My Month Is Booked: June 2024

Hi everyone! Welcome to June’s My Month is Booked linkup! :] I read…a lot of books this month, haha. My daily commutes = lots of audiobooks (7 this month, haha)!

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The Brightest Star: A Historical Novel Based on the True Story of Anna May Wong, by Gail Tsukiyama – I picked this up because the author is local and will be doing an author talk at a nearby library soon! I’ve been intrigued by Anna May Wong + how she paved the way for Asian-American actresses in Hollywood, so I was excited to read this. Unfortunately, I ended up wanting to like it a lot more than I actually did.

It’s clear that the author did a lot of research, and had I gone in reading this with different expectations, I’m sure I would’ve appreciated it more. While I did learn a lot more about Anna May Wong’s life, it felt like I was reading a play-by-play of her life and all the films she had done via wikipedia, except written in first person. Overall, it felt pretty flat/lifeless and even when describing the emotions she felt, it felt only like the “tell” part only of a ‘show + tell.’ All that said though, I’ve heard good things about her other books + will probably check those out at some point.

The Dressmaker’s Secret, by Lorna Cook – This was May’s book club pick for the physician book club I co-run! This is a dual timeline novel with Adele, an orphan raised by nuns who ends up becoming Coco Chanel’s private secretary/assistant, and Chloe, Adele’s granddaughter who’s taking a gap year after a divorce and working at her friend’s boutique.

I uh, definitely Googled whether Coco Chanel was really a Nazi collaborator after that was proclaimed in the book as I was completely unaware of that slice of history. Overall, I didn’t care too much for the present-day story and would’ve rather read about only Adele’s story instead — there were many heartwarming and heartbreaking moments that made for a very engaging read.

The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, by Stuart Turton – A woman named Evelyn Hardcastle is going to be murdered, and a man named Aiden Bishop is tasked with finding out who the murderer is. He has 8 different witnesses/”hosts” to relive the same day but there are other rules he finds out along the way that thwart him as he goes.

Overall, a very interesting and creative premise. This book combines a multitude of different elements (Groundhog Day vibes intertwined with a murder mystery, body swapping, etc.). I definitely agree with one of the other reviewers in that I felt like I should be keeping a murder board halfway through just to keep track of everything.

There is a lottt going on, with much back-and-forth going on between the same scenes through different characters/viewpoints/times, so it was confusing at times, but it was an enjoyable listen (yay for audiobook commutes)!

The Little Bookshop on the Seine, by Rebecca Raisin – This had a cute premise — a bookshop owner in the small town of Ashford, does a 6-month “bookshop swap” with a friend who owns a book shop in the heart of Paris. She is a romantic at heart and has high hopes, but finds that things might not be quite so picture-perfect there after all.

Outside of the main character, there is little character development, but the supporting characters are mostly likable. (I say mostly because I wasn’t a big fan of her “off the page of a romance novel boyfriend” — the relationship seemed superficial at best and most of his behavior felt like it was all talk and grand gestures with no supporting actions.) I liked the side characters and was delighted to find out that there’s a “sequel” of sorts featuring the antique store owner though!

All in all, if you’re in the mood for a Hallmark-esque, “feel-good” cozy romance set in Paris, this would be a good pick.

The Official Stardew Valley Cookbook, by ConcernedApe & Ryan Novak – As a lover of cozy games, Stardew Valley is up there on my top faves, so when I found out they came out with a cookbook, I obviously had to get it. :D…

The book starts off with a letter from Grandpa (for those who haven’t played the game, the premise is that your grandpa left you a giant plot of land in a small town and it’s your job to develop it as you see fit). The chapters are divided into the 4 seasons (very fitting for a farming/life simulation game)! There are quotes + adorable drawings of characters/foods from the book as well as actual food photos. I love and adore this greatly and cannot wait to (finally) start cooking again. <3

Shark Heart, by Emily Habeck – When I first read the synopsis, I definitely wondered how this could possibly work as a love story (it gave me “would you still love me if I was a worm”/”what would you do if I were a puddle of water?” vibes), but I stand corrected! It was beautifully written and the premise is very unique.

It follows a pair of newlyweds where the husband receives a rare diagnosis and learns that in 12 months, he will turn into a great white shark. The story is moving and how both Wren and Lewis grapple with all the changes as his condition worsens. The 2nd part of the book tells you Angela (Wren’s mother)’s story — there was definitely a part in there that I thought should have perhaps been mentioned in part 1. What happens in part 2 does give me more explanation for a lot of why Wren acted the way she did.

