May 2021 Currently: Condolences, Free Books, and Audiobook Giveaways

Posted May 5, 2021 by shooting in Discussion / 24 Comments

Somehow we have made it to May already and it’s time for Currently, hosted by Anne at In Residence

Currently: May 2021

If you know my blog well, then you might have noticed that I missed Local Tourist on Friday. I didn’t really have any local adventures to share, but it’s also been a bit of a rough week. You can always check it out on Dara’s post.

Consuming: well wishes from friends and family. A week ago today, April 28, my grandma passed away. We knew she’d been having kidney issues for awhile now (years ago, she had a kidney transplant) but less than a week before she died, we learned she had cancer in a couple places – including breast cancer. It was very sudden, but she was surrounded by her husband and her three daughters, which includes my mom. It’s still a bit strange to think about – and I’m emotional off and on, but I’ve really appreciated everyone’s lovely thoughts on Facebook, Instagram, and text.

Exploring: things to do this summer. Last year we had Covid without vaccines, but I was also dealing with a lot of health issues. Basically, I didn’t really do a whole lot beyond visiting doctors left and right. I’m hoping this summer will be a bit more interesting. We’ll see what type of activities come back this year – or what else I’ll see that might be fun to do. I’m one of those people that like to plan things and have stuff to look forward to, so *fingers crossed* it’ll be a good summer in that regard.

Getting: a free add-on from Book of the Month. Since May is my birthday month, I got to add an extra book to my blue box this month – free of charge!! I went with The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager. I’ve only read one book by him, and I want to get to the rest, so I figured I’d start here next. New to Book of the Month? You can use my affiliate link to sign up if you wish – Use code MAYREADS to get your first book for only $9.99!!

*affiliate link; I get a small % of any purchase at no extra charge to you*


Hoping: that more people see and enter an Instagram giveaway I have going on. For all you audiobook lovers, you can win a 6-month subscription to Libro.fm (open to U.S. and Canadian entrants). It ends on Sunday, May 9th. If you aren’t an audiobook person, you can always enter and if you win, “gift” your subscription to someone else.

photo source

Seeing: a movie in an actual theater – hopefully. My birthday is on May 30, and one way that I’d love to celebrate is to actually see a movie in theaters. I haven’t been to a movie theater since March 2020 when a friend and I saw Onward. I’m thinking it might be fun to see Cruella (which comes out May 28), but we’ll see. I’ll even take seeing a movie at the drive-in theater (that one is actually something I need to cross off my Spring bucket list). 

Be sure to keep an eye on my right sidebar. I’m trying to keep a running list of all the giveaways I have going on. A May 2021 book of your choice, Audiobook Subscription, and lots of Stephen King themed giveaways for my Spring Into King month! You don’t want to miss them.

24 responses to “May 2021 Currently: Condolences, Free Books, and Audiobook Giveaways

  1. Sending you hugs again for your loss. I hate that.
    I didnt know BOTM did birthday treats ! FUN – I just got my year BFF tote so maybe I’ll get teh birthday book this year.
    I CAN NOT WAIT for Cruella!!!!

  2. Just saw that our theater opened (last weekend) – hope your birthday plans work out…and, however you celebrate, that it is a great day!! Best wishes –

  3. I’m sorry about the loss of your grandma. That’s hard. And on another note, Happy Upcoming Birthday! Mine was this past weekend. A drive-in movie sounds so fun!

  4. I’m sorry about your grandma Lauren! I’m thinking of you and your family right now. I hope you enjoy your new books from BOTM too 🙂

  5. Joanne

    So sorry to hear about your grandmother passing away; it’s been years since both my grandmothers passed away and I still miss them.

  6. Jen

    I am so sorry about the loss of your Grandma. Sending you good vibes and hugs. Take care and hope the roller coaster slows down a little for you.

  7. Don’t know if it’s a sign of just being old, or being kind of nerdy, but the BOTM free add-on is pretty much my favorite thing about my birthday month by this point 😉 Hope you enjoy your new book, and hope you get to go out for a birthday movie! That’s a fun plan to look forward to.

    Anne recently posted: currently
  8. I entered the giveaway. I rarely enter anything but I love the libro.fm app and I wouldn’t be opposed to a free subscription now that I listen to audiobooks so much lol

    I’m really sorry about your grandmother Lauren. It’s been such a difficult year and I hate to hear about anything else adding to it.

    I hope you are feeling better too. Did you get your shot yet? I don’t remember. I’m done! and I’m still a little nervous jumping back into *normal life* but it’s a huge relief.

    Karen @ For What It’s Worth

  9. Izzy and I are contemplating seeing a movie in a theater now that we’re both fully vaccinated. We’d probably going on a weekday when it’s more apt to be quiet, but I miss it!

  10. So sorry about your grandma, but I’m glad she got to have some family with her. Happy birthday month! I can’t decide for sure about Cruella. I love Emma Stone, and I love these villain stories, but the preview I’ve seen kind of had some hokeyness to it that I’m not sure about. I’m hoping to get to do more this summer as well! I was really hoping a certain book would be in the choices for May’s picks, but it wasn’t, and now I’m wondering if I missed it last month or if maybe it will be around for June since it came out in May.

    Lisa Mandina (Lisa Loves Literature) recently posted: Release Blitz Review: The Hate of Loving You (Falling #3) by Maya Hughes
  11. My son’s birthday is this month! I would love to go see a movie in the theater again, I miss that. I am so sorry to hear about your sweet Grandma passing, that is so hard.

    Carrie
    curlycraftymom.com

  12. Oh I’m so sorry to hear about your granma! All my condolences.

    I do hope this summer is better for doing things. Hopefully with vaccinations there’s light at the end of the tunnel.

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