June book review time!!! I really enjoyed each book I read this month, which is kind of rare! Usually there is one that I just wasn’t crazy about. Definitely a number of different genres for you to choose from, hope you find something you like!
“Paris is Always a Good Idea” was a fun summer read, easy little chick-lit romance kind of thing…and when it’s set with the backdrop of Europe, you know I’m going to eat that up haha! Chelsea works as a fundraiser for a cancer organization, and when her father tells her he is going to get remarried, she realizes that she really hasn’t been happy since the death of her mother. She travels to Europe to retrace her steps from when she lived abroad, revisiting each of the boyfriends she had over those years. Not much goes according to her plan, but she does “find” herself and again and finds love when she leasts expects it. Some language in this one but I don’t remember it being awful, maybe some parts were worse than others, overall it was a cute read!
I love Sally Hepworth, I don’t think I have read a book from her that I didn’t like. “The Younger Wife” was another great psychological thriller, where the father of two daughters divorces his wife who has early on set alzheimers, to marry a younger wife. Everyone has secrets and things from their past that they can’t make sense of, it was interesting to see how it all unfolded.
“The Diamond Eye” was my favorite book that I read this month, and most likely one of my top three favorites for this year. I love Kate Quinn as an author, some of her books have a lot of bad language, but this one was not as bad as say “The Alice Network.” She is an amazing writer though, and I love how she pulls out obscure stories from history to make novels out of them. This story was about the life of Mila Pavlichenko, a librarian mother turned Russian sniper, earning the nickname “Lady Death.” I learned so much about when Hitler invaded Russia during WW2, how desperate the situations were and the role of Russian women in the war. After accomplishing her 300th kill, Mila is sent to the United States to help with relations and try to convince the U.S. to help with the war. She has a beautiful friendship with Lady Roosevelt, and it was neat to read that part of the story. There is a good amount of embellishment at the end, which was probably my least favorite part of the book, but it was a great story overall and drove me to research more about Mila online.
I listened to “The Book of Moods,” and overall I liked this one, but it probably wasn’t my most favorite that I have listened to from this genre. I did learn a lot, but the whole time I kept thinking, “This girl needs God in her life!” So many things she talked about could have been resolved by having peace in our Lord and being able to go to Him in prayer, having that kind of purpose in your life, but I did think there was a good amount to take away from this book that was helpful. A lot of small things you can do to feel more fulfilled in relationships and different situations in life, and just seeing why certain things trigger you to feel a certain way.
Ahhh I loved “A Discovery of Witches!” A friend of mine read this and recommended it to me, and I’m so glad I dove into this one! A longer read, but so good. Diana works at Oxford as a professor, researching alchemical manuscripts. She unknowingly calls a bewitched manuscript one day during her research, which causes all kinds of creatures to take note of her. Being a witch herself but wanting nothing to do with magic, she sends the manuscript back into the library. A vampire, Matthew, takes note of Diana, and the attention she has drawn to herself, and takes it upon himself to look after her. Diana is not happy about this but gradually gets to know him and sees that she needs his help. Their relationship unfolds, and they begin to try and seek out this manuscript and the information it holds.
And that’s it for June! If you’re interested in seeing what else I have read this year, check out my links to other months below and lots more book reviews under my Book tab!
What I’m Reading – January 2022