Reading || June Reads

Half way through the year,  54% in to my 2016 target of 100 books and several reading challenges under my belt. Time to look at June, but also the year so far…

 

 

To see more about the books I loved and hated this month, click here.

The highs and lows of the year so far:

Room holds a special place in my heart: the first book of 2016 and one that I inhaled in about 2-3 days. It was unlike any book I’d ever read before; innovative, charming, heartbreaking and beautifully written.

 

February saw a regrettable foray into James Bond for a reading challenge. Casino Royale was horrendously sexist; while Live and Let Die had the double achievement of being sexist and racist. Diamonds Are Forever was mildly less offensive, or maybe by that point I was becoming desensitized. Needless to say, I don’t feel any need to try any of the others…

 

In March, I dipped my toe into Young Adult and haven’t looked back, I LOVED Everything Everything. At the time I gave it four stars, but have since upped it to five after realising that I was using it as a benchmark to rate all subsequent books. This is also one that I’ve forced on several girlfriends, and so far everyone else has loved it too.  It’s an unusual love story, the kind that you can get totally absorbed into and live all the tears and laughter with them.

 

 

I’ve raved about my favourite April book, Reasons to Stay Alive, in two blog posts now, so I won’t bore you a third time. Martin Harbottle’s Appreciation of Time was very much a low – another selection for a challenge (Author beginning with U) that I would have otherwise abandoned after five minutes. What started as an innovative concept – a man sick of delays starts emailing the CEO of the train company with emails that take as long to read as he has been delayed, with “hilarious” consequences – quickly became a chore, with the main character coming across as arrogant and incredibly unlikeable.

 

 

My favourite May book was both a high and a low. Another fantastic YA novel, All the Bright Places was a heartbreaking portrait of mental illness that left me swinging between sobbing on the sofa and in a rage, knowing that there are millions of young men like Finch not getting the love and support they need. A beautiful book that everyone should read, but be warned it will leave you feeling emotional!

 

 

I had two favourite books in June. You can read about My Life on the Road in my June infographic, so I decided to highlight my other favourite here. Rebecca is one of the classics that you know you need to read and keep putting off in case you hate it or the language is too difficult to to get into. Neither of those things are true of this book; this is very much a modern Jane Eyre with more accessible language and an even more thrilling and complex story.

 

On the menu for July

 

You can see all of my choices and reviews by following me on Goodreads, let me know what you’re reading so I can get inspired!

NB. Some of my reviews do include spoilers, so please check the top of the post for a warning before reading.