Welcome to our wrap up for June in 2023. How was your month? Tell us in the comments.
Kriti’s June Book Selection
Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree | Goodreads | Fantasy | Format: ebook
This was a cute cozy fantasy that Ariel and I ended up reading separately in the hopes to discuss. Very popular on Instagram. The author is also a professional narrator and I loved the audiobook.
Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See | Goodreads | Historical Fiction | Format: book
I haven’t read many books about China so this one was refreshing! The story of a female doctor and how she continued to practice her profession insite of societal pressures and household demands, I enjoyed Lady Tan’s Circle of Women.
Flight & Anchor by Nicole Kornher-Stace | Goodreads | SciFi | Format: ebook
Flight & Anchor is a prequel to Firebreak (buddy read with Erynn some years back), giving readers an insight into SecOps operatives 06 and 22. It was fun to revisit side characters as protagonists and I really enjoyed the insights on the Director as well. 06 is known to be a rebel and 22 is her partner. Taken away from their families at a young age, both have been genetically modified. But they do not want the life of soldiers and at twelve years of age, they decide to run away and seek freedom.
Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield | Goodreads | Horror | Format: audiobook
Horor is one of my favorite genres. My timing for picking up Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield coincided with the tragic incident of a sub going missing as they visited the ruins of Titanic. One of the protagonists in this book is a scientist who goes on deep sea explorations. On her latest trip, she returns almost five months too late and a changed person. The audiobook was well done with two narrators. The story itself was fascinating and dark.
Marked by PC and Kristin Cast | Goodreads | YA Fantasy | Format: audiobook
House of Night is a 12-book series I enjoyed as a teen. I read upto book 10 but not more, probably because of the demands of higher education and moving countries. It’s not a series I brought with me. Reading the first book over a decade since the first read was a fascinating experience and I enjoyed reflecting on it on Instagram.
The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff | Goodreads | Mystery | Format: book
“When did everyone in this village get so casual about murder?” If you are looking for an authentic story set in India, full of the colors, customs, traditions, societal expectations and slurs, there is no better book to pick than The Bandit Queens. Set in a village in India, the protagonist, Geeta, has been shunned by fellow villagers ever since her husband disappeared five years ago. Some believe her to be a cunning witch who killed her husband, someone capable of devouring their kids and cursing anyone who displeases her, while most people aren’t that superstitious but they continue to keep their distance. I got lots of nostalgia and chuckles out of this one.
Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence by Anna Lembke | Goodreads | Non-Fiction | Format: audiobook
Dopamine Nation by Anna Lembke is a short and insightful book about addiction and recovery. Bringing numerous thought-provoking stories from her psychiatric practice, Anna Lembke has written a book which is hard to put down. I read it in two days. Though I have read books here and there about addiction, both fiction and non-fiction, this was the first time when a number of addictions were covered as well as general insights on life and living were offered.
Unpainted by Dan Fitzgerald | Goodreads | Romance Fantasy | Format: ebook
In most books I read and relationships I am surrounded by, such marriage is the next step years after knowing someone. The uniqueness of Unpainted to focus on arranged marriage really drew me in. Though this is a fantasy world, I wanted to understand why arranged marriages happen and what does it look like to be in one? I enjoyed Unpainted’s perspective and society. Full review coming tomorrow!
Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives by Gretchen Rubin | Goodreads | Non-Fiction | Format: book
I thought this would be a good refresher on habits and changing them but it is too long. Having already read Atomic Habits by James Clear and loved his concise views on habits, I struggled with Better than Before. I can see the appeal of this sort of writing but since I was already familiar with most of the strategies from years of reading about habits and adjusting mine, I found the stories from other people and Gretchen’s learning from her experiences prescriptive and not engaging. This was not a book for me.
Valley of the Birdtail: An Indian Reserve, a White Town, and the Road to Reconciliation by Andrew Stobo Sniderman & Douglas Sanderson | Goodreads | Non-Fiction | Format: book
Following two families, one indigenous and one settler, through Canadian history from present time, this book offers a very personal look at Canadian history and society. If you call Canada home, whether you were born here or not it doesn’t matter, if you can make time for one book, read this one. Think about it. Notice how it affects you. Discuss it with at least one person.
The Last Gifts of the Universe by Rory August | Goodreads | SciFi | Format: book
A unique science fiction about people from the last surviving civilization. Every other world that they have gone to is long gone and the signs of their ends are eerily similar. In the search for what could have annihilated so many civilizations, Scout will face danger to find the answers.
