I didn't get through many books in June. Life continues to be oddly paced and probably will continue to be. The new normal, I guess. The covers of the new books I read this month have a very similar color scheme (top row). Must be a summer release thing to have blue and yellow covers.

Faro’s Daughter, by Georgette Heyer
A reread. I’ve only read this Heyer once before. It is, of course, a fun read, but not terribly memorable. The heroine in this one has fallen on hard times. Her aunt, to make ends meet, has opened a gambling hell in their home, but it isn’t doing very well. Deborah, our heroine, is one of the main draws of the den and a young man has fallen in love with her. His fabulously wealthy cousin, Max Ravenscar, is sent to dissuade Deborah from marrying the young man. Deborah has no intention of doing so, but is so outraged by Ravenscar’s interference that she doubles down saying she won’t give the cousin up, all the while setting up a more suitable match for him while falling for Ravenscar.
 
Murder is Easy, by Agatha Christie
I listened to this one. It’s one of Christie’s few mysteries that didn’t star Hercule Poirot or Miss Marple. I really enjoyed both the story and the production. It’s funny, I saw this story as a BBC mystery a few years ago, but it had been turned into a Miss Marple story and was HORRIBLE. The original mystery is a lot of fun, with a romance thrown in. I don’t think I’ve read an Agatha Christie where the main characters have a romance and it was quite well done. The story follows Luke Fitzwilliam who has just returned to the U.K. after working as a police officer overseas. On the train to London, an older woman tells him that she believes there to have been a string of murders, staged as accidents, in her village and she is on her way to Scotland Yard. Luke doesn’t believe her until a few days later, he reads her obituary and finds that she was accidently killed only a few minutes after leaving his company. He decides to investigate. The mystery is very twisty, but overall satisfying—as all good Christie mysteries are.
 
Dress Coded, by Carrie Firestone
This is a middle grade novel that I think any tween, boy or girl, would benefit from. Molly Frost is nearing the end of 8th grade and preparing for high school, but she is fed up with the dress code at her middle school—especially since boys and girls like her (underdeveloped) are never dress coded. When a friend is unduly humiliated by the male principal, Molly starts a podcast to tell the world about the unfair dress code being forced on them. She gets a lot of support from her friends and even high school girls who were subject to the code, and a movement is started to get the dress code removed. This book has a lot going for it; great characters, subplots that are important, but that don’t take away from the main story; characters that learn how to stick up for themselves and their friends (boys) who learn how to be allies. It’s a light story but has a lot of subtext that I think tweens would really relate to. 
 
The Boyfriend Project, by Farrah Rochon
Another listen (three this month!). A lovely romance featuring characters of color. Samiah is a successful IT programmer who is catfished by a three-timing loser. While the guy is a jerk, the women he chose are awesome and the three ladies become fast friends. They’re all in the same place—career-minded but looking for love. They decide to take six months off dating to take care of themselves. Unfortunately for Samiah, this vow coincides with a sexy new coworker. This a is a lovely story about the importance of friendship, putting yourself first, and opening yourself up to love. Just enough tension so that the happy ending feels deserved.
 
Fire and Hemlock, by Diana Wynne Jones
I love Diana! This may not be my favorite book by her, but it is still so full of magic and delight that I know I’ll read it again. 19-year-old Polly is packing to head back to university after summer holidays. But a niggling of a memory comes to her and she realizes she has two sets of memories that diverge when she was ten. In one, she lives a normal life. In the other, she has a friend named Tom Lynn—a man who befriended her when she accidently crashes a funeral. In those memories, she and Tom are fast friends. We read along as the memories come back to her to find out their whole history together. There is dark magic afoot, and now that Polly remembers Tom, she realizes he is in great danger and must try to save his life. Quintessential DWJ. Can’t go wrong reading this book.
 
Aurora Blazing, by Jessie Mihalik
A reread. After reading the third book in the Consortium series, I wanted to read the second one again. The first time I listened to it—and loved it—so I wanted to read it to get a better understanding of how it ties the first book and the third together. Still an awesome space-princesses-that-kick-butt series.
 
Big Summer, by Jennifer Weiner
My third audio book of the month. I’ve never read any Weiner before, but I know she is very popular, writing books about women and their relationships. This may not have been the best book to start with as it seems to be a different format than what she usually writes. I liked it well enough. Probably not enough to read more of her books. The story follows Daphne, a plus-sized influencer, as she reconnects with a high school friend that treated her badly before they stopped speaking six years before. When Drue asks Daphne to be in her wedding, she reluctantly agrees and we find out how badly Drue treated not only Daphne, but everyone. The first half of the book is about understanding the relationship between the two girls. The second half is about Daphne trying to understand Drue. There is a murder in the middle, followed by an investigation, but that seemed really forced in order to get Daphne and her two friends to the place to have a Big Ending. I guess it’s just not my cup of tea. I did enjoy parts of the book about how Daphne began to appreciate herself and create a life independently of Drue.

