2026 Popsugar Reading Challenge - May Update

 

Happy Thursday everyone!  Today I'm sharing my my fifth update for my progress for the year long reading challenge called the 2026 Popsugar Reading Challenge.  In May, I completed 3 books for a total of 32 read so far out of 50 total books on my tbr.  I can't believe I've only got 18 left.  You can see my original tbr here.  Keep reading to see my thoughts on the books I read in May for this challenge:

8. A book about a sexless marriage

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The Miniaturist (The Miniaturist #1) by Jessie Burton has been on my radar for quite a while since I watched the miniseries adaptation back when it was new. At least I knew what to expect, and now I can say that the show followed the story pretty well. Honestly, though, I prefer the adaptation for the performances and the visuals (the dollhouse looked so cool). The book was just depressing and frustratingly answers very few of the questions in the central mystery of the title miniaturist. For that character, it left me wondering what was the point at all. I wish instead that we got perspective chapters from Johannes. There are also several times that Nella's behavior and turns of phrase kind of took me out of the story.

My review is also on Goodreads and The StoryGraph.

11. A book with a dad as the primary caregiver

 

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Somewhere Beyond the Sea (Cerulean Sea #2) by TJ Klune has been on my tbr since it was released, but for some reason I'd been putting it off.  Probably because I was so nervous that it simply wouldn't live up to its predecessor.  I shouldn't have worried because it was pretty great, if not quite as perfect as the first book, and it's well worth reading if you're a fan of the author.  I will say that this one has a little more of a dose of depressing reality thrown in the mix, but it is still very hopeful for the future and a wonderful ending.  Personally, I just enjoyed seeing more Arthur (my favorite this time around), Linus, and the kids one more time.  They're all gems and I wouldn't mind seeing more of these characters several years down the road.  Finally, Daniel Henning does a marvelous job as the narrator.  He does a fantastic job of bringing Klune's world and characters to life.

My review is also on Goodreads and The StoryGraph.

43. Two books written by real-life partners or spouses (1)

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Magic Burns (Kate Daniels #2) by Ilona Andrews is a sequel I was putting off for quite awhile.  I'm glad this challenge finally got me to come back to it because this installment was a lot of fun.  I loved that we got to see more of the world and the characters are, especially our lead are very good.  I can't wait to see what's next for this series.

My review is also on Goodreads and The StoryGraph.

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