Can you believe that reading wasn't my jam growing up?! Clif Notes were my best friends in high school - I'd read 'enough' to get by, but other than that I didn't enjoy the act of reading so never did it... like ever. Maybe I wasn't reading things that held my interest or maybe it was because it was "required" so I didn't like it, but, whatever the reason, I'm glad I challenged myself to add the goal of reading 17 books in 2017 (which became 88 books in 2017, 77 books in 2018, 67 books in 2019, 66 books in 2020, 67 books in 2021, 41 books in 2022, 98 books in 2023 and 224 books in 2024). The majority of my "reading" has been listening to audiobooks since I haven't had as much time to sit and read physical books once I started working again full time out of the house. Even still, holding a physical book is my JAM and I hope can add more physical reading vs listening. Just like in years past, writing a monthly recap of the books I finish is a great way for me to both record what I'm reading and to stay accountable. So, here are the books I completed in the month of June:
- The Wild Robot Escapes by Peter Brown - When friends told me I should check out this series, I got in line on my Libby app. I was able to check out the first book in April, but the second book wasn't available until the end of May (and the third book has an even longer wait time). Since this series is officially written for younger readers, the book is pretty short. The five hour audiobook took me about 3 hours to listen to, so I was able to get it done during a long run plus the follow day's housework. The sequel finds Roz living as a robot (I know, I know, sounds strange since that's what she technically is, but deep down she's 'wild') and trying to get back to the island she remembers. It's a quick heartwarming story filled with adventure, emotion and life lessons. I may not be the target audience, but I still find the books cute and worth the listen. I would give it an 8 out of 10.
- Accountable by Dashka Slater - This book caught my attention when I was scrolling through my Libby app, and since I was waiting for other books to become available and this one was ready, I grabbed it. This is the same author of an audiobook that the hubby and I listened to a few years back, The 57 Bus. She is an investigative journalist and it shows. She not only researched the story, but she interviewed all of the players (whether they played a large part or were just tangentially related) and shares points of view from all of the different angels. This is the telling of a racist social media account (it happened to be on Instagram) and the many lives it impacted. One of the aspects of The 57 Bus I liked most was that the author showed the human side of the 'monster' who perpetrated such a horrendous crime. I wouldn't say this book went as far, but it was interesting to see how everyone thought accountability and justice would best be served. I would give it an 8 out of 10.
- Worth Fighting For by Jesse Q. Sutanto - I had this next book in the Meant To Be Series pre-ordered. This is a modern retelling of the Mulan fairy tale. I was excited because I have loved all of the books in this series thus far, but I've gotta say, I think this one was my least favorite. I'm not sure, but maybe the relationship between Mulan and Shang felt too rushed or maybe it was all of the blatant patriarchy. Of course I was all in, but of the different stories so far I think this one is at the bottom (had I already not had it pre-ordered and I listened to it on audio, I might not have purchased it for my personal library collection). I would give it an 8 out of 10.
- The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop - I have had this memoir saved on my Libby app for quite a while. I loved watching Gilmore Girls when I was younger, so when I saw "Emily" had a memoir (and that she read it herself in the audiobook version) I was all in. It finally became available and I scoped it up. I decided to listen to it (since it wasn't super long) during one of my long runs (plus a little bit once I got home). I'll be honest and say that I was super familiar with Kelly's career outside of Gilmore Girls (but that is probably because I am not a huge theater person and she has had huge success in the play world). I was sort of hoping that this book would be more of a tell-all about her time on Gilmore Girls, but it really spanned her whole career (which was over six decades in show business!). Even though it wasn't focused solely as her time as Emily, I still found it entertaining and engaging. She shared highs and lows, with humor throughout. I would give it an 8 out of 10.
- Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett - I don't remember how I came across this title, but it was in my "for later" list on my Libby app and I had an extra hold to use, so got in line for this book. This is the story of a bit of a standoffish professor who goes into the field to continue her study on fae folks for a book she is writing and gets in way over her head. One of her main issues is that she is not necessarily a 'people person' but she needs to rely on the help of the small Nordic town for her research. Along the way we meet quite the cast of characters (magical and not). The story is filled with fun tales, enchanted forests, a winter wonderland, fairy adventures and more. I enjoyed that it was written in a journal form, full of footnotes and all. I'm not sure I would have picked up the physical book because it is rather long (over 12 hours in an audiobook form), but it was quite entertaining and I enjoyed the female lead. This is actually the first book of a trilogy, but I'm not sure that I loved it enough to devote 20ish more hours to this world. I would give it an 8 out of 10.
