June Round-Up

Here are all the books I read in June, and all the posts I made!

My TBR for June can be found here.

Books

I read nine books this month, ranging from shortlisted novels to excellent short story collections.

The Bread the Devil Knead, by Lisa Allen-Agostini

If the main character in this book had been a teenager, this probably would have been classed as a coming-of-age story because it encompasses all the same themes of coming into one’s own and learning to navigate the world by oneself, and yet the protagonist is middle aged. I think it’s a stellar example of how age and past trauma should not define us, and how we can make a new life for ourselves at any time.

Sorrow and Bliss, by Meg Mason

Sorrow and Bliss was, I think, possibly my favourite novel of the month, and Meg Mason excels in making a character that should be unlikeable become someone that we actively root for and feel sympathy towards.

The Sentence, by Louise Erdrich

This is advertised as a ghost story, but in fact it’s a story about coming to terms with trauma that haunts you, whether that be generational or personal, and trying to adapt to a new world that seems to be crumbling apart.

The Beached Ones, by Colleen M. Story

My thoughts on this are a surprise – you’ll have to wait for the book tour on the 8th of July to find out!

The Portable Nine, by Pete Mesling

This book is also part of a tour on the 8th of July, so my review is a secret until then!

Chambers of the Heart, by B. Morris Allen

I reviewed this last week, but, in summary, it’s a fantastic collection of spec-fic stories told through brilliant prose.

There is Light: Poems about Mental Health, by Lucy DeRose

The poems in this debut collection are accessible and convey an important message: sometimes, you have to take the initial steps to help yourself. You can read more of my thoughts in my review.

Your Body is Not Your Body, edited by Alex Woodroe

I’m hoping to review this one soon as well, but in summary: this is a fantastic collection of body horror stories all written to encapsulate the experience of being Trans, by Trans authors.

It Calls From the Forest, edited by Michelle River

This was a creepy collection of stories involving horrors from the forest. The majority of these stories used entirely unique and immensely creative concepts, and those that delved back into old favourites like witches or sacrifices twisted those tales into something new.

Currently Reading

As of the publication of this blog post, I am currently reading one book. Hopefully I’ll finish it in the first couple days of July.

The Pink Line: The World’s Queer Frontiers, by Mark Gevisser

A non-fiction account of queer people trying to survive in countries that are actively making it difficult or outright illegal to be queer in the modern age. It’s an unbelievable collection of personal stories interspersed with the background of certain legislation, and so far it’s been utterly fascinating.

Blog Posts

June was the month I decided to start posting more regularly on my blog. I aimed for one review a week, as well as at least two other posts. So far, I’ve stuck to this pretty well!

Reviews

I posted three reviews this month:

Author Interviews

This month I interviewed Raena Rood, author of the Subversive trilogy, and B. Morris Allen, author of Chambers of the Heart!

Book News

This month I reported on James Patterson’s comments on white male authors, the Women’s Prize for Fiction winner, and also the end of the Costa Book Awards.

Podcast

I released episode #4 of the Werewolf Rambles podcast: Updates from the (book) underworld.

Essays

I published one essay on the merits of freewriting and my experience with it.