June 2014 Reading Round-Up
Posted 2nd July 2014
Category: Round-Ups Genres: N/A
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This month has been slow and I appreciated that. I had an interesting couple of weeks feeling like I was in a reading slump until I realised it was just that I hadn’t had much time to read, so of course Wecker’s almost 500 page novel took a long time to finish. Oh, and we now have bookcases (yay!)
All books are works of fiction.
The Books
Jenny Barden: The Lost Duchess – Escaping potential scandal, a lady-in-waiting to Elizabeth I joins the people leaving for the New World. Very good and with a fair emphasis on the effects of abuse.
Hanne Ørstavik: The Blue Room – A girl about to travel abroad with her boyfriend finds herself trapped in her room, and it’s possible she’s been locked in by her mother. I will admit that I don’t think I saw everything there was to see in this novella, but liked it all the same.
Helene Wecker: The Golem And The Jinni – A master-less golem and a somewhat-freed jinni learn how to live in the world of humans whilst everyone around them learns how to live in a different situation. Fantastic.
Irène Némirovsky: Fire In The Blood – A man set in his ways pays his attention to the life of others and notes how passion can overturn everything. Not as good as Suite Française but a fair way to spend a couple of hours.
John Green: The Fault In Our Stars – Two teenagers with cancer, one in remission, the other in a stable condition, fall in love amongst the happiness and trials in their life. One of those rare books I found lived up to the hype, but it’s definitely something that won’t work for everyone. (And yes, I did purposefully read it this month so I could see the film if I wanted. Having seen the trailer and compared it to what I’d imagined, I’m not sure…)
Both The Golem And The Jinni and The Fault In Our Stars were excellent. Choosing between them is too difficult; I liked each for different reasons. That said, I reckon Green’s book will stay in my mind longer. The idea of writing my review was so overwhelming I had to change my surroundings in order to even attempt it. Whilst writing I realised I may have to write a good couple of further thoughts posts on it. It’s one of those books on which conversation is practically a necessity.
Quotation Report
None this time.
We’ve sadly passed that longest day, but Wimbledon has been on. I’m glad to see Serena Williams and Sharapova out as the noise is just too much. July sees our sixth anniversary, so I’m hoping the weather holds out. It’s really not been bad this year so far.
What was your favourite book this month (or week if you round-up each week)?
July 2, 2014, 7:30 pm
2 of those books are on my radar… lol.. Good month for books. Happy July reading!
July 2, 2014, 7:57 pm
The Golem & the Jinni was fab, wasn’t it?? I loved it when I read it last year. I really enjoyed Sally Beauman’s The Visitors which I finished last week.
July 2, 2014, 9:39 pm
Four books is still a good amount especially as you’ve had a busy month. I have had a very busy month too and sadly only finished two books but I did enjoy them both. Happy reading in July.
July 2, 2014, 9:42 pm
I find I don’t have as much time to read in the summer as other times of the year–it does feel like a slump though, doesn’t it?
I still have yet to read The Fault in Their Stars, but hope to soon–sounds so good.
July 3, 2014, 2:25 am
I haven’t read TFIOS yet either, and probably better get on it …. daughter is old enough to read it and will probably get to it before I do :/ The concept of The Blue Room is very intriguing…..
July 3, 2014, 11:34 pm
great titles! my favorite was The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair.
July 7, 2014, 11:17 am
Alice: Thanks :) Good to hear you liked what you read.
Freda: Keep them there, or move them to your reading list, of course ;) Happy July reading to you also :)
Audra: Yes! It met my expectations although it was a bit different to what I’d expected (hadn’t known of the various narratives). I thought I knew that name – I’ve Rebecca’s Tale in mind to read at some point.
Jessica: Yes, for me now, it’s a fair number. I think it’s good to have a low number every now and then – I often wonder if not having them can contribute to slumps due to overdoing it.
JaneGS: Yes it does, but once you notice it improves the situation a lot. TFIOS is definitely particular, but if it gets you at the start you’ll likely find it’ll work for you throughout.
Jennifer: Perfect time to read it, even if you don’t plan to see the film :) It’s worth a few conversations so if your daughter reads it, it’s an idea to read it around the same time. It is indeed an intriguing concept.
Emma: I haven’t heard of that one, though I quite like the current trend of long titles in that vein.
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July 2, 2014, 11:09 am
Happy 6th year anniversary! I shall cross my fingers for you, so you can have some good weather.
My favourite book this month was The Secret History by Donna Tartt, but I read many a good book this month.