A detailed look at June’s reading habits: My June Wrap includes 36 books read and no DNFs, that followed some passionate characters! My July Hopefuls list includes five books from my Up Next shelf and one re-read to fulfil my monthly reading challenges.
Overview
Outline
June Reflection and Into July
June was such a busy month! Ambitiously, I decided to participate in two additional reading challenges, and I was out of the country for the last week in June, so I couldn’t take any physical books with me.
I decided to join the Pride-a-thon reading challenge and the Massive Read-a-thon. I was able to read six books to fulfil six prompts on the Pride-a-thon BINGO challenge! I was really proud of this accomplishment since I’m always looking to expand the number of LGBTQIA+ books I read. Additionally, I read 19 books to complete the Massive Read-a-thon: All Roads Lead to Terrasen challenge. I loved the immersive map and finding books to fit each city/location and the characters I wanted to join me en route to Aelin’s coronation.
I also read my first fanfiction this month! I read Draco Malfoy’ and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love by ThisIsSelfCare. It’s a Draco-Hermoine romance and was so good! It expanded the magic world and showed how Heromine became a leading academic in both the muggle and wizarding worlds. The romance is also a Mariana Zapata-type slow-burn which makes the eventual romance so much better. I loved how the author played into Draco and Heromine’s fraught history and acknowledged how unsuited they were supposed to be for each other. But they’re no longer kids, and both are forever changed after the war…
While June was incredibly hectic, it was so nice travelling again. I left the country for the first time since COVID hit and had a blast – although the airline lost our luggage 💀. Of course, I went to so many great bookstores! And I learned the benefit of not packing physical books means there’s lots of room for them on the flight home.
Books I Read This Month
Key: 🔁 re-read | 🤓 reviewed on this blog | 📜 Up Next shelf
• Maggie Moves On by Lucy Score
• Raven’s Return (Icehome, #12) by Ruby Dixon 🔁
• Heat Stroke (Beach Kingdom, #2) by Tessa Bailey 🔁
• Devi’s Distraction (Icehome, #7) by Ruby DIxon 🔁
• Half Sick of Shadows by Laura Sebastian 📜
• Mari’s Mistake (Icehome, #11) by Ruby Dixon 🔁
• My Killer Vacation by Tessa Bailey
• The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi 📜
• Veronica’s Dragon (Icehome, #2) by Ruby Dixon 🔁
• Barbarian’s Seduction (Icehome, #18) by Ruby Dixon 🔁
• The Barbarian Before Christmas (Icehome, #16.5) by Ruby Dixon 🔁
• Mockingjay (Hunger Games, #3) by Suzanne Collins 🔁
• Steph’s Outcast (Icehome, #14) by Ruby Dixon 🔁
• Daisy’s Decision (Icehome, #16) by Ruby Dixon
• Too Wild to Tame (Romancing the Clarksons, #2) by Tessa Bailey
• The Boss’s Runaway by Jessa Kane
• Too Hot to Handle (Romancing the Clarksons, #1) by Tessa Bailey
• Too Beautiful to Break (Romancing the Clarksons, #4) by Tessa Bailey
• Don’t Kiss the Bride by Carian Cole
• Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas 📜
• Barbarian’s Redemption (Ice Planet Barbarian, #13) by Ruby Dixon 🔁
• One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle
• Something to Talk About by Meryl Wilsner
• Heart of Hope by Lucy Score
• Euphoria by Lily King
• The Midnight Girls by Alicia Jasinska 📜
• Say Yes to the Boss (New York Billionaires, #3) by Olivia Hayle
• Ice Planet Holiday (Ice Planet Barbarians, #5) by Ruby Dixon 🔁
• Affair by Amanda Quick
• Shifting Gears (Reynold’s Restorations, #3) by Melanie Moreland
• Arranging My Bride by Alexa Riley
• Rendezvous by Amanda Quick
• Burning Glass (Burning Glass, #1) by Kathryn Purdie 📜
Book Types: Most books were on Kindle Unlimited (16).
