June 2020 Wrap-Up

June has been a BUSY month. Which means i’ve had little time to read. I’ve officially ended my lockdown and have been back in work for the whole month, and whereas it’s been successful and a whole bunch of fun, it’s left little time for much else. I’ve been reading where i could, and have made my way through some audiobooks in June. Here’s what i’ve been reading…

The Love and Lies Of Rukhsana Ali by Sabina Khan
I’ve been really excited to read this book for a long time now, and my disappointment of Sabina not attending YALC last year put it on the back burner (because i didn’t include it in my YALC TBR, not because she didn’t come, i COMPLETELY understand why she didn’t attend…). I finally felt in the mood in June so picked it up! I absoltely loved this saphic story and everything about it. It was cute, funny, and dealt with some topics that i definitely needed and wanted to be educated in.

Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
Another highly anticipated read this year was Clap When You Land. I’ve been waiting for Elizabeth to release another verse novel since The Poet X so i picked this up as soon as i could. This story about two sisters is magnificently told, wonderful and powerful. It has every emotion packed in to it and is a wonderful exploration of culture i’ve never read about.

King and The Dragonflies by Kacen Callender
I read King and The Dragonflies as an audiobook in June, I hadn’t picked myself up a copy because honestly I have so many books by Kacen I still need to read, however once I saw it on audio I figured I may as well listen to it. I adored this middle-grade, and it’s become quickly one of my favourite middle-grade books. It’s lovely and sweet with important topics that are educational for anyone of any age. There is also excellent exploration of sexuality in this book, something I’ve not seen often in middle-grade done this well. It’s a hidden gem that isn’t being talked about enough.

Me Mam, Me Dad, Me by Malcolm Duffy
This was another audiobook read, I had debated picking up a physical copy when it was originally release, however the dialect written in to it really put me off. However, having it spoken to me felt like a much better fit for this book. It’s set up in Newcastle so for one, I knew I’d be able to understand it a little better! This story is much more powerful that I expected, dealing with topics of abuse and found families. It’s not what I expected, but I was happily surprised at how much I loved these characters and connected to them instantly. Without a doubt this isn’t an easy book to read, but it’s marvellous.

Running With Lions by Julian Winters
Running With Lions was my first read from Julian Winters, and honestly I wish I’d have loved it just a little more. I knew the premise of this book was a football camp type situation. With a lot of naivety, I didn’t realise HOW MUCH it would really centre around football. Whereas the characters were fine, all very different and recognisable, this book didn’t read as anything spectacular for me, just a regular YA.

Dear Martin by Nic Stone
Myself and Sophie co-read Dear Martin in June as it is an incredibly long overdue read for us. I’d also never read a book by Nic before, and felt like that needed to be rectified pretty quickly. Dear Martin admittedly hit me a lot harder than I was expecting it to. The story was phenomenal, the characters are distinct and realistic and most of all, it’s an incredibly important read for the current situation happening around the world regarding the Black Lives Matter movement. It’s hard to rate or review something so incredibly real and raw, but I loved this book and story-telling.

What I Leave Behind by Alison McGhee
Admittedly, What I Leave Behind was an impulse read to throw myself back in to reading. I felt as though I’d hardly read anything in June and hadn’t focused on a book for a while. So I pulled it out and made myself read it in one sitting. It’s a short story, written as one hundred stories with one hundred words about a boy living in the US. It’s a very short snippet of a life and those are the stories I tend to enjoy the most.

Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe
Gender Queer is a graphic novel I’ve wanted to read for some time now. I’ve toyed with the identity of gender queer for a lot of my teen years and adult life, and it’s something I’ve never settled on. Reading this memoir really helped me to learn more about being gender queer and how some people in the LGBTQ+ community identify. It has absolutely stunning artwork and a lot of information. Gender Queer is easily the best memoir graphic novel I’ve read.

Books read: 8

Books read this year: 51

Pages read: 2,317

Pages Per Day: 77

Average Rating: 4

What’s everyone else been reading this month? Even though i’ve read little, i’ve enjoyed what i’ve read. I’m trying to keep to being a mood reader at the moment, and enjoying what i’m reading in the short time i have to focus on a book.