June Reading Round-Up

June genuinely felt like the longest month of the year, and I can't say I'm sad it's over. Any poolside reading was interrupted by thunderstorms and flash flood warnings and it was the perfect month to read moody books (something I normally save for the fall).

Cheers to July! Here's what I read in June.

Excavations, Kate Myers | Fiction, 4/5

This had been on my TBR for a while but after it was announced that Amy Poehler and Mike Schner were adapting it, I bumped it to the top! This is a witty novel about four women on a dig in Greece. While lighthearted, it has some deeper themes. This is a great, quick beach read!

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Attached: The New Science of Adult Attachment and How It Can Help You Find and Keep Love, Amir Levine, Rachel S.F. Heller | Non-Fiction, 4/5

I think recently attachment styles have become rather buzzy. I found this book not only helpful in terms of dating relationships, but also with how I interact with friends, co-workers, etc. I enjoyed it on audio.

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A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens | Fiction, 3.5/5

I read this for a book club, and I enjoyed it much more than when I read it in high school. Major takeaway: guillotining is bad, and I will no longer trust people who knit in public.

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The House of My Mother: A Daughter's Quest for Freedom, Shari Franke | Memoir, 4/5

I could not stop listening to this book. I knew nothing about Franke’s story before reading this book, and I don’t think that changed my reading experience at all. Franke is vulnerable and honest in such a beautiful way. I have such strong feelings around using children as “content,” and I think her story is so important in the effort to protect children.

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Atmosphere, Taylor Jenkins Reid | Fiction, 4/5

While the writing was everything I love about TJR, I felt like this book was doing a little too much. I would have either loved a deeper dive into Joan’s relationships with her family and Valerie, or more about being a female astronaut. There is a large cast of characters, but I was never confused—I just wanted to know them better.

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Big Dumb Eyes: Stories from a Simpler Mind, Nate Bargatze | Memoir, 4/5

This is such a fun memoir. I really love Bargatze’s comedy, and this book is just more of that. Great on audio.

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A Family Matter, Claire Lynch | Fiction, 5/5

For being such a short book, this one really packs a punch. I found this book profoundly moving and heart-wrenching. If you like family sagas, I highly recommend this one.

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Tilt, Emma Pattee | Fiction, 4.5/5

I will remember this book for a long time. As someone who has been to the IKEA where Annie’s world was shattered, it was so easy for me to get wrapped up in this book. I could not put this down. Personally, I would not recommend this book if you’re pregnant.

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The Lion Women of Tehran, Marjan Kamali | Historical Fiction, 5/5

This book has been on my TBR for a while, and I’m so glad I picked it up. The writing and storytelling are stunning, and the characters will stay with me for a long time. One of my favorite things about reading books set in Iran is the food writing (I will be eating saffron rice asap). Sometimes I struggle with historical fiction, but this one was so well done. This was great on audio.