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.
The Marlow Murder Club (Robert Thorogood): This is up there as one of my favourite books of the year. It is similar to and almost as good as the Thursday Murder Club. I was blown away by the mystery wrap up. And the characters are wonderful. I cannot wait for the next book in this new series.
Carry On (Rainbow Rowell): ChickieNob and I listened to this as an audiobook while we walked. We both read the book before, but it was so much better the second time around. Plus, the man who does the voices is fantastic. He really made the book come alive.
Cover Story (Susan Rigetti): We watched Inventing Anna and chased it with this book, which maybe was one too many stories about scammers in a short period of time. It’s a really fun book. Just maybe… spread things out.
The Twyford Code (Janice Hallett): Very similar to her book The Appeal except you’re reading the transcripts from audio files. It takes your brain a little more work to read this book — words are sometimes “autocorrected” incorrectly, but you quickly adjust. Hallett weaves real history into a mystery of epic proportions. I only figured out a few things ahead of time.
The Woman in the Library (Sulari Gentill): This was such a cool book that fizzled instead of exploded at the end. It was building up to such a cool ending, and then… the book just… ended. So that was a downer. But it was a five-star read right up to the end. Temper your expectations so you can enjoy it, even if it doesn’t have a solid ending.
What did you read last month?
P.S. Likely not having a Roundup tomorrow.
2 comments
You already told me about “The Marlow Murder Club” and it’s on my TBR list. 🙂
4 books read in June, most of them pretty good, all reviewed on my blog:
* “These Precious Days” by Ann Patchett, for one of my online book clubs. It’s a collection of personal essays on various topics and events in her life, including one on life without children that was bang-on. She’s led a really interesting life, and the writing is wonderful. I gave it 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5 on Goodreads. 🙂
* “Rachel’s Holiday” by Marian Keyes. This was the first book I’ve read by her, and it won’t be the last… one of my online book clubs picked “Again, Rachel” for discussion, and I felt like I should read “Rachel’s Holiday” first, as it was written (and takes place) 20+ years earlier. You could probably read “Again Rachel” on its own, but I think I got a deeper understanding & appreciation of the characters by reading the original first. Rachel is 27 here, living in New York City (1990s), and a little too fond of cocaine and valium. She loses her job and her boyfriend (Luke), and gets hauled back to Ireland by her family (who are hilarious) and sent to an expensive rehab facility. Rachel envisions a relaxing vacation, rubbing elbows with celebrities, enjoying spa treatments, saunas and gourmet cuisine. Needless to say, she’s in for some surprises. Both funny and painful at times, as Rachel confronts her demons. 4 stars.
* “Again, Rachel” by Marian Keyes picks up 20+ years later. Rachel, now in her late 40s, is a counsellor at the same rehab facility her parents sent her to in “Rachel’s Holiday.” She has a new boyfriend and while her family is still crazy, life is good. Then Luke comes back into her life, bringing all sorts of complications and memories with him. There was a plot twist about halfway through the book that, while not totally unexpected, was well done and had me reaching for kleenex. 4 stars. (Keyes has written a whole series of books about Rachel’s family, with each sister getting a novel to herself, and those are also now in my TBR pile…!)
*”The House of the Deer” by D.E. Stevenson — a chapter-by-chapter group (re)read with my DES online fan group, and a sequel to “Gerald & Elizabeth.” The last novel Stevenson published during her lifetime, and not one of her best. 2.5 stars, rounded up to 3, out of my abiding affection for her & her other books.
Oh dear. I was reading in June, just not very often, and didn’t really finish any of the audiobooks or library books until July – or they’re still unfinished!
The dilemma of whether to read a five-star book with a fizzled ending or not. Is life too short? Though the joy of reading is the journey, not the destination, so I might!
And can I say that though I miss the Roundups, I’m glad you’re taking some time for yourself. You deserve it!