June 2020 Wrap-Up

School is officially in session (early, I know right), so as expected my reading is slowing down a bit and I fully anticipate it slowing down even more as the year picks up pace. I managed to get through 12 books this month, and I imagine this is the last month of the year I will be able to read over ten books. I read 4,733 pages for an average book length of 394 pages, and my average rating was 3.92 which is not too shabby. Here are the books I read in June:

1. The Blood of Olympus (The Heroes of Olympus #5) by Rick Riordan

Rating: ★★★★☆
This book is so highly rated because of my dear precious Nico. I love him so much. For some reason, this book just didn't feel like it was a part of the same series as the previous 4, which makes no sense because it was the conclusion of everything that built up in those books. But something about the way Percy, Annabeth, Hazel, and Frank were completely sidelined, as if they weren't the main focus of the books 2, 3, and 4... the book just felt so incomplete. Regardless, even with that bit of disappointment, I still do like Piper, Jason Leo, and Reyna, and of course Nico was the shining star of the book. I also liked the plot points (like the visit with Ascelius and the demigod-Olympian team-up against the giants). I only just found out that Rick Riordan's Trials of Apollo quintet is a continuation of the Percy Jackson world, so I'll be reading that as soon as my book shipments arrive in the mail. Justice for Percy and Annabeth!!

2. My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell

Rating: ★★★★☆
This book is downright difficult to read at times (most of the time/all of the time). It's not a book you're supposed to enjoy, but a book that is supposed to expose you to the complexities of societal expectations and allowances. Check out my full review HERE.

3. Lucky Caller by Emma Mills

Rating: ★★★★☆
This book was really cute! I've never read Emma Mills before, but it sounds like a lot of her writing talent is in creating characters and interactions that are actually real-life realistic. The amount of stammering and awkward shuffling in this novel... amazing.

4. Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds

Rating: ★★★★★
Jason Reynolds has done it again. This book was SO GOOD, and EVERYONE needs to read it.

5. The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games #1) by Suzanne Collins

Rating: ★★★★★
My unofficial rereadathon continues with The Hunger Games. This is of course in preparation of reading the newly released prequel book, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which I will likely have completed in July. Upon rereading, I was even more intrigued by this than I was the first time. The impossibly high stakes, the realism of Katniss's will to survive, the complicated romantics... glorious.

6. Catching Fire (The Hunger Games #2) by Suzanne Collins

Rating: ★★★★★
Again, I was surprised how well this series survives the test of time (the first and only other time I read these books was in middle school). This book is high-stakes, the arena is so interesting, and the book really serves as a nice transition into the political aspect of ending the Games.

7. The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson

Rating: ★★☆☆☆
To be frank, I was pretty bored through most of this. This book did not engage and retain my attention the way The Devil In the White City did. If you're really into WWII history, check this out (as it gets glowing reviews from many others), but this was not for me.

8. Mockingjay (The Hunger Games #3) by Suzanne Collins

Rating: ★★★★☆
The finale of The Hunger Games was solid, although it does leave some items left to be desired. I fall into the category of people that finds it absurd that Katniss married Peeta, when their relationship isn't based on romantic love but a love of necessity. Maybe that was the point, but this book definitely showed me how I've changed since reading it the first time. In middle school, I read this like a romance. Now I can see that the romance is completely fabricated and flat out rejected by Katniss, and rightfully so as she's a 16 year old girl who only wants to survive her grief and trauma. I do want to mention that I appreciate the messages in here about how just because the rebels are fighting against the abusive capitol doesn't mean the rebels are automatically the "good guys", there is always a large gray area in the struggle for political power. In all, I didn't love this book as much as the first two in the series, but it was still enjoyable and by no means decreases my overall opinion of the series as a whole.

9. They Went Left by Monica Hesse

Rating: ★★★★☆
This book is engaging throughout, but by far what makes it so unique and heartrending is the ending. I don't want to give anything away, but if you pick this up, definitely stick with it through the end. It is extremely powerful, emotional, and satisfying without being predictable.

10. The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix

Rating: ★★★☆☆
I'm generously rating this book 3 out of 5 stars even though it was such a huge whopping disappointment for me. 5% maybe is about slaying vampires, while 90% of the book is about a woman trying to convince her lousy husband and friends that said vampire exists. The book was not unenjoyable, but the title was severely misleading, hence the giant disappointment.

11. Handle With Care by Jodi Picoult

Rating: ★★★★☆
I definitely felt an emotional punch with this one; the multiple perspectives really gives the book a well-rounded feel. One thing that I think was particularly well done is making the characters so morally gray. At times I completely agreed with Charlotte's perspective, while other times I thought she was a truly awful mother. It's one of the those books that makes the reader think, in this case about what it means to be a parent and a person. I also saw the moral grayness in other characters, like Sean, but Sean was such an abhorrent human for other reasons that it wasn't as striking as it was with Charlotte or Marin or Amelia. ALSO - I agree with the general consensus that the ending was trash; it doesn't add to the story or even the moral of the story and just makes the whole thing seem arbitrary.

12. Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey

Rating: ★★★☆☆
Overall, I thought this book was fine. I did appreciate the queer themes explored here, although I don't think it brought anything new to the table. Towards the end I was really rooting for Esther, and I wish this book had developed her more so that I could connect to her even more.