What Are You Reading for May’s Disney Read-A-Long?

I feel like the only song that’s been applicable to my reading life in the last month-and-a-half is Remy Zero’s “Somebody Save Me” (aka the Smallville theme song). Which is unfortunate—and not just because of the sex cult controversy happening—because, as the lyrics would suggest, I need to be saved. From a reading slump. I’ve read a handful of titles, don’t get me wrong, but everything has just blended together in a mishmash of “meh” and “I’m booooooored. This is boooooooring. I’d rather play Subway Surfer.”

I am desperate to rekindle my passion for reading—and not just because I need to hop to it if I’m going to complete my Goodreads challenge, but because, without reading, the world around me makes a little less sense. Without reading, I’m constantly assailed by the Real World with no quick and compelling means of escape.

I had some success with branching outside of my usual genres—I’m not typically big into romance or new adult. I was about to toss Christina Lauren’s Sweet Filthy Boy into the pile of books marked for donation when I started reading it instead. It sparked a joy I hadn’t felt in so long! Convinced I was over the hump, I abandoned it somewhere around page 245 and tried reading Christopher Rice’s Bone Music instead. I mean, serial killers and superpowers? Sign me up, dude! Cue Reading Slump Returns: With a Vengeance. Sweet Filthy Boy was tainted by the back end of that slump, and it took me a week-and-a-half to read the rest.

But no more!

With the end of April and the promise of nicer weather to come, I’ve decided to try something new: a readathon. As soon as I caught wind of the Disney Read-A-Long, happening May 6–12, I was hyped! I can so do this. Err, well, actually, if you have any suggestions for which books I should read, please let me know!

The challenges are as follows:

Frozen—A Book That’s Set During Winter: Roughneck by Jeff Lemire

I think this is set during winter, based on the panels I’ve seen. This book has been sitting on my shelf since I bought it (without knowing what it was about, but Jeff Lemire wrote Sweet Tooth, so I trust him implicitly). From what I understand, it deals with domestic abuse, family dynamics, and survival. I could be totally wrong. If it’s not set in winter, someone hit me up with an alternative recommendation!

Dory—A Book You Forgot You Owned: The Killing Lessons by Saul Black

Good news: The Killing Lessons is actually set in winter. Bad news: it’s definitely the scariest thing on my TBR. Listen: this was a Book Outlet purchase influenced by those low prices. It’s too bad the reviews on Goodreads are so mixed. I hope I don’t hate this one.

Aurora’s dress—a book with pink and blue on the cover: A Girl Like That by Tanaz Bhathena

A young adult thriller that fits this strangely difficult criteria—it totally counts! Her sunglasses are tinted blue, right? Okay, like green and blue, but the lenses are blue. That counts!—about the death of a 16-year-old girl and her friend (maybe more-than-friend?) in Saudi Arabia. It sounds fast-paced, and the blurb makes it sound like something I would have been all over, pre-reading slump: “This beautifully written debut novel from Tanaz Bhathena reveals a rich and wonderful new world to readers; tackles complicated issues of race, identity, class, and religion; and paints a portrait of teenage ambition, angst, and alienation that feels both inventive and universal.” Her sunglasses are blue, it counts!

Huey, Dewey, and Louie—A Book That’s Part Of a Trilogy: Rebel Angels by Libba Bray

Oh, dang. The only trilogy I’m actively reading right now is Libba Bray’s Gemma Doyle series. I’m not exactly happy about this one because Rebel Angels is 576 pages. Someone @ me with a shorter trilogy suggestion. It can be any genre (even middle grade, and it can be new adult). I’m not picky, I just need something shorter.

Cinderella—Read the original Cinderella fairytale:

Is the one I linked the original? Because if it is: cool, it’s free! Feel free to let me know if it’s not, I’ve avidly tried to avoid “original” fairytales because I love the happily-ever-after Disney-fied ones instead.

 If anybody wants to tackle this readathon: what’s on your TBR?