June, 2016 Reads

I can’t believe how long it has been since I have worked on my blog.  Well today I got a desk delivered to me at home.  I have been looking for a while and I knew exactly what I wanted but it look a bit before I found exactly what I wanted.  My laptop now has a dedicated spot and I bought a comfy ergonomic chair to go with the desk so I no longer have any excuses.  So, let’s get on with the books that I read in the month of June ….

1.  Game of Crowns by Christopher Andersen – I did a review on my youtube channel if you would like more information about this book – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhGHCs1HRl4.  I rated it three stars out of five.
2. The Sister by Louise Jensen – I received this arc from Netgalley in return for an honest review.  I loved this book.  This is a debut novel – a psychological thriller with a fresh voice.  I gave this five stars.
3. Living Death by Graham Masterton.  This is another book in the Katie Maguire series.  Didn’t enjoy this one quite as much as the others.  I rated this three stars.
4. My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante which is the first book in the Neapolitan novels.  I didn’t enjoy this as much as I thought I would from all the reviews I had heard.  I thought that the characters were very harsh and that if this is how they acted in Naples back in this 1950s, it wasn’t something to be proud of – it was nothing for a parent to hit a child or a spouse.  I had already purchased the second book in the series so I will read it at some point but then I will need to decide if I am going to proceed with the whole series. I gave this three stars.
5. The Bridge Ladies by Betsy Lerner.  I really enjoyed this memoir and gave it four stars.  I did a separate review on youtube if you are interested – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8RJ0LfZJkU.
6. The Sty’s The Limit by Simon Dawson.  This is the second book written by Simon about his life after giving up being a realtor in London and becoming a self-sufficient smallholder in Exmoor.  I listened to this in audiobook format and absolutely loved it.  The narrator is wonderful and I cannot recommend this book enough.
7. Burial Rites by Hannah Kent – In 1829 a young woman is found guilty of murder in Iceland and the book describes her final days.  It is a debut novel and I really enjoyed it.  Four stars.

So that was my reading month – not as good as some months but better than I had expected.

Gwen