In Which I Actually Read Books Not Just Graphic Novels // Monthly Wrap Up: June (Part 2)

GUYS. I read more books than graphic novels this month. Who am I?

In case you missed Part 1 of my June Wrap Up I’ve decided to split these posts in two parts now. One will be my book haul which you can go see here! Then this will focus on books I read and blog posts ect.

The most exciting thing that happened in June is that I FINALLY listened to Hamilton. I felt like one of the only few people who hadn’t listened to it and I can say now that I GET THE HYPE. I love it so much. I have a lot of feelings about the Schuyler sisters – especially Angelica. I think my favourite song is “Satisfied” because Angelica 😍. If you haven’t listened to the soundtrack then you really need to! Even if you’re not into musicals I think you’ll like it because I sure did. It has such a fun, catchy and unique sound. The story is wonderful too.

I’ve been blogging for four months now which is kinda crazy. It seems like less and more all at once.

Of course this wouldn’t be a proper wrap up without questioning how the hell it’s July already, but seriously? How the hell is it July? I’m convinced Earth is spinning faster or something. The worst thing is people are going to start mentioning the “C” word and my inner Grinch will start appearing.

Books I Read and Reviewed

I managed to read 12 books this month. I also took part in the Tome Topple Readathon which was fun because I discovered a new favourite book! I’m also proud of myself for stepping outside my comfort zone a little and reading some Adult Fiction books.

My favourite reads of this month were: A Darker Shade of Magic, Night Film, You, milk and honey and Archie Vol 1

Covers = My Review and/or Goodreads

5 Stars

  

milk and honey by Rupi Kaur – This was such an amazing collection of poetry that almost felt life changing. It was raw, brutally honest and beautiful in the most heartbreaking away. It deals with relationships, feminism and sexual abuse.

Spider-Man/Deadpool, Vol 1: Isn’t It Bromantic by Joe Kelly and Ed McGuinness (Illustrator) – I can’t even deal with how hilarious this was. I loved seeing Spider-Man and Deadpool team up in Deadpool’s solo series so having an entire volume was amazing. There was so much hilarious innuendo in this and lots of jabs at DC and Marvel. Definitely recommend it if you’re a Spidey and Deadpool fan. I read this as single issues because the TPB isn’t released until August and nobody has time for that.

You (You #1) by Caroline Kepnes – Honestly the only way to quickly describe this book is Fucked Up. It was amazing. I wasn’t expecting to be creeped out at all, but boy was I wrong. This was one psychologically disturbing read that seriously messed with my head. I’ll say more in my proper review, but damn. If you can handle books in third person whilst being in the head of a sociopathic stalker then read this ASAP.

  

Night Film by Marisha Pessl – I read this for Tome Topple (completing 2 challenges: “Read over 500 pages in one week” and “Read an adult novel“) and I’m so glad I did because it’s become one of my favourite books. It seriously broke the mold from so many crime thrillers out there. The multimedia format made you feel like you were a part of the investigation and there was an INCREDIBLE friendship. Cordova felt like a real person and I honestly wished I could watch all his movies.

A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic #1) by V.E. Schwab – VICTORIA MY QUEEN. If I could have given this higher than 5 stars on Goodreads I would have. Again, I’ll say more in my proper review but I loved this so much. The world building and characters were AMAZING. I honestly have so many feelings about the characters even the antagonist. I was so immersed in the story and I can not wait to read A Gathering of Shadows.

Archie, Vol 1: The New Riverdale by Mark Waid, Fiona Staples (Illustrator), Annie Wu (Illustrator) and Veronica Fish (Illustrator) – This has officially become one of my all time favourite comic series. I never read the original Archie and didn’t really want to because I’m just not into the style. I was super glad when I found that it was being rebooted. I’m not familiar with the original, but from what I can tell by the throwback Archie comics they put at the end of each issue it has a lot of the same tones and themes it’s just a lot more modernised. Despite having so many illustrators the art style stays really similiar which is a bonus. I love the gang of characters so much. Veronica is my babe and not gonna lie, I have a bit of a crush on Jughead. I’m so excited for the CW show!

4 Stars

 

Monstress, Vol 1 by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda (Illustrator) –  I received this via Netgalley. This comic was set in an alternate matriarchal 1900’s Asia. There’s steampunk and almost horror elements. This series is definitely brutal so if you don’t like violence then you might want to give it a mess. It took me 2 days to read this which is insane for a graphic novel. It was unique, but there was a lot of info dumping and I was confused for most of the story. The MC was really complex and layered though.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Daughter of Smoke and Bone #1) by Laini Taylor – Again another book I’ll be doing a full review for, so I’ll keep it short. I really, really enjoyed this. I loved Karu and Zuzana. It was so wonderful seeing such a great female friendship. I adored Laini’s writing style and the ending was super intense. I wasn’t a fan of the romance though which is why I gave this 4 and not 5 stars.

3 Stars

   

Zenith by Sasha Alsberg & Lindsay Cummings – This was a quick fun read, but because it’s only technically a quarter of a book I wasn’t able to connect to it. I felt like the characters weren’t fleshed out and it was a bit infodump-y. I will be continuing it though because I did like it despite its flaws.

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge – I wanted to read a classic a month this year, but I kinda fell behind so I decided to read this because it was short. It kinda really confused me for the most part. The writing was really beautiful at times, but all the Civil War references went right over my head. I guessed the ending too so it didn’t really have that much of an impact on me.

I’m Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid – This was one of the most bizarre books I’ve read. I was unusually unsettled throughout the entire book. It was a quick and intense read and whilst it was unique something stopped me from absolutely loving it. Was definitely an experience though!

I.D. by Emma Ríos – I recieved this via Netgalley. This was another Tome Topple read (I completed the “Take a Graphic Novel Break” challenge). I was really excited to read it because it was all about identity issues and there was a sci-element. Basically, it was a world were body transplants were a thing and we followed a group of characters who all wanted to undergo one. The writing was really technical and there was lots of medical jargon that went right over my head. The art throughout was done entirely in red sketches so it all blurred together. I couldn’t connect with any of the characters so I didn’t care about them at all. I appreciate all the research Emma Ríos put into this though which is why I gave it 3 stars instead of 2.

Notable Posts

Souvenirs from Across the World – An amazing feature that was created by the wonderful Marie. I spoke about my home state of Western Australia and my favourite Australian books.

My Blind Date With A Book

Make Me Read It Readathon – A readathon where you guys get to vote for what book I read!

Anticipated Upcoming Releases

Let’s Talk: Reading Outside Your Comfort Zone and Non YA BookTubers

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I’d love to hear your thoughts on any of the books I read! I’d love to hear what your favourite read of the month was. Feel free to leave a link to your Wrap Up posts so I can drop by.

I hope your June was wonderful and that your July is even better xx