Month in Review: June 2024

June started out fast, but ended up slowing down at the end of the month, and I actually appreciated that. June is also my birthday month, though I'm not the biggest birthday celebration person, but it's still fun to spend some time with family. It was another busy month, but nothing overly exciting, I'm afraid. The one big (not that big, though) decision I made in June is that I signed up for a teacher training course in October for aerials! I'm not entirely sure if/when I may actually end up being an instructor for aerial silks/etc. since I've only been learning it for about two years, but I wanted to just get a taste of what that could be like and also further my own aerial knowledge and skills, so I'm excited for that!

In reading news, I read a pretty nice array of books and really liked most of them! I don't think I ended up with any five star reads, but I still think a lot of these were fantastic reads, especially The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands, The Rent Collectors, and The Spellshop. 

How was your May?  Let me know how your month was below and what you've been reading!

   

# books read: 12

The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands by Sarah Brooks ★★★★

Source: NetGalley | Format: eARC

Thoughts: This was so atmospheric and I had such a great time with it. A very slow burn type of read, but worth it! My review for this one is already up on my blog.

The Rent Collectors: Exploitation, Murder, and Redemption in Immigrant LA by Jesse Katz ★★★★.5

Source: Publisher | Format: Physical ARC

Thoughts: This was an incredibly informative and insightful nonfiction look into gang and immigrant life in LA. Highly recommended! My review will be up soon!

These Deathless Shores by P.H. Low ★★★.75

Source: Publisher | Format: Physical ARC

Thoughts: As we know (or if you don't, now you will), I am a bit Peter Pan fan and will read any and all retellings/books inspired by it, so I was really excited for this one and thought it was a really interesting take! You can find my review already up!

The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst ★★★★

Source: NetGalley | Format: Audiobook

Thoughts: This was absolutely delightful and I really enjoyed my time listening to this audiobook! The perfect cozy fantasy for the summer.

The Sins on Their Bones by Laura R. Samotin ★★★★

Source: Library | Format: Audiobook

Thoughts: I was warned this was a bit dark and heavy at times, and it certainly was. A really good read, though!

The God and the Gumiho by Sophie Kim ★★★★

Source: Publisher | Format: Physical ARC

Thoughts: Another fun fantasy, this one was surprised me with how much I ended up enjoying it. 

Walking to Aldebaran by Adrian Tchaikovsky ★★★★

Source: Library | Format: Audiobook

Thoughts: Tchaikovsky always comes through with thought-provoking sci-fi, and this novella was no different.

Long Live Evil by Sarah Rees Brennan ★★★★

Source: Publisher | Format: Physical ARC

Thoughts: This was hilarious and occasionally moving and thoughtful. It's also a ton of fun. My review for this will be up closer to its release in August.

The Fellowship of Puzzlemakers by Samuel Burr ★★★★

Source: Owned | Format: Hardcover

Thoughts: This was a cute read and I had a lot of fun, I loved all the puzzles throughout. 

Running Close to the Wind by Alexandra Rowland ★★★★

Source: NetGalley | Format: Audiobook

Thoughts: This is described as being an extremely horny book, and that was extremely accurate. A fun read, though a bit over the top at times. Still, you'll have a good time if you don't mind constant sex jokes!

The Maleficent Seven by Cameron Johnston ★★★

Source: Library | Format: Paperback

Thoughts: This was a fun fantasy read. It didn't stand out to me overly much, but still a good time and I'd like to read more from Cameron Johnston.

Paint It All Red by S.T. Abby 

Source: Library | Format: Audiobook

Thoughts: I wanted to finish up this series so finally got around to this one. A very solid conclusion, though certainly not a favorite. 

DNF/To-Be-Finished:

None

 

Goddess of the River by Vaishnavi Patel
The God and the Gumiho by Sophie Kim
Daughter of Calamity by Rosali M. Lin
The Silverblood Promise by James Logan
The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands by Sarah Brooks

 Posts:

Month in Review: May 2024
Anticipated July 2024 Releases

Blog Memes:

Can't-Wait Wednesday:
6/5: The West Passage by Jared Pechaček, These Deathless Shores by P.H. Low, & Dallergut Dream Department Store by Lee Mi-Ye
6/12: The Spice Gate by Prashanth Srivatsa, The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman, & The Astrology House by Carinn Jade
6/19: I Was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones, The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer, & The Masquerade by O.O. Sangoyomi
6/26:  This Great Hemisphere by Mateo Askaripour & State of Paradise by Laura van den Berg

The Friday Face-Off:

Can't-Wait Wednesday: Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay, Dancers of the Dawn by Zulekhá A. Afzal, & Such a Bad Influence by Olivia Muenter

       

 Can't-Wait is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights exciting upcoming releases that we can't wait to be released! This meme is based off of Jill @ Breaking the Spine's Waiting on Wednesday meme.

Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay
Publication: June 11th, 2024
William Morrow
Hardcover. 288 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"In June 1993, a group of young guerilla filmmakers spent four weeks making Horror Movie, a notorious, disturbing, art-house horror flick.

The weird part? Only three of the film’s scenes were ever released to the public, but Horror Movie has nevertheless grown a rabid fanbase. Three decades later, Hollywood is pushing for a big budget reboot.

The man who played “The Thin Kid” is the only surviving cast member. He remembers all too well the secrets buried within the original screenplay, the bizarre events of the filming, and the dangerous crossed lines on set that resulted in tragedy. As memories flood back in, the boundaries between reality and film, past and present start to blur. But he’s going to help remake the film, even if it means navigating a world of cynical producers, egomaniacal directors, and surreal fan conventions — demons of the past be damned.

But at what cost?"

I've enjoyed a number of Paul Tremblay's books and I'm really excited about this premise!

Dancers of the Dawn by Zulekhá A. Afzal
Publication: June 6th, 2024
Rock the Boat
Hardcover. 320 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"An epic story about truth, loyalty and betrayal.

Dancer. Warrior. Executioner.

Deep in the desert, under the blazing sun, an elite troupe of dancers are trained to harness their magic. They are the queen’s most formidable assassins. Aasira has one of the rarest talents – for she is a flame-wielder. Feared by all and envied by some, she uses her power to execute enemies of the crown.

Aasira’s greatest wish is to serve her queen. But on the eve of her graduation, with tensions rising among the dancers and secrets stirring in the shifting sand dunes, she begins to question whether she was truly born to kill. . ."

Isn't this cover gorgeous?  I'm always up to try out a new assassin fantasy!

Such a Bad Influence by Olivia Muenter
Publication: June 4th, 2024
Quirk Books
Hardcover. 336 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"Hazel Davis is drifting: she’s stalled in her career, living in a city she hates, and less successful than her younger sister @evelyn, a lifestyle influencer.

Evie came of age on the family YouTube channel after a viral video when she was five. Ten years older and spotlight-averse, Hazel managed to dodge the family business—so although she can barely afford her apartment, at least she made her own way. Evie is eighteen now, with a multimillion-dollar career, but Hazel is still protective of her little sister and skeptical of the way everyone seems to want a piece of her: Evie’s followers, her YouTuber boyfriend and influencer frenemies, and their opportunistic mother. So when Evie disappears one day during an unsettling live stream that cuts out midsentence, Hazel is horrified to have her worst instincts proven right.

As theories about Evie’s disappearance tear through the internet, inspiring hashtags, Reddit threads, and podcast episodes, Hazel throws herself into the darkest parts of her sister’s world to untangle the truth. After all, Hazel knows Evie better than anyone else . . . doesn’t she?"

Something about this one really intrigues and makes me curious to find out how it's executed.

Can't-Wait Wednesday: Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky, The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands by Sarah Brooks, & The Last Song of Penelope by Claire North

      

 Can't-Wait is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights exciting upcoming releases that we can't wait to be released! This meme is based off of Jill @ Breaking the Spine's Waiting on Wednesday meme.

Service Model by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Publication: June 4th, 2024
Tordotcom
Hardcover. 384 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"A humorous tale of robotic murder from the Hugo-nominated author of Elder Race and Children of Time

To fix the world they first must break it further.

Humanity is a dying breed, utterly reliant on artificial labor and service. When a domesticated robot gets a nasty little idea downloaded into their core programming, they murder their owner. The robot then discovers they can also do something else they never did before: run away. After fleeing the household, they enter a wider world they never knew existed, where the age-old hierarchy of humans at the top is disintegrating, and a robot ecosystem devoted to human wellbeing is finding a new purpose."

I just finished an ARC of this and thought it was really fun and clever.  Tchaikovsky really is a master at crafting sci-fi tales and I'm excited for this one's release.

The Cautious Traveller's Guide to the Wastelands by Sarah Brooks
Publication: June 18th, 2024
Flatiron Books
Hardcover. 336 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"It is said there is a price that every passenger must pay. A price beyond the cost of a ticket.

