#june book wrap up

[godsfavdarling]

june 2024 book wrap up

Funny Story by Emily Henry ☆☆☆☆☆

Peaches & Honey by R. Raeta ☆☆☆☆☆

Bartleby, the Scrivener by Herman Melville ☆☆☆

One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig (reread)

I had a few exams and the semester was ending, so I haven't read much. I'm planning to read a lot this summer though! I read Emily Henry's Funny Story and Beach Read! I liked Funny Story better! An immediate favorite for sure! It just hit me really hard, very unexpectedly. Funny how Happy Place hit my friend very hard, and I had the same experience with Funny Story. Loved both of the characters and loved to see them fall in love! Beach Read was still very good! I loved it! It was very millennial (I say that with the most love).

I also read Peaches & Honey by R. Reata! Also loved it! It's everything I love about fantasy! I realize I might not enjoy most trending fantasy/romantasy books because they are all very similar. I enjoy stuff that is more original? A bit different? Anyway… for anybody who loves subtle fantasy and historical stuff with a cute romance in the background, they should check it out! Also, it's quite short! It's a little treat! I kind of love how not grand it is. It's not trying to be epic even though the story has potential to be stretched out to a five-book, 500-page series. Can't wait to read the second part!

Speaking of my favorite fantasy, I reread One Dark Window and now I'm one-third into The Twisted Crowns. I loved it so much I had to reread it. AND I NEVER REREAD BOOKS. I can't name one book I've reread. I don't do that, so you can see how obsessed I am. Anyway, I am rereading them in Polish (my native language) and the translation… kind of sucks, kind of ruined the book. Also… SO MANY MISTAKES. I started taking photos of all of them, and I might be sending an email to the publisher because this is sick and twisted. I didn't pay for physical copies just to have them filled with mistakes. Maybe I'm being dramatic, but they really pissed me off because the story is so good and so beautifully written, and they are ruining it!

In June, I also was reading The Serpent and the Wings of the Night, got pissed off 130 pages in when the main girl thought the main guy could probably fuck real good (meanwhile she is terrified of him and won't trust him. Don't piss me off). I'll finish it soon though… I hate DNF-ing books.

Oh, and here as a little treat, given we are halfway into the year, I made a silly little tier list with everything I've read so far!

my other wrap-ups, my goodreads

[bookishfreedom]

may & june wrap up 📚

may was a fabulous reading month, in both quantity and quality of books. june was, unfortunately, lacking in both. here’s hoping july takes after may 🤞

Books read in May, * for new favorites:

✨Transcendent Kingdom (library book)

✨Immortal Longings* (library book)

✨The Miseducation of Cameron Post

✨Falling

✨In Five Years

✨Girl Gone Viral

✨title not included due to the SMP boycott*

✨The Honeymoon Crashers* (audiobook, not pictured)

✨The Deal (ebook, not pictured)

Books read in June:

✨Outrun the Wind

✨The Hunting Party

✨My Body

[asexualbookbird]

Immediately forgets everything that happened in June. Uh. I threw a tea party! Finished a knit hat! Did one (1) queer corvid piece! Started playing baldurs gate! Read some good books! SAW SOME SANDHILL CRANES!!!! Found new enrichment in the form of a new walking route! A busy busy month! Didn't read as much as I intended, but I did get to check off five more books on my Reading Books I Own chart so I call that a win.

The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakranorty ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐- WHAT A FUN BOOK! "Adventure" is the perfect word for this. Yes, it's a trilogy with only one book out, but this also works so well on its own, as individual books SHOULD! It's its own little thing. Wrapped up neat and tidy with little threads to pick up in the future. I had so much fun and the audiobook was a DELIGHT, I want to read it again immediately.

The Novice by Taran Matharu ⭐- This has been sitting on my shelf since its release. It moved homes with me. It will not be doing so again. Bland, generic, poorly written. Proof just because you were an internet success, doesn't mean you don't need an editor. Also proof that publishing is about Luck and Connections. I know goodreads ratings mean Nothing, but come on. Why is this one so high. Did people really enjoy it that much? HOW??

Translation State by Ann Leckie ⭐⭐⭐⭐- Okay. Look. This was not my favorite Leckie novel. In fact it very well could by me least favorite Leckie novel. HOWEVER. Even then, it was still fun and enjoyable. I wish it ended differently, but I still loved all the characters and how they interact. I do want to reread this as well, because I remember enjoying Ancillary Justice more the second time around and I wonder if the same will happen here.

