June 2020 Wrap-Up

Hey hi hello friends, and welcome back to my blog!

June is finally over! It felt like it had lasted for years. I feel like I hardly got anything done. I mean, I didn't get anything done, so I suppose that's justified. 

Anyway, in the month of June I read a total of seven books. Was this my worst month yet? I'm not sure. I didn't even read any manga, I think that makes me even sadder. Y'all know I love manga. I mean, I still read the weekly shonen updates for the series I'm following (My Hero Academia and Haikyuu!! now, since Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba and The Promised Neverland have both ended serialization), but I didn't start any new series or continue on with others. I just wasn't in the mood. 

Instead I watched plenty of documentaries (yes, I'm that nerd) and also fished my Nintendo out from storage and started playing Pokemon Blue Mystery Dungeon. I have three Game Boy/Nintendo devices from my childhood; the Game Boy Color, the Game Boy Advanced SP, and the Nintendo DS. The only games I own are Pokemon. I used to have others, but I got rid of them once I noticed that I only ever played Pokemon. I have so many games, too. Here's a quick list:

Special Edition: Pikachu

Silver

Ruby

Sapphire

FireRed

Diamond

Pearl

Black

White 2

SoulSilver

Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time

Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team

My greatest goal in life is to own all of the Pokemon games, especially the older ones (no, really). I look for them whenever I go to a GameStop or Bookmans (a secondhand book/music/video game store). I also have a 3-inch binder full of Pokemon cards. I think I have around 500? I've been obsessed with Pokemon since I was born, practically. One of my first toys was a stuffed Charmander. I used to own all of the movies, plus I had a computer game for battling--do you guys remember CD-ROMs? They were like video games, but you put them in your computers instead? Ah, the life before the Internet. 

Okay, let's get on with my wrap-up, shall we?

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1. Mythos by Stephen Fry

Star rating: 3.5/5 stars

Page count: 352 pages

Day(s) read: May 28 - Jun. 13

Goodreads review: I liked how he included some of the more obscure myths, but his commentary just bothered me to no end.

2. Exile by Shannon Messenger (Keeper of the Lost Cities #2)

Star rating: 4/5 stars

Page count: 576 pages

Day(s) read: Jun. 2 - Jun. 13

Goodreads review: This was even more of a rollercoaster of emotions than the first one! At least it didn’t end on a cliffhanger, so I don’t have to absolutely scramble to get my hands on book three.

3. The Kingdom of Copper by S.A. Chakraborty (The Daevabad Trilogy #2)

Star rating: 5/5 stars

Page count: 653 pages

Day(s) read: Jun. 13 - Jun. 16

Goodreads review: This whole book was utter chaos and I’m v emotional.

4. Library of the Unwritten by A.J. Hackwith (Hell's Library #1)

Star rating: 3.5/5 stars

Page count: 382 pages

Day(s) read: Jun. 17 - Jun. 21

Goodreads review: This was rather fantastic, I just don’t think it’s quite 5 star material for me. Close, though. I didn’t get as emotionally attached to the plot and the characters as I thought I would after hearing other reviews. Does this take away any of my enjoyment? No, absolutely not. But I would feel a bit like I’m cheating if I were to give this five stars. However I don’t doubt the second book will be even better than this one.

Also, a side note, but Hackwith’s writing reminds me almost impossibly of my own. We have a near identical style, which I hope to see more of in the future.

5. The Dark Tide by Alicia Jasinska 

Star rating: 3/5 stars

Page count: 336 pages

Day(s) read: Jun. 21

Goodreads review: N/A

6. The Revenge of the Shadow King by David Benz & J.S. Lewis (Grey Griffins #1)

Star rating: 5/5 stars (REREAD)

Page count: 384 pages

Day(s) read: Jun. 28 - Jun. 29

Goodreads review: N/A

7. The Stars and the Blackness Between Them by Junauda Petrus

Star rating: 5/5 stars

Page count: 320 pages

Day(s) read: Jun. 22 - Jun. 30

Goodreads review: This was one of the most lyrical and beautiful books I’ve ever had the pleasure to read. Full of love for women, culture and heritage, and self love. And just a sliver of magical realism to keep you on your toes. The ending had me blinking back tears. I think this is a book that everyone would get something out of.

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Total page count: 3,003 pages

Favorite book of June: The Stars and the Blackness Between Them by Junauda Petrus

DNF'd books this month: Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas

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Okay, that's all for this month's wrap-up! Let me know your favorite book of the month in the comments?

Until next time!