2-for-1: Weekly Reading Wrap-Up and June Recap - all the things I read in June

In which I share the wins and failures of my reading life in June, plus the books I really really loved and the books that were meh.
Channels Mentioned
‪@OldeAmericanSpirit‬ (also in the book club were ‪@ReadJournalLove‬ ‪@bethanybringsbooks‬)
‪@CandlewickLibrary‬
‪@AlmasBookJourney‬ ‪@JaneReads‬
‪@ChantelReadsAllDay‬
‪@beautifulminutiae‬
‪@Shellyish‬
Time Stamps
00:00 Intro
02:11 Love Overboard
06:03 Anne's House of Dreams
12:07 Paradise Lost by John Milton
20:30 June Recap
25:33 Reading Goals Progress
28:41 June Readathons & Challenges
33:26 Closing
Books Mentioned
Love Overboard by Shannon Sue Dunlap
Anne's House of Dreams by Lucy Maud Montgomery
Paradise Lost by John Milton
Children of the Stars by Mario Escobar
The White City by Grace Hitchcock
Recorder by Cathy McCrumb
The Great Eight by Scott Hamilton
Becoming Free Indeed by Jinger Duggar Vuolo
The Vanishing at Castle Moreau by Jaime Jo Wright
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
0/100 The Gospel to the Saint by Jim Van Gelderen
This Changes Everything by Jaquelle Crow Ferris
Stay in Touch
On Goodreads: / abcdefg88piano
On Instagram: / insearchof_wonder_
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On Voxer: web.voxer.com/u/insearchofwonder
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My Amazon Wish List: www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls...
ThriftBooks Wish List: www.thriftbooks.com/list/shar...

[@Thecatladybooknook_PennyD]

❤🎉

[@miriamelizabethreads]

Loved this!! I unhealed Paradise Lost a while ago because I was just too intimidated to read it... You're really making me want to pick it up!!

[@Shellyish]

I’m so glad you joined in! ❤❤ 3 books is excellent!

[@insearchofwonder]

Yes, upon reflection, it's not too shabby. I just wish they had been higher quality choices... Next time!

[@greta.anderson]

I love your discussion of the Anne books- totally agree with you! My only five star read this past month was Wuthering Heights. I wouldn’t say I enjoyed it really, it was just so beautifully written, compelling and a really great description of generational trauma. I did read a couple other really good books that were just not quite five stars, so it was a great reading month!

[@insearchofwonder]

I agree with you about WH, although I don't think I could give it five stars even acknowledging what was good in it. It was just too much of a no for me. 😆 Glad you had a good reading month!

[@novelideea]

I read Paradise Lost two years ago and really loved it as well. Their Eyes Were Watching God is a book that stuck with me. I have thought about it so often since reading it initially and I have enjoyed more by Hurston since then. Eyes is my favorite of all I've read of ZNH. 😂Hahaha!🥰 I love that the "read your bookshelf" reads were not on your bookshelf! And the Pinky Swear was a nice touch 😂 I think as long as you are reading and editing your bookshelves you are winning, and you have been doing so much of that! You are doing great at all the challenges aaaand ALMOST A BINGO! Whoop-Whoop!

[@insearchofwonder]

Yes, Their Eyes Were Watching God is definitely one that sticks with you. I counted up the other day, and close to 50% of the books I've read are from my shelves so that's pretty good. I'm excited to get a bingo! Should get several in July.

[@emmareads734]

Book Love by Debbie Tung is a cute and quick graphic novel ❤📚

[@insearchofwonder]

Oh good to know, thank you! I do need help with this one.

[@ThisLittleLightLife]

Only one 5*, but a slew of 4*s. Favorite of the month was The Hudson Collection by Jocelyn Green. I loved it so much! It's in contention for favorite of the year.

[@insearchofwonder]

Well, a slew of 4 stars is good! That's how my months usually go. I've not read that one by Jocelyn Green but I have enjoyed others I have read by her.

