The 13 Books I Read in June
I continue to hardly read during the weeks and then read ALL THE THINGS on the weekends (thank you, Sabbath!) and my Goodreads challenge continues to stress me out with its reminders of how behind schedule I am… but whatever! Here’s to reading for FUN when we want to and not getting stressed about it!
Some stats:
• 5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ reads.
• 5 books by BIPOC authors.
• 0 library books. (oops)
• 6 were gifted from publishers.
• 4 nonfiction, 9 fiction, 13 total.
Here are the 13 books I read in June:
One Last Stop
by Casey McQuiston
★★★★★ // amazon
review:
i loved this book SO MUCH and it made my heart nearly explode!!! truly, it was delightful and surprising and magical and so exquisitely woven together. casey mcquiston writes characters that have such depth and sparkle and winsome-ness to them, and her writing is just so INCREDIBLE (see all the posit flags!) that i literally did not put this one down once i started it. it made me feel so many feelings and was truly just a GEM of a book that i don’t have great words for!
Dial A for Aunties
by Jesse Q. Sutanto
★★★☆☆ // amazon
review:
this was a completely unbelievable and totally enjoyable female-family-focused fun read! perfect for fans of jane the virgin who want a zany, crazy, lol-worthy summer read.
(ps— loooves the author note about her own family’s Indonesian/Chinese heritage and how she represented them and their trilingual dialogue in her writing!)
it had major Hating Game vibes (but not quite as magical) and had a fun Hollywood setting with dueling talent agents and steamy chemistry 🔥
My Favorite Half-Night Stand
by Christina Lauren
★★★★☆ // amazon
review:
still making my way through the whole @christinalaurenbacklist and this one was a really cute, fun read that made me feel so super single!!!
Malibu Rising
by Taylor Jenkins Reid
★★★★★ // amazon
review:
TJR is the queen. 👑 she writes incredible stories with fantastic characters, and while the plot of this one seemed simple (a 24 hour time window, with flashbacks along the way), the story was amazing.
looooved the easter egg character mentions to her other books 👏🏼
didn’t love how casually she talked about malibu’s history of fires (fam of mine lost everything in a CA wildfire and they’re not to be taken lightly/mentioned casually) 🔥
if you’re a fan of family dramas and sibling stories mixed with rock and roll/surfer lifestyles (sex, drugs, the whole nine), you’ll love this one! her writing style just takes the cake. ✨
But I Flourish: Learn to Thrive in Every Season
by Aimee Walker
★★★★★ // amazon
review:
Aimee reached out on Instagram about sending me her book, as it spoke EXACTLY to the season of life I’m in, and I am so, so grateful for this one. It was so encouraging, full of biblical truth and sound wisdom, warm and honest, and full of beautiful analogies that spoke right to me (olive trees! like my olive branch tattoo!!!). I hiiiiighly recommend this one if you’re struggling to know how to find hope and thrive in your current season of life, and I’m so grateful this one found me when I needed it.
Instructions for Dancing
by Nicola Yoon
★★★★☆ // amazon
review:
cute! fun! kinda like that’s so raven but with love! diverse characters! dancing! romance of all kinds!
Sad Birds Still Sing
by Faraway
★★★☆☆ // amazon
review:
if you’re feeling any sort of sadness, heaviness, heartbreak, or angst, this book of poetry will speak riiiight to your soul in the best of ways. 😭 it’s one of the best poetry books from a started-on-insta poets that i’ve ever read!
Beyond Colorblind: Redeeming Our Ethnic Journey
by Sarah Shin
★★★★★ // amazon
review:
started reading this one a few weeks ago as Asian hate crimes were again on the rise and I knew I wanted to be a better ally but didn’t know where to begin. this book was incredible— eye-opening, massively helpful, celebratory of ethnic identities, compelling, kingdom-focused, and excellently written. clearly, i flagged a TON in this book… there’s so much i wanted to mark and remember and return to in these pages.
a quote that speaks to the title that i want to share: “Individuals claiming colorblindness cannot address racial issues that they cannot see.”👏🏼
Colorblindness is not the goal, friends. Seeing, honoring, respecting, celebrating, and protecting the colors that represent our identity is. Let’s work toward that. thankful for this book as a guide in that work. ❤️
To Sir Phillip, With Love
by Julia Quinn
★★★☆☆ // amazon
review:
back again with another breezy bridgerton book!
eloise is my FAVE of the sibs and the first quarter-ish of this book had me seriously rolling my eyes and feeling annoyed she wasn’t getting what she deserved BUT i have to say, the ending won me over and had me SQUEALING 🥰
Tokyo Ever After
by Emiko Jean
★★★★☆ // amazon
review:
this book was so cute with major princess diaries/what a girl wants/crazy rich asians vibes but set in japan! i thoroughly enjoyed it and squealed at the ending (i think this is becoming A Thing That I Do ™)
by Liane Moriarty
★★★☆☆ // amazon
review:
started this one on audio this week (so so so rare for me!) and finished it up with the hard copy. to be honest, parts of this one were hard for me (tw for domestic abuse, sexual assault, bullying, murder, etc), and it felt far too long overall, and i figured out the big twist before the book got there, sooooo it didn’t totally blow me away!
The Guncle
by Steven Rowley
★★★★☆ // amazon
review:
this was such a gem of a story — loved seeing two kiddos who lost a mom and had their dad leave for rehab find happiness, hope, healing, and a home with their GUP (gay uncle Patrick). it was so tender and sweet to see him grow and evolve as he connected with the kids and processed his own grief too. 🤍 (trigger warnings for the loss of loved ones (car crash + cancer) and drug addiction)
