May continued to be a mixed month for reading. The fatigue that had built up in April clang to me and made it near impossible to read. Still, I had become aware of the exertion my mind and body were under and returned to a strict routine of rest and pacing. I stopped all activities that have the potential to drain me, and this includes reading. Still, as I slowly regained some strength, I manage to return to books.
I started the month with a Maigret story by George Simenon, Maigret et le Corps Sans Tête. This was not truly a police investigation but an exercise in character exploration and the slow development of Maigret's relationship with a bartender. The murder is often forgotten as he obsesses about a small bar and the people who tend to it. It was a great change of pace after Maigret Chez le Ministre and its world of political intrigue.
Halfway through the month, I opened the pages of Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins. I had no interest in picking up this book but following a quick chat with a colleague about the Hunger Games franchise, she leant me the book. I am glad she did. Slowly, the story brought me back into reading. I struggled with first person narration (something that is always an issue with me and young adult fiction. Strangely, it's only an issue on paper and never in audiobooks). The book was enjoyable and easy to read. I knew the universe, not well but well enough to feel familiarity. The plot developed differently than I had imagined and made me care for Haymitch, a character I had previously disregarded entirely. Whilst I enjoyed the book, I found it some aspects disappointing, such as the romance between Haymitch and Leonore Dove. It was a plot device and the character of Leonore never took flesh for me. Still, this was a good book to return to reading, easy and familiar.
At the tail end of the month, I went camping and packed a few books with me. I mostly did not read them. I was still struggling with the written words so decided to focus on audiobooks. I browsed the 'Available' section of the library's audiobook services and landed on A Short History of the World According to Sheep by Sally Coulthard. It was an easy listen but different from what I had envisioned. The chapters, whilst somewhat chronological, were mostly thematic and told the story of sheep a lot more than of the world according to sheep. The author remains very Western focused and never truly explores the complexity of history. The book was more of a cursory glance at the place sheep played in Western society over time, a fly by to highlight their role and importance. I expected more depth. Still, it was a good book choice for me as I ended up listening to it half asleep, drowsy, and full of headache. Anything more in depth would have flown me by.
Rain fell on the tent and I tentatively opened the pages of Some Of Us Just Fall by Polly Atkins. I had been gifted this book back in December and had been afraid to read it ever since. It holds a reflection of my experience of chronic illness, one very different from that of the author and yet echoed over and over again. I needed this book and wrote a little about it here. I did not finish it in May, often needing to take breaks whilst reading but also to sit and journal about the feelings and thoughts the author brought to life, clarified, opened up for me.
May was not a good reading month but through the difficulties, I learned of what I can and cannot read when my physical and mental energy levels dip too low. This is altering my plans to explore my bookshelf more this year which in turn is making my library's reservations in the online audiobook service grow. More on that in June's blog post.