Looking Back: The Best of June

We're practically a week into July already, so, fine, I'm a bit behind the eight ball getting this post up... but June has come and gone, and with it, a stay in Baltimore for the Baltimore 10-Miler, a trip to Connecticut for my sister-in-law's wedding, a rapid-fire trek down to DC for a two-day conference there, and then a week-long getaway to Greece. It was one of those months where everything was wonderful, but in the whirlwind of go-go-go, I very much lost track of my one little word for the year (savor). I'm hoping to reclaim some of that in July and beyond; onwards and upwards for the second half of the year, right?

With all of the running around, I didn't read nearly as much as I might have liked, but those books I did read are worth sharing (all titles below link to Indiebound.org):

June Releases

Marrow Island, by Alexis Smith: "In Marrow Island, Smith offers a complex story of one woman's life while quietly reflecting on the power of the environment to shape our lives." (More in my review in Shelf Awareness for Readers.)

Chronicle of a Last Summer, by Yasmin El Rashidi: "A nuanced story of one girl's coming of age set against decades of political ferment in Cairo, Egypt." (More in my review in Shelf Awareness for Readers.)

Under the Harrow, by Flynn Berry: "Debut novelist Flynn Berry delivers a tightly paced and impressive story of psychological suspense." (More in my review in Shelf Awareness for Readers.)

Backlist highlights

When Women Were Birds, by Terry Tempest Williams: This book has been on my shelf for years; I believe I first heard about it from Rebecca Schinsky (of Book Riot) way back when, but it's since been recommended to me by many, many friends with trusted book opinions. It did not disappoint. I'm still mulling over the quiet, beautiful power of Williams' words, and definitely plan to re-read this at some point in the near future.

The Raven Boys, by Maggie Stiefvater: DUDES WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG TO READ THIS BOOK. I'm powering through the next few in the series, and plan to review them as a unit later this summer... but in the meantime, suffice it to say I'm loving them.

The Long Shadow of Small Ghosts, by Laura Tillman: This was our pick for the second installment of The Social Justice Book Club; while it wasn't quite as powerful as Just Mercy for me, I did find Tillman's exploration of the context in which crimes occur very interesting. My review (and links to reviews from other participants).

And stay tuned for thoughts on these July & August books...

Run the World: My 3,500-Mile Journey Through Running Cultures Around the Globe by Becky Wade | On Trails: An Exploration, by Robert Moor | Here Comes the Sun, by Nicole Dennis-Benn | The Sunlight Pilgrims, by Jenni Fagan | Navigating Life: Things I Wish My Mother Had Told Me, by Margaux Bergen | The House Between Tides, by Sarah Maine

My favorite things on the internet this month:

My internet reading was admittedly light this month (see also: all that travel), and my Feedly rolls are an embarrassment. But there were some things I was super excited to come across:

Technically this was published on July 1st, but whatever: did you see Hilary Clinton's farewell letter on the last day of The Toast? It's pretty damn epic. I was a latecomer to The Toast's incredibleness, and am so sad to see them go, but so thankful for all of the great writing they've brought us.

This piece on to-do lists, planners, and the worst that life can throw at us, from Helen C. Phillips (author of The Beautiful Bureaucrat), resonated with me in so many ways that I really don't know where to begin:

Molly Wetta of Librarian Style has a great list of self-help books that don't suck; as a former self-help doubter myself, I'm glad I'm not the only one opening up to the genre.

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PS: I'm finally on Litsy! Come find me if you're using the app (I'm @kerry over there). Not sure what Litsy is? Book Riot hit the nail on the head when they called it "If Instagram and Goodreads had a Perfect Baby." (It's not quite perfect, yet: the app's not available on Android. But the company promises that Android is coming our way soon!)

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