June’s books weren’t busting out all over- I didn’t read as many as I’d have liked

 June was a kind of slow month for me (book wise).  But I did read one mammoth book. So I’ll consider that a win. 7 books. 2,647 pages. An average of 88 pages a day. Let’s get to it. 

Between Wrath and Mercy by Jess Wisecup (765 pages). So the hubs bought me a second book box subscription with a different company. This was the December box. I received it in May. For obvious reasons, I canceled the subscription in March. I think I have one more box arriving at some point. Anyway, the gifts had NOTHING to do with the book. They were just book themed gifts. So boo. But on to the book itself. It was a bit of a grown up fairy tale. Emma Highclere lost a lot when she was a young girl- her twin sister died and she was forced to marry a man she didn’t love while walking away from the young man she did.  She and her husband went into hiding when their daughter Elora seemed as though she was the Beloved. But when Elora is kidnapped, Emma begs for help from the Crown Prince Rainer, the young man she loved. As she and Rain and their friends join forces to track down Elora, Emma begins to come into her own divinity with her powers and to fall back in love with the man who had always held her heart. The book was pretty good. I finished in 7 days. 

Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian (477 pages). In 1662 Boston, Mary Deerfield makes a decision to divorce her husband after he jams a fork into her hand. But being granted a divorce is no easy task. And there are much worse things in Massachusetts during this time than not being granted a divorce. Like being accused of witchcraft. And when her servant accuses her of that, Mary must try to figure out who has a vendetta against her. This book was so good!  I love this author. And I love stories about witchcraft and Salem (although this wasn’t taking place in Salem). I finished in 4 days. 

The Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell (310 pages). In 2014, the author kept a daily diary of, well, his bookshop. Shaun bought The Book Shop in Wigtown, Scotland, in 2001. The diary entries show what the life of a used bookseller entails- the customers, the employees, the town, his life. It was super cute. And made me want to put the Wigtown Book Festival on my bucket list of places to visit before I die!  I finished in 6 days. 

Juliet by Anne Fortier (444 pages). Apparently Romeo and Juliet’s story didn’t happen in Verona. It happened in Siena. And the two houses caught in a bitter feud, both alike in dignity, were the Tolomeis and the Salimbenis. At least that’s what Giulietta Tolomei (Americanized to Julie Jacobs) learns when her aunt Rose passes away and leaves her a quest to find an ancient treasure. In 1340 Siena, Giulietta Tolomei and Romeo Marescotti fell madly in love. But when Giulietta is promised in marriage to Salimbeni, the man who had her parents murdered, in an attempt to finally bring peace to the families, she and Romeo must come up with a plan that will ensure happiness for both of them. But Shakespeare did not write lies- tragedy followed their love story. And there truly was a curse on the two families for centuries. Until Julie returns to her roots and finds her own Romeo. But can they finally break the curse?  I finished in 5 days. 

Down a Dark Hall by Lois Duncan (211 pages). Kit Gordy feels one word deep in her soul as her mother and stepfather drive her towards Blackwood Hall. And that word is evil. Her new boarding school is small (4 total students and 3 teachers). Slowly, the girls begin to change, exhibiting strange new talents. They are haunted by dreams and voices. But once Kit and the others realize what is happening to them, will they be able to escape?  Y’all- this was a really interesting concept. And in 2018, they turned it into a movie. The movie was okay. They changed the girls’ names and a few other aspects (like that they were all juvenile delinquents. Not true in the book!). But otherwise did a pretty good job of staying close to the novel. I finished in 1 day.

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire (171 pages). At Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children, everyone has a story. To their families, their stories are fantasies. But to the students (and their headmistress), they are lands they went to and wish to return to. When Nancy arrives at the school (after living for years in the palace of the dead), she finds new friends who finally understand her. But someone starts killing students. And Nancy and her new friends must band together to figure out who. I finished in 1 day. 

Fools in Love edited by Ashley Herring Blake and Rebecca Podos (269 pages). 15 short stories that were “fresh twists on romantic tales.”  All of the cute troupes we love in cute new stories. From mistaken identity to love triangles to fake dating and all the ones in between. Each story was cute and a quick read. The twist?  Almost all of the stories had queer protagonists.  I finished in 3 days. 

This month’s favorite is…….Juliet. 

MAY I tell you about last month’s books?

 My May books were all over the place. And I loved every second of it!  7 books. 2,615 pages. An average of 84 pages a per day. So let’s go!