Total TBR: 338 (Jun 1) -> 350 (Jul 1)
I found so many amazing books in June, an equal number of the personal and discovery front! 🤩
Here are some new additions for review copies:
- THE INSTITUTE Stolen Case Files by T. S. Galindo
- Fair Play: How Sports Shape the Gender Debates by Katie Barnes
- The African Samurai by Craig Shreve
I was looking for books set in India or by Indian authors and added The City Inside by Samit Basu, The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese and Whereabouts by Jhumpa Lahiri to my TBR. Apparently, The Quiet Tenant by Clémence Michallon is an anticipated read according to my library (the waiting is long) so I added to my holds and TBR to check out what’s up with this thriller that I had never heard of before.
Writing
Updates on TBP (to be posted – reviews that I have written but not yet published to the blog) and TBW (to be written – books I have read but not yet noted down my thoughts about).
TBP: 23 (Jun) -> 23 (Jul)
TBW: 6 (Jun) -> 2 (Jul)
While this doesn’t reflect it, I wrote 11 reviews this month. I thoroughly enjoyed reflecting on Our wives under the sea, The lost art of good conversation and The Bandit Queens.
Blogging
In case you missed it, the non-fiction feature of June was How to Keep House While Drowning.
I shared reviews of When It All Syncs Up, The Girls of Summer, Lady Tan’s Circle of Women, This is How You Lose the Time War, A Prayer for the Crown-Shy and The Light Pirate. Buddy read discussion this month was Tuesdays with Morrie with Varun.
I enjoyed sharing my interviews with Katie Bishop, author of The Girls of Summer.
I hosted Betsy Miller to share about her editing her latest anthology, Clubfoot Connections.
I launched two new posts on books with LGBTQIA+ Representation which I adore: the speculative fiction edition and all other genres.
Staging
I shared my June goals and reading hopefully in my beginning-of-the-month post and I am happy to have posted the two blog posts about queer representation and read Valley of the Birdtail: An Indian Reserve, a White Town, and the Road to Reconciliation. I am most proud of my post about 4 books set in india with queer representation, check it out below. Dantes joined me in my reflection on books I have read in June, favorites from 2020-23.
Do you read from the library? Visits to my local library make my day! I have a special spot for library books on my bookshelf:
This is How You Lose the Time War paired with Taylor Swift was fun. DId you know that you can add music to posts only if you are posting one image? Multiple images do not have this feature yet.
You can get to know me more with the #whatreaderami challenge post.
Elizabeth from Bayouwolf Press and I are embarking on a 18/19/20c reading challenge this month where we will read and discuss classics, their appeal and applicability in today’s modern age, their retellings, and much more. With a PhD dissertation on Jane Austen adaptations, Elizabeth had many recommendations from these centuries! If you would like to join us, let me know.
First book: 𝚆𝚞𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝙷𝚎𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚜 by Emily Brontë.
The plan is to discuss it at the beginning of August.
Varun and I are buddy reading Wuthering Heights. Our last buddy read was Tuesdays with Morrie.
Co-hosting with Erika from The Enchanted Shelf, I learned a lot about my fellow readers when they shared about their reading habits in our first Bookish Q&A:
I posted reviews of When It All Syncs Up, Lady Tan’s Circle of Women, The Girls of Summer, Her Hidden Genius and an old favorite Marked from House of Night.
I also participated in a promo tour for Holding Up the Sky and Wild Court (Fiona helped!).
The Noteworthy: A random collection of findings
- June was a month of collaboration! LINDY’S AUDIO CAFE hosted me for a chat on June 12. I reached out to some author friends and I will now be contributing to their newsletters! Lindsey Bakken is the first one to have me and she shared about this podcast interview as well as my queer representation posts in June’s newsletter. Check out Lindsey’s feature on the blog here and sign up to her newsletter here.
- Lauren shared a 1992 song with me Friday, I’m in love by The Cure. I had never listened to it before. The lyrics are fun.
- Lea Androic is one of my favourite artists. I found her through Pinterest and I love the feminine energy of her works. I finally bought a piece to add to my study wall.
Ariel’s June
This month was a good month for books. I caught up on Netgalley arcs, checked out books from the library, discovered new and unexpected reads, and enjoyed reading from my backlist. Most of my reads this month were audiobooks while I played cozy video games. I’ve found that’s one of my favorite ways to relax in the evenings!
Book Total: 11
Ebooks: 1
Physical Books: 1
Audiobooks: 9
Library Books: 9
Netgalley Arcs: 1
Physical Arcs: 1
Notable Favorites:
As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow by Zoulfa Katouh
Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou
Daughters of Izdihar by Hadeer Elsbai
Not books:
Favorite TV Show this month: Dropout TV: Make Some Noise
Favorite Video Game this month: Potion Permit
Thanks for being a reader of my blog. Happy July! Hope you have a great one!
Lofi Girl art downloaded from UDH Wallpaper
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