“June is the time for being in the world in new ways, for throwing off the cold and dark spots of life.”
Joan D. Chittister
Did you know that June is named for the Roman goddess Juno? This sixth month of the year [according to the Gregorian calendar] is traditionally seen as a romantic month, in no small part to Juno being the goddess of marriage, childbirth, and love. In recognition of all forms of love, Pride is celebrated in the month of June in memory of the Stonewall Riots in 1969 – if you’ve never read into the history of why Pride is celebrated, I encourage you to look into it, it is a lot more than rainbows and parades.
The month itself brings the start of summer in the Northern Hemisphere and contains the summer solstice, mirrored in the Southern Hemisphere with the start of winter and the winter solstice. If you are ever lucky enough to visit north of the Arctic Circle in June, you would see the midnight sun, where daylight remains, even at midnight.
As seems to be a recurring theme, I’m writing this post, not at the end of June, but well into autumn – it’s strange to think that I was reading these books as the days were still getting longer and now the evenings are dark and cosy.
As you can clearly see – June was my month for focusing on hardcover books. I love the look of these on my bookshelf but I don’t actually pick up a hardcover all that often, mostly because they’re much too big to sling in my handbag! Since I spent most of June at home, it seemed a good chance to catch up without breaking my back!
So, lets have a look at what was on the list.
Books Read:
| Title | Author |
| Meet Me Under the Ombu Tree | Santa Montefiore |
| Know My Name | Chanel Miller |
| Me Vs Brain | Hayley Morris |
| Rodham | Curtis Sittenfeld |
| Under a Greek Moon | Carol Kirkwood |
| Karl Lagerfeld | Alfons Kaiser |
| The Thousand Earths | Stephen Baxter |
| The Things We Left Unsaid | Emma Kennedy |
Total keeping: 2 out of 8
There were a lot of books this month that I felt I could have held on to, but I’m trying to be ruthless and hold onto only the ones I feel surest about coming back to, and so only two are remaining.
Meet Me Under the Ombu Tree is definitely staying, this is an all time favourite of mine, and I revisit it at least once a year. This book is close to my heart for so many reasons, it was one of the first ‘grown up’ fiction books I read, and was also one of the first times that my Mum had finished a book and immediately passed it to me. We now regularly share book recommendations but at the time I was still reading fairly YA so looking back it feels like quite a moment. I love the work of Santa Montefiore and for me this is a stand out novel, transporting you from the rural pampas of Argentina, to the sultry streets of Buenos Aires and across the sea to Europe as we follow Sofia in her imposed exile. This is a story of romance, family and forgiveness interspersed with vivid description of the political upheaval of Argentina and the impacts on the Solanas family. Pure escapism and a top recommendation from me.
The second of the two books I’m keeping, The Thousand Earths could not be more different from Meet Me Under the Ombu Tree – and it was absolutely breath taking, any book that covers a span of over 5million years is on a new level of epic. Following the story of John Hackett – the epitome of an explorer, going so far as to become a man adrift in time – his whole purpose becoming the retention and sharing of memory. Interspersed with the time arching story of John, we see the story of Mela, as her planet itself is becoming lost to the Tide. The story of Mela adds a much more human level to this epic scale of time and space and helps to ground the story as it develops. I only wish this was a look into the future and not science fiction. I have previously read Proxima and Ultima by Stephen Baxter, and they are brilliant, but The Thousand Earths is even better in my eyes, if you enjoy science fiction then I highly suggest seeking this one out if you haven’t already.
In full disclosure, I do have a copy of Under a Greek Moon on my kindle so whilst the physical copy has left, it’s not too far away. I loved this debut novel from Carol Kirkwood, it was a breath of fresh air amongst some of the heavier books I read in June. Set between Greece and Hollywood, it’s a light beach read that transports you to sunny days and balmy nights. I loved reading the story of Shauna and her best friend Roxy, how they grow over the years and of course, the glimpse into a lifestyle that I will never be privy to. I’m not going to pretend it deep – it’s not Shakespeare, it doesn’t need to be as it’s so fun and enjoyable!
Total heading for new homes: 6 out of 8
It is still alien to me to finish a book, having enjoyed it, or found meaning in it – and then give it away. But I’m getting better at it, and this month is a real showcase of that, most of the books I passed on are worth a read – they’re just not ones I think I’ll come back to.
Know My Name by Chanel Miller was a striking read, and one that had been on my shelf for a while. Like many women, I was horrified to read of her story in the media, even before we knew her name (Note: I am not willing to put in writing the name of her attacker – you can find the story on Google using Chanel’s name if you’re interested). I remember reading the witness statement at the time of the trial and admiring the strength it took to put such a situation into words, when she came out and waived her anonymity it became even clearer just how strong she is. To share such a raw and unflinching look at the aftermath of such a horrific event is heart-breaking but so incredibly brave on her part. I urge everyone to read this, it’s not an easy read – but it is an important reminder of just how unfair the justice system can be. And how women, time and time again will have to continue to rise against it.
Karl Lagerfeld – A Life In Fashion. This was my least favourite of everything I read in June, whilst I can recognise that this biography is objectively well written – I just found myself unable to look past the fact the KL just didn’t seem to be a particularly nice person. I’ve always loved his design work, but I found I wasn’t interested in the person behind it. Perhaps it’s because I’ve read so much coverage of his controversial moments, but I found myself skipping ahead to get to the end of the book. Whilst he is incredibly inspiring, and obviously – a genius of design, for me he is better an enigma.
Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld is an incredible book, in that it reads like a true memoir – if you didn’t know that it wasn’t reality it would be easy to believe the US had already had its first female president. Sittenfeld does a great job of interweaving ‘personal’ anecdotes with the mundanity of politics, we see flashes of the Hillary that has become known to the public, but also a glimpse into what might have been. It was incredibly interesting to see how the relationships between both Rodham and other women in politics may have panned out, had history gone a different way. Overall, not really my vibe, but a very well written book – and a genius cross over of alternative history and biography. One to check out if that sounds like your kind of thing!
Me Vs Brain by Hayley Morris is a great little book about battling invasive thoughts and the conversations we have with ourselves. If you haven’t heard of her, I urge you to check her out on Instagram, her comedy is hilarious and so relatable. The Things We Left Unsaid by Emma Kennedy is another great read – following the story of mother and daughter duo Emily and Rachel as they navigate the aftermath of Rachel being left just before her wedding.
June was a great month for reading and was nothing if not eclectic in nature. This type of loose theme seems to be the most effective for encouraging me to try new books, which ultimately is the whole point of Challenge 24!
Did you have any reads this summer that have stuck with you, let me know – I love recommendations.
Nx
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