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.
Also skipping the The Return of Sherlock Holmes because, yes, I love Sherlock Holmes, but no, you don’t need a review of each short story collection. But since I technically liked it (vs. felt meh about it), I’m mentioning it.
The Silent Patient (Alex Michaelides): This was a very quick read, and I mostly loved it. I figured out the ending early on, so reading became more an act of “am I correct?” vs. “where is this going?” I prefer the latter to the former, so it falls into the solid read zone instead of the exceptional read category. It was the Diet Coke of mysteries: Easy going down and thirst-quenching, but… you know… it’s not a handcrafted, small batch soda.
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder (Holly Jackson): So much fun. I almost didn’t read this book because people said that the writing mentally took you out of Connecticut. (The writer is in the UK.) I didn’t find that at all. I thought the writer did an admirable American writing accent. If you liked the first season of Serial, you’ll like this book, too.
Catherine House (Elisabeth Thomas): This book is a hard one. I filled two pages in a notebook listing plot holes in this book, BUT I enjoyed the experience of reading it more than I’ve enjoyed some books that I’ve given four stars. So I read it quickly and was always engaged, but I can’t say that I thought it was a good book. But maybe people will feel otherwise.
Ghosts of Harvard (Francesca Serritella): The paragraph for Catherine House perfectly describes this book, too. I enjoyed reading it, and I’ll give it four stars for keeping me engaged. Life stuff distracted me while reading this, so it took longer than it should have. I’m keeping it on the list, even though I also entertained not finishing it at certain points. But in the end, I’m glad I did.
A Deadly Inside Scoop (Abby Collette): It would be hard to love a book more. This is a case of right book at the right time. It’s light—a cozy mystery—set in an ice cream shop. It’s adorable, I liked spending time with the characters, and it was a joy to pick it up at the end of the day. The next book in the series doesn’t come out until March, which is a bummer because fun book + ice cream recipes = excellent summer fun.
What did you read last month?
3 comments
I read 4 books in June (albeit two of them were re-reads for online book groups I’m in). I mostly enjoyed all of them — some a little more than others 😉 — and there are reviews of all of them on my blog:
* “The Death of Expertise” by Tom Nichols
* “The Baker’s Daughter” by D.E. Stevenson (a re-read)
* “Rilla of Ingleside” by L.M. Montgomery (a re-read)
* “Katherine Wentworth” by D.E. Stevenson — my online DES book club is now discussing this one for the next few weeks. (There’s a sequel we’ll be getting to later too.)
“The Silent Patient” has been in my stack forever. Glad to hear you liked it. And I love cozy mysteries. Ice cream recipes sound really appealing right now; it’s been so hot outside, lol. 😉
You are a better reader than me: I didn’t figure out The Silent Patient until near the end.
I’ve been reading more since COVID-19 hit our shores, since we can hardly go anywhere. In June I read:
Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson (well, I started it late May and finished on June 1). I know you’ve read this book as well, so suffice it to say, I liked it and will read more by the author.
The Hating Game by Sally Thorne. This was my neighborhood book club’s June selection. It was predictable, formulaic and yet thoroughly enjoyable. (I am finding myself desiring more “light” reads during the pandemic.)
Devoted by Dean Koontz. Classic Koontz, and how could I not love it when one of the characters is a super-smart golden retriever?
Windfall by Jennifer E. Smith. I read this because it was recommended by Modern Mrs. Darcy as a book that can be read in an afternoon. I think it took me a few days longer, but it was a nice light read.
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid. I listened to this on audiobook. I liked it but kinda don’t see what all the hype was about.
The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary. Another light read, recommended by one of my book club friends. I enjoyed it and will probably remember next to nothing about it in a year.
My Name Is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout. This (physical) book has been sitting on my “to read” pile for over a year, and I have friends who rave about the author, so I finally read it. I must say that this book felt more like an outline of a novel than an actual book to me.
The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty. I am becoming more and more a fan of Ms. Moriarty. I enjoyed this book, and it had a (sad) twist at the end that I def. didn’t see coming.
When She Was Bad by Tammy Cohen. This (physical) book had also been on my “to read” pile for more than a year. My one and only criticism of the book is that the title doesn’t fit the story. I enjoyed it!
Oooh, I’m going to add a couple of your and your commenters’ recommendations to my to-read list. Ice-cream and summer sounds great, except I might have to wait till MY summer to read it. (Though ice-cream works winter AND summer if you ask me!)
I finished only three books in June. I blame Flipboard and Fbk, and all the articles I get referenced there, and the interesting (appalling?) political and global situations everywhere at the moment.
My favourite book was Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton – a solid five stars, and I don’t give out five stars easily either. It’s an Australian book about brothers growing up in Brisbane in very tough circumstances. I liked that it brought in the Australian immigrant situation too, but it would be recognisable to people all over the world, I am sure. It’s a beautiful book, would be great for young adults as well as adults. And I didn’t see where it was going, and that was great too. I liked it better than Markus Zusak’s Bridge of Clay which was also about boys growing up in Australia in tough circumstances.
After that I needed something light, and read the second in the Jonathan Argyll series (though the naming of that series annoys me because as far as I am concerned, the most interesting character is the Italian (female) detective) by Iain Pears, The Titian Committee. Entertaining, easy read, if a little simplistic at times. A solid three stars (which from me is always a good rating, I have to note). I’ll read the next in the series too.
Finally, after that easy read, I read Jodi Picoult’s Spark of Light which is set in an abortion clinic with a gunman. A uniquely (it seems to me) US book. I like that, as always when she tackles a controversial subject, she gives each side a real, understandable perspective, emphasising that moral issues are never black and white. As a result I gave it four stars, though I think recently I’ve been more generous with four stars than I would have before I read your post about star-ratings! lol