June Wrap Up

Jul 03, 2023

Another month has come and gone! I am proud of what I read this month (20 books!) and am looking forward to another great month.

Before I get into it, make sure to visit the IMWAYR hosts Unleashing Readers and Teach Mentor Texts to find other blogs to follow that use this weekly wrap up. (This will count as my IMWAYR post.)

Books I Finished

Favorites

Adult Favorite: The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Hilton

The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I devoured this book! The witty banter, the enemies to lovers, Victorian England, magic, pirates, etc. The list goes on and on. I needed something to make me giggle and warm my heart and this was it. I look forward to the next book.

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Young Adult Favorite: If He Had Been With Me by Laura Nowlin

If he had been with me by Laura Nowlin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

So. Many. Feelings. I loved this book.

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I know that is such a vague review, but I don't want to give anything away! I honestly went in blind, cover sold me, and I didn't want to believe what it was about...if you need a book to make you cry, this is it.

Middle Grade Favorite: Pet by Akwaeke Emezi

Pet by Akwaeke Emezi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I listened to the audio and the narrator's voice was absolutely beautiful. I even slowed the audio down to 1 so I could really get the full picture (usually it's sped up!). Akwaeke really told a powerful dystopian that well...doesn't feel all that dystopian.

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More Adult Reads

Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Devoured this book! I was worried it wouldn’t live up to my expectations but once the second chapter hit, I couldn’t put it down. I feel so hard for the love in this book.

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Women Talking by Miriam Toews
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a book written really differently, and although it took a long time to read (when I felt like it shouldn't have) I did end up enjoying it. This is a fictional story that reads like nonfiction and is a great speculation on conversations women may have when facing abuse in a cult. The feeling of not knowing any other world, the modern world at that, and leaving their loved ones behind was really sad and tore me up quite a bit. It is based on a true story.

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My Heart Is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What. A. Horror. Book! Oh my goodness. I loved Jade, the protagonist and how you just weren't sure about her the entire book. The ending...be ready. Let me tell you. Just be ready.

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Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Holy Moly this book is not for the faint of heart. I gave it 5 stars because I could not stop reading and was surprised at every turn.

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Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book made me so uncomfortable, but in such a great way. I enjoyed the satire and how the unreliable narrator made me think about books and who are the "right" people to tell stories. It was also really interesting about what it means to "steal" ideas and what that means. Definitely a thought-provoking read and if you are a writer or in the publishing world, I think you will enjoy it.

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Black Girl, Call Home by Jasmine Mans
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved this collection of poems by Jasmine Mans! They were very powerful and covered so many aspects of the life of a black woman.

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More Middle Grade Reads

Boomi's Boombox by Shanthi Sekaran
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I could not put this book down! It was so good and so many great themes and topics mentioned in this book. Body image. Dance. Friendship. Family. Being loud. All fantastic. Oh...and TIME TRAVEL plus 80S MUSIC!!! It has it all. Highly recommend.

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A Wolf Called Wander by Rosanne Parry
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this story based on a real wolf! It was sad, but hopeful.

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Land of Broken Promises by Jane Kuo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A great sequel to Jane Kuo's debut book In This Beautiful Country-both of which are based on her life as she immigrates from Taiwan to America. It's a novel in very and Jane has a beautiful way with writing poetry.

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Finding Langston by Lesa Cline-Ransome
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I listened to the audio version of this book and although it is a shorter novel, it was really wonderful and powerful. This is a story of identity and finding yourself. It was also a great story of friendship and family and...the power of books!

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Miles Morales Suspended by Jason Reynolds
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I loved being in this world with Miles Morales at school. It was a lot of fun learning more about him as a student, as a human, and also having other characters come into play. I really loved the poetry mixed with prose-it kept the pacing moving really nicely.

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The Takeout by Tracy Badua
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a fun book about food trucks, food, family, and friendship. It touched on so many different topics but very well and also, the Filipino folk healing was something I really enjoyed reading about. I kept turning the pages on this one.

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The Order of Things by Kaija Langley
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Welp, this book tore me apart. If you are looking for a sad book, this is for you. But also...it's a great book about discovering your passion. It was a great novel in verse.

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Guardians of the Taiga by Stacy Plays
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really am enjoying these Stacy Plays books and think it's so cool that she (a Minecraft gamer) turned her adventures online into stories. Also, animal rescues, nature love, and little mystery? Keep the pages turning!

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City of Thieves by Alex London
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was such a great book! Dragon battles. Kins. Family. It was absolutely thrilling and I think a lot of middle grade kids would really love it.

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30 in 3 Book Challenge Update

I have challenged myself to read 30 books in 3 months-books I own or have received arcs of that I just really need to get to! All of these are physical copies and you can hear more about them on my vlog here. Books are in black and white until I read them!

I have read 3 books...and a month has already gone by. I definitely need to focus more in July.

Reading Vlogs

None! Oh goodness... I am not doing well over on my YouTube channel. But, I promise to be more consistent-make sure to subscribe!

Goals for July

To just read and have fun!

Thanks for stopping by and happy reading to you! Please drop a comment on what you've been reading, I would love to hear!

Take care.