[@ReadJournalLove]

I love the sound of cicadas. Probably my southern taste. Ha! You’re doing great on your nonfiction goal. My goals aren’t going well. I keep finding other stuff I want to read.

[@insearchofwonder]

Cicadas definitely sound like summer, and that's a good thing! And the goals don't matter if you are enjoying what you're reading. Sometimes it's nice to just mood Read and forget the other stuff for a while.

[@thelucychronicles]

I love the blue pot behind you and the cute little plant inside it :)

[@insearchofwonder]

Thanks! It's my mint plant - it practically grows itself. 😁

[@protagonistspub]

Paradise Lost is even more amazing when you learn he wrote it when he was completely blind.

[@insearchofwonder]

Yes, that is pretty amazing!

[@CandlewickLibrary]

Anne’s house of Dreams and Rilla of Ingleside are my other favorites in the series with Anne of Green Gables.

[@insearchofwonder]

YEEEESSSSS!!!!! Girl, we're on the same page here.

[@CandlewickLibrary]

I loved hearing your thoughts on Paradise Lost!

[@insearchofwonder]

I really enjoyed it! I might do a longer discussion but I need time to process.

[@beautifulminutiae]

You’re doing great on your board! You’re really close to a diagonal bingo too!

[@insearchofwonder]

@@beautifulminutiae I finally got my first bingo yesterday! Woohoo! 🙌

[@beautifulminutiae]

@@insearchofwonder Way to go!

[@MorgansEndlessBookshelf]

A really good thing that Milton does is, with Paradise Lost being an epic, he sets it up so that, structurally, you would expect Satan to be the epic hero, but, of course, he isn't. Also, fun fact, Paradise Lost was the first place where the word pandemonium was used.

[@insearchofwonder]

Yeah, I've been reading reviews online and it's amazing how many people loved the character of Satan in this book (called him "sexy Satan" which is just cringe) and also saw God as a tyrant. I guess we all come to books with our presuppositions and worldviews because that is NOT what I saw at all!!! Crazy. I watched a video and the BookTuber said apparently Milton coined more words than Shakespeare! 😱

[@MorgansEndlessBookshelf]

@@insearchofwonder Very cringe! I wish I remembered more from my Brit Lit class discussion of PL...I know for a fact that we discussed what I mentioned about the epic hero-ness of Satan (or, more accurately, lack thereof), but I don't remember much else. And I never took good notes. 😂😂 That's so cool!

[@junewood3012]

Well, if I could read as many books as you did in one month, I would call it a Win!! I work outside the home and my time is limited 😕. But I do what I can 😅!! 📚📖

[@insearchofwonder]

I work outside the home except in summer. Yay for the teacher life! Eight books a month is my average typically unless I have a reading slump or am really busy.

[@junewood3012]

@@insearchofwonder you know, I was wondering if you are a teacher! An English teacher?? Your reviews on Goodreads are written so well 💙

[@insearchofwonder]

Oh thank you! I am a music teacher, but anything language-related is also a passion of mine. Reading, writing, literature, foreign language.... all are interests of mine.

[@FacelessBookReviews]

This is like a booktube BOGO except we don't actually have to buy the 1st one.. 🤔 so actually it's nothing like a BOGO.😂 Thank you for the 2 for 1 tho. Great job on the coffee take as well. I made one to enjoy while I listened to your video.

[@insearchofwonder]

Oh good, coffee and book talk go together perfectly! 👌

[@thelucychronicles]

So sad, I wasn’t able to get love overboard from my library :(

[@insearchofwonder]

Oh that is sad!

[@SusanReads]

I had four 5 ⭐️ reads Born of Gilded Mountain by Amanda Dykes Til We Have Faces by C S Lewis Gaudy Night by Dorothy Sayers The Hobbit by Tolkien

[@insearchofwonder]

Oh I'm excited to read Gilded Mountains! I believe I gave Til We Have Faces five stars when I read it, too. You've had a good reading month!

[@MorgansEndlessBookshelf]

Iambic pentameter is always a good guess. 😂😂😂

[@insearchofwonder]

Also it's fun to say. 😂