June 2021 Wrap-Up

Happy July friends! Welcome to our wrap up post for June 2021! This month flew by so fast! Take a minute to think about what you started out to accomplish this month and do a quick self evaluation on how you did. Don’t worry if you did not achieve all your goals – life happens, especially when restrictions due to COVID are lifting and summer is here.  🙂

Kriti’s Selection

I had planned on this month being a month of reading and planning ahead on the blog, and though for the most part, I succeeded, the second half of the month was an emotional and personal roller coaster. I learned to cut myself slack and enjoy the free time I have! With a new kitten in the house and transition Fiona to get used to Dantes, reading and blogging have been on the backburner.

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Number of library books: 2/7
Review copies: 5/7
Buddy Reads/ Book Club: 2/7

Books:

• Lost Immunity by Daniel Kalla – Canadian Book Enablers Pick of June – Buddy read with Erynn. – We had a fun time discussing this one and look forward to sharing our thoughts on the 4th. Check out on Goodreads and Instagram.
• Revival Season by Monica West – Contemporary Fiction – Review on June 11th. See on Goodreads and Instagram.
• Notes from the Buring Age by Claire North – Post Apocalyptic Fantasy – Review on June 9th. See Fiona and this book on Instagram and check out the synopsis on Goodreads.
• The Arsonists’s City by Hala Alyan – Literary Fiction set in Lebanon. – Buddy read with Ariel – Discussion will be posted late July. See on Goodreads. Staged on Instagram.
• The Low, Low Woods by Carmen Maria Machado – Graphic Novel, Horror – See my review in our horror wrap up and add it on Goodreads.
• The Tea Dragon Society by Kay O’Neill – Fantasy Graphic Novel – Beautifully written and illustrated! Check it out on Goodreads.
• Infinite Universe by Lyndon Radchenka – Science fiction Graphic Novel – Amazing and gritty artwork! See full review on Goodreads.

I usually have a long list of books (15-20) that I choose from and read for the month. While I would love to do that and read them all, this month has taught me to savour the time I have. Sometimes focusing on myself means reading less and enjoying more time with my cats. 🙂 If it wasn’t for the graphic novels, I probably wouldn’t have made it to 7 books!

I am considering going back to focusing on one more at a time. My birthday is approaching in a few months and that will be the time to reset my reading goals. I am excited to look back at what I read, and at the same time, I am looking forward to setting a new direction.

Ariel’s Selection for June 2021

This month I decided to focus on only reading one or two books at a time, and as I end the month I’m only reading one book, Master of Djinn, and it’s already turning out to be one of my favorites this month! Kriti and I read one buddy read this month due to our respective schedules, and it was The Arsonists’ City. I really enjoyed the book and it was the perfect buddy read for discussion. I also focused on reading some digital and physical arcs– some notable ones were The Jasmine Throne,  While Justice Sleeps and My Time Will Come. Reading one book at a time has helped me focus on the story and feel more immersed. Many times, I’ll switch between books based on my moods, but lately the books that I’ve picked up have been individually so good that I didn’t need to switch to another story. Overall, it’s been a solid reading month of quality over quantity, and I plan on continuing that trend into next month as well, all the while chipping away at my TBR and Netgalley ratio. 

Number of Books on Last Month’s TBR: 179
Number of Books on TBR Now: 170

Books read: 9
Library Books: 3/9
Owned Copies: 2/9
ARCS:  4/9

Special Bookish Reads:

Buddy read with Kriti: The Arsonists’ City
B2Weird Book Club: Unravelling
Horror-of-the Month: Her Body and Other Parties

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What did you read in June 2021? Tell us some of your favorites so far!

We hope you have a wonderful July ahead, reading and otherwise.