Things worked out pretty well for me this month! I managed to read every book that was on my tbr, as well as one extra book and I had 2 days to spare! I could’ve added another book at the end of the month but I thought I would give myself a bit of a break for a couple days.
Let’s get into the mini wrap ups!
Dark Places by Gillian Flynn coming in at 421 pages was my first read of the month. And wow. What a shite way to start the month! I was tempted to DNF this after 50 pages, and for some reason I pushed myself through the entirety of this despite wanting to DNF it (Did Not Finish) and I ended up giving it 2*s. What a waste of my time (and a realisation that I’m not very good at DNFing books)
Something a little more positive was 175 pages of Armadeddon Outta Here by Derek Landy which I just read certain short stories of. I read up to the point before Mortal Coil to bring myself up to date with the plotline so far and I’m excited to read more of these when I carry on with the series!
Another great read was Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen which was 329 pages of amazingness! I gave this 5*s and I really didn’t expect that! I was expecting this to be just fine, one that I was just gunna read through because it’s a classic and it’s interesting. But I ended up adoring this book so much, it gave me such a cosy vibe and I was just so happy reading it!
The wonderful Olivia Savanah from Olivia’s Catastrophe gifted by Pet by Akwaeke Emezi and I’m so glad that I read it this month because it was AMAZING!! This was 205 pages of wonder and I of course gave it 5*s. I adore Emezi’s writing, they’re just fantastic and I’m so excited to read more from them in the future. This is a YA book I’ll be recommending to absolutely everyone. Honestly I need to just sit down with my thoughts because it’s just a massive jumble of wonderment!
Touch by Claire North is one that I should probably not have read with the world situation right now. I did still enjoy this 426 page book, and although I’ve not ran it through CAWPILE yet I’m anticipating it being a 4* read, but there was one major downfall. I don’t want to go into the specifics cause spoilers, but I’m sure you can guess. A book based on touch isn’t the best one to read and empathise with in a world where we don’t touch anyone. I’ll need to re-read this in the future where the hustle and bustle of a commute doesn’t feel so alien.
Mortal Coil by Derek Landy was my Skulduggery re-read for the month so of course I loved it. Coming in at 572 pages it’s my biggest read of the month and so much happens in this one! So much that I don’t like! But we’re making so much progress and it was so fun to discuss this with Bekka as we read it.
I finally read a thriller I didn’t hate this month with Dear Amy by Helen Callaghan. 344 pages long, this is definitely an interesting one. There are some controversial sections that I need to think more about, but from a pure enjoyment level this was one that I was engaged ith, actively reacting to, and I’m glad I finally picked it up!
The last book on my actual tbr for the month was Apocalypse Kings by Derek Landy, a short story released for World Book Day this year. I only read it the first time a few months ago but I wanted to re-read it in the chronological spot. I only read 80 pages rather than the full 100ish because those last 20 are the first chapters of book 1 and I’ve read that twice this year already!
And last but no where near least for books I finished… The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris which was 393 pages of intrigue and I really enjoyed it! This took a twist that was so much fun to read and I loved reading from a grey character. I was discussing this with Kashay from Shay with the Hobbies on YouTube as I went through so that was a lot of fun being able to voice message her blow by blow through the book! I’m not sure of my rating yet as I like to give books a bit of time before I run them through CAWPILE, but I’m guessing probably 4*s.
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy is still going strong, and me and Olivia Savannah are around 70% of the way through this tome and we’re loving it! Of course I still can’t talk about the content cause spoilers, but ooooh I’m really enjoying this reading experience still!
And those are the books I read in June! For my page count it totalled at 2943, so just under 3000. Not the best reading month that I’ve had but I’m not mad! I’ve read some books that I absolutely adored and I’m so glad that I was able to finally cross them off of my list! Definitely keep a look out for full reviews of all of these coming out in the coming months!
What’s the best book (or three) that you read last month? Have you read any of these? Let me know!
Abi of Pellinor 