Welcome back to another monthly reading recap! This post contains affiliate links.
I have TEN books to share with you during this recap! I also made a LOT of book purchases this month which you can find at the bottom of the post. As always, if you’ve read anything noteworthy lately, please share it with me in the comments! Love talking books with you guys and I’m so glad you love hearing about what I’ve been reading.
Back in May I shared that I’ve made an affiliate account with Bookshop.org! (I still also have my Amazon shop page, if that’s where you prefer to get your books). Bookshop is a great way to get books online while also supporting local bookstores. I HIGHLY encourage you to shop through Bookshop if you can. I have made two “shelves” on the site: my 2020 reads and some books that are on my TBR/books I’ve bought recently.
2020 READING GOAL UPDATE.
As I’m writing this, I am FIVE BOOKS AHEAD OF SCHEDULE! If you’ve been following along closely this year, you know I had a rough start getting into my reading goal! Really hoping to hit 52 books by the end of the year and at this point it looks like I will!
Now let’s get into the books I read in June, my ratings, and reviews!
20. The Worst Best Man by Mia Sosa
3.5/5 stars.
The last book in the BBBC Romance Challenge!
Loved the characters in this and the representation of Brazilian culture. Loved the enemies-to-lovers trope and I thought it was done realistically and well. Enjoyable romance written by an Afro-Latina and featuring an Afro-Latina main character!
Find it on Goodreads. | Buy it here.
21. Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
4/5 stars.
I really enjoyed reading this memoir from Trevor Noah. I learned a lot about him and a lot about South Africa and apartheid. Highly recommend. I read it but others suggested the audio was great as well! Some of the stories he told would be even better on audio.
Find it on Goodreads. | Buy it here.
22. Summerland by Elin Hilderbrand
4/5 stars.
My first Elin Hilderbrand book ever! Read for BBBC Nantucket Nights challenge week 1.
I definitely went into this cautiously just because I saw others saying it wasn’t Elin’s best work and it was slow/hard to keep up with characters. However, I devoured this! I couldn’t put it down and though I sometimes had to double check characters in the beginning, it wasn’t too hard for me to follow. I was for sure craving this type of book when I started which might have had a hand in how fast I ended up reading this!
Find it on Goodreads. | Buy it here.
23. Inside Out by Demi Moore
3.5/5 stars.
Read for BBBC CelebriTEA Challenge.
I honestly didn’t know much about Demi Moore before reading this book, other than that she was with Ashton Kutcher at some point. Her early life and struggles were absolutely heartbreaking and I really commend her for telling her truths outright and holding nothing back. The writing wasn’t spectacular, but it was still enjoyable.
Find it on Goodreads. | Buy it here.
24. Call Me By Your Name by André Aciman
3/5 stars.
I really wanted to love this but the book was so SLOW for me. I enjoyed seeing their relationship grow, but it took way too long for them to finally act on their feelings. Then the rest of the book felt so rushed.
I felt like the writing could be pretentious at times but for the most part was beautiful and poetic. I wanted more dialogue. And I didn’t understand most of the philosophy references so I ended up skipping over them toward the middle/end of the book. Not smart enough for that I guess 😂
NOW TO WATCH THE MOVIE !!!!
Find it on Goodreads. | Buy it here.
25. Before You Say I Do by Clare Lydon
2.75/5 stars.
This was my very first lesbian romance novel! Clare Lydon brings us a story about a for-hire bridesmaid/wedding planner (Jordan) who ends up falling for her client (Abby). And it turns out the feeling is mutual.
– I felt there was not a lot of character development/back story. We were told there was this insane chemistry between Abby and Jordan but I don’t know if I really believed it.
– Def some inner monologue/dialogue moments that were cringe
– There were way too many irrelevant side characters to keep up with.
– I actually really felt bad for Marcus because he seemed like a good guy who was made to be ~evil~ because of his wealthy upbringing/insane mother. There wasn’t a lot of backstory about him and Abby’s relationship either, which I wished they would have talked more about. It seemed like the author withheld info about their relationship to make sure we were on Abby/Jordan’s side.
– Loved Abby’s mom
Find it on Goodreads. | Buy it here.
26. Love Lives Here by Amanda Jetté Knox
4/5 stars.
Love Lives Here was a page-turner of a memoir that had me engrossed in the life of Amanda and her family. Being a blogger, I deeply appreciated the way this book was written; it felt more like a conversation with anecdotes and side bars throughout.
I was nervous going into this memoir because I was afraid it would be super self-righteous and Amanda would spend the book talking about how unconditionally accepting she was throughout everything that unfolded within her family. I was happy to find that Amanda was very down-to-earth in this retelling. She admitted when she made mistakes or had less-than-ideal thoughts about the situation which made her seem so human and had me realizing my own biases/problematic thoughts throughout. I learned a lot about trans people and found myself highlighting a fair amount throughout the book. Amanda touches on bullying, mental health (anxiety, depression), self harm, and trans rights/issues of course.
