Book Riot's 2022 Read Harder Challenge - May Update: Romantic Outlaws & Blackout

Happy Saturday everyone!  I hope everyone's been doing well.  May went by so fast!  It's hard to believe that Spring is fully here and Summer is right around the corner.  I got in some good reading this month which means that I've now completed the 10 tasks of Book Riot's 2022 Read Harder Challenge.  The tasks I completed this month required me to read a biography of an author you admire and an anthology featuring diverse voices and I selected Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and Her Daughter Mary Shelley by Charlotte Gordon and Blackout edited by Dhonielle Clayton respectively.  Read on to see my mini reviews and what's coming up for June:

❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋

Romantic Outlaws: The Extraordinary Lives of Mary Wollstonecraft and Her Daughter Mary Shelley by Charlotte Gordon is a biography that I was really looking forward to and I'm so glad to report that I've found a new favorite!  I've read some others in the past featuring these figures that really hit the spot, so I've been on the lookout for more and Gordon really delivered.  I especially appreciated that it alternated chapters between the lives of Wollstonecraft and Shelley, mother and daughter.  It's a big book, but the people and the history have been thoroughly researched and it's very readable.

 It's so easy to get sucked right into their lives.  Prepare yourself though because both mother and daughter really went through the ringer.  

My review is also on Goodreads.

❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ 

Blackout edited by Dhonielle Clayton is an YA anthology of contemporary romance short stories featuring several talented authors I love.  The Long Walk by Tiffany D. Jackson (all acts - I just wish it hadn't been split up over the course of the anthology though) and Mask Off by Nic Stone were easily the best stories in this collection.  The biggest disappointment though was Angie Thomas's story - it just wasn't up to par with everything I've come to expect from her.

My review is also on Goodreads.

Next Up For June:

Read a “Best _ Writing of the year” book for a topic and year of your choice.

My choice: Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki - I've seen this on several best of sci-fi lists this year, and I'll admit that I was sold as soon as I heard Good Omens meets A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet.

Read an award-winning book from the year you were born.

My choice: Weetzie Bat (Weetzie Bat #1) by Francesca Lia Block - I had no idea that this book was released back in 1989.  It's always been on my radar, but I don't really know what it's about.

Are you taking part in this challenge?  Have you read any of these books?  As always, thanks for visiting my blog and perhaps even commenting down below!