What Moves The Dead by T Kingfisher ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - A reread! To get ready for What Feasts At Night! Even knowing all the secrets, it's still a perfectly bite sized creepy read. My favorite thing about Kingfishers writing is how even with the darkest subjects she still manages to add humor. And it never seems out of place! It's a great breather for the reader but doesn't detract from the tension. Do not recommend reading this while walking through a field of bunnies.

What Feasts At Night by T Kingfisher ⭐⭐⭐⭐ - I gave What Moves The Dead four stars at my initial read through, so I wonder if this will ALSO change to five stars upon rereading. I had to read the first few chapters twice for them to stick, and ended up switching to the audiobook which was very well done. I really didn't expect another book about Alex Easton, but I'm hooked now to be honest. I mean, stop putting this soldier in Situations, but also. I want to know what other Situations ka gets into. Angus and Miss Potter are adorable.

The library has a few summer reading games with prizes so my reading in the upcoming months will be influenced by those. Someone said there might even be a local bookstore gift package in the mix and I Want That. I do still want to do the Bone Season updated read, if for no other reason than to get rid of those books so I don't have to pack and move them. Other than that, no reading plans. I've read nearly every book that's on the shelf in my bedroom, which, wow, so it's getting harder to choose what to read. I guess that's a good thing! Leaves more room to reread old favorites.

[tolive1000lives]

We’ve hit the halfway mark of the 2024 reading challenge! These are most of my 2024 reads and I’m excited to add to the stack!

[slaughter-books]

Day 30: JOMPBPC: Read In June

My prideful June, 2024 reading wrap-up!

🩷❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙💜

[bigcats-birds-and-books]

Books of 2024: June Wrap-Up.

Okay, y'all have Convinced Me--I'm going to start doing little wrap up posts! Behold: a shelf of what I read in June (not pictured: the bookmark at page 466 of ORDINARY MONSTERS, because despite having read two (2) books worth of book so far, I'm still not quite done with that one).

June was kind of a slow reading month for me (I did a LOT of writing, looking back--nice). I wanted to take OTHER TERRORS and THE ELEMENTS OF ELOQUENCE a bite at a time so the horrors and figures of rhetoric (respectively) didn't all run together. Both of those, much like A SHINING, turned out to be pleasantly leisurely wanders, whereas MONSTERS is kind of a plod.

I already did bigger write-ups for TERRORS and SHINING, linked in the bullets below.

OTHER TERRORS - ★★★★ Great bite-sized horror anthology with a really inclusive mix, as promised! I enjoyed most of these (always nice in an anthology!)

A SHINING - ★★★★ Weird fucked up heavy little book in translation, lit-fic flavored, but very approachable, I thought. Tiny enough to swallow in a sitting, but also kind of exhausting to do it that way? I'll definitely reread this one in the future.

THE ELEMENTS OF ELOQUENCE - ★★★ Fun romp through rhetoric! The examples were fun, and I appreciated the humor, but I also find myself still uncertain what a bunch of the figures actually ARE, definitions-wise, despite having read a book full of so many of them (I did just buy his recommended A HANDLIST OF RHETORICAL TERMS to help with that, at least, which is. almost entirely. definitions by volume). Neat thing to have on my references shelf, but it wasn't as excellent as I was hoping it'd be.

ORDINARY MONSTERS - 466/658 pages read; will report back later (but it's not looking good, folks).

[franticvampirereads]

June has been interesting, I’ve read some great books and some just okay ones and I had a DNF. So it’s been a bit of a grab bag this month, but that’s okay! Here’s what I read:

Prince’s Gambit 5⭐️ {review}

Three Meant To Be 4⭐️ {review}

Fence: Rise 4⭐️ {review}

For The Fans-DNF @ page 30 {vague reasoning why}

The Alpha’s Son 3.25⭐️ (changed rating) {review}

Lore Olympus vol 1 5 ⭐️ {review}

Washed Up With A Kraken 3.5 ⭐️ {review}

That Time I Got Drunk And Saved A Demon -currently reading

On The Run -currently reading

My favorite books this month were Prince’s Gambit and Lore Olympus. Both were so good that I just couldn’t put them down.

[jasper-book-stash]

June-August 2024 Reading Wrap-Up

Hey, sorry for disappearing off of the face of Tumblr for uhhhh three months, but I read twelve books in that time and I'm here to complain.

Religious Text

None applicable.

1/10 - Why Did They Publish This?

