Best Books of June
As I say every month, I’m shamelessly stealing this idea from Jessica Lahey. She has a recurring monthly date where she reviews all the books she read that month. Book reviews are important for authors, and I want to get better about doing this.
So. I’m going to review them here and also online, but I’m going to do it a little differently. I’m only going to review the stuff I really liked. I don’t see a reason to spend my time writing about something I didn’t love; it’s just using up more of my energy. So only positive reviews.
These are the books I liked (or mostly liked) from June.
People We Meet on Vacation (Emily Henry): I adored this book. I am normally not a fan of books or movies giving us the ins and outs of someone else’s friendship. It’s kind of like listening to the details of someone’s dream. But this friendship book was fantastic. I cared deeply about both characters. I laughed aloud so many times. (It was the same kind of laughter I got from reading Boyfriend Material by Alexis Hall—snarky, perfect bon mots.) I cried. I can’t wait for her next book.
Ace of Spades (Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé): I waited a long time for this book. I heard about it many months earlier—before it had a Goodreads listing so I had to write it down in my bullet journal so I didn’t forget to check for it. It was billed as “Gossip Girl meets Get Out… but gayer.” It was the first of two books I read—back-to-back—that both billed itself as like Get Out (see below). How did it hold up to expectations? It was a solid book clearly written by someone who was not from the US but was setting their book here. (Meaning, it really didn’t feel like a book from the US.) But it was thought-provoking and scary, and I tore through it in a few nights. I’ll definitely read this author’s next book.
The Other Black Girl (Zakiya Dalila Harris): It billed itself first as “Get Out meets The Devil Wears Prada” and then changed the listing to “Get Out meets The Stepford Wives.” Neither description really works, but that’s okay. Some books defy comparison. This one was a 5-star for me despite there being HUGE plot holes. Like super huge things that aren’t explained and don’t make sense. Even with those plot holes, I loved this book and couldn’t wait to get back to it each day.
The Guncle (Steven Rowley): There were points where I was laughing and points where I was crying and points where I was laughing and crying at the same time. This was a very sweet book about continuing to live after loss and whether we can really help each other mourn. The book made me feel good, and I loved all of the characters.
What did you read last month?
2 comments
I’m especially interested in the Emily Henry book on your list. 🙂
I read just two books in June (both really good, and both reviewed on my blog and on Goodreads)… hoping to do better in July!
The first was “Emily of New Moon” by L.M. Montgomery, in advance of a chapter-by-chapter read & discussion on a LMM Facebook group I’m on. It’s been many years since I read the “Emily” books — which are somewhat overshadowed by the “Anne” books, but the favourites of many critics/scholars — and I realized as I read how much Emily influenced me, growing up! I am hoping our group will go on to read the two sequels (“Emily Climbs” and “Emily’s Quest”), but if not, I’ll be (re)reading them myself!
The second book was “Anxious People” by Fredrik Backman, for another virtual book club. It took me a while to get into this one — multiple characters and plotlines to keep track of — but I wound up loving it. Some wonderful messages about mental health and the power of kindness.
Ooh, I enjoy this post every month. Here are some of my favorite reads from June.
The Almost Sisters and A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty by Joshilyn Jackson. My enjoyment of both of these books was enhanced by listening to the author read them on audio. Both of these books involved multi-generational stories that were engaging and relatable.
The Office of Historical Corrections by Danielle Evans. I don’t generally read short story collections, but this one came heavily recommended, so I gave it a whirl and am glad I did. The last story in particular — wow!
The Likeness by Tana French. I just discovered this author recently, and I enjoyed this book, which involves one of the main characters from the previous book in the series (but would also work as a stand-alone). There is a specific plot point that requires some suspension of disbelief, but if the reader can accept that, the rest of the story is good.
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. This book is aptly titled. Don’t want to give too much more away.