- The Distance from Me to You by Marina Gessner - I found this when I was scrolling through my Libby app in the Young Adult section and the graphic caught my eye so I added it in my "for later" list. I decided to listen to this on the drive to Mammoth (the hubby was on his computer and on conference calls, so I put in a headphone so I could listen to something while he was working). This is the story of a teenager who hikes the Appalachian Trail after she graduates from high school. I am totally about reading thru-hikers' stories (I would probably never do something that outrageous myself, but I love that other people do it!), so I was all in on this one (even if it was fictional). On the trail McKenna meets Sam, falls in love and the two adventure together. I found it to be a cute story with the right amount of drama to keep you on the edge of your seat sprinkled throughout. I was pulling for McKenna to complete her journey since before her first step on the AT. I could see this being turned into a teeny-bopper hiking movie that I would absolutely watch. I would give it an 8 out of 10.
- The Wild Robot Protects by Peter Brown - The third book of the series finally became available (there must be a lot of young readers on Libby, which I LOVE the idea of so I can't even be mad about the wait!) so I gobbled it up. This book take readers on an adventure through the Northern Sea when Roz goes to save her home from the mysterious poison tide. I think this was actually my favorite book of the trilogy. It focuses on the environment and how interconnected we all are, even if we might not notice or think about it. I love that the author is teaching a bit about science and responsibility all without forcing anything down the reader's throat. The ending is left open, as if there might be room for another book in the series. I would give it a 9 out of 10.
- Losing Brave by Bailee Madison and Stefne Miller - I came across this book when I was scrolling through the YA section on my Libby app and thought it looked interesting. It is a bit of a suspenseful thriller about a teen who goes missing. I like how the story jumps back and forth from the past to the present (I feel like when books do that I don't have as much time to try to figure out the ins and outs of the mystery). I would say that I know this is a book for young adults, so the storyline may have been appropriate for the age group, but I was left wanting a little more of the story (no spoiler alerts here, but three girls go missing and we never really find out anything about them - maybe the authors thought it would make the story 'too dark', 'too gory', 'too mature', I'm not sure, but I felt like there was a giant hole in the plot). Anywho, it kept me engaged and interested, so it did its job, especially with the few plot twists towards the end of the story. I would give it an 8 out of 10.
- Never Ever Getting Back Together by Sophie Gonzales - Since it's Pride Month, this book popped up in recommended books on my Libby app and I thought it looked interesting. I don't tend to watch dating reality shows, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy a book about them. This story was about two teen girls who are asked onto a dating show with a now famous ex-boyfriend to see if they can rekindle the flame. One of the girls is out for revenge, while the other is out to see if she could give the guy who slipped away a second chance. Let's just say that just like on all of the "reality" (because if you don't think they are scripted and overed edited you are definitely fooling yourself) this has quite a bit of drama wrapped up in it. Not only are there ulterior motives, but there are feelings had by contestants not aimed towards the suitor. I thought it was a fun read (even though I felt like the characters would've been a bit more believable if they were aged up to their early twenties) and was totally invested in seeing how the story would play out. I would give it a 9 out of 10.
- The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick - This popped up in the trending section of my Hoopla app and since I didn't have anything else downloaded at the moment I thought I'd snag it. This novel is set in the 1960s and centers around four housewives going through different phases of their lives. They all get together to form a book club and eventually become as thick as thieves. I loved seeing all four of the women find their strength throughout the story. Although I wasn't around in the 60s, the author did a great job at transporting us back to this fictional group of gals. I also appreciated some of the facts that the author brought into the story - like a limited access to birth control, the inability for women to open bank accounts without their husband's approval, etc. Even though this isn't my normal genre of books (historical fiction isn't normally my jam), it kept me entertained and wanting to continually know what'd happen next. I would give it a 9 out of 10.
With that, June is done-zo. If you have suggestions, let me know! I'm always looking to add to my "must read" list!
What's the best book you've read lately?
