A Month of Poetry | June 2021 Wrap-Up

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

Wow, I can't believe half of 2021 is already over. That's insane! This year has been moving so fast. 

This month I really read a lot. It feels like I was picking up a new book every other day. A lot of that feeling has to do with the fact that I read a shit ton of poetry this month. It really racked up my nonfiction count on my stats, too. So I'll be putting a separate section in this wrap-up for poetry, this month. 

In the month of June, I read ten novels, one novella, eight poetry collections, one nonfiction, and two manga volumes. Certainly an eclectic mix, I'll give you that. But 21 things?! Pat me on the back! That's a lot of reading, if I do say so myself. I hope this energy carries over into the rest of the year. Also, I've got another huge book haul at the end, so be sure to read to the bottom!

Alright, let's get into the wrap-up! 

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Novels

1. Soul of the Sword by Julie Kagawa (Shadow of the Fox #2)
Star rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Page count: 432 pages
Day(s) read: 05.30 - 06.04
Goodreads thoughts: So gooooooood ahhhhhhhhhh I have no coherent thoughts other than that

2. Exit, Pursued by a Bear by E.K. Johnston (ONE DAY READ)
Star rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Page count: 243 pages
Day(s) read: 06.06
Goodreads thoughts: This hit way, way too close to home but that’s what makes it a five star for me. I felt completely winded while reading this book for a lot of reasons. I know so many girls who are Hermione. I’m Hermione. And while I recognize not everyone can read about rape, I really think this is a beneficial book to read if you’re a victim of sexual assault. Yes, it will be devastating and possibly triggering, but I think it will also have you coming out stronger at the end of it. I know that I feel stronger.

(Side note, the Bears’ colors are the same as my high school colors, and now whenever the uniforms are mentioned, I can only think about my high school cheerleading uniform. At least I felt super cute and badass in it.)

(Another side note, but this is probably my most favorite book cover, it’s so aesthetically pleasing to me.)

3. A Thousand Ships by Natalie Haynes
Star rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Page count: 366 pages
Day(s) read: 06.04 - 06.08
Goodreads thoughts: If you’ve ever wondered about the women of the Trojan War, then boy oh boy is this book the one for you. Natalie Haynes gives nearly every woman mentioned in the classics her own story, whether it’s about love, revenge, fear, or contempt. She gives them a voice that they have been denied for thousands of years. I found this brilliant and evocative.

4. The Forest of Stolen Girls by June Hur
Star rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Page count: 384 pages
Day(s) read: 06.08 - 06.09
Goodreads thoughts: No one writes Korean historical YA like June Hur. I find myself learning SO MUCH whenever I read her books and this one was no different. June has a particular writing style that reminds me of British murder mystery shows, where you don’t really know who the culprit is until the last possible moment. I feel like she would write awesome episodes for shows like that.

The sibling relationship between the girls reminded me so much of my own relationship with my sister. We, too, are five years apart and I’m the younger, and I remember stealing and borrowing clothes and accessories from her all the time, because I wanted her attention. So I definitely felt that solidarity. Also I love how clever Hwani was and how she had trouble breaking out of the mold that her aunt cast her in, as a proper upper-class lady.

5. The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd
Star rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Page count: 448 pages
Day(s) read: 06.15 - 06.16
Goodreads thoughts: The most beautiful??

I am truly in awe of this book and Sue for writing it. You can tell that her research and study in order to make it as accurate as possible was meticulous. I never would have thought to write a book on a fictional character whose life is so intertwined with undoubtedly the most famous person in the history of the western world, but here it is and it is phenomenal.

This has very easily become one of my most favorite books of all time.

6. The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang (The Poppy War #2)
Star rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Page count: 675 pages
Day(s) read: 06.05 - 06.22
Goodreads thoughts: I didn’t like this as much as the first one, but that probably is because it took me nearly a month to read and I was slumpy. I feel like I can’t remember a lot of what actually happened and I’m upset about that, but I don’t see a reread any time soon, because these books are way too heavy to read back to back.

7. Don't Tell a Soul by Kirstin Miller
Star rating: 2 out of 5 stars
Page count: 384 pages
Day(s) read: 06.14 - 06.22
Goodreads thoughts: This was fine, I guess. I found myself getting tired of all the twists and turns, and Bram didn’t seem to be all that smart despite everyone saying that she had good instincts. Also I’m disappointed that this wasn’t an actual ghost story, so there’s that.

8. One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
Star rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Page count: 422 pages
Day(s) read: 06.19 - 06.23
Goodreads thoughts: Absolutely incredible, I didn’t expect anything less. I suppose it didn’t make me super emotional but it was just a nice, fluffy story full of unapologetic queer millennials, like me, so I definitely felt a kindred spirit in them all.

I’m absolutely trash for Casey’s writing and will buy anything they publish, without a doubt.

9. Call Down the Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater (The Dreamer Trilogy #1) (REREAD)
Star rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Page count: 472 pages
Day(s) read: 06.23 - 06.27
Goodreads thoughts: 06.21 reread: yeah that was still as amazing as I remembered it. Like, I have so many questions, but I know that they will all be answered so I’m not as frustrated as before either. I still don’t like Liliana and Bryde, still would die for Ronan and Adam, still would absolutely kiss Declan Lynch if he was real.

