June was a slightly better reading month than May, in terms of quality, anyway. I managed six books again, with a couple of those being for book clubs. I also managed another book for my 12 books recommended by 12 friends reading challenge. I’m still behind, but I’m confident I’ll manage it!

Five of the books I read in June were audiobooks, and the other was a physical read. It was another month of only one nonfiction book, too. Storygraph tells me I physically read 368 pages and listened to almost 42 hours!

Who Let The Gods Out by Maz Evans 4.5*

I started reading this last year with N, and we’ve been reading it on & off until he decided he no longer wanted to carry on. So I did read the majority of this by myself in June. I’ve discovered I’m not a fan of mythology when it comes to adult fiction; however, this was an easy read, being for the tween age!

There was such a variety of characters, and although there was a lot of humour and adventure, there was a heartbreaking backstory throughout. I was eager to know what was going to happen the whole way through as the writing, atmosphere, and settings were brilliant. I’ll be reading (or listening to) the next series even if N doesn’t want to!

Butcher & Blackbird by Brynne Weaver 5*

I used to read a lot of dark romance years ago, but I haven’t picked one up for quite a while. However, I saw everyone raving about this, and the blurb had me intrigued. I spoke to a few people who couldn’t get past the trigger warnings, but that made me want to read it even more! I listened to the audiobook, and I’m so glad, as I love Joe Arden, and the duet brought it to life, even more so than dual narration I’ve listened to before.

Both main characters were likeable from the beginning, and the supporting characters had great personalities too. I could see the logic behind what they were doing, even though it was messed up, and it made it all the more entertaining. The food narrative had me hooked, too – I can’t help it! The whole book was well-paced and flowed nicely. I think Brynne Weaver may be one of my new favourite authors, and I can’t wait to listen to the second book!

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green 4.5*

This book has been on my tbr for years, but I’m slowly working my way through my Libby shelf – “books I own but will listen to and decide if I want to keep” as I’ll get through them quicker! I’m so glad I finally managed to get around to it; however, on the other hand, I wish I hadn’t, just because it was so heartbreaking. It was easy to get into and flowed well, with well-placed humour bringing light to the darkness.

It was so much more than I expected it to be. The bookish narrative between the two main characters was even more appealing to me and brought everything together. They were relatable for anyone going through cancer, and easy to feel pure empathy for. There was great development of both their relationship with each other and with themselves throughout their illness.

Weyward by Emilia Hart 5*

This was a re-read (or listen) for me for one of my online book clubs, which I was looking forward to reading again. My review has changed slightly from the first read. I think this is because I knew what happened and had more appreciation for the characters. I also picked up on things I missed the first time around.

In my first review, I mentioned there wasn’t as much about witch trials as I was expecting. However, I do now think it’s well-balanced through the lives of the three women. It was very atmospheric, and it was easy to feel empathy for all three main characters. This is one I will still keep recommending (if you don’t have specific triggers, as there are quite a few!)

Blowing The Bloody Doors Off by Michael Caine 4*

This was the second month in a row we had a memoir for my in-person book club, and I did let out a groan when it was revealed! I do enjoy memoirs, but this isn’t one I would have chosen for myself. However, I do like Michael Caine, so I gave it the benefit of the doubt. In fairness, it was quite informative, and I did discover some things I didn’t know about him, especially from his earlier life.

It did start to feel like an instruction manual for actors around halfway through and felt repetitive with the same advice over and over again – plus a lot of name-dropping, as expected! The humour did make it bearable, though. I would recommend giving it a go if you’re a Michael fan or an aspiring actor.

How To Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley 4.5*

This book was already on my tbr, however, someone suggested it for my 12 books recommended by 12 friends challenge, so it bumped up to the top! This is the third book I’ve read by the author, so I did have certain expectations for it. I can safely say they didn’t let me down. It had emotion, secrets, humour, and, as expected, found family.

The variety of characters was wonderful, and I did have a favourite. However, the star of the show for me (quite literally – you’ll have to read it to find out!) was Maggie Thatcher, the dog! (I’m a sucker for dogs in books.) I couldn’t stop listening as it was a real page-turner. I think it tops the charts of the books I’ve read by the author so far!

As Weyward was a re-read, I’m going to say Butcher & Blackbird was my favourite read in June. Have you read any of these? What was your favourite book of the month?