Weekly Mews: June Reading Wrap Up & July's TBR List Poll--Paris, Anyone? (Please Vote!)

I am linking up to the Sunday Post hosted by Kim of Caffeinated Book Reviewer and The Sunday Salon (TSS) hosted by Deb Nance of Readerbuzz  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. I am also linking It's Monday! What Are you Reading? hosted by Kathryn of Book Date where readers talk about what they have been, are and will be reading.

As part of my monthly wrap up, I am linking up to Nicole of Feed Your Addiction's Monthly Wrap-Up Post and Stacking the Shelves hosted by Team Tynga's Reviews and Marlene of Reading Reality a meme in which participants share what new books came their way recently. 

Happy July! After talk of the heat the last time I visited here with you, the temperatures have been more reasonable. Still hot but bearable. My poor husband's work space at home gets extremely warm during the day even with the air conditioner so he has a fan set up too. Then you have me, who had to bundle up when I was in the office this past week. Stepping into the heat at the end of the day was kind of refreshing. We were quite excited one day early in the week to get some rain with a passing thunderstorm. It was over all too soon though. We desperately need more rain. But that is nothing new. 

In reading . . . 

Then

I recently finished reading Lydia Hawkes' Becoming Crone, the first in a new urban fantasy series. Just the mention of witches and magic is enough to grab my attention, but I also wanted to give this one a try because the heroine wasn't your typical young "chosen one" heroine. She's sixty, with gray hair and all the aches and pains that come with aging. It is a refreshing twist on a popular fantasy trope.

Now

At the moment, I have bookmarks (one virtual, admittedly) in two books. I am reading the 5th book in Jennifer Ashley's Kat Holloway Below Stairs historical mystery series, Death at the Crystal Palace, and I'd Rather Be Reading: The Delights an Dilemmas of The Reading Life by Anne Bogel. What could be better, reading one of my favorite series and also a book about one of my favorite things to do--reading!

Next

I never quite know what will tempt me next until I am ready to start a new book, but it is nice to plan ahead--even if I end up changing my mind at the last minute. Currently, I am considering Esme Addison's A Hex for Danger (An Enchanted Bay Mystery #2). The paranormal cozy sounds really tempting and I enjoyed the first book in the series. Or there is Saints and Misfits by S.K. Ali, a contemporary YA novel featuring a Muslim girl trying to figure out who she wants to be. It is getting great reviews. Or perhaps I will be more in the mood for a twisty thriller like Liv Constantine's The Stranger in the Mirror . . . Choices, choices. 

What I Have Been Watching

My family and I have continued to devote our Wednesday TV time to Loki and Fridays are for High School Musical: the Musical: the Series, season 2. We are enjoying Loki, especially this past week's episode. I cannot believe there are only two more episodes left. I am enjoying the High School Musical series more this season than I did last. I think the characters have grown on me. 

We have also added The Mysterious Benedict Society to our weekly watch list, which we all quickly got hooked on. On the nights we aren't watching any of the above mentioned series, we are enjoying Crime Scene Kitchen, a baking competition show. I wish I could be one of the judges tasting those delicious deserts! I think we have reached the saved up episodes on Hulu and will now have to wait for the next episode when it's dropped.

I just finished the first half of the sixth and final season of Teen Wolf, which I think is the show's best season yet. Certainly the most disturbing. 

On the movie front, we watched quite a few movies this past month: Monkey Trouble, Dog Gone Trouble, Ace Ventura Pet Detective Jr., The Guardian Brothers, Kiki's Delivery Service, and In the Heights. My husband and I broke down and subscribed to HBO/MAX for a month so we could watch In the Heights, which did not disappoint.

Off the Blog

I am still not sure where June went. Work continues to be busy. The managers officially announced the new work schedules for my office. I think many staff are pleased they will be able to continue on a hybrid (partly home/partly in office) schedule. My cat Gracie will be happy to continue having me home with her some days. With one of my fellow supervisors moving to another office, we have been left short staffed, which will require a bit of shuffling of work hours. I am not sure yet if mine will be impacted, although it's a very real possibility. 

Mouse got a week long break from her dance and rehearsals the week before last. The studio's competitive dancers attended a competition in Las Vegas. Mouse does not compete hence the break for us. This past week Mouse attended a couple of her classes via Zoom because she wasn't feeling well (she had the sniffles). I am glad the studio is still offering Zoom dance classes and hope they will continue to do so. It's a great option. 

Mouse started swim lessons this past week. We do not have access to a pool regularly and so pool time is very limited, but a friend offered her pool for private lessons for a few of the girls from the dance studio. Time with friends and in the pool makes Mouse a happy girl. 

I somehow managed to strain a muscle in my back the other day and so have been in a bit of pain. Ugh. It's so frustrating. And inconvenient. 

