June Wrap Up

Hello….is this thing on? I have not updated the blog in almost a year but I’m ready to dust it off and get it running again. 2020 has been a disaster to say the least. It’s been a season of grieving on both macro and micro levels and reading has been a beautiful distraction I needed it most. I finished up my re-read of Harry Potter and FINALLY read a novel that’s been sitting on my shelf for a year. I also got good use out of my kindle and re-ignited my love for YA. Here’s what I finished (aside from the last two HP books):

AMERICANAH - I’m honestly so upset with myself for waiting to long to pick this one up. I loved WE SHOULD ALL BE FEMINISTS by Adichie but was intimidated by her fiction. Americanah follows Ifemelu and Obinze from Nigeria to the US and London. It’s a love story, a story about race and class, about immigration and the american dream. Adichie weaves so much into this and while it’s long, I was never bored. Highly recommend! (Purchase here or here)

OPPOSITE OF ALWAYS - This was a YA that wasn’t on my radar until very recently. It’s a love story in it’s truest sense but also an ode to the love between friends and how friendships stretch and grow over time. Time travel, march madness, and cereal! My friend Hannah summed it up perfectly: “groundhog day version of the fault in our stars with diverse characters at the lead” (Purchase here or here)

TWEET CUTE - I put out a call for easy to read YA fiction and boy oh boy did this deliver. It ticked all the boxes for me without feeling like it was TOO young adult. It had such a strong sense of place and I loved the dual perspectives. It was so snappy and relies heavily on modern day social media. I loved it! Recommended for fans of TELL ME THREE THINGS and TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE. (Purchase here or here)

DARIUS THE GREAT IS NOT OKAY - What a gem of a book. I read this in just over a day and I loved, loved all that it covered: belonging, father-son relationships, non-romantic love, and mental health. If you read this, make sure you read the author’s note as well. It tied it up perfectly for me and it was such a beautiful ending. (Purchase here or here)

It was an excellent month of reading and I loved everything I picked up (which has NOT happened in a while). I’m chalking it up to knowing what I need lately (mostly YA) and rolling with it. What did you read this month that you absolutely loved?