June TBR – 2021

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Hello Hello! How are you?

I can’t tell you how happy I am to be back on my blog and to be posting a bit more of a catch-up type of post today.

I kind of failed reading at the end of May and start of June because I was insanely busy with my thesis, but it is finally half-ish submitted (I just need to get it printed and dropped off at uni) and then I have my presentation at the start of July and I’m free until the start of September. Well, apart from the fact that I have an internship which I just started yesterday! So I am still very busy as you can see, but at least I have a lot more reading and blogging time to look forward to.

I had to give up on so many of my May books so I’ve dragged those over into June and I’m going to do my best to read both May and June books. I know it’s way too ambitious to be honest, but I will give it my best shot!

May books to catch up on first… oops!

City of Ghosts (#1 Cassidy Blake) by Victoria Schwab

This was the May Middle Grade Marvels book club pick and I had already read it in 2019 and enjoyed it, but rereading it proved to be a lot more enjoyable. I got halfway through this and was thoroughly enjoying it, so I am optimistic that when I next pick it up, I’ll really have a great time. I love the spooky vibes especially.

The Big Four (#5 Hercule Poirot) by Agatha Christie

I have not even started this book yet, but it is fairly short so I’ll do my best of reading it in the week. I’m going to drag it along to my internship to have some reading material for my lunch break, and I do love the Poirot mysteries for short stories that I can get lost in. I’m looking forward to it, especially since I have no idea what it’s about!

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

I got to about 240 pages and I was LOVING it, so I was really quite miffed I had to stop reading entirely. I have wanted to pick it up ever since I finished writing this part of my thesis over the weekend, so I’m going to have to do that over the next few days. I am really surprised by just how invested I already am in this story, I’m looking forward to reading more!

The Five: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper by Hallie Rubenhold

And the last book I have to catch up on was another I got halfway through and I was loving it. This is a really unique take on serial killers, Jack the Ripper doesn’t get the limelight, his victims do, and I really like that we finally get to find out about them. Their stories are terribly sad, but I just need to keep reading to find out what their other women’s lives were like. This is a really nice bit of historic writing that reads like fiction for me, so it makes it even more enjoyable.

On to the June TBR!

Foxglove Summer (#5 Rivers of London) by Ben Aaronovitch

I have been loving this series so much, as you know, and I ma so excited to be picking this 5^th instalment up this week. I know I will love it as I have loved each one so far and I’m so happy there are still many more stories with Peter, Nightingale, Molly and the others! I have no idea what this one will be about since I’ve not been reading the blurbs since book 1 as I want to be surprised, so my Friday night reading will be really fun!

The Mystery of the Blue Train (#6 Hercule Poirot) by Agatha Christie

Once I have read The Big Four, I’ll be jumping into the 6^th instalment in the Hercule Poirot series which I have also been really enjoying in the past months. Again, I don’t know what this is about as I just go with the flow with ongoing series now so I keep the surprise levels high, but I mean, I’m pretty sure it takes part on a train ahah. I’m looking forward to this one, but will probably save it for the end of the month.

Witches Steeped by Gold (#1 Witches Steeped in Gold) by Ciannon Smart

This is the TWR Gang book club pick for June and we had to push it back a bit for a few of us to receive, but I think we all finally have it now and will be discussing the first section on Thursday. I’ve heard some very differing reviews on this one, but I am going in with an open mind. The copy I have is absolutely stunning, I love it! I’m really looking forward to starting it as well.

Six Stories (#1 Six Stories) by Matt Wesolowksi

I have also already started this book and I’m about halfway through and I am liking it a lot so far. This is the first book I’ve read in a podcast format, but it’s really unique and I’m very engaged in the story. I love mysteries, and this is a very unique take on trying to figure out what happened. We have picked this whole series to read as the TWR Gang Series book club (yes we have many branches ahaha), and I think I will really enjoy the whole series!

Salem’s Lot by Stephen King

I have already started this book, but barely, and I am already intrigued. So far I have read 1 Stephen King novel (Carrie) and 4 short stories, and out of all 5, my favourite has been I Am The Doorway so far. I am already liking Salem’s Lot though, it’s different, I’m luckily not scared yet, but I think it will get spooky and I do think I’ll enjoy it, so hopefully I can get a big chunk read this week!