It is going to be a busy month. Am I up for it? Because ready or not, here we go! 

From our visit to Disneyland in June

Tell me what you have been up to! What are you reading, listening to and watching? How was your week? 

Monthly Wrap Up

 

New to the Shelves in June: 

Recent e-books added to my e-reader:

A Bollywood Affair (Bollywood #1) by Sonali Dev

The Body in the Garden (Lily Adler Mystery #1) by Katharine Schellman

Becoming Crone (The Crone Wars #1) by Lydia M. Hawke

One day in June, I dragged my family to my favorite local independent bookstore and came away with four books, two for me and two for my daughter.

The Map of Salt and Stars by Zeyn Joukhadar

We Are Not From Here by Jenny Torres Sanchez

Ghost Squad by Claribel A. Ortega

Witch Hat Atelier, Vol. 1 (Tongari bōshi no Atelier #1) 

by Kamome Shirahama, and translated by Stephen Kohler

Have you read any of these books? What books did you add to your TBR this past month? 

Here is what I finished reading in June:

• Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors (The Rajes #1) by Sonali Dev  
• The Good, the Bad, and the Undead (The Hollows #2) by Kim Harrison
• Just Add Magic by Cindy Callaghan
• Magic Misfits (#1) by Neil Patrick Harris
• The Invisible Husband of Frick Island by Colleen Oakley
• The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
• Murder in the East End (Kat Holloway Below Stairs #4) by Jennifer Ashley
• Every Which Way But Dead (The Hollows #3) by Kim Harrison
• Becoming Crone (The Crone Wars #1) by Lydia M. Hawkes
• Tales From a Not-So-Happy Birthday (Dork Diaries #13) by Rachel Renée Russell

There was a brief moment when I thought a slump was coming on the beginning of June, but it turned out to be more of a blip. I read some great books. Jennifer Ashley's Kat Holloway Below Stairs series continues to be a favorite, and I enjoyed diving more into Kim Harrison's Hollows series at my friend's recommendation. I have a lot of catching up to do! The Invisible Husband of Frick Island and Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors by Sonali Dev were wonderful, and The Midnight Library was a moving read. Becoming Crone was a great start to a new series. Mouse and I enjoyed what we read together too. 

My blogging suffered tremendously this past month. I have not had much time to devote to it. I am hoping to get back into a regular blogging pattern soon and actually post some of those overdue reviews. 

The end of June also means we are half way through the year. I was looking over my year in reading so far and was surprised at how many books I gave high ratings too as compared to last year. I cannot help but wonder how much of that is tied to my mood. Last year was such a difficult year all around and while this year has been challenging too, I am in a better place mentally. 

How did your June shape up? Do you have a favorite among the books you read?

Challenge Progress 

I set my goals for my reading challenges low on purpose. I have enough pressure and stresses in life without adding more to it, but I do like to set goals and reach for them just the same. Being that I tend to be a mood reader, keeping my goals low allows me flexibility to read what I want when I want as well. Even so, I am upping my goals for most of the below challenges given how well I have done so far only six months into the year. Clearly I need to work on that Nonfiction Reader Challenge a bit more . . . 

•  Historical Fiction Reading Challenge ~ 9/515  (Medieval Level)
• Nonfiction Reader Challenge ~ 2/6    
• Poetry Challenge ~ 5/37       
• Spring COYER ~ 16/8          Success!      Time for Summer COYER!
• Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge ~ 13/620  (Detective Level)  

The Spring COYER Challenge hosted by Michelle and Berls of Because Reading Is Better Than Real Life lasted from March through June and I committed to reading eight (8) books. I ended up reading sixteen (16) books that qualify! I only have managed to post reviews to eight, however. So, whether I count all sixteen or just the eight- yay me! I will eventually get the reviews posted!

1. The Gilded Ones (Deathless #1) by Namina Forna
2. The Arrangement (Plainclothes Tootsie #1) by M. Ravenel
3. The Memory Collectors by Kim Neville
4. The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
5. Arsenic and Adobo  (Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery #1) by Mia P. Manansala 
6. The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba (Cuba Saga #4) by Chanel Cleeton
7. The Borrow a Bookshop Holiday by Kiley Dunbar
8. Shadowed Steel (Heirs of Chicagoland #3) by Chloe Neill
9. Angel of the Overpass (Ghost Roads #3) by Seanan McGuire
10. Black Water Sister by Zen Cho
11. A Peculiar Combination (Electra McDonnell #1) by Ashley Weaver
12. Swimming Back to Trout River by Linda Rui Feng
13. Written in Bone: Hidden Stories in What We Leave Behind by Sue Black
14. Pride, Prejudice, and Other Flavors (The Rajes #1) by Sonali Dev
15. The Invisible Husband of Frick Island by Colleen Oakley
16. Murder in the East End (Kat Holloway Below Stairs #4) by Jennifer Ashley

July1st kicked off the beginning of the Summer COYER Challenge, and I am hoping to keep the momentum going. In Summer COYER, anything goes! There are no limits and no conditions. This part of the challenge lasts from July through October. Yes, October falls in the autumn season (at least in the Northern Hemisphere)--but if you think about it, it balances out since school starts in August and people start thinking that's the end of summer . . . 

