June 2019 Reading Wrap-Up

(#partner #freebooks: All books noted by asterisks (***) indicate I received the book for free from the publisher, the author, or another promotional company to review. All opinions are my own.)

I was out of town on June 30th, so this is a little late.

I’d call my June reading month just so-so. I read some stellar reads – 5 stars! – and some meh book – 3 stars – and I DNF’d more than I ever have – 5 books! It was a bit of a roller coaster ride!

So far this year, I’ve read 87 books and my average rating is at 3.9. I’m pretty happy with that!

My favorite book of the month was If You Want To Make God Laugh by Bianca Marais, without a doubt! I can’t stop thinking about it and I read it over a week ago now. I can’t wait to add it to my Favorites Shelf and reread it again!

Non-Fiction:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Fall and Rise: The Story of 9/11 by: Mitchell Zuckoff (Harper) – Pub Date: April 30, 2019

I know this is a tough book to read, especially for those personally and directly affected by the events of 9/11, but it’s also an important piece of American history. We owe it to those who so tragically gave their lives to #neverforget.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ *** Nanaville: Adventures in Grandparenting by: Anna Quindlin (6/10/19)

While this had some great reflections on motherhood, I thought it was a little too personal to Quindlen’s family to really connect with it, though I will walk away with some knowledge of how to respect boundaries as a mother-in-law someday!

 

Something Lighter:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ *** The Flatshare by: Beth O’Leary (6/10/19)

I almost passed this one over but I’m so glad I didn’t. It was exactly the light-hearted read I was craving. I loved both of the characters and thought the storyline was unique and well done! This is the perfect beach or pool companion!

 

Cultural/Historical Fiction:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ *** If You Want To Make God Laugh by: Bianca Marais (Putnam) – On Shelves: July 16, 2019

I can’t imagine that this one won’t make my Top 10 List of 2019! Set in post-apartheid Africa, it has themes of racism, motherhood, and the AIDS epidemic of the early 1990s. It was so well-written and all I can think about since finishing it is, “how soon is too soon to reread a book!?!?”

 

Complicated Family Relationships:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Summer of ’69 by: Elin Hilderbrand (Little, Brown) – Pub Date: June 18, 2019

Apparently Elin Hilderbrand’s books are hit or miss. I’ve never read one of her books and I’m happy to say that I loved this one! With the just the right mix of complicated family drama, historical fiction, and a beach setting on Nantucket Island during the summer, I couldn’t put this one down!

⭐️⭐️⭐️ My Lovely Wife by: Samantha Downing (Berkley) – Pub Date: March 26, 2019

I was expecting this to be the book version of the movie, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. But instead, it was a mildly boring, totally predictable thriller with little unexpected twists and turns.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ My Sister, the Serial Killer by: Oyinkan Braithwaite (Doubleday) – Pub Date: November 20, 2018

Sometimes #bookstagram can rave about a book and I get a real sense of #fomo…sadly, this book didn’t deliver for the hype it got. I found the succinct writing style fantastic, but the overall storyline underwhelming.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 *** We Came Here to Forget by: Andrea Dunlop (Atria) – On Shelves: July 2, 2019

This was a tough one for me because I thought it was a page-turner and I was invested in the story, but I just don’t think it will have staying power for the long haul in my mind. It’s one of those books that I like while I’m in it, but a few months from now, I’ll be lucky to recall any details about it. 

⭐️⭐️⭐️ *** Searching for Sylvie Lee by: Jean Kwok (William Morrow) – Pub Date: June 4, 2019

This one just fell in the middle of the road for me. It was interesting, but easily skimmable, which I ended up doing for the last half of the book. Looking back, I probably should have DNF’d it, but I was curious what happened to Sylvie.

I picked this one up because it’s on Modern Mrs. Darcy’s Summer Reading Guide. I’m almost halfway through the books she suggests…it’s been fun to prioritize those books! 

 

Not For Me (AKA: DNF):

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by: Erika L. Sánchez (Knopf Books for Young Readers) – Pub Date: October 17, 2017

As a winner of numerous book awards, I was excited to start this one with my daughter (11-years-old), but as I quickly realized, it’s not appropriate for her just yet. Without sharing the story together, my interest quickly waned…though I wouldn’t mind trying it again in the future.

🎧 God in the ICU: The Inspirational Biography of a Praying Doctor by: Dave A. Walker – Pub Date: November 19, 2011

This one definitely intrigues me – I am interested in the backstory and found the writing well done, but I could not get past the poor audiobook quality and the narrator’s voice was so low and deep, I had a hard time understanding. I’m too impatient to continually back the story up, so I gave up on this one.

The Next Right Thing: A Simple, Soulful Practice for Making Life Decisions by: Emily P. Freeman (Fleming H. Revell Company) – Pub Date: April 2, 2019

My library hold on this one expired before I’d finished, but I felt like I got enough of the gist to move forward. I love Emily P. Freeman’s writing and she has a way of putting things into perspective that really resonate with me. What I got through was fantastic and I’d encourage others to read it!

In At The Deep End by: Kate Davies (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) – Pub Date: June 4, 2019

I went into this one blind and the first couple of chapters were much different than I was expecting. There was a lot of sexual talk – which I’m not opposed to – but was thrown off a bit. If I happen to run across this one again, I may give it another chance!

Ayesha At Last by: Uzma Jalaluddin (Berkley) – Pub Date: June 4, 2019

Though I am in love with the cover, I was not feeling the story. A modern-retelling of Pride and Prejudice, it lacked connection for me and felt very forced. Maybe I’m simply not in the mood because I’ve already read Unmarriageable this year – and it’s the same storyline, though I enjoyed it much more.

This one is also on Modern Mrs. Darcy’s Summer Reading Guide. #IdRatherBeReading #summerstooshort

 

What was your favorite read in June?