Night Shift by Stephen King

In June, we will also be reading another 4 short stories from this collection of short stories. In the reading order, we will check out: The Mangler, The Boogeyman, Gray Matter and One for the Road. As I am reading this authors’ whole bibliography and I want to give him a fair shot, I’m not going to be reading any of the blurbs, I’m going in completely blind and so far, I’m liking it!

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

I started this book in May but obviously didn’t get very far yet. It is a very chunky one, but I’ve heard some insanely good things about it. I think it’s going to be a weekend binge type of book. I kind of know the premise but it’s been a while since I read it, so once again, going in fairly blind. I have to start again because I can’t remember enough to keep going, but I do know I was already intrigued, so that’s fairly positive already!

The Ultimate Evil: The Search for the Sons of Sam by Maury Terry

And the last buddy read is another True Crime book and I am really looking forward to it. if I remember correctly, it is about a cult, but I don’t know much more than that. I was really intrigued by the blurb when I did read that last month, and it’s one I have on my Kindle so will be easy to pull out at my internship on my breaks (as long as people don’t read over my shoulder and think I’m a bit weird ahah)!

Shards of Earth (#1 The Final Architects Trilogy) by Adrian Tchaikovsky

I am yet to finish this book, but I really need to. The tour is over already, yikes, where did the time go?? But I’m already 50% in I think and I remember enough to not have to go back to the start. I might backtrack a chapter or two, but I was enjoying it so much that I know going back to it after nearly a whole month won’t be jarring. I’m looking forward to finallllllyyyy finishing it!

The Mostly Invisible Boy (#1 Casey Grimes) by A. J. Vanderhorst

This is a tour I’ll be participating on this week and I am really looking forward to it. It is middle grade fantasy and I had read a few chapters already and liked what I read so far. I can’t really remember the blurb for this one either, but I like going into MG blind, it makes it feel so much more magical. I am going to pick this up as soon as possible (writing this on Monday, so maybe already have started it actually!!).

Mirrorland by Carole Johnstone

I opted to do a spotlight for this book which already went up on Monday (you can find it here), but from the first impressions and opinions I’ve already read from other people on the tour, I actually NEED to read it now. They all made it sound incredible and I am going to give it my best shot. I didn’t think it would sound like my thing, but I have been won over and I am optimistic. Erika and Noly have both read and really enjoyed it, and they are among the people I trust the most with reading tastes and opinions, so I have high hopes!

The Moon Over Kilmore Quay by Carmel Harrington

I still have no started this book, but it sounds and looks like a very summery read, and I think it would be nice to break up some of the bigger and heavier books. I’m not going to force myself to read it if I can’t get to it before the end of the month, but I’ll have it on standby if I’m in this kind of mood.

Chasing the Italian Dream by Jo Thomas

Much the same for this last ARC. I haven’t started it yet, but I do know that I like this author’s writing style and voice a lot, so I am pretty sure I’ll enjoy it. I am keeping it for the days I’ll be freaking out over my thesis presentation, as I know it will be fun, easy, quick, take my mind off things and hopefully be really cute!

We are still not done with A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, but we will maybe have time to read it over the summer, so the Hype-A-Thon Book could be a new one soon, yay!

Malamander (#1 The Legends of Eeerie-on-Sea) by Thomas Taylor

As for the Middle Grade Marvels book club, we have picked an amazing book this month. I have already read half of it (managed to stay on track so far aha) and I am loving it. It has great spooky vibes, so very unique and I know I’ll end up loving it and continuing the series, so this is one I know I will finish this month for sure!

Well, this is quite an ambitious list, but I’m not going to push myself much, just try to give these all a good shot. It’s been a few weeks since I have sat down and just read properly for a few hours, so I am really looking forward to having the summer off (university work I mean, not actual work). I’m also going to start my thesis reading in July, as soon as my presentation is done and dusted, so keep an eye out for a special part to my next TBR post.

That’s all for now, I hope you enjoyed reading this post, see you soon, stay safe,

Ellie xx

P.S. Can I just say I thoroughly enjoyed writing this post? It is SO good to be back to blogging, I had missed it terribly!