June 2023 Reads
A great month for literary fiction
June was a great month for my reading overall. I wish I could have finished more books, but I am taking courses for my master's degree all summer, so my pleasure reading time is a bit limited right now. I still read a few really good books this month and, unfortunately, a couple of disappointing ones.
This month I also re-discovered my local public library and got started on their ebook apps Hoopla and Cloud Library, and I am loving both. The past year or so, my free reading time has been so limited I either just ordered a physical book on Amazon, or bought the e-book from Apple Books or Kindle, but I’m reading MUCH MORE now, and I don’t want to buy every single book I read. I have found borrowing e-books especially helpful with books I am not sure I will like, as I feel no guilt returning and giving the book a DNF if it’s not my style…that’s harder for me to do when I paid money for it!
This was my second month in the Book of the Month club, and I’m really enjoying that as well. Found a great Facebook group of BOTM folks, and it’s great to have someone to discuss reads with.
So, let’s get to it…here’s what I read in June and what I’m currently working on.
Paper Names by Susie Luo
⭐⭐⭐
I was very excited to read this book as I didn’t know much about Chinese American culture and wanted to learn more. I did enjoy learning about the Zhang family and particularly enjoyed Tammy’s storyline. But I also can’t help but feel that much of how the family was described fed into Asian American stereotypes.
I enjoyed the book, but it felt like something was missing, and the ending felt rushed and disjointed.
Banyan Moon by Thao Thai
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
By far the best book I’ve read this year. Beautifully written and masterfully told the story of three generations of women. I loved learning about Vietnamese culture through the course of the story. There were even a couple of plot twists I didn’t see coming, which always delights me. I was sad to reach the end of this great story. This was my second Book of the Month club pick, and I really enjoyed it.
Ban This Book by Alan Gratz (YA novel)
⭐⭐⭐⭐
I haven’t read and reviewed a young adult novel in quite a while, but as soon as I got a chapter into this one, I remembered why I enjoy reading them. Alan Gratz, in particular, is a great YA author who is very popular with 4th-6th grade readers and is one of the few authors that will engage boys in that age range! I love reading YA books so that I can suggest and discuss them with my students, and this is one I know they will enjoy.
The premise of this book centers around Amy Anne Ollinger, who is infuriated when her favorite book of all time (the one which she checks out repeatedly) is banned from the school library. Amy and her friends lead the charge against book banning in their school in what is a fun yet timely topic and message. I can’t say much more without giving a spoiler, so that I will leave it at that, but this is a great book for kids in 3rd through 6th grades and possibly would also appeal to many middle schoolers.
I have to agree with one of the other reviewers of this book in that I only wish it was this easy to defeat book banning and censorship in real life.
Lessons in Chemistry (audiobook) by Bonnie Garmus ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I’m so glad I read this book. I hemmed and hawed because of all the hype around it, but I finally figured I would give it a shot and just DNF it if I didn’t like it. Well…that didn’t happen. This is a quirky, offbeat novel. Elizabeth, the main character, is an unlikely sort of heroine, and I actually found myself irritated with her at times, but as the novel progressed, I grew to really like her and what she stood for.
Without giving any spoilers, what really made this book for me was how all the loose ends were tied up towards the end…definitely NOT what I was expecting! I consumed this book in Audiobook form, and at the end was a 20-minute interview with the author that was simply fascinating!
The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes (audiobook)
⭐⭐⭐
I picked this book for a change of pace as I’ve been reading a lot of literary fiction lately and thought a nice scary thriller was in order…this was not it. While it was interesting following the storyline of Maya’s family in Guatemala and her Dad’s untimely death and partially finished book, I found the rest of this book way too predictable.
Books I am currently reading:
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
I kind of put this one on the back burner for a while, but I’m really enjoying it now that I’ve had time to get into the book. I hoped to finish it this month, but there was just not enough time with coursework and everything else. I’m at the halfway point, so stay tuned for an update in July.
The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane
This is a new one I started this month. The premise of the book is about a man named Malcolm who buys the bar he has worked at for over a decade. He’s married to a woman named Jess, who has disappeared, only to turn up living in the same small town as him but apparently acting like he no longer exists. I have to admit I’m struggling a bit to get into this one, so hopefully, it will get better, or it might be one of the few books that land in my DNF (did not finish) pile. For many years I would never DNF a book; it was like I felt if I started it, I HAD to finish it, but over the past year, I’ve changed my ways on that. There are simply too many great books out there to spend my precious little free time reading ones I do not enjoy! I think this one will improve as I get further in, though, so stay tuned.
Harley Davidson: The Story of a Motoring Icon by Clyde Hawkins
I just started this book as I’ve been reading so much fiction. I wanted to add in some non-fiction and decided to read about one of my favorite things-motorcycles. I have checked this out from my local library’s cloud library as an e-book, and it’s quite interesting. It’s only about 65 pages, so that it will be a quick read.
I hope to have another productive reading month in July. I am still taking master’s courses and will be having a surgical procedure, but what better way to recover than with a good book (or three…)! Not to mention that July in Texas can be brutal so hiding out inside with a good book is often a wise choice!
If you’ve recently read any great books, I would love to hear about them! If you are on Goodreads, I would love to connect with you. I’m always looking for more interesting books for my ever-expanding “to be read” list, so check out my Goodreads page here, and let’s be friends.