I listened to this as an audiobook, so I think that may have negated parts where it was less linear/a little more confusing. Some chapters start out like a script from a play, or like free-verse poetry, and there were bits that felt more disjointed, but I’m looking forward to reading more of this author’s books in the future!

Cicada Spring, by Carolyn McBride – I don’t read much romance but this is a good read if you’re looking for a feel-good novel set in a gorgeous location in Virginia. It follows Katie’s (mis)adventures after becoming an empty-nested when her daughter goes to college. She gets a new seemingly perfect job and gets together with who she thinks may be Mr. Right in a whirlwind “romance.”

I cringed at the parade of red flags that she ignored and continued to ignore, but I did find myself rooting for her anyway and liked that she learned more about herself and grew stronger in the process. I loved the main character’s group of supportive friends it made me want to go hang out with the Bonfire Babes. The author also did a great job depicting life during the thick of the pandemic. 3.5 stars rounded to 4 — I needed a cheerier book after some of my recent reads and this fit that well. The narration was done well (as a aside though, I listen to everything on at least 1.25x speed).

Summer Island, by Kristin Hannah – After reading The Women last month, I wanted to check out more of her books!

Summer Island centers around a not-successful comedian, Ruby, who uses her bitterness over her mother (a nationally successful “moral/spiritual counselor”) leaving her as her main fodder/content. Her mother gets into an accident and Ruby returns to their childhood home to take care of her + is approached by a publisher to write a scathing “tell-all” about her mother.

I definitely enjoyed reading The Women a lot more than this one, but it was an easy + eventually feel-good read with a predictable ending that reminded me of a Hallmark movie (although usually the main character is more likable in said movies..)

None of This Is True, by Lisa Jewell – Alix is a popular podcaster who promotes women who have taken charge of their life to achieve great things. She meets an unassuming woman named Josie Fair while celebrating her 45th birthday at a pub and discovers that they are birthday twins. They bump into each other again a few days later and while Alix finds Josie strange, Alix is intrigued by her enough that she agrees to make her the subject for her podcast.

As Alix discovers more about Josie’s life, she becomes increasingly unsettled as Josie worms her way into Alix’s life. Then Josie disappears and Alix becomes the subject of her own true crime podcast.

I listened to this as an audiobook and they did a really great job with it (had an entire cast of narrators) — it’s a slow-burn suspense for sure. I got major Single White Female vibes from Josie and the book overall leaves you wondering just how reliable of a narrator any of the subjects were. I couldn’t stop listening, so I finished the audiobook in 3 days. If you’re looking for a page-turner, this is a good one! (Trigger warning though – pedophilia, abuse.)

The Lazy Genius Way: Embrace What Matters, Ditch What Doesn’t, and Get Stuff Done, by Kendra Atachi – Although I think the optimal target audience for this would be a Christian mom, I enjoyed the overarching message of this book, which is to put effort into things that matter to you, and don’t beat yourself up over things that don’t (plus find shortcuts for them so they don’t take up all your time)! I like the idea of automating the daily things you do so there’s less decision fatigue.

“When you fill your life with things that are not essential to what matters, you unintentionally add noise, and managing noise is part of why you’re tired.”

I liked how the book broke things down into small, actionable steps so that it doesn’t feel overwhelming to implement all these changes. I definitely fall victim to wanting to do the “all or nothing”/”go big or go home,” but in so doing, I tend to not end up achieving some of the things I’ve been meaning to do for ages (e.g. drink more water/stretch every day). She suggests 30 seconds a day and while that does sound/feel ridiculous, it’s achievable, and you can keep moving the goalposts as you achieve them.

Some things I plan to hopefully put into practice:
-Keep in your closet only fixed decisions you’re happy making, no matter how many items you have or how well they go together.
-Pick one easy recipe you’ll keep making for lunch until you get tired of it. Then choose another.
-Name what really matters. Remove what’s in the way. Keep only the essentials.

The Grace of Wild Things, by Heather Fawcett – This was a super cute, cozy fantasy retelling of Anne of Green Gables + found family/friendship. Although the target audience is for younger readers, I found it to be an enjoyable read. You don’t need to have read it to like it though!

The ending is left more open-ended than I would’ve liked, but I’m hoping this just means there may be a sequel. :]

Got any book reviews from this month? Link em’ up below and make sure you visit others in the linkup too for reading inspiration! :]

• What are you reading right now? I just started reading Giver of Stars, by Jojo Moyes!
• Do you have a goal of how many books you want to read this year? I set my reading challenge for 36 books but since I’m already at 28, I guess I’ll be increasing that!

• Did you ever participate in the summer reading program at your local library as a kid? I found out recently that my local libraries do summer reading programs for adults too!