June Reading List & Grilled Kabob Recipes

My Mom was an avid reader. She only entered churches for weddings and christenings, but we attended the library, religiously. I knew every inch of the Westwood library front to back. I think everyone in my Mom‘s family likes to read or at least one person in each family branch are bookworms. I have a Cousin from each of my Mom’s Brother’s families that read just about as much as I do, or at least they would, if they had as much time on their hands as I do! Lol. SBean is a reader, my cousin’s eldest daughter reads so much that she has recommended books to me, and My sister’s oldest, SweetPea, is also a bookworm.

Bridgerton season 3 just came out! I read the series right before HBear was born. I was excited and then I had to question, had I even watched the last season? Then I had an epiphany!  When I have shows, full series or at least full seasons of shows at my fingertips… I don’t watch them. Yet I still watch, my weekly shows on normal network television like Grey’s. Even if I record them, I still watch them as close to weekly as possible. I have started SO many series on Netflix or at least put them on my watchlist but I don’t continue them (even though they are good) because they’re all there, if I want. Same with books. I collect books, but I don’t read them, even though they are wonderful books. But, if I take them out at the library, I read every single one. Is this condition called something? Like, is there medication for this? LOL

I have been reading up a storm these past few months! I am in a book challenge at my local library called The Ultimate Book Nerd Challenge and I find books that I WANT to read but ALSO fulfill the 58 challenges. I have completed 39 badges so far. PLUS I may read the whole series but I only count 1 book (the first) in my Book Nerd Challenge. Right now my TOTAL book tally is at 46, so I obviously had to start 2 more challenges to put my “also reads” somewhere. LOL This time around I picked books keeping in mind a few things, MS Awareness Month, which is in May here in Canada and Pride Month, which is in June. Please let me know if you read any of these books, I love sharing book thoughts! Just a reminder, you can click on the book title to take you to my affiliated Amazon page!

Books for my Ultimate Book Nerd Challenge:

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross  I love books about the gods, but this one took me a minute to get into because the mythology isn’t the normal Greek/Roman mythology that I know. However, before part two started, I was totally hooked! I loved Lily and Roman’s work relationship, frenemy relationship, and their secret pen pal relationship. I didn’t expect the frontline war story or the twist at the end. I can’t wait to read the second book in the enchanted letters duology!

None of This is True by Lisa Jewell Another twisted take by this fabulous author! I read this book in one day, it was fast paced, interesting and easy to follow considering it is being told from different narratives. This is a dark book but told like a true crime podcast which we are all so familiar with these days. I wasn’t a fan of the ending but I tend to like endings that wrap up nicely. I will be thinking about Alix and Josie for the foreseeable future.

Something Wilder by Christina Lauren I loved this cast of characters. Right away I could picture Leo and his friends because we all have friends like each of them. I really liked Nicole right away too, I love a book with a strong set of supporting characters. Halfway through the book, there was a shocking development that I didn’t see coming and changed the whole story! This author duo sure knows how to write a good romance story.

Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano 35 pages in and I’m was ugly crying. This book was a beautiful look at a tragic disaster. I loved Edward and the way he came into himself. I loved how each chapter switched from time periods, the day of a plane crash that left only Edward as the sole survivor, and the all the days after. It was a different look at grief and unanswered questions. Each relationship was interesting and I was very happy with the ending.

The List that Changed my Life by Olivia Beirne This book hit me hard. It was a funny book but I found myself relating to Amy the sister newly diagnosed with MS, which was not as funny. If you read it from the perspective of the other sister, the main character who is breaking free of her shell, it’s a wonderful, encouraging, happy read! If you are reading it from the other sister’s point of view, you’re sad for the fact that she cannot complete the list herself. While the book brings MS to people, that may not have heard of it before, it doesn’t do a good job describing what Amy is going through or what MS is. Overall, I think this would have been a fabulous book to read before my diagnosis but for me, right now, it wasn’t the humorous read I was hoping for. It was still a really funny and great read, I own it if anyone wants to borrow it! LOL

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead This was an interesting way of looking at history. I read it for the challenge: Has An Alternate History. What if the underground railroad was an actual train? What if individual states banned people of color? Every stop on Cora’s way was like a different world. This was an eye-opening book that made me reflect on many things.

Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe This was a wonderful graphic novel! This book is the perfect way to introduce pronoun and gender questioning to people. This novel is a short read, but filled with information and understanding. To have someone write and illustrate an autobiographical novel that sheds so much light on, someone who identifies as gender neutral, was enlightening, and made me understand something better, and with more compassion and empathy. I would recommend this graphic novel to everyone.

Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano At first I wasn’t sure about this book. Finlay‘s life seemed messy, but murder? I’m glad I kept reading because this is a smart book. It had humor, so many twists, and the storyline was fast paced. I love how the author managed to keep Finlay so innocent, despite all the chaos around her. I can’t wait to read the second book in this series.

Tripping in Flats by Barbara Stensland This was a little like reading my own journal/blog. This book is a collection of blog posts that the author uses to describe her daily life living with multiple sclerosis. It is the story of the first two years of her life after her diagnosis. I could relate because I too, am two years into my MS diagnosis. It took me months to read this book. It is laid out like her blog, every page or two is a different post labelled with the date. It was a little too on the nose some places and I would put it down for a few days and then come back to it. If you have someone in your life that suffers from MS, this would be a great book to read to understand more about the disease and their daily life. I own it so if anybody wants to borrow it, let me know! Lol

The Little Liar by Mitch Albom Truth is the narrator! Wow. This book shed light on the atrocities of WW2 and the crimes of the Nazi regime. A story of 4 people and how the choices that they make and paths that they are forced down, make them the people that they are. This book made me cry, nauseous, and scared for the future. I wish I could say it gave me hope. This book will stay with me for a very long time.

One Heart to Win by Johanna Lindsey I have read many Johanna Lindsey novels over the years and this wasn’t one of my favorites. I prefer her pirate novels to her cowboy novels I guess. This had a spitfire heroine, a dashing cowboy, a family feud, and a convoluted storyline. Ultimately it was about revenge, family secrets, and a little bit of romance in the Wild West, which was the the reading challenge category!

Also Read:
Skye O’Malley by Bertrice Small This is an old book that I ready MANY years ago. I saw someone mention it somewhere so I wanted to see if it was like I remembered. It was lol. This book is full of pirates, selling women into sex slavery, legal rape, machismo, sexism, racism and even incest! So, basically a typical historical romance bodice ripper! If that’s your thing and you can look past… all that lol, this is a good series and Skye kicks ass I especially liked the frenemy relationship between her and Queen Elizabeth I.

Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead by Elle Cosimano This is the 2nd book in the Finlay Donovan Series. It wasn’t a fluke, this is a funny series that is quick and action packed. I also LOVE her nanny/accountant Veronica and the 2 men in Finlay’s unexpected love triangle.

Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun by Elle Cosimano I really can’t say enough good things about the series! Finley is hilarious, the way each situation unfolds is genius, and there’s a best friend side character that is worthy of her own storyline, plus romance/love triangle with two amazing men. This is the third book in the series and the amount that has happened in such a short period of time, is crazy!

The Brothers Hawthorne by Jennifer Lynn Barnes I loved this book even more that the trilogy that introduced me to the Hawthorne brothers. Jameson and Grayson and their individual games/stories was fascinating. Even more than the mystery of Avery which was solved in the Inheritance Games trilogy. This is afterwards but the secrets and games continue! I loved learning about more about the 2 brothers and especially liked when the other 2 brothers were there for them. Hopefully we learn even more about Nash and Xander in the next one!

DNF:
Go as a River by Shelley Read my second DNF of the year. This book was rated the #1 historical fiction of 2023. Every single review was that it was a sad but beautiful read. I read almost 100 pages and just couldn’t get into it. Sometimes it’s just the frame of mind that you’re in. I will keep this title on my TBR list and I will give it another go at a later date.