Moonbeams and Ashes: Tales of Mystery, Love, and the Paranormal | Margarite Stever

I picked this up from some bookstore here in Missouri under the local authors shelf. I wish I hadn't. These stories were all poorly written, and a good chunk had nothing to do with mystery, love, OR the paranormal. They weren't even bad in the fun way.

2/10 - Trash

None applicable.

3/10 - Meh

My Mother Road | Phyllis York

I picked this up from some OTHER bookstore here in Missouri under the local authors shelf. I wished this book had ended 480 pages sooner. The only highlight was at the end when the grandpa physically kicked a guy off of the porch.

Athena's Child | Hannah Lynn

A Greek myth "retelling" centering around Medusa and intercut with Perseus. It...was just mediocre. There wasn't anything interesting about what it did or changed or told, there was no taking the myth and running in a new direction with it, and worse of all we opted for the Ovid's Metamorphoses route but still used the Greek names for the gods.

4 to 6/10 - Mid-Tier

Crossword Poems, volumes 1 and 2 | Robert Norton

Two itty-bitty volumes covering what were apparently once commonly-known poems that you'd be able to remember based on half of the hint. Decent enough stuff, just kinda boring without that historical note.

Shelling Peanuts and Other Odd Odes | Howard Nelson

Another collection of poems that were ultimately mediocre with a few funny or insightful ones. Not bad, just not especially good either.

Songs of Honour | Noble House Publishers

These were, on the whole, better than the other two, but I knocked it down to 6/10 based on the fact that it took me the entire month of July and a third of August to finish. The formatting was lovely and each poem only took a page, but it was ultimately just "good-to-mediocre" on the whole.

7 to 8/10 - Good With Caveats

Outlaw: Champions of Kamigawa | Scott McGough Heretic: Betrayers of Kamigawa | Scott McGough Guardian: Saviors of Kamigawa | Scott McGough

While I personally listed Guardian as a 9/10, I figured I should keep the entire Kamigawa Cycle together. This is the story of Toshiro Umezawa, everyone's favorite fuckup self-centered protagonist dealing with the consequences of his and everyone else's actions. There were a couple times when something was referenced that didn't make sense in the setting (such as angels, Hell, or pixies), and you can definitely feel the "early 2000s white man writing a Japanese setting based on vibes alone" emanating from most of the pages, but I had a good time calling Toshi a dumbfuck over and over again.

9/10 - Very Very Good

None applicable (besides aforementioned Guardian).

10/10 - Unironically Recommend To Everyone

The Tale of Despereaux | Kate DiCamillo

In my book club, we randomly pulled this one as the one for all of us to read at the same time, and let me tell you, this book hits different when you're a queer young adult in your early twenties than it clearly hit the grown women in their 50+'s. Great book, absolutely adorable, and I love the fact that we accidentally timed it to coincide with the release of Bloomburrow.

Scaredy Squirrel: In a Nutshell | Melanie Watt

Yes, this is an Easy-level book. But somehow, this squirrel with anxiety and possibly OCD (yes, I'm projecting slightly, I kept going "he's just like me for real" aloud when I read it) is now one of my favorite fictional guys. And when he was having a meltdown, the other characters actually gave him space and respected his boundaries. Do you know how impossible that is to find in fiction? One of my favorite books now, hands down.

[theinquisitxor]

June 2024 Reading Wrap Up

I read six (6) books in June, and was able to get through most of what I wanted to read. I ended up reading several books that all take place in Britain, in a similar time-frame, which was completely coincidental. I read 4 fantasy, 1 historical fiction, and 1 nonfiction.

1.The Magician's Daughter by HG Parry (5 stars) This was a delightful standalone novel that is a coming of age story set in Edwardian era in England. When I first read the blurb about this novel, I thought it was going to be a retelling of The Tempest. It is not-- but it is an original story yet classic in its own way. While I would consider this a 'cozy fantasy' it does have its darker moments. I also really enjoyed the lack of romance in this book.

2 & 3. The Greenhollow Duology by Emily Tesh (4/5 stars) This was my Random TBR Pick for the month of June, which I was very happy about since this duology has been on my tbr since 2020. This was exactly what I was expecting- folkloric, woodsy, queer novellas following fairy lore and mythology. I'm glad I finally picked this up!

4.1177 BC: The Year Civilization Collapsed by Eric H. Cline: this was my nonfiction book for the month, and this book takes a look at how an ancient civilization collapsed, and ushered in the first 'dark age'.

