Rainy Days & Chilled Vibes: May Wrap-Up

Here we are yet again, and as we creep closer to the Winter Solstice those starry, wintery vibes have well and truly hit Australia. This month has been unseasonably cold down under. A late start to the season brought with it bitter southerly winds and an icy chill. As the fog and rain settled over Melbourne it seemed the sun wouldn’t be coming back anytime soon. The eerie, windy nights only worked to fuel the overall tone and I found myself getting bummed out by the persistent cold.

For the most part of May, I was struggling with a reading slump. You know, that very same slump I complained about last wrap up? Yeah – so that stuck around for a while. But, suffice to say that slump is officially over and with perfect timing for the snuggle season too.

My Month In A Nutshell

As established, this month was cold. The grey days and the eternal rain contributed to my general bleak mood. On top of that, I suffered from a bad chest infection and with the slump in tow, I was seriously feeling those winter blues.

Enter Erin Hunter and suddenly my meh month got a lot better…

Picture this; it was a dreary morning, I was pottering around the house when I had the urge to sort through my bookshelf. I was looking through old books, organizing what I could donate when I found my dogeared, yellow stained collection of Warriors in a box. And you know how you get distracted by what you find when cleaning? Yeah, well about an hour later I was still sitting on my floor completely enraptured by the fantasy world of felines.

And God said, Let the slump end; and the slump ended. 

With my newfound spark adding fuel to the fire once again, I learned to enjoy the shifting aesthetic of the colder weather. Highlights included; seeing Aladdin, touring Victoria’s wine country, reconnecting to my inner child with Warriors and warming up by the fire. In keeping with the vibe, I binged the first season of Riverdale and the Twilight movies on the nights and then, after watching the film of Netflix, I discovered an obsession with Jane Eyre.

Books Read

Enchantée by Gita Trelease |☆☆☆☆☆| This is the second time I’ve tried to read Enchantée and I still haven’t managed to finish it. It’s not exactly bad but it’s not good either. It just seems to be a lot of sitting around and playing cards. Considering how high the stakes are for Camille, the plot is slow and nothings really happening??? Basically I just feel very meh about this one and although I’m not DNFing just yet I’m not currently compelled to keep reading. I guess this ones going on hold for now.

Warriors: Enter The Clans by Erin Hunter |★★★☆☆| In an attempt to escape from my rut, I started re-reading the series that solidated me a reader. Basically the Warriors bible, this is an extensive field guide and a bind-up of Secrets of the Clans and Code of the Clans. Here covert clan secrets are revealed, giving the reader a glimpse at life among the wild cats of the forest. Personally, I loved re-touring enemy clan camps and learning the origins of the warrior code. A must read for anyone wanting to delve deeper into the lore of Erin Hunter’s world.

Warriors: Into The Wild by Erin Hunter |★★★½☆| This is where the feline fantasy series begins. After my reading slump, Enter the Clans had me gripped and for the first time in months I actually devoured a book in a mere few sittings. So I decided to go back to my roots.. Into The Wild begin’s Rusty’s [Fireheart once he enters ThunderClan] adventures as he leaves life as a “kittypet” to join a clan of feral cats who prowl the forest and live by honor and the warrior code.

Warriors: Fire And Ice by Erin Hunter |★★★★☆| Finally shaking off my slump, I delved straight into book 2, well and truly deciding to binge the original six books of the saga dubbed The Prophecies Begin. Fire And Ice will always be my favorite Warriors book. This was actually the first one I ever read. Fire And Ice opens with Fireheart and Greystripe setting out on their first mission as warriors – sending them beyond the forest territories. This one has it all – allegiances shift, dark motives become clear and both sickness and a devastating betrayal hovers over ThunderClan.

Warriors: Forest of Secrets by Erin Hunter |★★★½☆| Forest of Secrets is another Warriors book that will always be counted among my favorites. This is truly where things start to heat up. The chill of winter has settled over the forest and tensions between the four clans are higher than ever. Fireheart is on a quest to bring Tigerclaw’s treachery to light and is determined to discover the truth behind Redtail’s death. This installment is a turning point for the original series as the truth unfolds and the lies come to ahead.

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov|☆☆☆☆☆| In my attempt to vanquish my reading slump and actually connect to a book again I decided to try a good ol’ fashioned, thought provoking classic. My answer to that? Lolita. Lolita has a lot of stigma surrounding it – it doesn’t get much more controversial than the story of a man’s unhealthy, abusive infatuation with his teenage step daughter. I’m savoring this one because the writing is just so poetic and lyrical so I’ll finish Lolita in  June.

Blog Posts

Adjustments and Slumps – April 2019 Wrap Up

The Bookish Adventure Tag

Final Thoughts and June Plans

Now that I’m finally reading and writing again I’m trying not to put too much pressure on myself. Currently at about 10 books behind schedule, I’m reading now for purely my own enjoyment. I’m continuing with the Warriors series during the month of June and I guess we’ll have to see where that takes me. I’m also planning on finishing Lolita and maybe starting Jane Eyre [the perfect windswept book for my current mood]. I guess all that matters is that I’m getting somewhere.

I hope you all have a good reading month as we move deeper into the colder months. Stay warm, stay healthy and don’t forget to let me know below what you’ll be reading this month!

Advertisement