I can’t believe that we’re already into the summer. June was the busiest month professionally that I think I’ve ever had, and it wasn’t much better personally. We had kids’ birthday parties, work events, family emergencies, house issues; you name it, we had it going on. With all the chaos that was our lives though, reading, as always, became a bit of a respite for me. I read a full 10 books in June, which might actually be a record for me, and what’s more is that they were all fantastic.

Now that summer is rolling out, I’m hoping to see things calm down at least a modicum. Both the husband and I have a couple of weeks of vacation spread over July and August, so at bare minimum, we have some built-in breaks established. Here’s to what will (hopefully) be another great month of reading 😊.

Books Read in June 2023

This month, I read seven books and listened to three. I didn’t have a single book come in below 4 stars and had the most 5 star reads in one month that I’ve ever had.

I’m not exaggerating when I say June was one of my best months for books ever. I’m obsessed with some of the books I read and can’t wait to get the rest of my reviews posted.

Books I read or listened to included:

1. The Zodiac Academy Shadow Princess by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti: this was book 4 in the ZA series and by-far the meatiest book yet. It was a touch slower than the preceding books, but also more explosive than I could have ever predictive. I rated it 4.5 stars and you can read my review here.
2. The Burning God by R.F. Kuang: this was the final book in The Poppy War trilogy and I am still unwell from it. It was heartbreaking and mindboggling and I cried through most of the last chapter. This series was absolutely phenomenal, and this book in particular was an easy 5 stars. You can read my review here.
3. This Is How You Lose The Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone: a sci-fi book about rival time travelling agents writing letters to each other and falling in love. The premise on this one was crazy unique, and the writing was poetic and gorgeous. Another 4.5 star read, and you can read my full review here.
4. Yellowface by R.F. Kuang: this book is exactly as wild as everyone says it is and worth every second of the hype it’s getting. A story about an oblivious, self-centered white woman who steals her dead Asian friend’s novel and then reaps the consequences, this book had me up WAY too late with my heart beating way too fast. A fantastic 5 star read, and you can read my review here.
5. Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon: several months and an audiobook rental later and I have finally finished this book. It was the fourth in the Outlander series and more than 1000 pages of teeny, tiny paperback print, but despite how intimidating that sounds, I actually loved this book. Gabaldon has a really gorgeous formula for writing great stories and characters at this point and switching to the audiobook format was a game changer. I rated this book 4 stars, and you can read my review here.
6. Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo: a separate story from the Shadow and Bone series but set in the same Grishaverse, Six of Crows absolutely lived up to the hype I’ve seen around it. This book had some of the most loveable characters I’ve ever encountered and the heist premise was executed perfectly. This was another 5 star read for me, and you can read my full review here.
7. Taste by Stanley Tucci: I listened to this one on audiobook because it happened to be available immediately at my library and it blew me away. It was such a heartfelt and well executed memoir combining personal stories and biographical aspects around the centerpiece of food. Tucci is sharp, witty, and at times hilarious. I loved every second of this and rated it 5 stars, with a full review to come.
8. The River of Silver by S.A. Chakraborty: as a die-hard Daevabad trilogy fan I’m almost ashamed to admit I didn’t realize this book existed, but since it wasn’t released until 2022, we’re going to let that slip up slide. I loved the opportunity to return to Daevabad one more time. This book was the perfect companion (and closure) that I needed from that trilogy. I rated this book 5 stars, with a full review to come.
9. I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy: another book that deserves all the hype it’s gotten. McCurdy delivers a stunning and painful review of what it meant to grow up as a child star with a physically and emotionally abusive mother, and the various catastrophic consequences it’s had on her life. The short essay format takes the perspective she had at the time of the events, which to me rendered it even more heartbreaking. An absolutely stunning memoir, and an easy 5 stars, with a full review to come.
10. Gleam by Raven Kennedy: this is the third book in the Plated Prisoner series and my favourite yet. I don’t want to give major spoilers away, but suffice to say that Auren finally claims her power in the best possible way. Another 5 star read, with a full review to come.

TBR Lists

I was so completely immersed in every book that I read this month that I don’t feel like I was as observant as I usually am of other books being hyped up around me. That said, as always, I did add some new ones to my ever-increasing TBR, including:

• Heavenly Bodies by Imani Errui: a story of a woman prophesized to fall for a God, and to perish for it. I’ve seen this one described as having very Throne of Glass-like vibes.
• The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston: a romance about finding love after the worst day of your life, and all over bookstagram right now.
• To Bleed a Crystal Bloom by Sarah A. Parker: a Rapunzel retelling, but with fantasy aspects and spice.

What I’m Loving Right Now

I feel like I’ve been hustling in every aspect of my life right now, but in a good way. There was a time over the pandemic when I really appreciated how slow things had become, and a time just thereafter where I resented that life couldn’t stay that way, but I feel like I’ve made a really concerted effort to build my life back in a way where most of the busy aspects brings me joy.

Here are the things that are keeping me busy right now, but also filling up my cup:

Experimenting with Content and Design

I’ve been playing around with the Forests and Fiction branding, taking some master classes in book businesses, and defining out what my audiences look like here and on social media. For some, this is the boring, behind-the-curtain stuff, but for me, it lights me up. I spent a ton of time this month planning different types of content and I’m really excited to spend a good portion of July experimenting 😊.

Adding Finishing Touches to Our Home

We moved into this house 4 years ago, and we’re still working on customizing it and making it our own. This week, we’ve been working on finishing our guest bedroom, which once complete, means we only have two rooms left to make our own before the house is (relatively) finished, other than long-term renovations.

Decorating and reworking our home is one of my FAVOURITE things to do. Not only does it feel more *us*, it just gives me such a strong sense of pride. It’s a lot of work, but worth every second.

Starting My A Court of Thorns and Roses Re-Read

Months ago, I impulsively put a hold on A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) on audiobook at my library, and I am now thanking past-Sarah for doing so. I absolutely LOVE this series, it was the one that got me back into reading, and I’m so excited to revisit it. I also noticed that I never formally reviewed it?! So I’m really looking forward to getting to write out some reviews for this one as I go 😊.

That’s it for June! Feeling like my cup is very full, and SUPER excited to be heading into some downtime in July 😊.

What was your favourite book you read in June?? Tell me in the comments!