I can’t believe we are halfway through the year! In some ways it has been the longest year already and in others time seems to be flying by. I have been knocking on wood hoping that 2020 doesn’t hold too many more surprises for the world.
My reading mojo stayed with me through June! While my book count wasn’t quite as high as May but it was still a great month with 11 total books. My library’s ebook catalog along with my Kindle Unlimited trial have kept me in more reading material than I can manage during the continued closures.
All my reading these past couple months has been on my kindle. Mine is about 8 years old now. I’m seriously considering an upgrade this summer. Maybe for my birthday. Then my husband and I can each have a kindle to read on since he’s ran through his stock of paperbacks.
Archenemies by Marissa Meyer
I started June with the second book in Marissa Meyer’s Renegades series, Archenemies. As I shared in my Quick Lit post, the story started out a little slow for me but by the time I got a third of the way into it, it picked up. Meyer has a talent for wrapping up her endings just enough. You’re left satisfied but also can’t wait to get into the next one. I’m still waiting for the final book, Supernova, to come through on my Libby holds.
Lumberjanes by Noelle Stevenson & Shannon Watters
In June, I read my way through the rest of the Lumberjanes volumes that were available on Kindle Unlimited. I hope more become offered through that or my library. Seriously I don’t know how people can afford a comic book habit. Obviously, I realize a ton of work and talent go into creating each issue but they’re so good, it’s easy to inhale them! If I were someone who held onto books, I would want hard copies of all of these just to go back and enjoy the artwork. I read Volume 3: A Terrible Plan, Volume 5: Band Together, and Volume 7: A Bird’s Eye View this month.
When We Believed in Mermaids by Barbara O’Neal
A friend highly recommended When We Believed in Mermaids by Barbara O’Neal. I really enjoyed the mystery unraveling two sisters’ childhood and the events that sent them down different life paths. It was powerful story perhaps my favorite of the month. Most of the story was set in New Zealand, a place I love! I spent all of 2016 there and it was wonderful to read about the towns and beaches and revisit some memories. The 1930’s movie star murder mystery was intriguing. I wish the novel had covered a little more of that subplot.
The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter
I thought When We Believed in Mermaids was my dark read for the month until I decided to check out my old book club’s pick for June, The Good Daughter.
This was my first Karin Slaughter book and I would probably read another… cautiously. I wasn’t prepared for all of the graphic violence in the first 100 pages or so. I was a little lost in the beginning and annoyed because I felt like it was a lot of violence was for shock factor rather than story line but I did feel compelled to keep reading.
The story picked up after that and I enjoyed the twists and the end. In reviews I read, some people were annoyed by an especially violent scene that repeated several times. Each retelling was from different perspectives with new details emerging. After the beginning, I was braced for those so they didn’t bother me. I came away from it glad that I read it but feeling like it could easily have been trimmed down to 300 pages rather than over 500.
There was a particularly powerful quote:
“ ‘What a rapist takes from a woman is her future. The person she is going to become, who she is supposed to be, is gone. In many ways, it’s worse than murder, because he has killed that potential person, eradicated that potential life, yet she still lives and breathes, and has to figure out another way to thrive.’ He waved his hand in the air. ‘Or not, in some cases.’ ”
Sister thriller/mystery is a hot theme this past year in the publishing world. While these two books both follow two sisters and have a lot of the same trigger warnings, When We Believed in Mermaids was much less graphic and in your face about the violence. It’s subjective how much detail you are comfortable with as a reader. Both were powerful novels that do their strong female characters and relationships justice.
Nonfiction Ayurveda Books
My nonfiction choices this month include Ayurveda by Sahara Rose Ketabi and Ayurveda Beginner’s Guide by Susan Weis-Bohlen. I wanted to learn more about Ayurveda after I discovered Ellen Carr’s blog, Being Change, and podcast, Create Shift. I took her dosha quiz and read up on her Ayurveda information. From there I was hooked on this ancient health care system that considers the mind, body, and spirit and focuses on finding balance to prevent illness. Living in a country with a broken healthcare system that focuses on treating isolated symptoms rather than causes, I’m very drawn to an approach that puts more power into the individual’s choice and care.
Ayurveda by Sahara Rose Ketabi is also called the Idiot’s Guide to Ayurveda and it covers anything you want to know in an easy to read and understand introduction to this health system. I borrowed this book from my library but I may buy a copy to have for reference. Her book contains the most wide spread information on the topic of those I’ve found so far. I’ve also started listening to her podcast, Highest Self, and want to check out her Ayurvedic cookbook, Eat Feel Fresh.
Ayurveda Beginner’s Guide by Susuan Weis-Bohlen was also good. It was a much faster read. I felt it didn’t go into as much depth as Ketabi’s. If I had not read the Idiot’s Guide first, I think I would have been lost on several of the spiritual concepts surrounding Ayurveda. Weis-Bohlen had several interesting tips in her book though and a lot of great basic recipes. Her approach to Ayurveda seems more relaxed with more rule bending regarding coffee and alcohol. It’s more from a diet change and self care side than spiritual.
The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang
I loved this graphic novel about Sebastian, a prince, and Frances, a dressmaker and designer. Prince Sebastian’s parents are trying to find him a bride while he’s busy creating new fashions with his personal seamstress and going out as the icon Lady Crystallia. The two become close friends and maybe more. Eventually Frances has to decide if keeping Sebastian’s secret is worth losing out on her dreams of being a great designer. This story was adorable!
Grave Sight (the graphic novel) by Charlaine Harris
When I was researching some of my old favorites for a future book post, I came across a graphic novel version of Charlaine Harris’s Harper Connelly mysteries. The first book was available on Kindle Unlimited so I checked it out. I had been considering rereading the series and I really enjoyed this version of Grave Sight. Harper Connelly is a private investigator with a handy paranormal superpower. She can sense the dead and see their last moments. The artwork is dark and Harper’s character is much edgier than I remember from the books which I liked.
The only thing that annoyed me is there are six different issues and each one is a short chapter so I was constantly returning one to download the next instead of it all being one book. The storyline was good and stayed true to the first book. For a first time readers, things may have been lost in the adaptation. The second book is out as a graphic novel too. Just as a full book I believe. I don’t know if they’re still working on the rest of the series but I hope so.
The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin
When this book came out in 2018, it was featured on several bookish podcasts I enjoy. Its one of those that I always planned to read. When I saw it available on my Libby app, I snapped it up. The Immortalists follows the lives of the Gold siblings after they sought out a fortune teller as children. She told them each the date that they would die. The book is split into four sections, one per sibling, told in a collection of short chapters.
I enjoyed this book but it wasn’t quite what I was expecting. Each section offers a glimpse into the sibling’s life like a short story. Some of the stories are quite dark. Most of the time the characters are not even connected. I was caught up with each person though wanting to know more about them and see where their story lead.
How was your June reading month? What were some of your favorite books?
