June Reading Wrap-Up + Maybe What I'll Try to Finish in July

Hey, everyone! Summer for me is coming to a close and I'm not happy about it. Honestly, this summer was kind of unfulfilling for me and I'm not feeling well-rested or like it was fun. I'm ready to go back to school. I thrive on campus much more than I do when I'm in the summer months. There has been some great moments and good memories, but I prefer to be around people and in constant community and I feel really isolated and like I'm always at work. The only reprieve I have is when I seek out Biblical community or serve at church. It's been kind of lonely and boring. This is, honestly, one of the worst seasons I've had recently. It's just this constant state of one-day-at-a-time and there is nothing really making my heart rejoice. I feel very saddened by it and I only just came to this realization today while praying as to why it's been so hard for me. I have done some reading in June, but not much. I wish I had read more, but I was balancing a summer job and trying to seek out community. June was a better month for me, July has me in this funk. Honestly, I'm tired and unfulfilled and I hate saying that because it sounds so silly and it's not a big problem, but it's how I feel right now and I'm tired of it and ready for a change.So, here are the books that I read in June and the books I want to try to finish plus I'm thinking about reading.

THE BOOKS I READ IN JUNE:

 
Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik- 4.5 stars I loved this one. The fantasy world was so interesting and I loved Miryem's story as a money lender. I wasn't a huge fan of Irina's story, but I did like following it and Wanda's story was so wonderful. Also, that ending. It was so petty, but I was fangirling. I shipped the Staryk and Miryem so hard. Novik does fantasy retellings like no other writer and I love it.
Disciple Her: Using the Word, Work, & Wonder of God to Invest in Women by Kandi Gallaty- 4 stars There are not a lot of books about discipling women so this is a groundbreaking one. There are books on discipleship, of course, but not many targeted to women so this was a great one to dive into. I have a heart for discipling women. I love discipleship. It's better than friendship because friends are earthly but disciples are our sisters in Jesus. There's a deeper bond with those that you disciple than those that you are friends with and I love that about discipleship. I love spreading Jesus's love and this book challenged me to keep going and think / evaluate my own methods and practices. Check out my review here.
The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction by Sean Cain & Mark Laird- 3 stars This was a simple book with educational practices. The writing was dry and I wasn't the biggest fan of the way topics were presented in regards to racial and socioeconomic statistics and students, but there are some valid and useful tips here. Check out my review here.
Misery by Stephen King- 5 stars It's been a while since I've read some King and, boy, did I miss him. Misery was disgusting and it made queasy. Annie Wilkes cuts up (quite literally) and it is so horrifying to follow Paul Sheldon having to grapple with his number one fan and her calculation. The ending had me shook. I love Misery. It's a great novel. Highly recommend.
The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris- 3.5 stars This is a good book. It follows a Jewish man who becomes the tattooist of Auschwitz. It's based on a true story, but a lot of the historical elements are heavily fabricated and don't line up to history. Morris could've made a groundbreaking nonfiction novel, but she decided to make a historical fiction with the center being the romance and not the survival. I wanted more. I do recommend the audiobook!
Not Forsaken: Finding Freedom as Sons & Daughters of a Perfect Father by Louie Giglio- 4.5 stars OK, Louie Giglio! This book was powerful and it made me reflect on my own journey with God becoming my Father and not some unknown figure in the sky who dealt with weighing my sins. I never measured up to that God and that's not who God is. If you want to read my testimony check out my review here.
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides- 4 stars This book surprised me. I wasn't a fan of it and decided that it was a solid 3-star book, but then I got to THE twist. Y'all this was a twist. I was so invested in one story and wasn't expecting it to land there. I expected none of this. I had to rewind my audiobook and relisten because it was just that good. This book is good. It's an excellent thriller that has merited the praise that it's been getting. I recommend this one for pyschological thriller fans.
Kingdom of Exiles by Maxym M. Martineau- 3 stars This is a new romantic fantasy novel about a woman who charms beasts and finds herself surrounded by assassins and in a bargain to save her life. It was fun, but I had some issues with it. I do think it'll be a massive hit with paranormal and urban fantasy romance fans. Check out my review here.
Untroubled: Devotions and Prayers for Finding Calm in a Chaotic World by Marian Leslie- 2 stars (DNF @34%) This devotional book just wasn't for me. I've never DNFed a devo book before, but I'm learning that not all Christian books are Biblically grounded. Sometimes books just have a lot of Scripture and inklings of Jesus, but that doesn't mean that Jesus is the foundation. That's how I felt about these devotionals. Check out my review here.

Overall Thoughts:

June was a decent reading month, but I did feel really slumpy this month. I was reading, but there were so many days that I wasn't. Here are my 5-star reads:
1. Misery
(I think now that only reading one spectacular book was why. I do recommend my 4 star and above books though, but I wish I had more 5-star reads.)

2019 TBR:

*The Tattooist of Auschwitz

Total Read: 12

Currently Reading / Hoping to Finish in July:

Books I Finished: NOS4A2, The Liturgy of the Ordinary, Every Time I Feel the Spirit, Lock Every Door, Binti, The Metamorphosis and Other Stories, Grace is Greater, My Lovely Wife (I think I broke my reading slump. Thanks Hurricane Barry.)
Netgalley ARCs: Every Time I Feel the Spirit, Lock Every Door, What the Wind Knows, The Invited, A Darker Shade of Magic, DEV1AT3
ARCs: The Harp of Kings, Vulnerable
Audiobooks: NOS4A2, The Liturgy of the Ordinary, Grace is Greater, My Lovely Wife, Gone with the Wind, Howl's Moving Castle, Good Omens
Books I Own: Binti, The Metamorphosis and Other Stories, Grace is Greater, Untouchable, Needful Things, Gone with the Wind, Vulnerable, Celebration of Discipline, The Spiritual Gifts Handbook, Always Enough, Never Too Much, Moments of Grace, The Purple Book, East of Eden

ARCS That Come Out in July:

I have already read one of these and I loved it! There are some exciting reads coming out in July!
Horror: Wilder Girls

Thriller/Suspense/Mystery: Lock Every Door

Christian Non-Fiction: No More Holding Back, I Give Up

Fantasy: The Phantom Forest, Spin the Dawn

 Poetry: Selected Poems of Edith Wharton

Christian Fiction: Until the Mountains Fall

Historical Romance: The Duke is But a Dream

Audiobooks:

Books I Own: 

I own Soulless and The Hiding Place, but I want to listen to the audiobook for these two! I hope to get the other three, but I most likely won't. They are still on my radar though, so I thought I 'd mention them.

How was your June? Did you read a lot of books? What was your favorite book in June? Which of these books do I need to absolutely read ASAP? Let me know in the comments!