Rating Distribution: Most June reads were 5-stars (12).
July Breakdown
Want to Read from this month
*These buttons (🇨🇦 🇬🇧 🇺🇸) and the Kindle Embeds contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission when you click on the links at no additional cost to you. You can read my full disclaimer here.
The Girl Who Fell Beneath the Sea by Axie Oh
✰
Get the Book: 🇨🇦 ~ 🇬🇧 ~ 🇺🇸
The Stardust Thief by Chelsea Abdullah
✰
Get the Book: 🇨🇦 ~ 🇬🇧 ~ 🇺🇸
Small Pleasures by Clare Chambers
✰
Get the Book: 🇨🇦 ~ 🇬🇧 ~ 🇺🇸
The Bodyguard by Katherine Center
✰
Get the Book: 🇨🇦 ~ 🇬🇧 ~ 🇺🇸
Most Favourite and Least Favourite*
*Can’t be a re-read
Most Favourite: Half Sick of Shadows by Laura Sebastian. See why here.
Least Favourite: All These Bodies by Kendare Blake. See why here.
Longest and Shortest Books
Longest Book: Draco Malfoy and the Mortifying Ordeal of Being in Love by IsThisSelfCare (fanfic) ~ 593 pages
Shortest Book: Arranging My Bride by Alexa Riley ~ 95 pages
Statistics
Most Read Genre: Sci-Fi Romance (7).
Origin Breakdown: Most of the books I read were “instant” reads (19), meaning I purchased/borrowed and immediately read them.
Most Read Author: Ruby Dixon (10).
*Person of Colour includes non-white human characters in fantasy novels
Best Performing Bookstagram Posts
June Book Reviews
Advance Reader Reviews
Breaking the Speed Limit by Melanie Moreland
Quick Take: A sweet opposites-attract single parent romance that explores found family and starting over. However, the unrealistic meet-cute was off-putting.
Following Maggie by Melanie Moreland
Quick Take: Following Maggie is a sweet romance that romanticizes the mundane and explores belonging through a found family trope, small town life and an only-in-the-movies meet-cute.
My July Hopefuls
July was incredibly busy – I was writing my graduate school dissertation – so my July Hopefuls list was pretty small. My priority was fulfilling my monthly reading challenges. Going into July, the two books over 500 pages I wanted to read were The Sword of Kaigen by M.L. Wang and Skyward by Brandon Sanderson. I’ve been eager to read – and in the case of Skyward, re-read – both these books for a while. I was hoping that they would restart my interest in the fantasy genre.
The two prompts for the TBR Knockout Challenge were (1) a book with a water creature and (2) water on the cover. I planned to read Latitudes of Longing by Shubhangi Swarup to fulfil the first prompt and The Night Swim by Megan Goldin to fulfil the second. Latitudes of Longing was a JCB Nominee in 2018 and uses magical realism to explore the intimate relationship between humans and nature. I’ve also read such great reviews of The Night Swim, which follows a podcaster as she reports on a current sexual assault case making its way through the courts while investigating a decades-long missing person cold case.
Finally, to fulfil the Buzzword Reading Challenge July prompt, read a book with a book-related word in the title, I read A Lady’s Guide to Fortune Hunting by Sophie Irwin. I’m loving how Bridgerton seemed to have revived more mainstream historical romances. Specifically, I was super excited to read a historical romance where the Heroine embraces and isn’t embarrassed by the fact that she needs to marry for money. I always found it such a double standard when historical romance Heroes are disgusted by this idea. Marriage during this time was literally a business contract. 🙄 I also wanted to read The Nine Lives of Rose Napolitano by Donna Freitas from my Up Next Shelf because I felt like reading a book critically exploring motherhood.
Monthly Goal: 500+ pages
Anticipated July Releases
Reaper by Suzanne Wright
Released July 7, 2022
Always Be My Duchess by Amalie Howard
Released July 12, 2022
See my Upcoming Release page for more of the books I’m looking forward to in July!
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