Reading Roundup: May & June 2018

May was the bounce back into reading that I so desperately needed after a disappointing April. At the beginning of May, I finished all of the books that I was still reading at the end of April, and then started and finished a few rather quickly. I was pleasantly surprised by The Husband Hour, stayed up all night to finish The Wedding Date and, of course (as you’ll see below), read and loved Beartown.

Then, June hit. And I spent half of June traveling around Russia, not reading as much as I thought I would. So it was a much quieter month than May, but as of the end of June, I am exactly halfway through my reading goal – woohoo! Continue reading to see what I read in May & June. This post is part of a linkup with Modern Mrs. Darcy to share what I’ve been reading lately.

Note: This post may contain affiliate links. To read more about affiliate links, check out my Disclaimer.

Books I Finished

I read the following 10 books in May and June. Because I was on the go so much, I didn’t write a ton of reviews, but have linked the ones that I did write below. I also didn’t photograph any of them, hence the different cover photo in this month’s roundup. Instead of a beautiful book, I bring you a beautiful city – Gdansk, Poland.

Now, onto what I read this month:

• The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith (Audiobook) ★★★★
• The Girl with Seven Names by Hyeonseo Lee ★★★★
• The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas ★★★★
• How to be F*cking Awesome by Dan Meredith (Audiobook) ★★★★★
• The Husband Hour by Jamie Brenner (ARC) ★★★★★
• The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory ★★★★★
• Beartown by Fredrik Backman ★★★★★
• The 12 Week Year by Brian P. Moran (Audiobook) ★★★
• Kiss Me, Kill Me by James Carol (ARC) ★★★
• The Almost Wife by Jade Beer (ARC) ★★★★

Here’s a quick review of the ones I didn’t write a full review on:

• I listened to The Cuckoo’s Calling on Audible and, while it took me awhile to get into the story, was completely hooked. I’ll definitely be listening to the rest of the series, as well.
• The Girl with Seven Names was an extremely interesting look into life in North Korea and just how hard it can be to get out. The story was captivating but also very informative; I loved how she wrote it more to inform and just tell her story, not as a sob story.
• I struggled with The Hate U Give because it was definitely geared towards teenagers and I didn’t enjoy the way it was written. However, it discusses extremely important issues in today’s society, and I’m happy to see YA novels tackling those issues.
• If you have an entrepreneurial side and need a good kick in the butt, listen to How to be F*cking Awesome! It’s narrated by Dan Meredith himself and it honestly feels like a good friend is giving you the dose of honesty and motivation that you need.
• The Wedding Date is the perfect summer read. I devoured it, staying up all night to finish because I just had to know what happened. It’s full of cliches, as is any good chick-lit read. It’s also a bit steamy at times. But I loved it and definitely recommend it if you want a quick read!
• I didn’t enjoy The 12 Week Year as much as the other business books I’ve been reading recently. There was some good advice in there, but it didn’t click with me. I would recommend it for someone who has targets to meet or who is looking to try a new strategy with a team they manage or are a part of.

ARC = I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a review. You can read my review by clicking the link above.

Have you tried Audible yet? Click here for two free audiobooks!

Book of the Month

I mentally hyped Beartown so much that I was kind of nervous I wouldn’t enjoy it. Thankfully, it was just as good as everyone said it would be, if not better. I am obsessed with the people of Beartown and am currently reading the sequel, Us Against You.

I read this book while following my hockey team (the Washington Capitals) through their playoff journey, which made it all the more exciting. I really wanted to read it in winter since it’s (kind of) about hockey, but saving it until the playoffs worked out perfectly. This was my first Fredrik Backman novel and now I want to read ALL of his books. His story telling is beautiful. The characters are so vividly portrayed. And the story is addicting. I can’t recommend Beartown enough!

Click here to purchase Beartown

I normally write a bit of a review here, but I spent SO. MUCH. TIME. on my Goodreads review, that I’m just going to link it instead. The review 100000% does not do Beartown justice, so all I can really say is: Go buy it. Read it. Let me know what you think. Read my full Beartown review!

Books I’m Currently Reading

There’s something about summer that makes me want to jump from book to book. I’m currently reading three books, while still working my way through A Short History of Drunkenness and You are a Badass at Making Money (realistically making zero progress on those…). I like being able to pick up whatever I’m in the mood for in the summer, and am currently jumping from a mystery (Auntie Poldi) to a locally-based story (The Lido) to an addicting suspense novel (Kiss Me, Kill Me).

• Us Against You by Fredrik Backman
• A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza
• Auntie Poldi and the Sicilian Lions by Mario Giordano
• The Lido by Libby Page

Books I Purchased/Downloaded/Borrowed

I spent £22.44 on seven books. I’m trying to make my way through the Modern Mrs. Darcy Summer Reading List, so will probably buy quite a few books this summer. Here’s what I purchased/downloaded in May & June:

• A Marriage in Dog Years by Nancy Balbirer (Kindle First pick)
• The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory
• The Perfect Couple by Elin Hilderbrand
• Auntie Poldi and the Sicilian Lions by Mario Giordano
• The Lido by Libby Page
• Us Against You by Fredrik Backman
• Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

Reading Challenge Progress

• Popsugar Reading Challenge: Progress This Month:  3 – Overall Progress: 16/40
• Popsugar Advanced Prompts: Progress This Month: 1 – Overall Progress: 1/10
• Reading Goal: Progress This Month: 10 – Overall Progress: 30/60

For those of you following along with my PopSugar Reading Challenge progress, I ticked off the following prompts this month:

• A book with a female author who uses a male pseudonym (The Cuckoo’s Calling)
• A book by an author of a different ethnicity than you (The Girl with Seven Names)
• A book about or involving a sport (Beartown)
• [Advanced Challenge] A book about a problem facing society today (The Hate U Give)

Read my other 2018 Reading Roundups!

January | February | March | April | May/June