May's Top Three Reads - Dragon Cats, Double Deckers, and Deadly Bakes

Hello Book Lovers!

So, May was Get Caught Reading Month.

Unfortunately, I instead of reading, I got caught abandoning A LOT of books. Some started out great, but then fizzled out about halfway, and others, well, I couldn't even bare to finish chapter one. So the first half of May saw a worrying number of "Did Not Finish" books in my life.

But I persisted... mainly because I desperately needed three great books for this blog post. Then, hoorah!, the book gods acknowledged my persistence and smiled down upon me in the second half of the month by sending me book after fabulous book.

Which was both a relief for my reading addiction AND for filling up this space this month : )

Anyway, while I go see what sort of gifts I need to offer up to the book deities to keep this bounty coming, why don't you scroll down and check out the fabulous reads from May (but only the second half of May because the first half should just be wiped from my bookish memory!)

Enjoy!

Note: If you're interested in grabbing any of these books for yourself, a tap on that title link or the cover will take you to the book's page on Amazon, or you can always look for the book at your local library.

First up, a fantastically wry start to a series!

A Cat's Guide to Bonding with Dragons

by Chris Behrsin

Cats? Dragons? Just dive into my wallet and take my money NOW! Luckily, it turned out not to be just a great premise, but also a truly fun story full of friendship, adventure, wit... and cats and dragons.

The basic premise is that Ben (or Benji, as he does not wish to be called) is a Bengal cat living a cat's life in Wales, where his only worries are what the neighbor cats are getting up to. Then an evil wizard pulls him into another dimension. Ben soon escapes the evil wizard, only to find himself befriending a dragon, joining a dragon-riding academy, and trying to save the world from that pesky evil wizard.

All in all, this was a wonderful bit of escapism. It's a simple story, but with a clever spin on the hero's journey. Ben's wry humor and cat-based observations (and never-ending cravings for food) make him a terrific character to cheer on, even when he doesn't always act in anyone's interest but his own. The highs and lows play out nicely, and there's really never a dull moment.

The only complaint was that some of the action scenes do a a little "messy" and I felt lost a few times trying to sort out how they got there and what exactly was going on. However, that could be because I was listening to the audiobook (definitely recommended to get a true sense of Ben's "voice") and might not have been paying as close attention as I should have been at times.

A highly recommended read if you like cats, dragons, wry humor, and the forging of fantastical friendships.

Next, a cute little break from the usual...

The Lost Ticket

by Freya Sampson

With characters you care about, a delightful little storyline, and some comedy-of-errors moments, this is one of those books that just makes reading fun.

The basic premise is that in the 1960s Frank lost the number of a girl he met on the #88 bus. Their brief conversation changed his life, and now he's still trying to find her. So, when Libby (who's just been dumped by her long-term boyfriend and lost her job) meets Frank, she takes on the project of befriending him and helping him finding his Girl on the Bus. What follows is a charming tale of people from all walks of life coming together to help, of friendship, and of finding yourself. Oh, and of riding the bus an awful lot!!

This book really did have a great story, even if everything doesn't work out exactly as planned. It does keep you guessing as to what's going to happen to Frank, and hoping all turns out well for him even when everything is stacked against him as dementia sets in and his daughter wants to put him in a home.

Then there's Libby, who keeps trying to live up to what others expect of her. Meeting Frank switches things up and she starts to discover more about herself and what she can do and even who she can fall in love with.

The only negative points to this book was it could be frustrating sometimes when the characters wouldn't just talk to each other to clarify things. I know, I know, that's to build the dramatic tension, but seriously, I wanted to slap Libby and Dylan sometimes! Also, I listened to this on audiobook and I don't know if it was simply poor narration or if it was the writing, but some sections of dialogue are painfully bad/clunky/stilted.

Other than that, I highly recommend this if you're looking for a refreshing, wholly enjoyable, and heartwarming read!

And finally, the one I almost ditched, but I'm glad I didn't...

The Golden Spoon

by Jesse Maxwell

Take the Great British Baking Show and mix in some deviousness, and you've got a great setup for what ended up being a unputdownable book.

I nearly set this aside when I first started reading it. It felt like too much of a rip-off of the GBBS, and all I could think was, "This isn't very creative, is it?" I figured it would just be a cozy mystery set in the Tent. It wasn't.

Yes, there is a murder. We see the dead body straight away, but most of the mystery through the story is "who's dead" not "whodunnit". As the story plays out, someone is playing dirty tricks on the bakers (swapping out sugar for salt, for example) and one of the characters keeps sneaking around at night, so you get mystery layers upon mystery.

The story is told through the various characters' POVs and it worked really well. From the overly ambitious yet naive contestant who will do anything to win, to the bored billionaire in desperate need for a purpose, each bakers' voice stands out and they're fairly well developed.

Overall, I wouldn't say there's any huge surprises (you quickly figure out what's going on), but the writing is smooth, the plot is just twisty enough, the setting is great fun, the ending is satisfying, and it was a compelling easy-to-read story.

Have you read any of these? What did you think? Did you anything great this past month, or anything horrible you might want to warn me away from? Be sure to drop a comment to let me know.