I am linking up to the Sunday Post hosted by the wonderful Kim of Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where participants recap our week, talk about what we are reading, share any new books that have come our way, and whatever else we want to talk about. As well as Stacking the Shelves hosted by the great Team Tynga's Reviews and Marlene of Reading Reality a meme in which participants share what new books came their way recently.
June In Review: This past month, my husband and I took turns reading with our daughter. As my regular readers know, Mouse got her first library card last week. She's participating in this summer's reading program with our local library.
I participated in the Those Who Save Us read-along with Serena (Savvy Verse & Wit) and Anna (Diary of an Eccentric) over at the War Through the Generations Challenges blog. We had a nice discussion of Jenna Blum's book, which will wrap up this Monday. I also read June's TBR List winner, The Lost Girls of Rome, which the majority of you voted for in last month's poll. Thank you for that! I enjoyed it quite a bit. Overall, I would say it was a good reading month with only one book that was more "meh" than good.
Here's what I read last month:
I participated in the Those Who Save Us read-along with Serena (Savvy Verse & Wit) and Anna (Diary of an Eccentric) over at the War Through the Generations Challenges blog. We had a nice discussion of Jenna Blum's book, which will wrap up this Monday. I also read June's TBR List winner, The Lost Girls of Rome, which the majority of you voted for in last month's poll. Thank you for that! I enjoyed it quite a bit. Overall, I would say it was a good reading month with only one book that was more "meh" than good.
Here's what I read last month:
Solely For Me:
- Ancillary Justice (Imperial Radch #1) by Ann Leckie
- Girls in Disguise by Greer Macallister
- The Lost Girls of Rome (Marcus #1) by Donato Carrisi, narrated by Howard Curtis
- Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum
- I Want My Epidural Back: Adventures in Mediocre Parenting by Karen Alpert
- Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris
Some of the Books I Read With My Daughter in June (many of which we read over and over and over again. And then again):
- Kindergarten Kids On Our Way to First Grade by Kate Howard and illustrated by Mike Byrne
- Let Me Finish! by Minh Le and Isabel Roxas
- It Came in the Mail by Ben Clanton
- Our Funny Valentine (First-Grade Friends Forever) by Judy Katschke
- Amelia Bedelia (Amelia Bedelia #1) by Peggy Parish and Fritz Siebel
- Dancing Dinos Go to School by Sally Lucas and Margeaux Lucas
- Sight Words: First Grade Set by Bobby Lynn Maslen, Lynn Maslen Kertell & Sue Hendra
My Favorite Book Read in June: Although it took me a moment to fall into the rhythm of Ann Leckie's unique narrative voice in Ancillary Justice, I was quite taken with it when all was said and done. I haven't read too many science fiction novels in recent years, but this one definitely has me eager to read more.
Book Reviews Posted in June (but not necessarily read in June):
Non-Book Review Posts in June:
- Monthly Reading Mews (May Wrap-Up) & What Should I Read Next? (June's My TBR List Poll)
- Where Is Your Bookmark? (06/09/2017)
- June's TBR List Poll Winner
- Where Is Your Bookmark? (Ancillary Justice & My Attempt At Haiku)
- Where Is Your Bookmark? (Secret Societies/Interruptions/A Little Friday Fun)
- Mid-Year Review: My Top Ten Favorite Books So Far This Year.
- Where Is Your Bookmark? (Trying Again/Friday Fun)
How did your June shape up reading wise? What was your favorite book you read in June?
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New To My Shelves:
It Came in the Mail by Ben Clanton & Let Me Finish! by Minh Le & Isabel Roxas
Amelia Bedelia Hits the Trail & Amelia Bedelia Joins the Club
Ready to Read series: Living in Italy/Mexico/China/Brazil/South Africa/India
I bought one e-book and one hardback book this past month for myself:
The Red Lily by Juliette Cross
Have you read any of these? What new books did you add to your shelves this week?
What I Am Reading/Listening to Now: I currently am listening to Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. It is a classic novel I have long wanted to re-try after my past failed attempts to read it. I know some of you are probably wondering what is wrong with me--wanting to read/listen to a book I couldn't finish twice before. It isn't often I push myself to get through a book I am not particularly enjoying, but, at this point, it's become a bit of a competition. I will conquer Brave New World this time! I will find out what all the fuss is about. Or wonder what those of you who love this book were could possibly be thinking.
