Hey guys,
sorry that this post is a little later than usual, I’ve been really busy lately and haven’t been at home, so I couldn’t take photos or write a blog post, but I’m back now. This is also the first new post on my new blog set up, how do you like it?
I’m slightly obsessed, not gonna lie, especially now that I have my own domain, my blog feels so grown up somehow.
As for my reading in June, I didn’t read as much as I wanted, “only” 11 books, but given how much I currently have to do, I’m still proud of my TBR progress 😉 Additionally, I’m surprised to see that I’ve read a lot more German books this month, because I usually only read in English.
Let’s get into the short reviews, shall we?
Dear Emmie Blue (“Jedes Jahr im Juni) by Lia Louis (4.5/5)
You can read the full review for this one here (I have both the German and the English review available) but to keep it short, this was a lovely summer romance with a lot more depth than I expected and important discussions about trauma, friendship and more. It was a great read (not a perfect though) and if you’re still looking for a cute, emotional summer read, this might be it.
Das Café der weisen Katzen by Anna Sólymon (3.5/5)
There is no English translation available of this yet, but I’m still going to give it a quick review here. It was a sweet, short romance/ self love story and while I loved the quirkiness of it, in some places it just fell short because it only had about 200 pages. If the characters and the plot had been more developed I probably would’ve fallen in love with it, but now I was just happy I read it and not really anything else.
Autoboyography by Christina Lauren (4.5/5)
You guys know by now that I am obsessed with Christina Lauren, so no surprise here that I had to include another one of their books this month. This was so much deeper and more emotional than I had ever expected from a ya romance. The issues in this book really made me mad, while the romance in this book made me so happy. It is such a feel good book while simultaneously keeping things in the real world, with real struggles LGBTQ+ people are facing every day. The ending left me a tiny bit unsatisfied, which is why it lost 0.5 stars, but really this is a great book.
We Were Liars by E. Lockart (5/5)
If there is one book this month that I will go around recommending to everyone, then it is this one. I did not see any of it coming and I kind of don’t want to say anything else because the less you know the more fun you will have trying to figure out what the hell is going on. I highly, highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys their YA mystery, but really I’m recommending this to every single person I know.
The Wicked King by Holly Black (5/5)
This had everything the first part was missing and more. I’m having so much fun with this whole series and I cannot wait for part three. The twists and turns and the betrayal are absolutely everything and I’m loving badass Jude more and more.
Fly & Forget by Nena Tramountani (4.5/5)
I’m sorry to say that this book also doesn’t have an English version of it, because I really enjoyed myself with it. You can read the full review here, I included an English review at the bottom.
1914: Poetry Remembers by Carol Ann Duffy (4/5)
As someone who never reads poetry it was definitely a challenge for me when I decided to join a poetry projects at my university. But the more I work with poetry, the more I seem to enjoy it and in cases like this anthology, really be moved by certain poems. While this was a read for uni, it was definitely still very moving and I would recommend it if you’re into World War literature and poetry.
Mouse or Rat by Umberto Eco (4/5)
A reread for university, specifically my bachelor thesis and I have to say that I still enjoyed it the second (or third?) time around. Umberto Eco really has a lot to say about translation and he says it in a fairly accessible way. So if you are into your translation theory or linguistic negotiations I would definitely recommend picking up this non-fiction book.
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe (3/5)
This was another reread for university and I have to say, it does not get better the second time around. While I still see the academic value in Defoe’s writing, it is still incredibly boring for someone reading it for fun. I would say read it if you’re really curious, but don’t say I didn’t warn you that it might bore you to sleep.
Kings, Queens and Inbetweens by Tanya Boteju (3.5/5)
This was a colourful, fun read with great characters. While I did have a few issues with the plot (one of the characters essentially disappears) and with the very casual underage drinking, it was still an entertaining, empowering read.
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes (4.5/5)
I had a bit of a rough time getting into the story, eventhough I absolutely loved the style of writing of this book. Once I got into it, it was an amazing, touching read, discussing a lot of deep and timeless issues (I honestly didn’t believe that this book was written in the 60s). It made me really emotional and especially the ending was one to cry over.
These were all the books I read this month, as always, if you want to see my reviews “in real time” follow me on Instagram or visit my Goodreads page, I update my reading pretty regularly over there.
I’d love to get some more recommendations, so let me know what your favourite book of June was 🙂
My next post will be up very soon, because I decided to take part in CampNanowrimo again (yes, apparently I need more stuff to do) and because I have a few more books that I have to review. So stay tuned for that.
As always, take care, stay healthy and read on.
Lena
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