What I Read in June 2017

June was a pretty good month for my reading progress! I read nine books in the month of June, which is just over the 8.3 book per month average I need to hit my goal of 100 books for the year. I’m currently at 59 books for the year, which is 8 books ahead of schedule – yay!

5 stars:

Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy, by Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant: Adam Grant’s books are always outstanding and well-researched, and I was thrilled to see him join forces with Sheryl Sandberg, who I admire. This didn’t disappoint – I loved this book so much. I learned a lot not just for myself, but also on how I can better support friends facing adversity. I’ve been talking about this book pretty much nonstop since I read it at the beginning of the month, and I highly recommend it to everyone!

4 stars:

The Body Book, by Cameron Díaz: Although this was very comprehensive, it didn’t really teach me anything new. However, the way that Diaz talked about nutrition made me really think about food as fuel rather than pleasure, and it made me a lot more conscious of how I choose to nourish myself. I caught myself making a few better choices as a result of reading! I am looking forward to reading her Longevity Book this month.

Christmas at the Cupcake Cafe, by Jenny Colgan: I liked this even better than the original Cupcake Cafe that I read in May. It was still sweet and a nice feel-good novel, but less predictable and more realistic. I really enjoyed seeing the characters explore and adapt to New York!

Lilac Girls, by Martha Hall Kelly: Loved this book, which told the story of the Holocaust from a number of different perspectives. Reading about the Polish resistance fighters was difficult, as my grandfather fought in the Polish resistance and it was tough to stomach all that he must have gone through. I had also been aware that the Nazis conducted medical experiments, but didn’t fully understand until this book what that actually entailed. Excellent historical fiction.

The Perfect Neighbors, by Sarah Pekkanen: For a bit of a lighter read, I loved the premise behind this book, as well as the characters. It reminds me so much of my own town, right down to the funny listserv emails that start each chapter! However, the ending was a little too neat and tidy and contrived for me to give it a full 5 stars. Still, recommend.

3 stars:

Summer at Little Beach Street Bakery, by Jenny Colgan: This was really cute and I was intrigued to see the continuation of the original story. However, the main character Polly was not nearly as likeable in this sequel as she was in the first book.

Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City, by Matthew Desmond: I seem to be the only one who didn’t love this book. While I certainly found it eye-opening and heartbreaking, I also felt that it was very dry – parts of it read like a textbook, even when the facts were interspersed with the tenant stories. However, there were so many people profiled and their stories jumped around too much, so I didn’t always remember the individual circumstances by the time we got back to a family. I’m still glad I read it, but wouldn’t recommend it as strongly as several friends did to me.

Curious?: Discover the Missing Ingredient to a Fulfilling Life, by Todd Kashdan: This was okay, but nowhere near as good as “The Upside of Your Dark Side” – it just didn’t draw me in quite as much, even though the topic was interesting. There is definitely a strong argument to be made for trying to become more curious rather than blase, but this book wasn’t very compelling in how it made that argument.

1 star:

Raymie Nightingale, by Kate DiCamillo: This was an incredibly weird, boring book. I finished it only because it was so short, bu the ending had a strange twist that made me regret wasting my time. I really don’t understand the purpose of this book – it seemed pretty pointless.

Any book recommendations for me? Follow me here on Goodreads to keep up with what I’m reading in real time.