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.
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