Hello everyone, long time no see! Despite not being so active on here anymore, I do have lots of updates for you all. Many exciting things have been going on lately, and I’ll tell you about them later in this post.
But first, it’s time for my June 2022 reading wrap up! Better late than never right? I read six books in June, most of which were around 300 pages for a change. I read some books that had never been on my radar before I picked them up, and some that had been on my TBR for a very long time. So let’s talk about the books! june 2022 reading june 2022 reading
Gods of Jade and Shadow
By Silvia Moreno-Garcia
My first read of June was Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. I got this book via Book Outlet, and it and that entire box of books was waiting for me at my friend’s apartment in the U.S. So what better time to read it then immediately? Overall I enjoyed it. I loved reading about Mayan and Mexican folklore and the 1920s setting was a ton of fun. However, I do feel that I didn’t love it. And I think that may be because contrary to most books I read, the writing of this one was very much in the style of “tell-don’t-show.” Therefore the actual action scenes fell a little bit flat for me.
Gild
By Raven Kennedy
Gild was one of the books I bought on one of the three Barnes & Noble trips I took during my vacation. It had been floating around Bookstagram for a very long time and I really can’t stay away from hyped books. Luckily for me, I really enjoyed this read! I feel like it was more of a world setting novel, as I don’t feel a whole lot happened in it. It was also only about 300 pages, so that would make sense. I do really want to read Glint now, but the hardcovers here cost a fortune and my wallet is still recovering from those three Barnes & Noble trips (financial responsibility who??).. Anyway, I do hope that most of that money goes to the author lol.
Midnight, Water City
By Chris McKinney
Another one I randomly got at Barnes & Noble because the whole concept sounded very cool. Earth has barely managed to escape catastrophic destruction thanks to a brilliant scientist, and it kind of woke everyone up. The new way of life is a lot more climate friendly, and many people live in underwater upside-down skyscrapers (water scrapers? Bottom scrapers??). When that same scientist is found brutally murdered, it’s up to the MC do discover why and by whom. This is very much a cross between sci-fi and crime noir. I especially felt the crime-noir part was very prevalent, so there was almost no dialogue but lots of monologuing and flashbacking to the MC’s past. I thought it was enjoyable, but the writing style made it a struggle to get through at times.
Book of Night
By Holly Black
This one had been on my TBR since it was announced, and honestly I was a little scared to read it after the first reviews came in. Not a lot of people in my circles were overly positive about it. In the end, I did like it though. I don’t think it’s Black’s best work, and that may be because this is her first adult novel, but I certainly didn’t think it was bad. The whole concept of shadow magic could’ve been executed a bit better, though. The basics are there, but I feel like the larger society could’ve played a bigger role, or at least have been explained more thoroughly. I did very much enjoy Charlie’s character. I hope the next book will improve a lot, though.
Defy the Night
By Brigid Kemmerer
Now this book had been on my TBR a long while. Thankfully, I managed to read it before Defend the Dawn comes out (still need to read A Vow so Bold and Deadly though..). After the previous four books, a classic YA book was exactly what I needed to read. I loved basically everything about this book and finished it in about a day. So obviously I am SO excited for Defend the Dawn, and yes that has nearly everything to do with the upcoming sea setting. I requested an ARC but we’ll have to see if I get approved.
The War of two Queens
By Jennifer L. Armentrout
And finally, I read The War of Two Queens. Another controversial one, I believe. I’ll be honest, when I first got wind of all the controversy surrounding this book, I wanted to read it even more. But now that I’ve read it I don’t see what the fuss was about. Anyway, I really loved this book! it was such an improvement on the others in terms of pace, plot and dialogue. I didn’t really expect it to end like that, but I’m here for it. Having read A Shadow in the Ember really did help clarify the world a lot more. I’m excited for both A Light in the Flame this November and the next Blood and Ash novel next year!
Pages Read
Gods of Jade and Shadow – 334
Gild – 303
Midnight, Water City – 305
Book of Night – 304
Defy the Night – 443
The War of Two Queens – 645
That brings my total for June to 2334 pages! I normally try to read more than 3000 pages, but well.. I was on vacation, so too bad.
Books Bought
In May I bought zero books, and in June I bought enough books to make up for that, so here we go:
Fortuna – Kristyn Merbeth
Summer Knight – Jim Butcher
Book of Night – Holly Black
Forging Silver into Stars – Brigid Kemmerer
Gild – Raven Kennedy
Skyward Flight – Brandon Sanderson
The Stardust Thief – Chelsea Abdullah
The City of Dusk – Tara Sim
Midnight, Water City – Chris McKinney
Then there were the books I either received or had bought on Book Outlet last year:
Earth Shattering – Bob Berman
Out There – Michael Wall
Shadow and Bone collector’s edition – Leigh Bardugo
Gods of Jade and Shadow – Silvia Moreno-Garcia
The Night Country – Melissa Albert
All the Stars and Teeth – Adalyn Grace
All the Tides of Fate – Adalyn Grace
Lost in the Never Woods – Aiden Thomas
The Clockwork Ghost – Laura Ruby
The Map of Stars – Laura Ruby
So that’s 18 books in total! And I brought every single one of them home in my luggage. Yes, I had to buy extra. No I have no regrets.
A Small Life Update
And now finally that update I’ve been hinting at in the beginning of this post…
I got a new job!
I am so excited to finally start using my degree. Come September I’ll be working at the Ministry of Defense as part of the overarching Government Trainee Program! What that means is that I’ll essentially be a trainee for the next two years, in which I’ll work with the Ministry of Defense on various projects while also attending skill-building classes with all the other trainees.
This also means I’ll finally (hopefully) be moving out of my parents’ house. My new office will be in Utrecht, so I’m tying to find a space to live there. I am trying to find a studio, because there’s a good chance I’ll need to move again for the next project, so I don’t want to permanently settle anywhere quite yet. This also means I won’t be bringing ally my books with me just yet. Hopefully when the time comes I can get an apartment big enough for my library lol.
And that’s it for my June 2022 reading wrap up! Tell me about your favorite reads of June?