I finished reading my last book for June before heading to bed, and will be starting fresh this month. I haven't yet decided which book to read. Maybe something off my nightstand.
Off the Blog:
Summer is here! With it came the end of the school year, our end of the year party for Girl Scouts, and the beginning of summer fun.
I finished reading my last book for June before heading to bed, and will be starting fresh this month. I haven't yet decided which book to read. Maybe something off my nightstand.
Off the Blog:
Summer is here! With it came the end of the school year, our end of the year party for Girl Scouts, and the beginning of summer fun.
Mouse's first ballet slippers next to her new ones.
She's enjoying her ballet classes this summer,
and adores her dance teacher.
Early in June, we celebrated my husband's birthday.
I signed up for the local public library's adult reading program.
It's a bit different than the children's.
(enlarge to see the Bingo categories)
Mouse's and my blanket fort.
Enjoying the beginning of summer.
I will be taking a blogging break this month, after this week is out. I hope you all have a great July, and I will see you again in August!
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Thank you for helping me decide what book from my TBR collection I should read next:
My TBR List is a meme hosted by the awesome Michelle at Because Reading. It’s a fun way to choose a book from your TBR pile to read. The 1st Saturday of every month, I will list 3 books I am considering reading and take a poll as to which you think I should read. I will read the winner that month, and my review will follow (unfortunately, not likely in the same month, but eventually--that's all I can promise).
Yet another month of "girl" titles! All three of these sound like they will be good for different reasons. I look forward to seeing which you will pick for me!
Girl With All the Gifts by M.R. Carey ~ I have heard it is best to go into this one knowing as little as possible. A dystopian novel about zombies? All I know is many who have read this one have loved it.
The Girls Guide to the Apocalypse by Daphne Lamb ~ The apocalypse is here and millennial Verdell isn't exactly who you would expect to survive for long. Billed as a comedy, this novel has gotten mixed reviews over all, but does sound fun.
I hope you all have a great week! Happy Reading!
© 2017, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved. If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.
No hestitation this month - voted for The Girl With All the Gifts because I've read that and it was amazing!
ReplyDeleteOoh, I'm glad you enjoyed Ancillary Justice. I just reread it recently, and actually enjoyed it more than the first time! Are you going to read the follow-ups?
ReplyDeleteMy STS.
Nikki - I definitely want to read the follow-up books to Ancillary Justice. If they are as good as this first one, I am going to love them too.
DeleteI taught my son to read with Bob Books. They were so much fun. I chose The Girl With All the Gifts because I have not heard of the other two. I have the ebook, but I am waiting to read it until October for my Zombiethon. Ha ha.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't known about the BOB books before. I wish I had. I love any books that make her excited that she can read on her own. These and the Biscuit books seem to be among her favorites for that.
DeleteThank you for voting! I think The Girl With All the Gifts has the lead so far just from reading the comments. :-)
It was very exciting for me as parent to start getting Scholastic papers. :) I, too, voted for The Girl with All the Gifts. I loved that book.
ReplyDeleteJennifer - I admit I went a little crazy all year whenever one arrived home with my daughter. Even she had circled just about every book on the catalogs each time. Then I would tell you she could only have one or two and I would end up buying way more than that . . . This next year, I have to be better. Both she and I do. Haha
DeleteThank you for voting! I am glad to hear you loved The Girl With All the Gifts. I am looking forward to reading that one.
I promise you will get better over time with the Scholastic papers. :) I've actually limited our scholastic purchases to just the book fairs now.
DeleteI voted for the girl with all the gifts. I've heard really good things about it. I've been wanting to get my littles the Ready To Read series! I hope Mouse enjoys them. Enjoy your break!
ReplyDeleteTina @ As Told By Tina
Tina - Thank you for voting! My daughter was just looking at her Ready To Read books and putting them in order as to how she wants to read them. Hopefully she will enjoy them. :-)
DeleteWow Wendy you read so much and how great that you read with the little one too. I only managed to read two books in June, Crescendo and I Am Legend which were polar opposites and both fantastic. I've been so mentally tired after work that when I get home it's hard to read after sitting at the computer crunching numbers all day at work, my brain needs a rest. Lately I've been crocheting and watching Sons of Anarchy on Netflix. I hope to read a few books when I'm on vacation.