5. The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry (4/5 stars) I found this to be a very atmospheric period novel set in Essex in the 1890s. This is the type of novel where you can tell the author did a lot of research on the time period, and I felt transported right into the time period. Each character was very distinct and different from each other, and I enjoyed the hint of the fantastic in the novel surrounding the Essex Serpent.

6.The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie (3/5 stars) My brother got me the series for my birthday, after he read the books and enjoyed them. I will admit, that this type of fantasy is not necessarily my favorite, but I wanted to give this series a chance. I thought it was fine overall, but I can tell it's not my cup of tea. I have seen things about the second and third books being better than book 1, so I am hoping to continue. Glokta is my favorite and I would start book 2 just for him.

I have also been reading River Horse: A Voyage Across America this month too, but I've only been reading a few chapters at a time. This is a travel narrative about a man who traveled across the US by river. I'm enjoying it so far!

Those are the books I finished this month!

Books I'm hoping to read in July:

The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah

A Memory Called Empire by Arkady Martine

Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier

Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett

Thief Mage, Beggar Mage by Cat Hellison

Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones

second First Law book by Joe Abercrombie

finish River Horse by William Least Heat-Moon

Most of these I have access to the audiobooks, so I'm hoping to read at least one via audio. I kinda fell off reading audiobook lately, so I want to get back into it.

[godzilla-reads]

🩵 Happy July 🩵

In June I finished 11 books, bringing my yearly total to 76 books! My Top 3 that I read are starred in the list:

⭐️ The Chromatic Fantasy by H. A.

🦄 Blue Moon Mountain by Geraldine McCaughlean

🐻 The Mukluk Ball by Katharine Johnson and Alicia Schwab

🤷 a Year & other poems by Jos Charles

🏳️‍⚧️ A Quick and Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns by Archie Bongiovanni and Tristan Jimerson

🌸 Flower Fairies of Summer by Cicley Mary Barker

⭐️ I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons by Peter S. Beagle

🐲 The Hidden Kingdom by Tui T. Sutherland and Mike Holmes

🦆 A Short Philosophy of Birds by Philippe J. Dubois and Elise Rosseau (trans. Jennifer Higgins)

🇬🇧 Fifty Best Poems of England

⭐️ The Arrival by Shaun Tan

What did you read?

[bigdreamsandwildthings]

June Wrap-Up

Five Broken Blades (Mai Cortland) ★★★★

The Rachel Incident (Caroline O'Donoghue) (audio) ★★★★1/2

This Summer Will Be Different (Carley Fortune) ★★★★★

The Return of Ellie Black (Emiko Jean) ★★★★1/2

Heartless Hunter (Kristen Ciccarelli) ★★★★★

The Other Side of Disappearing (Kate Clayborn) (audio) ★★★

Reckless (Elsie Silver) ★★★★1/2

Where the Dark Stand Still (A.B. Poranek) ★★★★1/2

Middle of the Night (Riley Sager) (audio) ★★★★

Savor It (Tarah DeWitt) ★★★★★

I read a TON for work this month, so my actual book count is about double this, but you can check those ratings out on my Goodreads (linked) if you're interested! Onto the summer and hopefully even more excellent reads (of which this month was already full!).

[manuscripts-dontburn]

The Weather Woman

Author: Sally Gardner

First published: 2022

Rating:  ★★★★☆

The book description might easily fool a reader into thinking this is a magical realism story, but though the main character does possess a curious gift of being able to foretell the weather, it falls better into the historical romance sprinkled with found family and a bunch of trouble category. Low on action but beautifully written. I believe subjective enjoyment depends a lot on whether or not you grow to love the characters. If you do not, then you shall probably be bored, but if you grow fond of them, then the book feels like sitting around a cosy table with the most pleasant company.

Maximilian and Carlota: Europe's Last Empire in Mexico

Author: Mary Margaret McAllen Amberson

First published: 2014

Rating: ★★★★☆

The Mexican Empire was nothing but a colonial attempt by France to exploit yet another nation. they cleverly chose a Habsburg prince and his young wife to rule, both with the right amount of ambition, desire to prove themselves, good but completely misled intentions and a great deal of naivety. it was a recipe for national awakening on one hand and a human tragedy on the other. This is a book that very logically and succinctly presents the uneasy and constantly shifting conflict, remains admirably objective and definitely stands as a dignified portrait of its protagonists. I only thought it a pity that very little time was given to the life of Maximilian and Charlotte before they became ensnared in the French scheming. there is hardly any time spent on their childhood and formative years or even their courtship.

