What I Read In June 2020.
It was another great reading month over here. There are so many good books out right now that I can’t figure out which ones I want to read first! I really enjoyed everything I read this month.
While I’m keeping my reviews here on the blog, remember that you can follow the goodreads account with what I’m reading, so you can see what I read in real time.
You can also join the book club! We have the instagram and secret facebook group here.
You can find my reading lists here and previous What I Read posts here. I’d love to hear below what you read this month!
What I Read In June 2020
The Knockout Queen – 4 stars
This story absolutely gutted me. I could not stop reading. This is not a light and happy read whatsoever, but it is an incredible read! The story follows two friends in high school who grow up next door to each other, though they are in very different family and economic situations. Something happens that changes their fate forever. I loved their friendship so much, even though at times, Bunny was frustrating. The ending was heart wrenching. I could totally see this made into a movie! Only downside was that some very small sections dragged a bit.
Happy and You Know It – 3.5 stars
Guys! I had a hard time getting into this one. The story follows a musician who is dropped from her band and ends up taking a job for an NYC mommy playgroup. (Side note: do NYC playgroups actually hire musicians? What?!) There is lots of drama, one of the mothers is an influencer and there’s a scandal that is kind of crazy. It was good, but I just found that the story wasn’t really holding my interest. I liked it, but didn’t love it. I will say the wildest part was reading about NYC during “regular life,” you know? Ha!
28 Summers – 4.75 stars
I basically wait all year for Elin’s summer novel and this one did not disappoint. I definitely wanted a different ending – and you find out about the ending in the first chapter. The story follows a couple who has an affair for 28 summers straight on Nantucket. I loved the news brief at the start of each chapter and how she wave some history into each chapter and meeting. Only thing I didn’t love were the few chapters without a meeting update! I wanted more of the main characters in every chapter I could get.
The Vanishing Half – 5 Stars
I got HOOKED on this story instantly. The book follows Black twin girls, but one of them passes for white. The story follows them throughout their whole life – the completely different lives they lead and where they end up. The flow of this story reminded me a lot of Mrs Everything (which I also adored) – it’s a story that is told from when the girls are young as they grow older. I couldn’t wait to see what happened at the end of this story. I didn’t necessarily love the ending – I found it to be a little heartbreaking. But it was SO GOOD.
Clap When You Land – 4.5 stars
Another great one!! I know. I know, This was such a good reading month. This story follows two sisters who share a father… but don’t know it. One lives in the Dominican Republic and one lives in NYC. They end up learning about each other and the story goes from there. This is another story I got sucked into and finished in 36 hours. Oh oh and this book is written in verse! At first I was like ummm I am not going to like this, but I quickly took to the writing style and it ended up being fantastic. Def recommend it.
The Lies That Bind – 5 stars
This was another win for me. I actually can’t get over how much I loved this book. It felt very old school Emily Giffin in the writing – like back when I loved Something Borrowed. The story does revolved around 9/11 and I was taken aback but how much the story affected me. I was instantly transported back to when I was in college and watched the second plate hit live on TV. The story itself is so good and there are a few little twists that are semi-predictable but great. I’m actually surprised how much I loved this book.
White Fragility
I read this book and it was very eye opening for me. I will say that since reading it on June 1, I’ve learned that it probably was not the best anti-racist book to start with, so I’ve since added others to my list. This book though did show me how it’s incredibly important not to center yourself when it comes to antiracism and how you really have to get out of your comfort zone.
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17 Comments on “What I Read In June 2020.”
Interesting. I’ve read all of Elin’s books (I’m a huge fan) and 28 Summers was the first one I actively loathed. I had a visceral dislike for every character. I felt like she was phoning it in with this novel. I gave it 1.5 stars on my librarything account (I’m a librarian and a lot of librarians use librarything) :)
oh wow!! crazy!!
i get it tho, while i loved this one there have been others of hers that i did not enjoy (off the top of my head, i can think of beautiful day and nantucket nights)
I felt the same way about Happy and You Know It. The plot twist at the end was something I didn’t see coming though. It was slow to get there.
I just finished the Vanishing Half. And Clap When you Land. SO GOOD. Also, the audiobook of Clap When you Land is really good
yesss so good!
Clap When You Land is next in my audiobook queue and I was nervous it would be hard to follow because of how it’s written, thanks for posting this!
What has you heard against White Fragility As a starting point anti-racist read? Just curious as this was my “first step” in educating myself on this issue and would love to hear more opinions/thoughts.
so from what i understand (have read recently and been told), this may not be the best first step because the author is white. i’ve seen some concern about it being easier to digest for white people since the author is white, and that the anti-racist step would be to read anti-racism from Black authors. the book i’m listening to now on audible is how to be an anti racist by Ibram X. Kendi!
The best first step is to take a step in the right direction. Reading a variety of authors, of all colors, will enlighten us to issues, viewpoints and perspectives. To say this isn’t a good first step based on the color of the author’s skin gives me great pause.
The whole concept of White Fragility is to explore “the counterproductive reactions white people have when their assumptions about race are challenged, and how these reactions maintain racial inequality.” If this is the gateway for a white person’s understanding of how their behaviors uphold racism then it’s a step in the right direction.
I’m glad you’re diving into additional authors of color and Ibram X Kendi’s book is fantastic.
I have read and understand the same. I started reading White Fragility and watched a really enlightening video by a black woman arguing why the book isn’t the best first step (and went on to really say it shouldn’t be in your list at all) but it really made me thinking since I am a white woman. So, I too am moving on to black authors. It’s a journey and I am glad we’re all on it!
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How do you read so many books with two young kids??
this is a frequently asked question!! i answered it in the comments here :) https://www.howsweeteats.com/2020/02/what-i-read-in-february-2020/
the short answer is i mostly read at night before bed. on weekends it’s not unusual for me to read an entire book both nights, like 5 hours straight. i just love to read!
Oh My! I am impressed you could manage to read seven (7) books in a month! With two kids and a very active career! Not to mention the numerous TVSeries you keep up with! Really superwoman!
there’s not much of anything on in the summer so i read more than usual!
So I just finished The Lies That Bind and unfortunately I hated it! While I could relate to where I was and what happened after 9/11, I thought it was frankly disgusting to capitalize on it for a story line, especially with the “twist” later in the book. I wasn’t a fan of the characters at all, either. Usually I like EG’s books but I thought this was a major disappointment.
you are not alone!! in reading the reviews i bet at least half of them are saying this too. i was actually surprised i liked it so much after reading some of them!