Beauty Reborn by Elizabeth Lowham sticks fairly close to the Disney version of the fairy tale, which makes it a tad basic. Still, it's a well-written retelling with more depth than you might think. (Content warning: there is some sexual assault, but it is handled thoughtfully, showing both devastation and hope, and never getting graphic.) On the bright side is the Beast's magical library, where he and Beauty spend many days in peaceful companionship. She's as big of a book nerd as Disney's Belle, so that's fun.

In June, I will be concentrating on completing books off of my lists for the 20 Books of Summer Reading Challenge and the summer reading challenge hosted by The Lit Homebody. I only have a few bookish books on my anticipated reading lists and I'm pretty sure I've mentioned them all on here already, so I'm just going to post the covers this time around. We'll see if I actually get to any of them in June.

The Underground Library by Jennifer Ryan

Why We Read: On Bookworms, Libraries, and Just One More Page Before Lights Out by Shannon Reed

I've been hearing good things from other book bloggers about the Wartime Book Club books by Lesley EamesLesley Eames. It's described as a heartwarming series about women coming together during World War II. I'm hoping to start the series sometime this summer.

Hey, Bookish Books RC participants! Long time no see. I've had a busy Spring so far and I'm behind on pretty much everything there is to be behind on. I'm trying to catch up, so today's post will cover April and May. 

I've only read one bookish book since I last did one of these posts. Yikes! I'm hoping to read 30+ bookish books to achieve the "Livin' in the Library" level; looks like I need to seriously step up my game since I've only read ten so far this year. 

Back in March, I read this lovely middle-grade novel, which I absolutely adored:

Dust by Dusti Bowling is about Avalyn, a girl with severe asthma whose parents move her to a small Arizona town in the mountains so that she can breathe more easily. Everything is hunky dory until a new boy moves to town. Adam is a loner who doesn't seem to want anything to do with anyone. Avalyn feels sorry for him, especially when he becomes a target for bullies, and makes efforts to get to know him. As she slowly cracks through some of his armor, she begins to notice how difficult it is to breathe around him. It's like his emotions stir up dust, which spreads into Avalyn's compromised lungs, clogging her airway. That kind of thing isn't possible, is it? If she figures out what's wrong with Adam, will the strange weather changes go away? Or will her prying cause more problems for her health and the already troubled boy?

Bowling is a local author. I've read most of her books and enjoyed them all. This one is a little darker than her others, but it's still a poignant, moving novel. It's heartbreaking, yet hopeful. I loved it. It's not overtly bookish, but Avalyn and Adam both like superhero comic books and their friend, Nan, is always talking about a book series she loves. Since I'm so far behind on this challenge, I'm basically counting anything that has books in it as "bookish." LOL

Am I planning to read any bookish books in May? That's a great question! I definitely should. This one just came on my radar and it sounds fun:

Dead to Rights by Jasmine Webb is the first book in a new cozy mystery series about a woman who inherits a home and bookshop in Cornwall. She's thrilled to leave behind the chaos of New York City for the calm, quiet seashore...until she realizes that claiming her inheritance will mean living with an elderly woman whom she's never met, dealing with a dead body on her doorstep, and possibly going to prison for life! Forget bookselling and strolls along the beach. Suddenly, she's Nancy Drew? What even is happening right now? Sounds like a fun (if very familiar) premise and the start to an entertaining series.

This one also looks appealing:

Why We Read: On Bookworms, Libraries, and Just One More Page Before Lights Out by Shannon Reed is a collection of essays about reading that encourages us to read mostly for pleasure—a philosophy I happily espouse!