Song of the Huntress

Author: Lucy Holland

First published: 2024

Rating:  ★★★★☆

I loved Lucy Holland´s first offering in Sistersong and Song of the Huntress is another solid book. Different from most myth retellings with its focus. It is a book that WILL take a lot of time to get through, it does not rush you forward and I imagine there will be people who will find it boring because of it. It IS slow. But if you appreciate good writing and complex relationships in your historical fantasy, you might want to give this one a try.

Schindler's List

Author: Thomas Keneally

First published: 1982

Rating:  ★★★★☆

Because the movie that came out of this book is just so famous and memorable, it would be easy to assume one needs not to read this book. And it would be true. But you still might want to do just that, because it corrects some of the myths and takes some of the shine off of Oscar Schindler. The same Schindler, who will still stand as one of the heroes of WW2, even with his halo a little crooked. What this book does NOT need, though, is the "novel" epithet, since it does not really hold any literary value. It should have stayed non-fiction, pure and simple, especially since the author claims none of the scenes in it are made up.

House of Salt and Sorrows

Author: Erin A. Craig

First published: 2019

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

It was very readable, with an interesting premise, but in the end, I felt it did not fit all well together. The creepy elements got their ass kicked by a half-cooked romance. I was also constantly confused about how this world looked, and in what time period is it rooted. I mean I went from imagining everything from the Middle Ages to the 1920s (there is a FOX TROT mentioned TWICE), but could never settle on anything and it kept bugging me throughout. As a retelling of the 12 dancing princesses, it is fine, but I would rather reach for the Wildwood Dancing instead.

Learned by Heart

Author: Emma Donoghue

First published: 2023

Rating: ★★★★☆

There is something exceptionally captivating about Emma Donoghue´s writing that I did not even mind the lack of plot. This is a very intimate portrait of a sapphic teenage romance in a time when such a thing did not even register in the common thought. And though slow and even mundane, I loved reading it.

Hex

Author: Jenni Fagan

First published: 2022

Rating: ★★★★★

A short book that packs a hard, painful punch. A cry of desperation and defiance from the darkness.

Danubia: A Personal History of Habsburg Europe

Author: Simon Winder

First published: 2013

Rating:  ★★☆☆☆

I picked this book up mostly because I am always curious about how the Czechs and their history are viewed from an outsider´s perspective. I definitely appreciated the obvious enthusiasm the author displayed for central Europe, but in the end, I am confused as to what he was trying to achieve. a collection of cherry-picked information, that grows steadily classical music-heavy as it progresses, it is not uninteresting but can drag. Some of the views presented I found also rather uncomfortable, especially the occasional hinting that the Czech (and other nations) fight for preserving our language and rights should have been solved by a compromise which would, quite frankly, have meant wiping out the said language and rights in the long run. I personally view the Austrian Empire as something that was worth saving in some shape and form, but that does not change the facts of its long history of oppression of non-German speaking nations that went along with more enlightened decisions on their behalf.

The Yellow Wallpaper / Herland

Author: Charlotte Perkins Gilman

First published: 1915

Rating: ★★★★☆

While The Yellow Wallpaper is short and in a terrifying simplicity realistic, Herland has a much slower pace, includes what I might call fantasy elements and more than a story it really stands as a thinking commentary on society (arguably we could find flaws in the Gilman´s female Utopia, but then again she does not really claim that Herland is paradise and the women there clearly accept changes and are open to new ideas). Interestingly, it was originally published in the 1910s, but the attitude of the men in the story (looking at you especially, Terry) could be copied from the men today. I was a bit disappointed by the abrupt ending, which definitely left me wondering about what happened next. Both of these works still have merit as feminist classics.

Inconvenient People: Lunacy, Liberty and the Mad-Doctors in England

Author: Sarah Wide

First published: 2012

Rating: ★★★★★

I found this book extremely interesting, mostly because Sarah Wise understands the need to insert people into history. What could have been a very dry and facts-heavy study she turned into a compelling narrative in which everyone gets their place and you can sympathize (and maybe judge a bit). I learned a lot from this.

Island Queen

Author: Vanessa Riley

First published: 2021

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Based on a true story of a former slave who managed to raise herself to a free and prosperous woman, Island Queen is a solid piece of historical fiction that needed a little trimming IMO. The book is almost 600 pages long and because the focus is heavily and almost exclusively on Dorothy´s relationships with men and her children, it moves very slowly. Even large events like rebellions are mere background canvases to familial planning and aspirations. (I was also a bit annoyed at the fact Dorothy keeps jumping among the same guys the whole book.) That said, if you are in it for the intimate aspects and thought process, this might be a good book for you.

