May got busy and reading was hard

 May was a super busy month both for work and for the family. Kids school things, the busiest time of the year for work by far, and some fun family events to celebrate summer made this a tough month for anything. I only got through 3 books and 2 of them were extremely quick reads.

First I read the Graphic Novel Bad Kid by Sofia Szamosi. This is a tough autobiography about the author's time in and out of residential treatment facilities while she was a teen. It was not the easiest of reads, but was a good one nonetheless. I'm glad she came out on the other side to be (hopefully) healthy and happy. It is a tough situation for both her to be in and her to come out of. Some of the responsibility is on her and some is not but she doesn't shy away from that. I highly recommend this read, but there are some content warnings so be aware.

9/10

Next I read The Big Bad Wolf Murder by PG Bell. I'm a sucker for werewolf tales and this was close enough I gave it a try. It's an entertaining enough read, with some good action and twists. Basically the world is full of humans and wolfpeople. They came to peace and have an asymmetric reality game now that pits one wolf vs several humans in an intense game of capture the flag/tag. Well the new hot young human player ends up accused of killing her legendary opponent and has to work with a timid little wolf to clear her name. Nothing spectacular here, but it is enjoyable for younger audiences and fans of werewolves or Little Red Riding Hood.

6.5/10

Finally I finished the tome of The Devils by Joe Abercrombie. This was for a book club and was the first true fantasy novel I've read in quite some time. This is a found family gathering of outcasts that are forced to work for the "good" of the church. There are werewolves, vampires, necromancers and other magic users, elves, witches, curses, Dr Moreau style creations, and more. All of this in a alternate Earth with a religion that is similar to the Catholicism, with the schism and all. The Pope of the West is trying to reunite the church and uses the devils to transport the lost heir to the throne to Troy to have a leader willing to work with the church and such. The perilous journey is bloody, but not as bad as Joe Abercombie's reputation for gory tales. I really enjoyed this one and recommend it to anyone who likes a fantasy tale!

8/10