 
Tristan Strong Punches the Sky, by Kwame Mbalia
Excellent middle grade novel touching on mythology from Africa and the African American diaspora with figures such as Brer Rabbit, John Henry, and Gum Baby. The story follows young Tristan, a boy from Chicago who was raised on his Southern grandmother’s folktales. When he visits her Alabama farm for the summer, he accidently tears a whole between his world and the world of folklore, Alke, bringing with him a terrible evil. He’s tasked with traveling Alke to find the Spider God’s story box, meeting people and gods throughout. This series is one from Rick Riordan’s (Percy Jackson) Presents, a series that has writers write the mythology of their own heritage. I enjoyed this book but it took me forever to read, as the pacing just didn’t work for me. I had the same problem when I read another book from Presents. I think Riordan has a story structure that the writers have to follow—a structure that works great for him in his books, but comes out clunky when other writers have to adapt to it. That said, Tristan Strong is a really solid book with a great plot, with plenty of twists, and awesome characters.
 
Trail of Lightening, by Rebecca Roanhorse
Jumping off from Tristan Strong, I decided to read this one because Roanhorse wrote the other Rick Riordan Presents book that I had trouble with (but still really enjoyed), Race to the Sun. I wanted to see if the pacing issue was the writer or the formula. Definitely not the writer. This is a damn good book. Set in the near future where much of the world is now underwater, the Navajo nation survives and thrives. However, the gods that were once myth, are now physically present in the world, as are the monsters and other evil entities. A new type of monster shows up and monster-slayer Maggie must find who is bringing them into the world and stop them. Really good dystopian fantasy. Action-packed and culturally interesting, I highly recommend this one.
 
The Happy Ever After Playlist, by Abby Jimenez
The best part about this book is the meet-cute. I listened to this one and was so giddy about the long-distance, getting-to-know-each-other part at the beginning. The rest is OK. I was really expecting there to be some playlist making action here, but it turns out the playlist is just a song title at the beginning of each chapter. The story: Sloane can’t get over the death of her fiancé two years before until she meets Jason and everything just seems to click. Except that Jason is actually Jackson Waters, a phenom singer songwriter whose star is rising. They have to figure out how to be together even though Jason will be touring for the next few years. The reason I wasn’t too excited about this story is that it felt like they kept putting obstacles in front of themselves that if they stepped back for half a second to think about it, wouldn’t be an obstacle at all. And I’m all for a HEA, but I like it when the story ends as the lovers realize they are going to be together forever so I can imagine how awesome their lives will be. This one has an epilogue that comes three years later where everything is too fairy tale perfect. It’s kind of beyond fairy-tale perfect, which rubbed me the wrong way.
 
The Hum & the Shiver, by Alex Bledsoe
I’ve had this book on my shelves for years. I got it as a gift and I think my friend chose it for me as the main character’s last name is Hyatt, like me. I suppose this book could go under a magical realism heading, or maybe just fantasy. It’s a story about a musical, superstitious people from a small town in the Great Smoky mountains, who may or may not be magic. There is an element of fantasy that underlies the story, yet that’s not really the story. We follow Bronwyn Hyatt, a wounded veteran, as she returns home after two years. She went away a hellion and most people figure she’ll still be that way, but war has changed her. Her family is also facing a death which she’ll do anything to stop, but she will have to revive her connection to the music before she can help anyone. OK, that is massively cryptic and only part of the story. This is a slow burn, but worth a read. I was never quite sure where the story was going, but in a good way.
 
Strong Poison, by Dorothy Sayers
I’m officially a fan of Dorothy Sayers now after finishing my second of her Peter Whimsey books. She writes comfortable mysteries. Even though the stakes are high—Harriet Vane, a woman on the line for poisoning her ex-boyfriend, is in jail with a very solid case against her. Sir Peter Whimsey takes an interest in the case and sets in motion a number of inquiries to find the real murderer using his cadre of “forgotten females” to probe new lines query. Great mystery, more female characters than you often get in any mystery of any age, and a subtle romance. A really good read.
 
Friend or Fiction, by Abby Cooper
Jade lives in a town where nobody stays for long, which makes it hard to keep friends. Instead, she made up the perfect best friend, Zoe, and spends her time writing about their adventures together. When Zoe magically becomes real, Jade starts having all the adventures she wanted. The problem is that now that Zoe is a real person, other people want to be her friend too and Jade does not want to share. I really like this middle grade novel. Jade has to learn to come out of her shell to be friends with real people—even I can identify with that. A well written story, with 11-year-old characters that felt true.
 
