June 2017 Month in Review

This post is linked up at the Monthly Round-Up Wrap-Up @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction.

Is summer here yet? The season has been slow to arrive where I live. But if the weather forecast can be relied on, then I should only have to wait a few more days! I finished work on 23 June and move in mid August. In the meantime I’m want to enjoy my last few weeks here as best as I can. This means as maximizing lake time, biking to the library and, in a couple weeks, attending lots of Fringe shows. I’m also going on a four day camping trip with my best friend to a national park I enjoyed as a kid. As for blogging goals, since we’re halfway through the year, I’ll have a post up in a couple days for a check in of my overall yearly progress. June overall was a good month for posts and books read.

Books Finished

1. The Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond by Brenda Woods
2. The Castle Behind Thorns by Merrie Haskell
3. Borne by Jeff VanderMeer
4. Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right by Arlie Russell Hochschild
5. Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell
6. Yours Sincerely, Giraffe by Megumi Iwasa
7. When the Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore
8. Star-Crossed by Barbara Dee
9. Bannerless by Carrie Vaughn

Books Reviewed

• A Conjuring of Light (Shades of Magic #3) by V.E. Schwab
• Handbook for Dragon Slayers by Merrie Haskell
• More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera
• When the Moon Was Ours by Anna-Marie McLemore
• Star-Crossed by Barabara Dee

Features

• The bulk of Armchair Book Expo fell at the start of June. I wrote on the topic “Let’s Collaborate and Listen” and hosted a giveaway.
• 6 June’s Top 10 Tuesday topic was books from a certain genre you’ve recently added to your TBR. I chose middle grade fantasy/speculative fiction.
• My review of A Conjuring of Light morphed into an exploration of whether multi-volume stories can ever live up to expectations.
• Inspired by Lory @ ECBR, I attempted to define my personal canon.
• I posted my second Diversity Spotlight Thursday.
• Ash and I discussed Jeff VanderMeer’s Borne for Family Reads.

Shared on Twitter

We Need Diverse Books will be launching the OurStory book discovery app on June 15th https://t.co/76KzGvcsXo

— WeNeedDiverseBooks (@diversebooks) June 5, 2017

Good articles! I was curious about the character/actor after seeing the movie https://t.co/KKWMPI7230

— Jenna (@fallingletters) June 7, 2017

It’s #NationalAboriginalDay! Here are 108 Indigenous writers to read, as recommended by you: https://t.co/uUrgagiCBF pic.twitter.com/PnbKGaT7a1

— CBC Books (@cbcbooks) June 21, 2017

“Please Don’t Talk About Your LGBTQ+ Book”: Barbara Dee on “Star-Crossed” and Her Recent School Visit Experience https://t.co/csUJkfoVlA

— Jenna (@fallingletters) June 26, 2017

come share your passion for kids/Ya books at Kidlitcon! Authors, bloggers, publishers, teachers, librairans, readers welcome! https://t.co/jRPGK5Np6T

— Charlotte (@charlotteslib) June 27, 2017

thread https://t.co/KipSAEZRuZ

— Jenna (@fallingletters) June 29, 2017

Book Chat: Happy vs. Hopeful Endings https://t.co/BczCHkYgQU via @ParchmentGirl37

— Jenna (@fallingletters) June 29, 2017

Thread https://t.co/YGtTLtsjWt

— Jenna (@fallingletters) June 30, 2017

literary criticism peaked in 1944 pic.twitter.com/p1lMTfiJU6

— ? (@oscarewilde) June 30, 2017

Upcoming in July

• 11 July – Publication of Bannerless by Carrie Vaughn (post-apocalyptic story in which households have to earn a banner, giving them the right to have a child. Sneak preview of my forthcoming review: don’t bother with this one.)
• 18 July – Publication of The Library of Fates by Aditi Khorana (“A romantic coming-of-age fantasy tale steeped in Indian folklore […]” I’m willing to ignore that romantic bit because the cover is so gorgeous.)

How was your June? What July events or releases should I check out this month?