I heard some reviews say that they felt like this book was all about Amanda. I went into it expecting a story of a family told by one of the members. Naturally there is going to be some self reflection and I don’t think it took away from the greater point of the story. I did have some issues with everything tying up into a big, neat bow. I feel like Amanda glossed over some of the harder parts of the story and was quick to share that ‘mostly everyone said nice things and life was hunky-dory’. Once it began to focus on Zoe and her transition, we seemed to forget about Alexis. I wished there was more input on how Alexis and Zoe felt about having each other throughout the process.
Overall, a very interesting and informative read. Happy to have read this for Bad Bitch Book Club’s June 2020 pick!
Find it on Goodreads. | Buy it here.
27. All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
3.5/5 stars.
This was my first time reading a memoir that’s marked YA! I honestly forgot it was YA because Johnson didn’t shy away from much of anything during this book! I really appreciated the lens through which he told his story. It seemed as though he was writing down everything he wished he knew when he was younger with a mix of his own experiences sewn in.
I really liked this one but had a hard time with the nonlinear timeline. The content of the last full chapter of the book made the ending feel very abrupt. The chapter was about a traumatic experience and grief and I felt like it came out of the blue. Then the ‘afterward’ was the next chapter. I think I wanted a more conclusive, full circle type ending and we didn’t get that here.
I learned a lot in this book. Having just read Love Lives Here about a family with transgender members, I appreciated this angle about a man who identified as effeminate but not transgender. It gave me another angle and another experience through which to see and learn about the LGBT+ community and I deeply appreciated it. I also loved the intersectionality of Johnson’s queer identity and his Black one. He spoke a lot about both and I enjoyed learning about what truly made him, him. Including all of the members of his family and his friends! The Nanny chapters tore at my heartstrings and made me miss my Nana. Overall well written and would recommend!
Find it on Goodreads. | Buy it here.
28. The Matchmaker by Elin Hilderbrand
3.5/5 stars.
My second Elin book did not disappoint! The Matchmaker is about a woman who finds joy in setting others up with their perfect match. The story follows a year of her life (told through multiple viewpoints) and chronicles many changes and heartbreaks that come her way.
The beginning of this book is slow; there’s lots of build up which leads to some good character development. This book had a few cringeworthy moments but I decided to chalk it up to being a sort of satire. The pearls, the headbands, the uppity personalities… if she’s serious I don’t want to know. The book was entertaining so I’m leaving it at that & not digging too much into it.
The character development was excellent, loved getting so much backstory about the characters. I particularly loved Dabney’s daughter, Agnes’ storyline the most. Can we get an Agnes-centered book? The ending was a tearjerker but satisfying. Docked it half a star mostly because of the slow start and the fact that I was not as engrossed in the story as I was with the previous Elin book I read (Summerland).
My quest to find my fav Elin novel continues!
Find it on Goodreads. | Buy it here.
29. The Tailgate by Elin Hilderbrand (short story)
3/5 stars.
This was a short story that paired with The Matchmaker. It didn’t really add too much to the story, but gave us more insight into Dabney and Clen’s storyline/relationship. This probably should have been included in The Matchmaker right off the bat. But it did give some insight that was important/appreciated.
Find it on Goodreads. | Buy it here.
BAD B*TCH BOOK CLUB.
I joined an online book club at the beginning of 2020 and I’m loving it! This book club is mostly virtual (depending on your city, there are in-person meetups as well) and books are chosen through a virtual vote. The Facebook group has over 3,000 members now and the picks have been amazing. I’ve read all of the BBBC books so far this year!
July’s pick is The Vanishing Half. This summer I’m participating in an Elin Hilderbrand challenge (never had read a book by her before!) and a celebrity memoir challenge. They also announced an anti-racism book club which I am also participating in.
BOTM JUNE PICK(S).
I always get a ton of questions about which book I picked for my BOTM box so I decided to add it into my monthly reading round-ups! For July, I picked: The Vanishing Half, Big Friendship, and The Shadows.
BOOKS I BOUGHT IN JUNE.
HERE WE GO. There are a lot. Brace yourselves.
Autoboyography. This Is How It Always Is. Something to Talk About. Late to the Party. The Nowhere Girls. Only Mostly Devastated. Before You Say I Do. Love Lives Here. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. Dear Martin. Biased. Me and White Supremacy. The End of Policing. One to Watch. The Book of Longings. The Tailgate. Not That Bad. Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race. Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria. Stamped from the Beginning. The New Jim Crow. How to be an AntiRacist. White Fragility. The Last Flight. Barefoot. Silver Girl. Blue Bistro. Beautiful Day. The Rumor. Here’s to Us. The Identicals. The Matchmaker. 28 Summers. Winter in Paradise. Real Men Knit.
A lot of these were purchased through Black-owned bookstores and almost all of the Elin Hilderbrand books were bought second hand from eBay for a few bucks.
CURRENTLY READING.
Right now I’m reading Blue Bistro by Elin Hilderbrand and I’m Still Here by Austin Channing Brown. Comment with what you’re reading down below!