[princessofbookaholics]

I'm in such a thriller mood, all i feel like reading lately are thrillers and I love it! My favorite of the month was Middle of the Night and I'm so happy and anticipated release actually lived up to my expectations! We're halfway through the year and I'm FINALLY starting to get some 5 star reads. Here's the wrap up:

The It Girl ⭐⭐⭐

The Paradise Problem ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Fragile Sanctuary ⭐⭐⭐

Nightwatching ⭐⭐⭐

Night Shift ⭐⭐⭐

One Perfect Couple ⭐⭐

False Start ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Housemaid ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Only If You're Lucky ⭐⭐⭐

Middle of the Night ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Garnet Flats ⭐⭐

Where Sleeping Girls Lie ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Distress Signals ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Summer Romance ⭐⭐⭐

[asexualbookbird]

Whoo boy. Lots of things going on here, many of them Not Good, so I threw myself into video games and reading. Played a whole bunch of Project Sekai, so much Project Sekai I have to now force myself to take a break from Project Sekai because my hands hurt so much. I was absolutely SPOILED by my friends on my birthday. I look at my little Miku figure everyday and it brings me SO much joy!! Got an embroidery machine and I already have a couple jobs lined up so hopefully I can make a little bit of Fun Money. At the very least I'm hoping to make enough to upgrade the program so I can make my own freehand designs! I read SIX (6) books this month and I annotated in the margins for the first time! It was fun, but I think it was only fun because I was leaving notes for a friend. I don't think it's something I would enjoy on my own so I won't be making a habit of it. Still! Fun and new and exciting!

Someone You Can Build A Nest In by John Wiswell ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐- Okay Initially I rated this four stars, but sitting on it for a month I ADORED this. It left so many good feelings. Fun and silly and gross, I want more like this.

Magic for Liars by Sarah Gailey ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - A reread! Still love it! I'd forgotten so much it was nice to revisit and about halfway through I remembered the ending which was fun. Opted for the audio this time which was absolutely delightfully done.

Moon Over Soho by Ben Aaronovitch ⭐⭐⭐ - Not my favorite, but still fun. I find it a Choice that the use of outdated slurs was a hint at a plot point. Peter made a promise to a child, so there's no way that will come back to bite him!

The Daughters of Izdihar by Hadeer Elsbai ⭐⭐- I listened to the audiobook and I think that didn't help my enjoyment of this. I switched to a hard copy in the last 20% and found my opinions of the two main characters switching. I didn't like Nehal's narrator, so I didn't like Nehal. But reading it myself she was more tolerable. Aside from Giorgina having an abortion, this could have easily been a young adult novel, and even then it wouldn't necessarily have been out of place. The writing didn't feel like an adult novel, which I hate saying but I know of no other way to voice my feelings on this.

Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐- PERFECT. WONDERFUL. LOVED EVERY BIT! I know I just complained about a book reading like YA, but listen. Elatsoe was SO good. The love Elatsoe has for her family and her family for her is so refreshing. She's ace. Her loved ones love her. She loves them. And she's ace. It's not about Being Ace, but still! There she is! The audio was so easy and pleasant to listen to. I want my own copy because I KNOW I want to read this again. Absolutely delightful.

Whispers Underground by Ben Aaronovitch ⭐⭐⭐- didn't enjoy it as much as the first, but enjoyed it more than the second. Typing the title out made a lightbulb go off and I Got It. The buried alive chapter had me squirming. Abigail returned. There are an awful lot of guns in this series for being set in London and here they still had to poke fun at the American being trigger happy (she was). I'm a little burnt out on this series for now, but I'll return to it in the future.

June is bringing a birthday tea party for my mom, finishing a knit hat for my mom, making a homebound sketchbook for my friend, and whatever books I feel in the mood for. I'd say throw suggestions at me, but the instant someone says YOU MUST READ THIS my brain goes hm. No uwu. I think I want to make Monthly Reading Goals photos again, that was fun! Only book set in stone this month is The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi which I've already started and am enjoying a lot so far. Good omens and good vibes for June, I am speaking that into existence.

[tolive1000lives]

My reading wrap up through June!

[slaughter-books]

Day 30: JOMPBPC: Read In April

My incredible April, 2024 reading wrap-up! 💚