Forever Lost in Literature: Month in Review: June 2023

This was supposed to be posted last Saturday, but apparently Blogger decided to just not publish my scheduled post and I just realized it, so... here we are, a bit delayed!

June went by so ridiculously quickly, I'm still feeling lost about what's going on this year. Honestly, time is genuinely flying lately. Does it feel that way for anyone else? Nothing exceptionally exciting has happened this month for me, which is honestly probably for the best, haha. Growing up, I was never really a summer person and preferred winter, but I feel like lately I've been enjoying the brighter days (well... somewhat brighter days now that LA seems to slowly be moving out of the consistent gloom) and calmer vibes, even if nothing else in my life has really changed. Do you enjoy summer? (Probably a dumb question because most people enjoy summer, but not all!)

In reading news, I read some fantastic books in June! I caved and read an early ARC of Thornhedge (I usually wait until closer to a book's publication date, which is in August!) and absolutely loved it, and I also really enjoyed getting into John Milas' The Militia House. Min Jin Lee's Pachinko was also a great historical fiction that made me really want to get back to more historical fiction this year. I read a lot of other great books as well, and I'll list all those below, as well as my usual roundup of posts from the past month. I've been a bit behind in blogging in general and am a little disappointed by the number of reviews I managed to get up, but once again a new month brings hope that maybe I can stay on top of things and get back into things (even though this delayed post isn't the best indicator of a great start, haha!). There are a lot of awesome July releases that I have to write reviews for, so hopefully I'll start having those up soon!

How was your June? What books did you read? Let me know in the comments and feel free to link your own wrap-ups (or any posts, really!), and I hope you all have a wonderful July!

# books read: 11

The Militia House by John Milas
Source: NetGalley | Format: eARC

Thoughts: This was an awesome military horror that hit all the right notes for me. Super atmospheric, eerie, and with an ending that I loved.

Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher
Source: Publisher | Format: Physical ARC

Thoughts: I love T. Kingfisher and this novella only continues to show me why!

Black River Orchard by Chuck Wendig
Source: NetGalley | Format: eARC

Thoughts: This felt like a very classic Chuck Wendig horror, full of super creepy elements, complex and well-developed characters, and a plot that is full of twists and turns.

The Sun and the Void by Gabriela Romero Lacruz
Source: Publisher | Format: Physical ARC

Thoughts: I have such mixed feelings on this one! It had a strong start that I felt was very promising, but I felt my interest waning a bit as the story progressed and things just felt like I'd read them before. It's very info-dumpy, but it also has a rich world and background, so a bit of a mix there. I'll probably still read the sequel and go from there with deciding whether I want to continue the series or not.

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
Source: Purchased | Format: Paperback

Thoughts: I'd been meaning to get to this book for years and I'm so glad I finally did. This was an incredible multi-generational story.

The Cloisters by Katy Hays
Source: Purchased | Format: Hardcover

Thoughts: Hm, this had all the right ingredients to be a new favorite, but the execution didn't quite work for me. It was still a pretty enjoyable read, but there were a few too many things that just didn't flow or quite make sense.

Savage Crowns (Savage Rebellion #3) by Matt Wallace
Source: Publisher | Format: Paperback

Thoughts: This was a wonderful conclusion to a really enjoyable trilogy. I've really enjoyed these books and am sorry to see that it's over!

The Rise and Reign of the Mammals: A New History, from the Shadow of the Dinosaurs to Us by Stephen Brusatte
Source: Library | Format: Audiobook

Thoughts: This was a fascinating book about the history of mammals and their evolution from beginning until now. Highly recommended for anyone even remotely interested in the topic–Brusatte does an excellent job of sharing complex ideas in approachable ways.

Gothikana by RuNyx
Source: Library | Format: Audiobook

Thoughts: This was a dark romance I'd seen mentioned a lot, so figured I'd check it out. I loved the setting and had a good time with it, though probably not a favorite. I just saw a couple days ago that it's been picked up by Tor's new imprint, Bramble, so congrats to RuNyx!

Boy Parts by Eiza Clark
Source: Library | Format: Audiobook

Thoughts: This was... messy? I think if you really liked Maeve Fly you'd like this, but the protagonist is somewhat less likable and it makes it a little harder to get invested in the story. I almost DNF'd this a lot, but curiosity got the best of me. It's a worthwhile read, but it's a little disgusting at times and made me feel pretty weird whenever I listened to it. That being said, I think it's supposed to do that, so kudos to it for succeeding!

City of Nightmares by Rebecca Schaeffer
Source: Library | Format: Audiobook

Thoughts: Hm, so this wasn't quite what I was expecting, but I still loved the creativity involved and I think Schaeffer really explored anxiety and truama/fear through the protagonist in incredible ways. I felt really seen and connected a lot

DNF/To-Be-Finished:

The Antiquity Affair by Lee Kelly, Jennifer Marie Thorne
This is really fun so far, but I just found myself not focusing on it as much as I'd like to be, so I took a break. I'm hoping to finish it this month, though!

The Company by J.M. Varese
This is the perfect gothic mystery and really reads like a classic, but it wasn't working for me at the moment. Still, I don't have much of it left so plan to finish it up this month as well.