What I Read in June

Monday, July 1, 2019


Whatcha readin'? June was yet another slow book month for me, even with a weekend spent in the woods. The final Harry Potter books just take forever! I did make it few a through non-HP books, though, making for a whopping total of five books. 

With this, I've read a total of 38 books in 2019, which, frankly, is really low for me - but I did promise myself I'd focus on quality over quantity this year, & I think I have. Rereading the Harry Potter series has been such a joy, & I couldn't have done it if I'd been focused only on numbers.

That said, I'm about halfway through multiple non-HP books, so I think I'll finish a bunch in the coming months. My annual goal was a mere 80 this year. I hope I can hit it!

Blubber by Judy Blume
I was inspired to (re?)-read this childhood classic after listening to the first episode of the podcast She's All Fat, where they discuss it. I can't remember if I ever read it as a kid, but even if I did, man, I didn't realize it's all about bullying from the perspective of a bully. Brutal, dude. I mean, I'm glad she came around eventually, but ouch. ★★★☆☆

Mindhunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit by John Edward Douglas & Mark Olshaker
This is the true crime memoir that inspired the hit TV show of the same name. Douglas, who headed the FBI's elite Investigative Support Unit, tells stories of his time tracking down serial killers - &, later, interviewing & studying some of the notorious among them, including Charles Manson, Ted Bundy, and Ed Gein. Given all its violence & depravity, this book is, at times, hard to read - but it's also really, really fascinating. ★★★★★

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
Unpopular opinion: This is my favorite of the books & my least favorite of the movies. And that is all I have to say about that. Five stars forever. ★★★★★

Tampa by Alissa Nutting
This book is so effed up. Celeste, a pretty, married teacher, is an unarguable sociopath who starts her career with the goal of seducing a teenage boy - so she does. Yikes. It’s been called “a Lolita meets American Psycho satire on the glorification of female monstrosity"; indeed, the only way to make it through the book is to see it as pure satire, & even then, it's alarming. I'm not giving it a star rating because it's... it's a well-written book, but I wouldn't say it's a good book, & it's difficult to be like, "Yes, definitely read this book about an unrepentant female pedophile.

The 3-Day Effect: How Nature Calms Your Brain by Florence Williams
What can three days in nature do for brain health & our emotional well-being? More, frankly, than I would've expected. Williams, a nature lover & science journalist who's in the midst of a divorce, takes to the great outdoors to learn more about its impact on the human brain. She ventures out with Iraqi war veterans, sex trafficking survivors, & a verified nature-hater, all as a means of learning more about nature's capacity for healing & restoration.

Tell me what you're reading, then add me on Goodreads to keep in touch & see what I've read in months past. You can also follow my bookstagram account!

My "What I Read in..." posts include Amazon affiliate links to the titles I discuss. If you buy a book using one of these links, I will receive a small percentage of commission. Please don't feel any obligation to use these links, but if you do, it will help me buy more books.

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