We're halfway through the year, say that again?
It's time to put some pressure on ourselves and read all the books we haven't read throughout the first half of the year! Jeeeezzz! Calm down! I'm totally joking! Wherever you are with your reading challenge, that's okay! Don't ever feel like you should read more because other people are, believe me, I felt that way too and got myself in the most horrible reading slumps ever! You do you.
The key for me, this year, has been to let go of whatever work I still had to catch up on over the weekends and turn my laptop off for two days a week and enjoy some books. It has become a habit now and sometimes I even like to challenge myself to read more just to prove I can actually do it.
As I'm writing this, I'm ahead of one book, according to My Storygraph, so I don't have to rush or read books one after the other to catch up. I've been good but it took some adjusting to get to this point.
Anyway, this month I'm reading the bare minimum: I know I have some jobs lined up so I'm scheduling some time for that and this means picking a smaller tbr. Although, if everything goes to plan, I have some more books I'd like to read, just in case things don't go as planned or the Universe will reward me with some more time, we'll see about that!
JUNE BOOK CLUB PICK:
First off, let's talk about the book I've picked up for this month's Book Club! I'm excited as it's a new one and people seem to be very excited about it and I'm super thrilled, also because my dear friend Nat at MissNatMac.com not only designed the cover - which is the most stunning thing I've ever seen! - but she also kindly sent me a copy. Honestly, how lucky am I?
Our June Book Club pick is... A Lesson in Vengeance by Victoria Lee! Yes, you have permission to scream, I'm super excited too!!
SYNOPSIS
Felicity Morrow is back at Dalloway School.
Perched in the Catskill mountains, the centuries-old, ivy-covered campus was home until the tragic death of her girlfriend. Now, after a year away, she’s returned to graduate. She even has her old room in Godwin House, the exclusive dormitory rumored to be haunted by the spirits of five Dalloway students—girls some say were witches. The Dalloway Five all died mysteriously, one after another, right on Godwin grounds.Witchcraft is woven into Dalloway’s history. The school doesn’t talk about it, but the students do. In secret rooms and shadowy corners, girls convene. And before her girlfriend died, Felicity was drawn to the dark. She’s determined to leave that behind her now; all Felicity wants is to focus on her senior thesis and graduate. But it’s hard when Dalloway’s occult history is everywhere. And when the new girl won’t let her forget.
It’s Ellis Haley’s first year at Dalloway, and she’s already amassed a loyal following. A prodigy novelist at seventeen, Ellis is a so-called “method writer.” She’s eccentric and brilliant, and Felicity can’t shake the pull she feels to her. So when Ellis asks Felicity for help researching the Dalloway Five for her second book, Felicity can’t say no. Given her history with the arcane, Felicity is the perfect resource.
And when history begins to repeat itself, Felicity will have to face the darkness in Dalloway–and in herself.
GET YOUR COPY HERE.
As usual, I'm keeping the tbr very eclectic and diverse so that I can dive in and out of each book whenever my mood allows.
THE TBR:
Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney. I'm on a Rooney kick, as you can tell and scored this beautiful hardback library copy for very cheap so I snatched it and now I can't wait to read it! In true Sally Rooney style, BWWAY follows four people, Alice, Felix, Eileen and Simon as they question their lives, and their relationships, they fall in love and out of it, they live, fully. I expect many tears and a lot of Eureka moments that can somewhat explain my life too.
Truth of the Shadows by Slade Templeton. This is a horror with very strong gothic vibes and I'm in for it. It follows a psychiatrist, Dr. Hoffman who believes he has all the answers to his patients' problems but as they open up to him, the shadows of their stories follow him home. The book involves a twisted town, some monsters lurking in the shadows and a Victorian home full of dark secrets. Can you tell I'm excited?
Le Piccole Libertà by Lorenza Gentile. I've decided to bring back my origins and start reading some Italian books again. I missed it, you know? I always read books in English but my culture is full of amazing writers and amazing stories and it's about time I go ahead and give them a chance. This one is about Olivia who lives with her parents, has a shit job and is about to get married until one day her aunt Vivienne sends her a ticket to join her in Paris but will never show up. Olivia who is suddenly in Paris alone tries to track down her aunt and in the meantime meets her friends, a group of Bohemian eccentrics based in the most famous bookstore in Paris: Shakespeare and Company.
You had me and Bohemian.
JUNE HOPEFULS:
Now that the official tbr is out of the way, I have a few books I'd like to read if I have more time. I won't be disappointed if I won't be able to get to them but still.
- Heartstopper Volume 3 and Volume 4 by Alice Oseman. If they are as cute as the first two, I'm ready to commit.
- Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. I've heard amazing things about this book and I've read City of Girls this past Summer and absolutely loved Gilbert's writing so I'm hoping I'll get to this one which will also be useful as I'm really struggling with creativity atm.
- The Viscount Who Loved Me by Julia Quinn. This one shouldn't be among the June Hopefuls because I'm buddy-reading it with Bettina but I'm also kinda waiting to get a Kindle to read this one so I can have the whole series ready for when we have to read the others, I mean, season three is coming...