June 2017 Monthly Round-Up

June 2017 Monthly Round-Up

This post contains affiliate links and I will make a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on my links.

June Reading / Life

  • After an amazing month of reading in May (with 3 favorite books of the month), June was definitely slumpy for me in quality and quantity. I read 10 books, but a few of them were only around 200 pages long, so I feel like I sort of cheated.
  • I also had 4 DNF’s…which always makes a slump seem slumpier.
  • Both my favorite books of the month involved astute commentary about marriage…one fiction (Standard Deviation) and one non (Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake). And, a third book about marriage (Small Hours) didn’t measure up.
  • Anna Quindlen brought me twice the love this month with One True Thing.
  • I read two thrillers this month (shocking for me!)…one winner (Since We Fell) and one loser (Final Girls).
  • A couple slim July releases (What We Lose and Goodbye, Vitamin) definitely helped my June book count! Too bad only one was a winner.
  • And, The Skies Belong to Us (somewhat interesting at times, but I kept zoning out) and My Year of Running Dangerously (sweet and engaging story about a father and daughter training for a marathon together) rounded out my audiobooks.
  • My free trial of my personalized book recommendation service ended on Father’s Day and fulfilled 75 recommendation requests! I couldn’t have been happier with how many people participated and am getting the feedback survey results in now. Once I analyze the survey results and think through next steps, I’ll share everything I learned in a blog post. Many thanks to everyone who participated!
  • Look for my commentary on the July Book of the Month Club selections on Saturday. Sneak peek: I’ve already read two of the selections and, unlike last month, am really excited about this month’s picks!

Best Books of the Month

My Favorite Book(s) of the Month

Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake by Anna Quindlen (April 24, 2012)
Nonfiction – Memoir, 182 Pages
Affiliate Link: Buy from Amazon

Standard Deviation by Katherine Heiny (May 23, 2017)
Fiction, 336 Pages
Affiliate Link: Buy from Amazon 

PS – last year’s Best Book of June was Dear Fang, With Love by Rufi Thorpe (my review)!

Best Selling Book(s) of the Month (via my affiliate links)

Dead Letters by Caite Dolan-Leach (my review), which continues to take this category month after month.

July Releases I’m Excited About

Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong (July 11)
American Fire by Monica Hesse (July 11)
Tornado Weather by Deborah E. Kennedy (July 11)
Careers for Women by Joanna Scott (July 25)

Most Popular Posts

Posts Actually Published in June
Best Books of 2017 So Far
3 More Books That Are Perfect for Summer Reading: Beartown, Since We Fell, Standard Deviation
Book of the Month Club June 2017 Selections: What Would I Choose?

Overall Posts
2017 Summer Reading Guide
Book Club Recommendations

Behind Her Eyes and THAT Ending: Spoiler Discussion

Favorite Posts by Fellow Bloggers

And, next month I need to be better about keeping track of posts I love…big fail for me this month!

How was your reading month?

Get Weekly Email Updates!

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

15 Comments

  1. I read Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake a few years ago and loved it too.

    Posted 6.29.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Wasn’t it wonderful?! Her perspective on life is so refreshing. I’m thinking of buying a hard copy for my library (I listened to it).

      Posted 6.29.17 Reply
  2. Alissa wrote:

    I’m in the middle of your recommendation The Hopefuls now and will send you feedback as soon as I finish!

    Posted 6.29.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      I hope you enjoy it! Would love to hear your thoughts.

      Posted 6.29.17 Reply
  3. I also had a DNF this month. It sucks when that happens, but some books just don’t interest me, no matter how much I try to force myself to be interested.

    Posted 6.29.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Agreed and why push through them when there are so many other great books out there?!

      Posted 6.29.17 Reply
  4. Wow! You got your wrap up done early. I’ve been so lazy lately. I don’t think I’ll get to mine until next week. Thanks for sharing the summer list.

    I hadn’t heard about Careers for Women and my July is looking pretty slow, so I think I’m going to request it.

    It’s crazy Dead Letters is still you’re no. 1 seller!

    Posted 6.29.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Haha – it’s b/c I’m taking next week off from blogging! Otherwise I’d be late as usual.

      Careers for Women looks great..I just wish I could get my hands on a galley! No luck on my NG request yet.

      Posted 6.29.17 Reply
  5. Gabby wrote:

    I read The Skies Belong To Us on my Kindle recently and found it kind of hit and miss interesting, but I was mostly surprised that I’d NEVER heard about that whole skyjacking trend ever before. And that the airlines were pushing back hard against screening! Doesn’t seem like something we’d see now, eh?

    Posted 6.29.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      That’s pretty much exactly how I felt about it! I was shocked by the whole hijacking trend too..how come I never knew anything about that before? I was less interested in that boyfriend/girlfriend hijacking team’s story.

      Posted 6.29.17 Reply
  6. Catherine wrote:

    Thankfully, I haven’t had slump issues too much this month- mostly just lost reading time from extended travel. I’ve actually had more good to great reading than bad so that’s a win! Plus, your recommendation of Standard Deviation was my happy place for the month.

    Could you do a TV watching post? I feel like we need to discuss Southern Charm!

    Posted 6.29.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      Can you send me some of those good reading vibes?! Although I’m pretty excited about my August books (and have finished almost all my July ARCs, so am free range reading now). Thrilled about Standard Deviation!

      Hmm – maybe a TV and podcast combination post?! I’ve found a bunch of fun, new podcasts lately too!

      Posted 6.29.17 Reply
  7. Darlene wrote:

    I’ve never read Anna Quindlen but I just picked up a copy of Blessings by her for 25 cents at the library. Don’t know if it’ll happen this summer cause I’ve pretty much decided my reading goal. (Unless I deviate and take on another Pat Conroy, which is sooo possible).

    Posted 6.29.17 Reply
    • Sarah Dickinson wrote:

      You know I’d never discourage anyone from taking on more Conroy…he’s (was? sad.) my absolute favorite!

      Posted 6.29.17 Reply
  8. June was very medium for me, and July is looking pretty grim so far. I’m in a total reading slump and feeling crabby about everything. I am planning to finish up my history of South Africa and read If We Were Villains and go to the library, and hopefully one or all of those things will get me back in my reading groove.

    Posted 7.1.17 Reply

Get Weekly Email Updates!

Join our mailing list to receive all new blog posts in one weekly email. Plus, news of special updates and offers!

You have Successfully Subscribed!