June 2018 Wrap-Up

YALC is getting closer and closer which means my reading is getting a little bit more panicked! I aimed to read quite a bit in June, but as it turned out i’ve had quite a busy life which involved two trips away. Admittedly not much reading got done on either of these, or at least not as much reading as i would have hoped (some book buying got done though, oops). However i have been enjoying reading from my YALC list and i’m back to Book Club reading after missing June’s meeting! Here’s what i read this month.

Trouble by Non Pratt
Trouble is my first Non read and i wanted to finally get around to reading something by her before YALC this year. I’ve admired her as a person and an author for a while, but i knew that to really appreciate her i should probably pick up one of her books. I’ve had Trouble on my shelf the longest after picking it up on a whim quite a few years ago. The story follows a young teenager who ends up pregnant, and the friendship she makes with the new boy in school. There is much more drama to it than that, and i really enjoyed some of the topics covered in this book and how each character managed to get some kind of back story. I also quite enjoyed the writing of the story. It’s a really easy to read book and i felt like i could really get in to the story. I definitely want to read more of Non’s work in the future!

Hope Is Our Only Wing by Rutendo Tavengerwei
This was another book that has been on my radar for a few months now. After seeing that Rutendo will be attending YALC this year, i figured i may as well pick it up as it’s a very short read. I don’t know what i expected from this story if i’m honest. The story follows a young girl in Zimbabwe who is dealing with moving schools after the death of her father. It also follows the people she makes friends with and their lives. I wanted more from this story overall, it fell a little flat and as a book about friendship didn’t give off a whole lot of friendship.

Floored by Sara Barnad, Lisa Williamson, Holly Bourne, Tanya Byrne, Non Pratt, Melinda Salisbury & Eleanor Wood
I was sent a copy of Floored for review from the publisher (and i am so incredibly grateful). Floored is one of the bravest writing challenges i’ve ever read – seven YA authors creating one story spanning over five years. Six different characters lead by seven different voices. I adored it. I thought the premise worked really well with the authors that were involved and it was very unique. Without a doubt this was one of the most enjoyable books i’ve read this year, and i don’t want to talk too much about it and spoil it for anyone else. I have a full review coming very soon so keep your eyes open for that!

Skylarks by Karen Gregory
Skylarks is our book club pick for June, and also handily preparation for YALC for me and Sophie. It has been on my radar for a long, long time now and everyone i’ve spoken to seems to absolutely adore it. I wish i could have said the same. The story follows Joni and her family as they go through money struggles, finding money for food is difficult and her mother is working every hour she possibly can. She then meets Annabel, a girl who in another world would never have made contact with Joni, however once they’re thrown together in the world of work they start to become closer. There are things i liked about this book, however i just wish i loved it more than i did. A full review will be up for this book and our book club night is on the 12th of July, details on our Twitter @TLCCBlog.

I wanted to get so much more read this month, however with my trip to Newcastle planned right at the end of the month and then working, it’s been a little difficult to find time to read as much as i wanted to. I also started Noah Could Never by Simon James Green in June and plan on getting that finished in very early July. They’ll be little time for reading in July, however i plan on trying as hard as i can to get my YALC TBR at least sort of finished.

Books read: 4

Books read this year: 28

Pages read: 1,331

Pages Per Day: 44

Average Rating: 3.1

Male/Female Authors: All female

Years of Release: 2014, 2018

Genres: YA, Contemporary, LGBTQ+