ReplyDeleteNice pictures and the cake looks good! I see crochet in the blanket fort :)
Happy weekend!
Naida - Thank you! I feel like I feel down on my reading with Mouse this month. With the winding down of school, we haven't gotten as much reading in as we used to. Hopefully that will pick back up.
DeleteI really want to read both Crescendo and I Am Legend. Yes, very different from one another, but they both sound good.
I understand what you mean about being too tired after a long day at work to read. I have my days like that too. Too many probably. It's easier to come home and turn on the TV for awhile.
Oh, yes! Our blanket fort has quite a few crotchet blankets on it--including a big one you can't see in the photo that's covering the other side. :-)
Sounds like June was a great reading month for you. Have a wonderful break and we'll see you in August!
ReplyDeleteYvonne - I am pleased with my June reading! I hope you have a wonderful July too!
DeleteGlad you had a great reading month! And love the cat pic. :) I voted for Girl's Guide to the Apocalypse, it sounds fun, but I almost voted for Girl With All The Gifts because I've heard so much. All three sound great actually.
ReplyDeleteHave a great break!!
Greg - Thank you! I never seem to catch him doing anything but lying there (which, of course, is his favorite activity), but he sure is cute, isn't he? :-) Thank you for voting! Girl's Guide the Apocalypse sounds like it will be a lot of fun!
DeleteI am 47 years old and collect Amelia Bedelia books :) I love her, no matter what goes wrong, she saves the day with her cooking.
ReplyDeleteEllen - We were at the library today and I got more excited than I should have when my daughter started looking for Amelia Bedelia books all on her own. I got teary-eyed. LOL I love those books. :-)
DeleteI adored Amelia Bedelia and remember writing a poem about her when I was in elementary school. I love Mouse's reason for picking Sight Words - she is one smart cookie!
ReplyDeleteKathy - Me too! I loved reading her books as a girl and am so glad my daughter has taken an interest in them too. :-)
DeleteI voted for Girl with All the Gifts, I've read M R Carey's Felix Castor series and liked it, so I need to give this a try!
ReplyDeleteI love the blanket fort!
Shaunesay - Thank you for voting. I am glad to hear you've enjoyed Carey's other work. That's always a good sign. I do miss having my dining area chairs, but my daughter likes her fort so much I haven't had the time to take it apart yet. LOL
DeleteGirl with all the Gifts looks tempting. I also love the look of the blanket fort, which takes me back to fun times with kids...and grandkids.
ReplyDeleteI want to read more of Louise Erdrich's books.
Enjoy your week!
Laurel-Rain - I've heard such good things about Girl With All the Gifts since it first came out. The blanket fort is a lot of fun. It's still standing too, although I do want my dining chairs back soon . . . :-) I hope you enjoy your week too!
DeleteI will lookup Ancillary Justice. I enjoy science fiction. I love the reson Mouse chose that boxed set. My kids use to love doing all of the library and B&N reading programs each summer. Blanket forts are the best! I want some cake too! Have a lovely week.
ReplyDeleteKim - I hope you like Ancillary Justice if you give it a try. Oh my gosh! I completely forgot about the B&N reading program. We meant to do that one too . . . I wonder if it's too late to sign up. I hope you have a good week too!
DeleteThat's so cute - Mouse's reason for liking that book best :) it just goes to show she can't wait to be able to become a true bookworm herself! What more could a mom want? :)
ReplyDeleteI hope July is a better reading month for you. And I bet it will be, if you start with The Girl With All The Gifts! AMAZING book.
Evelina - That's my hope! :-) I love to see her get excited about reading.
DeleteI am looking forward to July, although I am not sure how much reading I will get in. Hopefully more than I expect! Thank you for voting!
Sounds like you’ve had a good month! I love the look of Inside Out & Back Again.
ReplyDeleteHow awesome that your library has such fun things to do. I tried going to the library more often a while back, but they only have Dutch books, and since I read only in English it didn’t really work me. Too bad really!
Enjoy your summer and I hope to see you back in August! :)
Maureen - I think so! I am looking forward to reading Inside Out & Back Again. It's been awhile since I've read a novel in verse and the subject matter especially interests me.
DeleteI love our public library. I just wish they offered programs for the kids on the weekends for those who have working parents. That's too bad about the library near you. That really sucks, actually.
Have a great month of July, Maureen!