Chaos Reigning, by Jessie Mihalik
All too soon, the Consortium Rebellion series, comes to an end with the third book in the series. I wrote about the first one several months ago as the “princess in space book I didn’t know I needed.” Just like the other two, the third didn’t disappoint. In Chaos Reigning, we follow House Von Hasenberg’s youngest daughter as she turns spy. Her older sister, worried about Catarina working in the field, sends along a bodyguard who has to pretend to be her boyfriend, but Kat has a deep secret that could be exposed if he gets too close. Political intrigue, traitorous rulers, fun action, and some excellent romance make this a hard book to put down.

I've really gotten back into embroidering. I've been making patches. They are quick and don't take up too much space. I find I get to be really creative in a very small space.

I read a lot in May, like a lot. I finished 14 books. Granted several of them I’d started in April or before. Three were audio books I listened to while embroidering. Still, I’m kind of impressed with myself.
 
Passing Strange, by Ellen Klages
It’s hard to talk about this novella without giving too much away. The story follows six women in 1930s San Francisco and their involvement in the lesbian counterculture there at the time—primarily artist Haskell and newcomer Emily as they fall for each other. The story is prefaced by Helen, one of the six women, in the present time settling her affairs as she is dying, including disposing of the last piece of art that Haskell created. It is a lovely story full of magic and romance with an ending, if not happy, at least satisfying. Definitely recommend.
 
If I Never Met You, by Mhairi McFarlane
I listened to/read a lot of great books in May, but this was probably one of my favorites. We follow Laurie as her partner of 18 years suddenly dumps her. What’s worse is that they are both lawyers at the same firm, then she finds that he was cheating on her. Devasted, but not willing to show it, she forms a pretend relationship with her firm’s lothario, Jamie, to prove how much she is not hurting, Laurie finds a comforting friend in Jamie and then some more. What I liked best about this book was Laurie’s relationship with her best friend and Jamie’s opening up to being in a loving relationship. You’ll cry, and cringe, and laugh, and you’ll have a very happy ending.
 
When We Were Vikings, by Andrew David MacDonald
What a wonderful book. Vikings stayed with me for weeks after I read it. The characters were so real and the story so vivid, I felt like I really knew these people. The story is told from the POV of Zelda, a young woman who is mentally disabled. She comes from a very broken home and she now lives with her brother, Gert, who takes care of her. Zelda is obsessed with Vikings and wants to create her own legend. This is hard for her to do living in poverty with Gert, who is involved in some shady dealings. But she has lots of friends and supporters who help her find her way. I highly recommend this book. However, there is some truly terrible violence towards the end. Just want to put that out there if that’s not your thing.
 
To Kill A Mocking Girl, by Harper Kincaid
I listened to this romantic mystery. It was cute but a bit too saccharine for me. Quinn has recently returned to her small hometown in Virginia. Reconnecting with her friends and family, she meets up with an old frenemy who winds up dead later that night. Cause of death is unknown but it mimics the death of a doctor a few months previous. Quinn feels obligated to look into the murder since she found the body which puts her up against Detective Aiden—her brother’s best friend and her long-time crush. The mystery was good, but all the shenanigans around it was fairly expected.
 
Still Life With Tornado, by A.S. King
If you haven’t read King’s The Dust of 100 Dogs, do yourself a favor. I hadn’t read any other A.S. King books beside that one and had picked this one up awhile ago. It was terrific. We follow teenage artist Sarah as she is going through a deep depression, has dropped out of school, and who keeps running into older and younger versions of herself as she walks about Philadelphia. Something bad happened at school that she’s not willing to face. Something bad happened to her 10-year-old self that she can’t quite remember. But if she is going to survive what’s going on, she will have to face all the versions of herself. Sarah’s story is vivid and captivating. Following her as she works to understand what’s going on felt real and true. Another book that I highly recommend.
 
Ahsoka, by E.K. Johnstone
In May, we watched the last season of the animated The Clone Wars, so I had to reread Ahsoka—the book that immediately follows the series and is all about my favorite Star Wars character. It was as great as I remembered. Ahsoka, a young woman trained as a Jedi but who rejected the Jedi order, is adrift on the Outer Rim after faking her death. She tries to lay low, but she can’t stop helping those who need it. It puts both herself and any new friends in danger so she has to move often. When she reaches a farming community that is taken over by the Empire, she realizes that she has to stop running and she has to fight for what she believes in. If you’re a Star Wars fan—especially if you’re a fan of media other than the movies—then you’ll like this book.
 
The Turn of the Screw, by Henry James
I tried to read this several times over the years and finally got through it. It’s a creepy book for sure, but so long winded that it’s hard to read everything without skimming. Screw is the first-person account of a young, inexperienced governess as she takes care of a boy and girl on a remote estate. The children are beautiful, yet silent. The governess soon discovers that there are evil spirits at work and that they have come for the children. The Turn of the Screw is worth a read to know the source material of so many different films and shows. It’s considered a novella, but is so wordy it felt like a much longer book.

These were presents for my mom and stepmom for Mother's Day. I thought I would embroider some flowers to mail, since I couldn't take them any.