10. Mister Impossible by Maggie Stiefvater (The Dreamer Trilogy #2)
Star rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Page count: 340 pages
Day(s) read: 06.28 - 06.29
Goodreads thoughts: AhahahahaHAHAHAHA WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT ENDING

I dock a star because there was not enough Adam Parrish. I am upset about this.

I still don’t like Bryde at all, I still don’t trust Liliana, and I would still die for the Lynch brothers. Jordan and Hennessy have shifted in my head and I’m not entirely sure which way they’ve gone.

This book also taught me more about art than I ever thought I would know, so that’s cool. And I said it before but I’ll say it again: this is an allegory for environmentalism.

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Novellas

1. The Great God Pan by Arthur Machen (ONE DAY READ)
Star rating: 1.5 out of 5 stars
Page count: 96 pages
Day(s) read: 06.10
Goodreads thoughts: That was boring. One of the most horrifying stories of its time and I’m bored?! That’s just sad. There was no pizzazz, it was so clinical and lifeless. I saw this described as deeply terrifying and sexy and the most scandalous story it wasn’t even allowed on bookshelves when it was published, but really? Seriously? Sorry Arthur, but I think the times have outgrown you.

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Poetry

1. Ghost in a Black Girl's Throat by Khalisa Rae
Star rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Page count: 98 pages
Day(s) read: 06.03
Goodreads thoughts: This was SO good it’s powerful and raw and angry. You can tell how much work and blood sweat and tears that the author put into this poetry collection. Absolutely fantastic.

2. Shine Your Icy Crown by Amanda Lovelace
Star rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Page count: 160 pages
Day(s) read: 06.09
Goodreads thoughts: Completely absolutely incredible, because how could it not be? Reading Amanda’s poetry always feels like talking on the phone with a dear long lost friend and this one is no different. I find myself taking picture after picture of the pages with beautiful words and illustrations so I can save them for later. I sent a few of my favorites to my partner and to my best friend as well because they need to know how beautiful her words are for themselves. I’ll always love Amanda’s poetry, I think, even when I’m gray and old.

3. To Drink Coffee With a Ghost by Amanda Lovelace
Star rating: No rating
Page count: 160 pages
Day(s) read: 06.10
Goodreads thoughts: This feels like her most personal work yet but it still evoked all the emotion in me that her poetry usually does.

4. Moo by Sharon Creech
Star rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Page count: 288 pages
Day(s) read: 06.26
Goodreads thoughts: Soooooooft this did not help with me wanting a cow. I grew up with Sharon Creech's writing so this was like stepping back into my childhood. 

5. Where Hope Comes From by Nikita Gill
Star rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
Page count: 160 pages
Day(s) read: 06.30
Goodreads thoughts: Something about Nikita Gill’s poetry makes me want to run away into a forest and never look back.

6. Child of the Moon by Jessica Semaan
Star rating: No rating
Page count: 200 pages
Day(s) read: 06.30
Goodreads thoughts: Very raw and emotional, and something I appreciated is it emphasized that it’s okay to not love yourself everyday, unlike a lot of modern poetry I read that is all about self love and finding ways to be happy amid the turmoil.

7. To Make Monsters Out of Girls by Amanda Lovelace
Star rating: No rating
Page count: 168 pages
Day(s) read: 06.30
Goodreads thoughts: Oof this hit hard. That feeling of knowing you’re in a toxic relationship, but staying with them anyway because you think you aren’t good enough for a healthy one? That hits home right there.

8. Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson
Star rating: 2 out of 5 stars
Page count: 149 pages
Day(s) read: 06.30
Goodreads thoughts: Maybe it was because I listened to this on audiobook but I didn’t really enjoy this 😬 I just wasn’t invested and my stupid mythology brain couldn’t wrap my head around the characters of Geryon and Heracles being modern day people

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Nonfiction

1. Eating the Sun: Small Musings on a Vast Universe by Ella Frances Sanders
Star rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Page count: 158 pages
Day(s) read: 06.25 - 06.26
Goodreads thoughts: That was fun. I think this would be a good book for people who have a casual interest in astronomy or science in general, however I knew almost everything mentioned in this book and therefore it felt a little simple for me. The illustrations are so beautiful, I definitely saved a few to use as my lock screens on my devices.

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Manga

1. Fire Force volume 2 by Atsushi Ohkubo
Star rating: No rating
Page count: 208 pages
Day(s) read: 06.26
Goodreads thoughts: N/A

2. O Maidens in Your Savage Season volume 3 by Mari Okada and Nao Emoto 
Star rating: No rating
Page count: 176 pages
Day(s) read: 06.26
Goodreads thoughts: N/A

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Total page count: 6,187 pages

Favorite book this month: The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd

Least favorite book: The Great God Pan by Arthur Machen

No DNF's

No unfinished books

June book haul: One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston
                            The Maidens by Alex Michaelides 
                            Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
                            Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean
                            The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur
                            Where Hope Comes From by Nikita Gill
                            Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse
                            Child of the Moon by Jessica Semaan
                            To Make Monsters Out of Girls by Amanda Lovelace
                            How Much of These Hills is Gold by C Pam Zhang
                            Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett
                            The Box in the Woods by Maureen Johnson

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Alright, there's June for y'all! What a crazy month. Here's hoping July will be even better, yeah? 

What was your favorite book of June? Let me know in the comments.

Until next time!