Monthly Reading Roundup - June 2024

 

Monthly Reading Roundup - June 2024 - What books did I read in June?

June 2024 was a busy reading month, despite being away on a Hen weekend and at a music festival, I still managed to carve out plenty of reading time. I read/listened to 10 books (head over to my 2024 Reading List for links to the reviews, and all of my reviews for 2024 so far). I've not posted any blog updates or reviews for a few days, my laptop decided that it wanted to have a break (literally) so it's in the shop getting repaired. Blog posts on my phone are disastrously slow but I'm still here, slowly getting there!  Happy reading!

My Sister's Grave - Robert Dugoni

Shuggie Bain - Douglas Stuart

Sex, Lies and Chocolate Cake - Steven Morris

The Alone Time - Elle Marr

The Martian - Andy Weir

The Hobbit - J.R.R Tolkien

Bluebeard - Peter McDonnell & Jim Clemente

The Other Mrs Walker - Mary Paulson-Ellis

The Time Traveller's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger

You Like It Darker - Stephen King

These books consisted of 2140 pages and 36.98 hours of listening time. I read more physical/digital books this month but reduced my audiobook listening time as I took annual leave from work so didn't have my weekly commuting hours. This averages out at about 70 pages a day, plus 70 minutes listening time, but similar to last month, I definitely didn't listen or read every day, and I promise I do other things other than reading (sometimes!!). I also listen at 1.7 speed, so my actual time spent listening is almost half of the number of book minutes. Being a Scot, I am used to fast talking so any slower than 1.7 and I get frustrated about how long it's taking :)

Top Rated Books

I rated three books as 5 stars this month, along with four 4 star reads. My 5 star reads were The Martian, Shuggie Bain and You Like It Darker. It really was a month filled with some great reads across multiple genres. I'm finding myself getting more drawn to historical fiction, which surprised me but has opened me up to even more possibilities when I'm browsing the shelves! 

Funniest Book

Sex, Lies and Chocolate Cake was by far the funniest book I read this month (being a comedy, I'd hope so!), it was a short but engaging read and was full of conversational banter and self-depreciating hilarity! Big shout out though to The Martian which was dripping in dry humour and sarcasm despite the gravity (no pun intended) of the situation. 

Most Heart-warming 

The Other Mrs Walker was a heart-warming read which ended on a cosy note and left me feeling hopeful. Though some of the subject matter was tough and bittersweet in parts, the underlying sense of family, similarity, and new bonds, was really sweet. 

Most Likely to Re-Read

The Time Traveller's Wife was already a re-read for me and will always be a story that I can pick up and enjoy at any time. Revisiting The Hobbit might be interesting too, especially once I have completed the LoTR trilogy. Reading it with a bigger understanding of the world is bound to be interesting and enjoyable. I also loved You Like it Darker, and would enjoy re-reading some of the individual stories, to soak their brilliance in even more! 

Top Five

1) The Martian

2) Shuggie Bain

3) You Like It Darker

4) The Time Traveller's Wife

5) The Other Mrs Walker

This month was top notch from start to finish, thoroughly enjoyable reads. I can't wait to see what July holds, I have some great ones on my list of hopefuls, plus plenty of room to squeeze in the unexpected random! 

What did you read this month? What would you recommend to me as my next read from your list?

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