The Girl with All the Gifts is excellent! Mouse's ballet shoes cracked me up. :) My daughter Amelia did not like Amelia Bedelia when she was little because kids called her Amelia Bedelia.
ReplyDeleteJenclair - I can see how your daughter wouldn't like the Amelia Bedelia books. Kids can be so cruel. :-(
DeleteThank you for voting! The Girl With All the Gifts does sound very good. I'm looking forward to reading it.
The Lost girls of Rome!! Gosh, I loved that book. I've read all the Donato Carrisi books I could get my hands on so far and they are all great.
ReplyDeleteI've read both The Girl with all the gifts and The Shining Girls, I've voted for The Shining Girls for you. South African author so of course I am going to hoot!!!! But it is a good book and I think you will enjoy it.
Happy reading and here's my latest post: http://marelithalkink.blogspot.co.za/2017/07/library-card-july-2017.html
Mareli - I really enjoyed The Lost Girls in Rome. I'm looking forward to reading more of his books now.
DeleteYay for someone who has read The Shining Girls! It's even better news that you enjoyed it! I have been wanting to read that one for awhile now. Thank you for voting!
It's wonderful to see that good books go on forever! My kids all loved Amelia Bedelia, and we read her books over and over because she's just so much fun!
ReplyDeleteAlso Bob Books... my 2 younger kids went to Montessori school for pre-K, K, and grade 1-- and Bob Books were a staple there. My kids learned to read with these on their own. I bought some boxes for my grandkids when the middle one was having trouble reading.
You certainly have an eclectic group of books there this month, and that's a great thing to me. I love variety, keeps me opening a book every day.
I voted for The Girl With All the Gifts because I heard it was good and you might enjoy it.
I'm on blog hiatus to move, but occasionally peeking into the blogosphere :)... enjoy your break from blogging also this summer and your adorable little girl! Hugs!
Rita - The Amelia Bedelia books do seem to be timeless, don't they? They were among my favorites when I was my daughter's age too. I wasn't familiar with the Bob Books until I saw them in the Scholastic Catalog. When I mentioned them to my mom (a retired teacher), she said, "Oh yes. Those are good ones." Why didn't she tell me about them sooner?! Haha.
DeleteI like to mix things up with my reading. Sometimes though I wish I didn't enjoy reading so many different types of books just so I can focus on one more thoroughly than another. But, then, I'd probably suffer from burn out.
Thank you for voting! I'm trying not to cheat by seeing which one is ahead. :-)
Good luck with the move, Rita! I hate moving with a passion, and so I don't envy you. I hope everything goes well.
A Brave new world was one of my favorite high school reads! It was the first dystopian I ever read and I thought it was fabulously and creepy!
ReplyDeleteThe books you got for Mouse look super cute! I hope she enjoys them! Have a wonderful week!
Samantha @The Book Disciple
Samantha - I wish I felt the same way about it. Maybe by the time I finish the audio, I will. :-) I think Mouse will enjoy the books, especially the Amelia Bedelia books. She adores Amelia Bedelia. Like mother, like daughter. LOL I hope you have a great week too! Hopefully you will be back in your own house soon.
DeleteOooh! I love your Minnie Mouse covers and I'm glad your husband had a nice birthday!
ReplyDeleteHere’s my Sunday Post!
Ronyell @ Rabbit Ears Book Blog and join in this week’s Book Photo Sundays!
Ronyell - It's one of my daughter's favorite blankets. :-) I couldn't help but pose the books on it.
DeleteInside Out and Back Again has always caught my eye. Maybe I'll read it someday! I LOVE the pick of Mouse's ballet slippers. SO precious :D Happy Birthday to Hubby AND---have a happy July! :D
ReplyDeleteDonna Marie - I am looking forward to reading Inside Out and Back Again. I hope you'll get a chance to read it too! When I pulled out Mouse's old ballet slippers to show her she was so excited. She told me to never throw them away. Which I hadn't intended to do anyway, but it was so cute anyway. She wants to give them to her own daughter someday. :-) I hope you have a happy July too!
