May Recap 2022

May did NOT fly by even though we spent a long weekend in North Conway, NH for our 8th anniversary and flew to Texas at the end of the month for graduation parties. Add in that work picked up with the end of the fiscal year coming up fast and school starts the first week of June, I’m trying to figure out how it felt like a regular full-length long-ass month.

I got a lot of knitting done, more on that later, and read SO many books. I’m ready for summer, but not really ready for the heat so we’ll see how long that lasts.

Books and Bookish Things
I read 11 books in May: 4 galleys, 1 re-read, and 1 nonfiction. I had a bit of an upset moment when I re-read Dream Boy immediately after watching the Netflix Heartstopper adaptation (OMG 100% RECOMMEND CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF IT). I realized just how much queer joy was inaccessible to me in my formative years, but I’m definitely making up for it with wonderful teen books like Café con Lychee which was just so adorably cute.

933. Hope on the Rocks (Rainbow Cove #4) – Annabeth Albert
934. Breakaway (Off the Pitch #1) – Charlie Novak
935. Dream Boy – Jim Grimsley
936. Café con Lychee – Emery Lee*
937. Burn Rate – Andy Dunn*
938. A Teaspoon of Desire – Alex Danvers*
939. Ben’s Boss (Maine Men #2) – K.C. Wells
940. Seb’s Summer (Maine Men #3) – K.C. Wells
941. Dylan’s Dilemma (Maine Men #4) – K.C. Wells
942. Shaun’s Salvation (Maine Men #5) – K.C. Wells
943. Aaron’s Awakening (Maine Men #6) – K.C. Wells*

I picked up quite a few galleys this month:

• Boys and Oil – Taylor Brorby (my Kindle is out of service and I missed the opportunity to redownload to another device)
• Rediscovered (Do-Over #2) – E.M. Denning
• The Dove in the Belly – Jim Grimsley
• Café con Lychee – Emery Lee
• Aaron’s Awakening (Maine Men #6) – K.C. Wells

I’m interested in seeing what Jim Grimsley is writing these days, especially after my harrowing re-read of Dream Boy. These were the two cool social media finds this month (I mean basically this is a stan section for Colossal).

In a new exhibition in London, the world of reading provides a starting point to explore a wide range of themes and materials. 📚https://t.co/0vf0IcNRpk pic.twitter.com/gTPt4kebxM

— Colossal (@Colossal) May 17, 2022

The enchanting, imaginative narratives usually bound between the covers of a book burst from the page in Su Blackwell's sculptures https://t.co/7hb8o1ouPd pic.twitter.com/yvJX3rDcHy

— Colossal (@Colossal) May 20, 2022

Culture Corner
We did well at the beginning of the month with hiking going on multiple hikes when we were up in North Conway, but then with scheduling and trips, then being sick, and then my having to work every Saturday in June we’ve fallen off for a bit, but enjoy these photos from Diana’s Baths just outside of North Conway, New Hampshire:

I’ve also been knitting like crazy. I want to finish my Hide and Peak (left) sweater and started a fun summer weight (holey) top called Look at My Holes (center) that’ll be made of cotton and I’m making a more sweatshirt version. And I finished a couple of pairs of test socks to try and find sizes for me and Tim (right).

The real OMG moment of the month is my obsession with Charlie’s colorwork sweater from Episode 2 of Heartstopper:

I think I took 10 books out from the library (some in the right photo), scoured EVERY listing on eBay and reseller sites for similar sweaters, and purchased a book that my local library didn’t have. I’ve graphed out the charts I’ll need and just need to adapt an existing drop shoulder pattern (thanks to help from a knitting discord). So I’m on my way to recreating it in my size!!!!! And now they’ve announced seasons 2 and 3 I have a goal to work toward.

What’s Next?
I have to catch up on at least four book posts. Getting sick after coming back from TX threw everything off a bit. I bound off the Hide and Peak sweater Thursday morning and am hoping to bind off the Look at My Holes this weekend and then start the hunt for the yarn I want for my Charlie sweater :-D. I’m currently reading Andrew Halloran’s The Kingdom of Sand and it’s . . . let’s say interesting. I have a few more galleys coming up quickly that I need to prioritize and then it’s SCHOOL WORK.