea of the Dead. It wasn’t on my TBR but it was what I was in the mood for at the time. It was Easter Friday that I started with my “planned” reading, with The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett, and I read it in a single day. I picked up the other new release on my TBR after that, Now She is Witch by Kirsty Logan. And promptly DNF’d it at 50 pages. There will be no review for this book, just know it was bad. So very bad. I had to force myself to get to the 50 page mark. Next up, was a small entry, The Weathermonger by Peter Dickinson. I read Warhost of Vastmark as part of my Wars of Light and Shadow (re)read, and I’d have to rank it as my favourite of the first three. Followed by the last book on my April TBR, Cuckoo’s Egg by CJ Cherryh. With 1.5 weeks left in the month, and two weekends and two flights in there too, I needed more books. First up, I read Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett as I was in the mood for something light (not a surprise with the last two reads). And as that was a quick read, I ended up picking up Map’s Edge, book 1 in The Tethered Citadel by David Hair to finish the month. Or so I thought. I powered through that book so quickly that there was still time for a book club read, Mrs Jewel and the Wreck of the General Grant by Christine Sanders. Not a bad result for April, but also not surprising as there were several public holidays thrown in – plus I was struggling with both energy and insomnia, which can lead to extra reading time for me.

So, what are my plans for May?

First up, and of no surprise, is Fugitive Prince, book four in the Wars of Light and Shadow series by Janny Wurts. This is also book one of the Alliance of Light subseries, also known as Arc 3.

I’d also like to read the final volume in The Magicians of Venice, The King’s Seal by Amy Kuivalainen.

The search for the legendary ring of King Solomon has begun, and Penelope must sift through its long and convoluted history of lost emperors, crusaders, and other famous historical figures – including one with whom the magicians share their own complicated past – if she hopes to find it in time.

As Penelope’s magic continues to grow stronger with the coming high tide, she and Alexis will have to depend upon each other more than ever to keep everyone they care about safe from continuing attacks by Thevetat’s priests.

When the magical high tide finally peaks, the long-awaited battle against Thevetat will begin, and Penelope, Alexis, and the magicians will have to rely on both powers of old and new if they hope to defeat their enemy once and for all.

I’m in the mood to return to Andre Norton’s Witch World, so this month I’ll be reading book three, Year of the Unicorn.

They were paying the price of an unholy alliance, forged against the dread Hounds of Alizon. But were not those thirteen maidens too high a price to pay?

With darkness and illusion their only escort, the promised brides of the Were-Riders set out through the snow-bound wastes. Shape-changers, warlocks, sorcerers maybe, their fearsome husbands had opened doors onto forbidden things, unleashing that which could not be controlled. Now, condemned to roam the unmapped wilds, the wandered in search of the gateway to their world. But, unbeknown, they harboured amongst their brides one who saw beyond the shape of things – the strange waif Gilian, exile from a foreign land. She alone could challenge them; she alone might bar their passage home.

I also want to get to The Bewitching by Jill Dawson. The cover intrigued me and the blurb convinced me to take it home one day when I was “just browsing”.

Alice Samuel might be old and sharp-tongued but she’s no fool. Visiting her new neighbours in her Fenland village, she can tell Squire Throckmorton’s family is troubled. Yet when one of the daughters accuses her of witchcraft, Alice fails to grasp the danger she faces.

The Throckmortons’ maid Martha, uncomfortably aware of strange goings-on in the household herself, is reluctant to believe that Alice is a witch, but as a collective mania sweeps the community, she struggles to find a voice.

And finally, I’d like to get back to one science fiction book a month, so this month I’m picking The Disappearance by Philip Wylie, which I picked up during my April treasure hunt.

As always, these are books that I would like to read this month, based on my mood and what is screaming loudest when I pull the pile together. If I swap out any or all of them, that is okay with me too. Reading, after all, is something I do for pleasure and I never want to turn it into a chore (a la university and post-doc days). Plus I have another book club book to read before the second Friday in June, which I may just decide to read this month.