June 2021 Reading
If I thought May was a challenging month, it had nothing on June. I put my nose in a book whenever I could. Life is stressful and I escape by reading fantasy. Therefore, I managed to make good progress in both the October Daye and InCryptid series by Seanan McGuire. I also finished a few other books bringing the total for the month to twenty-two books. I’ve read 123 titles so far this year!
NetGalley Reviews
There is only one NetGalley review this month. I’m working on the others.
Knit Hats: Styles for the Whole Family by Woolly Wormhead
Showcasing Woolly’s unique style, this book has a hat for every member of the family. Pre-order your copy today.
You can read my complete review at little acorn creations.
Read in series and parallel
I don’t yet have coherent thoughts about either the InCryptid or October Daye series. I am enjoying both very much. I’m reading The Winter Long today and feel very much seen in/by/as Toby. Earlier this week I finished Calculated Risks, now that I’m caught up on the InCryptid series and I’ll write up my thoughts.
The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson
I started this book last summer and finished it mid-month before the record-breaking heat wave hit the Pacific Northwest.
This needs to be required reading to understand the big picture and how everything we do impacts the climate.
I highly recommend it with the caveat that the storytelling format, switching between characters, was sometimes distracting.
My Remarkable Journey: A Memoir by Katherine Johnson with Joylette Hylick and Katherine G. Moore
I thankful to read these histories before they are lost to time. This is a beautiful memoir and I’m thankful her daughters helped complete the manuscript. Yes, I most wish for a time machine so I could have read it as someone who loved math in high school (but didn’t know what one could do with it other than teach, and I’d planned to teach music) or as a very young computer science major in college.
Beyond (Founding of Valdemar) by Mercedes Lackey
Wow. Yes. You must read this book. I’d forgotten this book was arriving. I’d recommended it to the library long ago and the automatic fulfillment of my hold on a copy was a pleasant surprise.
Some longtime readers of this world are apparently thrown by the first chapter. I loved it for telling it true (or as true as can be in a fantasy world). Lackey is writing the story as it needs to be written. This establishes how the Founding of Valdemar came to be. I also believe this is a book written in reflection of a world that is not as gentle as it wanted to seem was years ago. In addition to graphic detail, there are f-bombs. If you know me in real life, my language is incredibly salty. I may have shouted “Yes!” more than once while reading as I encountered them.
I loved this new book of Valdemar and am already impatiently awaiting the next one.
July Reading Plans
Shadow finally had surgery this morning to remove his sarcoma after delaying for additional tests. It went well and now we begin his path to recovery. Once he’s home (he’s in kitty ICU tonight), he’ll need to keep quiet for two weeks (not too hard for a 12-year-old lap cat). It should be no surprise that I plan to sit and reread the entire Valdemar series with him.
Last week he and Dot shared some of the packing paper. It made for a good napping spot.
