Every month I highlight my Five Star Reads from the previous month however I couldn’t bring myself to post anything at the end of May because my grandfather passed away on 27th May (just 2 weeks short of his 100th birthday). Unlike the rest of my family, Poppa wasn’t a reader but I’ll always remember how proud he was when he held copies of my books in his hands so before I continue on to talking about my Five Star Reads for this month, I wanted to share a few words about one of the most important people in my life.
Poppa was a hero in the truest sense of the word. He had a tough background; the son of Russian and Irish immigrants, two of his sisters perished before their 4th birthdays from emphysema and even though he excelled at school, he had to leave at 14 to get a job to help support his family. He suffered antisemitism because of his Jewish surname even though his father had been ex-communicated after marrying a non-Jewish woman. He was a courageous man who lied about his age so he could join the RAF in the Second World War and fight for what he believed in. My grandparents might not have been romantics (they never celebrated Valentine’s Day) but their love story was one for the ages. After meeting at school and despite being separated while Poppa was in Burma during WW2, they were together for 66 years until Nana passed away in 2002. Poppa’s life was a gift not just to Mum and me but to everybody who was fortunate enough to know him. I’m going to miss him tremendously.
In Loving Memory of Maurice Hall (1922-2022)
Back to Five Star Reads and even though I read a total of 26 books in May & June 2022, there was only 1 x Five Star Read.
It’s ironic that when this blog post was originally published, it celebrated both Poppa and my 1 x Five Star Read from May & June 2022 and yet now on 29 January 2024 I’m having to delete the Five Star Read because of social media posts made by the author following the brutal massacre in Israel on October 7. Poppa, despite not being Jewish, suffered antisemitism during his life simply because of his surname #neveragainisnow
My Month in Books (May 2022):
1
4
9
New-to-Me Authors (Excluding Non-Fiction): Sarah Adams, Alana Quintana Albertson, Falon Ballard, Kate Clayborn, Robin Sloan & Kate Spencer
My Month in Books (June 2022):
3
8
1
New-to-Me Authors (Excluding Non-Fiction): Lauren Asher, Alexandria Bellefleur, B.K. Borison, Andie Christopher, Chloe Liese & Ava Wilder
If you want to check out the full list for May & June 2022 on Goodreads, click here.
Until next month, Louise x
Louise Hall 
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