2025 Popsugar Reading Challenge - Update #5

Happy Tuesday everyone and welcome to my fifth 2025 Popsugar Reading Challenge update with mini reviews!   In May, I read 4 books for a total of 37 completed out of 50.  I keep making good progress on this challenge.  Keep reading to see my thoughts on the books I read in May: 

❋ ❋ ❋ ❋

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee has been on my tbr since it was released and I'm glad I finally decided try it.  I honestly wish I hadn't sat on it for so long because it was great.  I will say thought that I became more invested in the story as it went on, but it was fascinating to see the characters and their family progress and times change over the course of the book. I do wish that the audiobook had more than one narrator (although Allison Hiroto is great on her own)  - perhaps one for each of the different time periods?  Anyway, I think I'll have to check out the tv series in the future.

My review is also on Goodreads and The StoryGraph.

❋ ❋ ❋ ❋ ❋

Why did I put Ship Breaker (Ship Breaker #1) by Paolo Bacigalupi off for so long? I loved this dystopian sci-fi so much. The world building is some of the best out there. I need to read the sequel soon, and I better not wait so long on it.

My review is also on Goodreads and The StoryGraph.

❋ ❋ ❋ 

A Deadly Education (The Scholomance #1) by Naomi Novik was a bit more of a dark comedy than I was expecting it to be based on the description.  I also felt somewhat out of the loop while reading.  Sometimes that works when dropping someone right into the world, but sometimes it just doesn't quite land with it as well as it should and I feel like that's what happened here.  Plus, I don't know if it was just me, but El was just more grating than anything.  Anyway, all this said, I think I might try book two since it has so much potential.

My review is also on Goodreads and The StoryGraph.

❋ ❋ ❋ ❋

Emma by Jane Austen is a classic I've been putting off for ages.  I've seen quite a few of its adaptations, so I was already familiar with it going in to some degree.  I don't really have a lot to say about the book except that I'm glad I finally decided to read it and that Mr. Knightley was easily my favorite character.  I'm very surprised to realize I prefer the 2020 adaptation probably the most of anything related to the story (even the story itself).  That was very unexpected!

My review is also on Goodreads and The StoryGraph..

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!