Required Reading: MAY

All weekend, I've been trying to choose which books to include in this month's reading list, and after a quick run-through of my TBR shelf, I think I'm satisfied with my choices. But first, a recap of the April reading list:

• Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - 5/5
• Nocturnes by Kazuo Ishiguro - 4/5
• American Gods by Neil Gaiman - currently reading

Okay, did I cheat violate any rules when I included Jane Eyre in my April reading list? The rules did say that I'm not to include a book that I've already committed to read in another reading challenge, but F2Fs aren't exactly reading challenges, right? Tina?

Anyway. It took me a while to get started on American Gods because I was waylaid by a doorstopper: A Storm of Swords (A Song of Ice and Fire, #3) by George R.R. Martin. But I was very happily waylaid because I loved it - gave it 5/5 stars - and I will try my best to read the last 2 books in the series within the year. It's only May, so I still have 7 months to achieve this goal! :D

Also, I managed to finish reading Melina Marchetta's award-winning YA novel, Jellicoe Road (4/5), before April ended. The members of our book club have chosen it for this month's F2F book discussion, to be moderated by our dear friend Aaron. :)

So! Aside from my April leftover (American Gods), what titles do I have lined up for this month's Required Reading challenge?

These:

• Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones - I filched this copy from Aaron last year at the TFG 1st anniversary meetup. I think it's high time I read this, since I've been hearing good things about it from people I know.
• Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes - Chose it for variety, really. :P
• The Land of Green Plums by Herta Muller - Reading this Nobel winner with my Buddy -- our fourth (yes, FOURTH!) buddy-read after A Passage to India, Gone With The Wind, and The Grapes of Wrath. ;)

My plate is full for this month, yes? Variety is the name of the game. :P