The Heir Affair by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan (480 pages).  The sequel to The Royal We. Nick and Bex’s fairytale wedding turned nightmare is over. And they have fled to Scotland to escape the paparazzi. But a family emergency gets them to return to London, where they begin to establish themselves as members of the Firm again. But deep hidden secrets and family struggles face them. Friends and family (and family who has become friends) are there to help. I love this series- namely because I feel like it’s a fun fictionalized version of the current British monarchy!  I finished in 6 days. 

The Last Tale of the Flower Bride by Roshani Chokshi (289 pages). This was my March Once Upon a Book Club box. Have you ever read a book that you enjoyed but you can’t for the life of you figure out how to describe it?  That was this book. The story is told from the perspective of the bridegroom and Azure. The bridegroom has fallen madly in love with the enigmatic and ridiculously wealthy Indigo Maxwell-Castenada.  The one promise she extracts from him at their wedding is that he will never pry into her past. And the bridegroom is at first so in love that he happily agrees. But when they return to her childhood home, the House of Dreams, to visit her dying aunt, the bridegroom learns more about Indigo’s past than he expected. Azure was Indigo’s best friend growing up. They made magic together and were convinced that they were meant for more than this world. But Azure disappeared the night of their graduation. And now the bridegroom learns that the line between fantasy and reality is not as clear as he thought it was. And no, that summary does not make sense. But it was an oddly beautiful book. I finished in 3 days. 

Garden of Delights by Kat Samuels (189 pages). Jasmine and Violet have been friends since their freshman year at USC. And their subsequent apartments have always been known as the Garden of Delights (due to their flower names). One night, Violet meets Irishman Dermot out at a bar. She tells him stories about Jasmine and vice versa. And slowly, Jasmine and Dermot begin to fall in love. Without ever meeting. Spring break at Pawleys Island finally finds them forced together. And they realize how they feel about each other. This book was fine. Nothing too special. I finished in 2 days. 

The Huntress by Kate Quinn (531 pages). In the 1940’s, Nina Markova has left her rural home on the icy edges of a remote lake in the Soviet Union to become an elite member of the Night Witches, an all female night bomber unit. But when she escapes the clutches of the Huntress, she has a new fear. Meanwhile, British journalist Ian Graham has become a Nazi hunter. And when he meets Nina, they team up to take down the woman who killed Ian’s brother. Because Nina is the other person alive who can identify the Huntress.  Meanwhile, in post World War II Boston, teenager Jordan McBride is itching to become a professional photographer. And her father’s new wife seems supportive. But Jordan can’t shake the fact that Annaliese Weber isn’t exactly what she seems. Omg- I love historical fiction. And I love WW2 historical fiction. And Kate Quinn is a master at it!!  I finished in 7 days. 

The Book of Lost Names by Kristin Harmel (384 pages). In 2005, Florida librarian Eva Abrams sees a photo in the New York Times. A photo that shows a book from her past and leads her back to Europe. In 1942, Eva Traube is a graduate student in Paris. Her parents left Poland years before. But the Traubes are Jews. And one night that her father is taken. So Eva and her mother flee to a small town in the mountains with papers that Eva forged for them. Turns out, Eva has a gift for forgery. And the small town is a cell for the Resistance. Eva connects with handsome fellow forgery Remy and the local priest to help people escape to Switzerland. But Eva does not want the children’s true identities erased. So she and Remy create a code in their Book of Lost Names to always remember. Eventually, as the war comes to a frenzied end, Eva and Remy are separated as they each continue their fight for the freedom of France. Oh. My. Gee. I LOVED this book. I mean, LOVED it. Yes, WW2 historical fiction is my jam (we all know that). But this one was just <chef’s kiss>!  I finished in 4 days. 

Happy Place by Emily Henry (385 pages). This was my April Once Upon a Book Club book (I’m catching up on my backlog!). So gifts on social (per usual). Surgical resident Harriett, East Coast moneyed attorney Sabrina and artistic farmer Cleo met as freshman roommates. And for the last 10 years, their happy place has always been Sabrina’s family’s summer “cabin” in Maine. So it seems fitting that they take one last trip with their significant others before it’s sold. But the last person Harriet expected to see when she arrived was her fiancé Wyn. Why?  Because they’ve been broken up for 6 months and not told anyone. So they can fake it for a week, right?  Cute little rom com. I finished in 2 days. 

Pride and Premeditation by Tirzah Price (357 pages). Elizabeth Bennett as a young solicitor in training?  Yes please!  In this reimagining, Charles Bingley has been accused of murder. Representing him is Pemberley and Associates, with young Fitzwilliam Darcy as his solicitor. When Lizzie and Darcy join forces to prove Bingley’s innocence, the case (and their feelings for each other) grow ever more complicated. Such a cute concept!  I finished in 4 days. 

This month’s favorite is…….The Book of Lost Names.