It is the end of the 19th Century and the world is awash with marvels. But there is nothing so marvellous as the Wastelands: a terrain of terrible miracles that lies between Beijing and Moscow.

Nothing touches this abandoned wilderness except the Great Trans-Siberian Express: an impenetrable train built to carry cargo across continents, but which now transports anyone who dares to cross the shadowy Wastelands.

On to the platform steps a curious cast of characters: a grieving woman with a borrowed name, a famous child born on the train and a disgraced naturalist, all heading for the Great Exhibition in Moscow.

But the old rules are changing, and there are whispers that the train isn't safe. As secrets and stories begin to unravel the passengers and crew must survive their journey through the Wastelands together, even as something uncontrollable seems to be breaking in . . ."

I am in love with everything about the sound of this book! I have an ARC that I can't wait to dive into soon.

The Last Song of Penelope (The Songs of Penelope #3) by Claire North
Publication: June 4th, 2024
Orbit
Hardcover. 400 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"Many years ago, Odysseus sailed to war and never returned. For twenty years his wife Penelope and the women of Ithaca have guarded the isle against suitors and rival kings. But peace cannot be kept forever, and the balance of power is about to break . . .

A beggar has arrived at the Palace. Salt-crusted and ocean-battered, he is scorned by the suitors - but Penelope recognises in him something her husband, Odysseus, returned at last. Yet this Odysseus is no hero. By returning to the island in disguise, he is not merely plotting his revenge against the suitors - vengeance that will spark a civil war - but he's testing the loyalty of his queen. Has she been faithful to him all these years? And how much blood is Odysseus willing to shed to be sure?

The song of Penelope is ending, and the song of Odysseus must ring through Ithaca's halls. But first, Penelope must use all her cunning to win a war for the fate of the island and keep her family alive, whatever the cost . . ."

Claire North has such a unique writing style and I'm curious to check out this final installment.

Can't-Wait Wednesday: Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman & Moonbound by Robin Sloan

     

 Can't-Wait is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings that spotlights exciting upcoming releases that we can't wait to be released! This meme is based off of Jill @ Breaking the Spine's Waiting on Wednesday meme.

Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman
Publication: June 25th, 2024
Del Rey
Hardcover. 384 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"A chilling horror novel about a haunting told from the perspective of a young girl whose troubled family is targeted by an entity she calls “Other Mommy,” from the New York Times bestselling author of Bird Box

To eight-year-old Bela, her family is her world. There’s Mommy, Daddo, and Grandma Ruth. But there is also Other Mommy, a malevolent entity who asks her every “Can I go inside your heart?”

When horrifying incidents around the house signal that Other Mommy is growing tired of asking Bela the same question, over and over . . . Bela understands that unless she says yes, soon her family must pay.

Other Mommy is getting restless, stronger, bolder. Only the bonds of family can keep Bela safe but other incidents show cracks in her parents' marriage. The safety Bela relies on is on the brink of unraveling.
But Other Mommy needs an answer."

The 'Other Mommy' situation definitely makes me think of Coraline (which is a favorite), but even without that this premise sounds wonderfully creepy and I'm really curious to see what Malerman does with this one!

Moonbound by Robin Sloan
Publication: June 11th, 2024
MCD
Hardcover. 432 pages.
Pre-order: Amazon | Bookshop.org

From Goodreads:
"In Moonbound, Robin Sloan has written a novel with the full scope and ambitious imagination of the very books that lit the engines of Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore: an epic quest as only Sloan could conceive it, mixing science fiction, fantasy, good old-fashioned literary storytelling, and unrivaled enthusiasm for what’s next.

It is thirteen thousand years from now . . . A lot has happened, and yet a lot is still very familiar. Ariel is a boy in a small town under a wizard’s rule. Like many adventurers before him, Ariel is called to explore a world full of unimaginable glories and unknown enemies, a mission to save the world, a girl. Here, as they say, be dragons. But none of this happens before Ariel comes across an artifact from an earlier civilization, a sentient, record-keeping artificial intelligence that carries with it the perspective of the whole of human history―and becomes both Ariel’s greatest ally and the narrator of our story.

Moonbound is an adventure into the richest depths of Story itself. It is a deeply satisfying epic of ancient scale, blasted through the imaginative prism one of our most forward-thinking writers. And this is only the beginning."

This sounds incredibly wacky and I'm totally here for it.