I decided against making a numeric goal this time around and instead am giving myself plenty of wiggle room and not setting any hard and fast rules.  I do want to continue the attempt to clear out some of the books on my e-reader, including ARCs. I also would like to catch up on at least a couple of my favorite series, but I have not quite solidified that goal in my mind--which series, how many, etc. I definitely want to read at least three nonfiction books over the course of the challenge. Maybe adding that to this challenge will give me an extra incentive to meet my goal in the Nonfiction Reader Challenge. Mostly, I just want to have fun with my reading! 

As for the Goodreads 2021 Reading Challenge, I never take this one very seriously, but what a good feeling to be only half way through the year and already have met my goal by 500%! 😂

For those participating in reading challenges this year, how you are doing? Are there any challenges you are struggling with? Which ones are you doing well in?

Thank you for helping me decide what book from my TBR collection I should read next: 

My TBR List is 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. My review will follow (unfortunately, not likely in the same month, but eventually--that's all I can promise). 

I have to stop this! For a second month in a row, I had settled on three books for you to consider in this month's poll. Perfectly good and wonderful sounding books. Then Stacy mentions July in Paris and all bets are off. Plus all of these sound like so much fun.  Help me choose what to read next! 

The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris by Jenny Colgan

Life is sweet in this heartwarming tale of a little chocolate shop in Paris, by the bestselling author of Welcome to Rosie Hopkins' Sweetshop of Dreams and Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe.

As dawn breaks over the Pont Neuf, and the cobbled alleyways of Paris come to life, Anna Trent is already awake and at work; mixing and stirring the finest, smoothest, richest chocolate; made entirely by hand, it is sold to the grandes dames of Paris.

It's a huge shift from the chocolate factory she worked in at home in the north of England. But when an accident changed everything, Anna was thrown back in touch with her French teacher, Claire, who offered her the chance of a lifetime — to work in Paris with her former sweetheart, Thierry, a master chocolatier.

With old wounds about to be uncovered and healed, Anna is set to discover more about real chocolate — and herself — than she ever dreamed. [Goodreads Summary]

Paris on Repeat (Wish & Wander #1) by Amy Bearce

GROUNDHOG DAY gets a hilarious French twist in this delightful upper middle grade novel about first crushes and friendship when an eighth-grade class trip to Paris goes horribly wrong and the worst day of one girl’s life keeps happening over and over.

Fourteen-year-old Eve Hollis is ready to push through her fears and finally let her crush know how she feels. And what better place to tell him than on top of the Eiffel Tower in the City of Love? But things don’t go as planned, and Eve is sure she’s had the worst day of her life— until she wakes up the next morning to realize the whole disaster of a day is happening again. She’s trapped in a time loop.

Desperate to make it stop, Eve will have to take some big risks and learn from her mistakes or she’s destined to live the most awkwardly painful day of her life over and over again, forever.  [Goodreads Summary]

Vanessa Yu's Magical Paris Tea Shop by Roselle Lim 

Become enamored with the splendor of Paris in this heartwarming and delightful story about writing one’s own destiny and finding love along the way.

Vanessa Yu never wanted to see people’s fortunes -- or misfortunes -- in tea leaves.

Ever since she can remember, Vanessa Yu has been able to see people’s fortunes at the bottom of their teacups. To avoid blurting out their fortunes, she converts to coffee, but somehow fortunes escape and find a way to complicate her life and the ones of those around her. To add to this plight, her romance life is so nonexistent that her parents enlist the services of a matchmaking expert from Shanghai.

The day before her matchmaking appointment, Vanessa accidentally sees her own fate: death by traffic accident. She decides that she can’t truly live until she can find a way to get rid of her uncanny abilities. When her eccentric aunt, Evelyn, shows up with a tempting offer to whisk her away, Vanessa says au revoir to America and bonjour to Paris. While working at Evelyn’s tea stall at a Parisian antique market, Vanessa performs some matchmaking of her own, attempting to help reconnect her aunt with a lost love. As she learns more about herself and the root of her gifts, she realizes one thing to be true: knowing one’s destiny isn’t a curse, but being unable to change it is. [Goodreads Summary]

Thank you for voting! I hope you all have a wonderful week! Happy Reading!

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