June was a so so reading month for me. I read 7 books which is the least number of books I've read in a month - but still pretty darn good. It was a busy month, too. We were out of town 2 weeks and I had Paul home with me for the first 10 days of the month since he tested positive for covid on June 1st.
What I read:
This first set of books are my favorites. I gave The Diamond Eye and How the Word is Passed 5 stars - the other 2 got 4-star ratings. How the Word is Passed was my June book club book and we had a great discussion around it, especially since the host for the month was a social studies teacher before moving into an education leadership role. The Diamond Eye is based on the true story of a Russian female sniper from WWII. While Paris Slept was another WWII book but it was mostly focused on the ramifications of a decision after the war was over. The Sentence was the first Erdrich book that I read and liked. It is set in Minneapolis and much of the book takes place after the George Floyd killing so it was an emotional read and brought back memories of the summer of 2020.
I abandoned one book in June - The One by John Marrs. It was raved about on 2 book podcasts so I decided to pick it up. It's about finding your "perfect match" through a DNA swab. But early we meet a character who is a serial killer and I was just not up for that.
Paul's reads:
Paul is going through a super hero phase so many of his favorite books last month were about Batman and Superman. We also really enjoyed the Dodsworth books which is about a mouse and a duck that visit different cities - we read about their travels to Paris, London, Rome and Tokyo.
The hidden gem of the month that I picked up during one of my borrowing sprees was Leopold's Leotard. We read this one many times. It's about a little boy who has to dress up like a bee for a dance recital. The costume is very uncomfortable so he keeps taking pieces of the costume off and by the end, he is dancing naked. Of course that was hilarious to a 4yo boy! I would have been fine reading this only one time! Paul gets 4 books before bed and on several nights he wanted it read twice and would give up another book to hear it a 2nd time.
Did you read anything great in June?
I love A Year in Provence! I read it back in...1999 maybe? 1998? I don't know, but I have read it many times since. It's a huge comfort read for me. I loved it so much I read the others in the series but they didn't even come close to measuring up.
ReplyDeleteI am currently reading Heating and Cooling, and I wish I could write like this author!
I love Paul's reaction to Leopold's Leotard - so cute! Looks like a very good reading month! I can't believe I still haven't read The Sentence yet.
ReplyDeleteI read...nothing in June. A handful of picture books to the kids in between trips away, but not a single adult book.
ReplyDeleteI've already blogged about this - it's a natural pattern for me (to have my reading pace take a HUGE nosedive over the summer), but I am starting to itch for reading material. While away I've put some great holds in at our local library and I know I'll soon have a big stack to read through!
June was not my best reading month, so it was great to hear that someone had some reading luck! I've read only one Erdrich book and while I loved the Twin Cities setting, I thought it was a miss for me. I'm not sure I'm up for reading literature set in pandemic times yet, but maybe I'll consider The Sentence in the future.
ReplyDeleteI remember liking A Year in Provence. But I'm especially interested in "While Paris Slept."
ReplyDeleteI was intrigued by Italian summer, glad to know that you didn't enjoy it as much as other reviewers. I might do a preview before deciding.
ReplyDeleteMy reading has been SLOW right now...but I'm reading Tribe of Mentors, which is huge, and I'm enjoying it! I started a Spanish fiction book but just haven't made much time to read it. We've been way too busy, and my fiction reading time tends to be before bed...but I haven't been reading before bed! That probably explains why I've not read much. Ha. It will be due before I finish it, so I have to see if I can renew or what. I just picked up several great books that Facebook friends were giving away locally, so I have a nice stack, though. I just always keep plugging away, a little at a time... :)
ReplyDeleteMy boys totally loved Batman and Superman and all those guys when they were around Paul's age!!
I'm so excited to read How the Word is Passed - it's coming up for me soon. I've heard nothing but rave reviews.
ReplyDeleteJune was a so-so reading month for me, too. I read 12 books but nothing really stands out to me. Maybe Instructions for Dancing? I really liked that book.
Well, I think you read a lot, especially with having your kids home and taking two trips. I haven't read any of those, but it sounds like an interesting selection. Like a couple other commenters, June was a slow reading month for me. I'm just finishing Something to Hide by Elisabeth George (she writes a mystery series I really like) and I just got a notification that three of my library holds came in! July should be a good reading month.
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