June reading summary and July TBR

June turned out to be a pretty good reading month for me. Overall, it’s been a pretty stressful month. But, I made plenty of time for reading (and swimming) to help me manage and remain as chill as possible.

Here are the books I read in June (links go to Goodreads):

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo (Kindle, library) — This was a satisfying conclusion to this two-book series. Overall, I really enjoyed it. I like the first book better, but I enjoyed seeing how these characters and this plot found resolution. The statute on spoilers for this series is probably over, but I still don’t want to say too much in case folks haven’t read it yet.
Empress of a Thousand Skies by Rhoda Belleze (Kindle, library) — I really, really wanted to like this book, and I did like it. I just didn’t love it as much as I thought I would. Space opera is possibly my favorite genre, but there were just too many loose ends and coincidences in this book that kept making me fall out of the story. I will say, it is jam packed with action and gets my full respect for pacing, tension, and structuring chapters to keep you turning pages. If you can squint past the plot issues, it’s a great read.
Ms. Marvel, Vol. 3: Crushed by G. Willow Wilson (trade paper) — This comic is the cutest. I love it. I especially love that this volume ended with a special issue of the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. comic that paired Jemma Simmons with Ms. Marvel. I love Jemma, and I love Ms. Marvel. And this now reminds me that I *still* need to get caught up on the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. TV show.
Lux and Lies by Meg Collett (paperback) — This is the most recently published book written by a friend I met at Madcap Retreats earlier this year. She’s awesome. This book is action packed. The world is imaginative and intriguing. It definitely sucked me in and kept me wanting to know how the mystery would be resolved. So impressed! Yay, Meg!
When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon (Kindle, library) — This is seriously the cutest romance I’ve read in possibly ever. It’s adorable. And set in San Francisco in the “tech” community. Some of the tech stuff is a little less than realistic, but overall this is such a good read. If you like contemporary YA, definitely pick up a copy and read it at the beach/pool or on vacation this summer.
Kraken by China Miéville (Kindle) — Read this if you’re looking for a wacky romp through a well-imagined and highly creative urban fantasy world. But, if you’re here for a gripping mystery plot and/or fast pacing…well, like me, you may be disappointed. It was a slog of a read for me, but I stuck with it because the world and characters were so creative and vividly portrayed.

Six books isn’t shabby but, as I mentioned in my mid-year stats post, I didn’t put much of a dent in either my backlist of ebooks on my Kindle, or on my Read Harder challenge tasks. Not to worry, though. I have a LOT of reading time on the calendar for July.

I’ve been agonizing over my July TBR, and I almost didn’t make one, because I have not one, but TWO vacations planned for July. Both of these involve long plane rides and should allow for plenty of reading time, and I want to keep my reading options open.

So, I compromised and made a TBR of the books I really want to try to finish before the end of the month. Three of them are Hugo nominees. The awards are announced in August, and I really want to read as many of the “best novel” nominees that I can before then. The other three are books that are also on my backlist of Kindle books. Two of them will help me cross off two more Read Harder tasks. All of them, I think, will make excellent “summer reads.”

Here they are…the books on my July TBR (links go to Goodreads):

All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders (Kindle, library) — This one is at the top of the Hugo nominations. I’m not sure if that means it got the most votes, but it already won the Nebula for best novel, so it’s probably pretty darn good. Somehow this one wasn’t really on my radar until the awards nominations started rolling in. So, I’m excited to see what the fuss is about.
A Closed and Common Orbit by Becky Chambers (Kindle, library) — This one also made the Hugo best novel short list, but it was already on my TBR because I read (and really enjoyed) the first book by this author set in this world (Long Way To A Small Angry Planet). The Hugo nomination just means that I’ve bumped this companion novel to the top of my TBR.
Ninefox Gambit, by Yoon Ha Lee (Kindle) — Also bumped to the top of my TBR due to its Hugo nomination is this hard sci-fi novel. I’ve had this one for a while on Kindle, and I keep hearing amazing things about it. I also keep hearing that it’s really hard to get into at first. So, I’m hoping some dedicated vacation reading time will let me sink into this world long enough to get sucked in and see what all the fuss is about because it definitely has some of my reader catnip in the descriptions and reviews.
The Good Girl’s Guide to Getting Lost by Rachel Friedman (Kindle) — I picked this up to read for the “travel memoir” task in my Read Harder challenge. Since I’m already feeling the vacation vibes, I think it’s a good time check off this task.
Hold Me by Courtney Milan (Kindle) — Another one I’ve been meaning to get to for a while, this will also help me check off a Read Harder challenge task. Plus, everyone needs a little romance on their vacation TBR.
A Promise of Fire by Amanda Bouchet (Kindle) — I can’t resist a good sci-fi / fantasy romance, and this one comes highly recommended by the Smart Bitches. Seriously, they don’t throw around their “A” ratings lightly. I’m really looking forward to finally getting a chance to read this.

I think this is a nice, well-rounded TBR with a lot of books on it that I’m really excited about reading. I can’t wait to get started. What’s on your “summer reading” list?