June 2020: Reading Wrap Up
June 2020: Reading List and Monthly Wrap Up
I never really got around to officially setting a To Be Read (TBR) list for June, but here’s where I ended up! I’m a head of pace on my Goodreads reading challenge and I’m really excited for the rest of my reading line up for the year! My hope is to intentionally bring in more diversity to my reading selections and better support ALL walks of life especially through my reading.
I’d love to know your thoughts once you dive in. Have you read any of these? What did you think? How did they make you feel? Jump down to the comments section to share with me!
The Books
1 // 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐂𝐢𝐭𝐲 | ★★★★★
House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. MaasMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
800 pages - and it still wasn't enough! I want more, more, more of this story! A Fae fantasy world infused with the world as we know it - so complex! I really loved it. There were also interesting parallels of social injustices and society generally unyielding to change that really hit home for me. Can't wait for book 2!
View all my reviews
2 // 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐕𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐟 | ★★★★★
The Vanishing Half by Brit BennettMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Oh my goodness. So many different and unique characters and facets of life rolled up into one beautifully emotional and rich, complex story. WOW. I feel like I’ve learned so much and yet still have so much work to do. This story has really emphasized to me just how important it is to read diverse stories, to get to know characters who are different from me; to how much getting to know fictional characters can transfer to acceptance and love of people in real life. Wow, wow, wow. I absolutely loved it.
View all my reviews
3 // 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐆𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐬 | ★★★★
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. MaasMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I thought it was slow to start (and I’d say it was a slow burn overall), but having just finished Crescent City I think I was also just having a hard time getting into a new story! I was initially nervous I wasn’t going to like this series, but book 1 definitely came through in Sarah J Maas style. Another complex, delicately detailed world and a story that has so many more depths I can’t even fathom... yet! Excited to continue the story in book 2!
View all my reviews
4 // 𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐢𝐝𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 | ★★★★★
Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. MaasMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
I have no words. All the things that happened in this book 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🤩🤩🤩 Book 3 cannot arrive fast enough!
View all my reviews
5 // 𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 | ★★★
Normal People by Sally RooneyMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
I had to sit with this one and gather my thoughts for a few days after finishing. And I'm still somewhat confused about how I feel because I did compulsively read most of the book before it put me in a funk and continued to break my heart. I even had to step away from reading for a couple of days. I found the writing so compelling and I was hopeful that the story would turn out well in the end, but it honestly just made me so sad in a lot of ways and the ending was not at all what I wanted! It wasn't enough for me. I felt like it ended in the middle of their story and there was just no closure and peace at the end.
View all my reviews
6 // 𝐀 𝐒𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐖𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐮𝐢𝐧 | ★★★★★
A Song of Wraiths and Ruin by Roseanne A. BrownMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Ahh what a story! I absolutely LOVED the West African folklore interwoven throughout - there's mythical creatures, magic, and spirit worlds 😍 I even looked up said creatures to have a better understanding of what they were which is right up my alley. It felt very reminiscence of ancient Egypt or definitely had that sort of vibe at times which I guess makes complete sense considering the geography of both areas. This story has all the basic epic fantasy fixin's - magic, a (sort-of) love triangle, and major plot twists all over the place. The bad guy that you think might be the bad guy isn't really the bad guy, and the growth & connection between both Karina and Malik was just 💗💗💗 A wonderful fantasy novel to boot!
View all my reviews
𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡 | 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑉𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐻𝑎𝑙𝑓
𝐒𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 | 𝐶𝑟𝑒𝑠𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝐶𝑖𝑡𝑦
The Stats
𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒 | 278
𝐏𝐀𝐆𝐄𝐒 | 2,705
𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐒 | ~ 858,895
Diversity Breakdown
ᴄʀᴇsᴄᴇɴᴛ ᴄɪᴛʏ 🏳️🌈✊🏿✊🏾✊🏽
ᴛʜʀᴏɴᴇ ᴏғ ɢʟᴀss 🤚🏻✊🏾💭
ᴄʀᴏᴡɴ ᴏғ ᴍɪᴅɴɪɢʜᴛ 🤚🏻✊🏾💭
ɴᴏʀᴍᴀʟ ᴘᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ 🏳️🌈🤚🏻💚🎗
ᴛʜᴇ ᴠᴀɴɪsʜɪɴɢ ʜᴀʟғ 🏳️🌈✊🏾✊🏽✊🏼✍🏿
ᴀ sᴏɴɢ ᴏғ ᴡʀᴀɪᴛʜs ᴀɴᴅ ʀᴜɪɴ ✊🏿✊🏾✊🏽 💚🎗✍🏿
Key
✊🏿✊🏾✊🏽 characters of color
✍🏿 written by a Black author
🏳️🌈 LGBTQIA+ characters
💚🎗mental health awareness
🤚🏻 prominently white
💭 more diverse elements come later in a series
Supporting Black-Owned Businesses
I wanted to highlight 3 Black-owned bookstores I recently found and hope to support more of — You can purchase all of the books above at one the below bookstores!
📚 𝐊𝐢𝐳𝐳𝐲'𝐬 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 & 𝐌𝐨𝐫𝐞 (𝑂𝑛𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑒 𝐵𝑎𝑠𝑒𝑑)
📚 𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐞 (𝐶ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑙𝑜𝑡𝑡𝑒, 𝑁𝐶)
📚 𝐓𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐏𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐞 (𝐺𝑜𝑜𝑠𝑒 𝐶𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑘, 𝑆𝐶)
Currently Reading
*Disclaimer – Hey friend. I wanted you to know that this post may contain affiliate links. This means I may earn a commission should you chose to sign up for a program or make a purchase using my link. I don't want you to worry because I only recommend tools and products that I personally use and love and I always have my readers' best interest at heart. Thanks for hangin' with me!
Hey y'all, I'm Leah!
Wife, believer, and fur mama of 2 [now also a mama to 1 angel baby]. I have a minor obsession with coffee, yoga pants, and thriving at home. Books, wine, and essential oils are also my jam. I'm truly just a homebody at heart with a knack for photography & content creation. This is my creative space.