DeleteThat picture of Mouse's shoes is darling! Will she have a dance recital at the end of the summer? That is so cool that you also get to do a summer reading program with the library and you'll have to keep us posted on how you and Mouse are doing! By the way, I voted! :)
ReplyDeleteIliana - Isn't it? The one pair looks so small! I don't think they'll have a dance recital, unfortunately, It's a continuous class, but we signed up for twelve weeks through the city recreation department--which I guess is different than signing up with the dance school itself. They have their recital in the spring and fall. I don't know if Mouse will still be taking dance with them then. She's got her sights on playing soccer this fall again.
DeleteMouse got her first stamp for her reading for the library program. Six more to go!
Thank you for voting!
I voted for The Girl with all the Gifts just because it is a book that I want to read. The summer reading program is great. I love ours. I think that Mouse is on to something with her choice of favorite book and seems very eager to learn to read all by herself.
ReplyDeleteCarole - Thank you for voting! I managed to finish The Girl With All the Gifts on my vacation, and really enjoyed it. Mouse is very shy about her reading and doesn't like to do it on her own very often, unfortunately. We are working on building her confidence in that area, but it is slow going.
DeleteI love Mouse's reasoning for her favorite book! That's great that she can read them all herself and that's she so proud of that. I was a big Amelia Bedelia fan myself. I went with The Girl With All the Gifts. I've heard raves but I really know nothing about it so I thought I'd let you go first! Enjoy your time off!
ReplyDeleteKatherine - I wish we've had similar luck with recent books we've read, but hopefully she'll gain more confidence as she goes. Thanks for visiting!
DeleteLooks like it was a great June. Aww her first library card! How cute. Good luck with the reading program. And happy reading to you.
ReplyDeleteChristy - Yes, and I can't believe July is almost over! It's been such a busy month and yet I've hardly read anything. Mouse loves using her library card. :-) She's so proud of it.
DeleteI voted for the girls guide to the apocalypse - it sounds great! It sounds like you are having a great summer - I hope it continues!
ReplyDeleteBron - Thank you for voting! So far, it's been a great summer. I wish it wasn't coming to an end next month. :-(
DeleteI'm glad Mouse likes reading with you and her ballet classes- I would read, but I was a bit more of a video game aficionado at her age. I'll have to pick up Ancillary Justice soon- I've read a lot of positive reviews for it that make me hopeful that I'd like it too. Have fun on your blogging break (and with that Scholastic book haul- I remember those days :) )!
ReplyDelete~Litha Nelle
Litha Nelle - She's asked to continue with her ballet classes this fall along with soccer. Not sure it's in our budget, but I'll see if we can work something out. Everything costs so much. :-( Mouse does like playing games on her tablet, but she hasn't really gotten into video games too much, surprisingly. I say surprisingly because her dad is a big video game player. LOL I hope you like Ancillary Justice if you decide to read it!
DeleteLibrary bingo looks like a fantastic idea. I might suggest it to the book club at my library.
ReplyDeleteI like the bingo idea too!
DeleteI always have this dream of having my girls join ballet classes but none of them is interested, sigh. However, I'm glad they like to read, though, so I'm happy for that. I'm sure readers who have children will be able to relate to that. :)
ReplyDeleteMelody - Mouse seems to really enjoy the classes so far. She wants to continue, and if we can work it out so she can, she's interested in trying a combo tap and ballet class. I am glad your children like to read!
DeleteGreat wrap up post! I can't believe June is over. I like to read a little variety and the free audio books from Audio Book Sync are great for me. I listened to three books from them in June: Mandela, Donny's Brain and Boy. I am currently listening to The Natural and hope to watch the movie after. My bedtime read is Forlorn River by Zane Grey. Our library had a sale in mid-June and I got way more than I needed of course.
ReplyDeleteLove your pics!
Carla - Thank you! June did go by fast and now July is nearly over. I feel like I'm spinning. I hardly got any reading done on my vacation, I'm afraid. I am not even sure what I am in the middle of right now . . . I did finish my July TBR List winner, at least.
DeleteI remember loving Amelia Bedelia as a girl! We're working on sight words too and having some s l o w success. But I'm trying to remain patient. He finally finished his first book that he read all by himself. It was a treasury of all the old Dick & Jane books and was over 100 pages. It was a big accomplishment for him.
ReplyDeleteStacy - Amelia Bedelia is such a fun character. :-) Mouse has fallen back into her not wanting to try to read on her own mode again. It's been a struggle to get her to work on it this summer. I admit I haven't pushed too hard, but sometimes I find myself getting frustrated.
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