June Reads: A Ranking
9) The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller: I quit this book halfway through. I found both Patroclus and Achilles to be extraordinarily dull (oxymoron?), and the weird sex scenes immensely turned me off.
8) A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas: It was probably the hype that ruined this one for me, but I was quite disappointed (please don't hate me)! Although I enjoyed the romance, I disagreed with the author's portrayal that it is worth risking one's life for a fleeting romance; there are just so many better reasons to risk one's life!
7) The Field Guide (The Spiderwick Chronicles #1) by Holly Black and Toni DiTerlizzi: I read this book in one sunny afternoon under the shade tree in my back yard. I loved the sibling dynamics, the magic, and the underdog hero.
6) Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon: This story that started off totally off the rails continued to get crazier. I liked the message and recurring line that "life is a gift."
5) Coraline by Neil Gaiman: This was the first book by Neil Gaiman I've ever read. I loved the simple prose telling a complex story, the creepiness, and how it also took me back to summers in my childhood, trying to find entertainment.
4) Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee: I think this came at a timely point in my life as Scout, like me, is torn between what her heart and her brain want. I found this incredibly relatable, and I loved the flashbacks to Scout's teen years we missed.
3) The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath: (Trigger warning for people struggling with depression or thoughts of suicide.) This is one of those books that has left me in thought and wonder. It's a beautifully raw depiction of Plath's own struggle, the views and treatment of mental illness in the 1950s, and how expected gender roles shaped women's entire lives at the time.
2) Macbeth by William Shakespeare: Damn! This is like the OG Game of Thrones minus the nudity. There is magic, sorcery, deception, murder, usurpers, tyrants, and prophecy!
1) Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys: I have been completely blown away by every book this incredible author has written. This time, she took me to the French Quarter of New Orleans in 1950, into the shoes of the daughter of a prostitute who was the apprentice of a brothel madam, but wanted out of that life. This story was a painfully real story of the affects of poverty that translated well to today's audience.
(Yep, that last one was three sentences, but I don't care- I can break my own rules if I want to!)
Bonus Reread: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (U.K. Version): I found my first U.K. version of HBP at a library book sale and had to buy it! Other than some spelling and punctuation differences, it pretty much the same, of course. I think I discovered a new appreciation for this particular book!
What did you read in June that I didn't get to? What's on your July TBR? Please let me know!
My July TBR/Currently Reading:
Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door by Rick Steves
The Book Whisperer by Donalyn Miller
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
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