Sunday, July 3, 2022

June Reading Recap and Plans for July


June has come to an end and, just like that, the first half of 2022 is behind us! During the month of June, we settled into our summer home in Connecticut, enjoyed visits from our NYC daughters, traveled to central NY to see my parents, and invented as many excuses as we could to eat lobster rolls at various lobster pounds and shacks along the coast. And surprisingly, I still managed to read a book each week.


Books Read in June//

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
feminist historical fiction - 4/5 stars



 literary fiction - 5/5 stars


Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys
classic - 3.5/5 stars


The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
historical fiction - 4/5 stars

It wasn't planned, but in June I read exclusively fiction and exclusively female authors. My favorite book of the month was The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox.


July Reading Possibilities//


Other Plans for July//

We're starting off the month with a low-key 4th of July. One of our NYC daughters and her boyfriend are here for a long weekend. Some home projects are on the agenda this month, beginning with replacing carpet  and changing out a couple of light fixtures. We're looking forward to meeting some neighbors next week at a summer gathering and we'll spend time with my parents mid-month. My birthday is coming up later in the month... no special plans for that yet. And, of course, I'll walk as often as I can (while listening to an audiobook) and read some good books, too!

How did June go for you? What was your favorite book last month?



photos taken at Harkness Memorial State Park, Waterford, CT

32 comments:

  1. Have a great time in July! Your plans sound very satisfying.

    best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com

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  2. Good to hear about what going on with you, JoAnn. Glad you guys are settled in to your 'summer' location. I've got The Latecomer checked out of the library right now. We'll see if I get to it before I need to turn it in. Good luck with your projects and enjoy your holiday weekend!

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    1. Kay - I just got The Latecomer from the library, too, but am worried I won't be able to get to it before it's due. It sounds like the type of book I'd love, so I may end up buying a copy if I get a b-day gift certificate!

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  3. Nice to hear you're all settled in and getting to enjoy the area and visits with family!

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    1. Angela - It's been a process, but I'm ready to enjoy the summer now!

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  4. Wow. You really liked The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox. I should add it to my list. I enjoyed Lessons in Chemistry and I liked, but didn't love, Four Winds. A lot of my trouble with Four Winds is that I read and loved Grapes of Wrath first. It will be interesting to see what you think of Grapes of Wrath after reading Four Winds.

    Enjoy all your activities in July. It sounds like you have a lot of great things planned.

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    1. Deb - The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox really appealed to me on a lot of levels. I'm going to enjoy getting into O'Farrell's other work.

      I loved The Grapes of Wrath when I read it in high school and knew fairly early on in The Four Winds that I was gong to need to reread it. Just past 40% now and finding it much more satisfying than Four Winds.

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  5. Sounds like a great summer so far for you and man, a lobster roll sounds so good right now!

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    1. Jinjer - Summer is off to a good start... and you can never have too many lobster rolls!

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  6. I also have a birthday later this month (the 20th)! I am having an extremely low key/solo 4th this year and am really looking forward to it. Have a great week.

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    1. Helen - The 20th was my FIL's birthday, too! I will miss celebrating with him this year (he died in January, but would have been 95). My birthday is the 22nd and we often had combined birthday dinners.

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  7. What a great list! I *SO VERY MUCH* look forward to Lessons in Chemistry, I am excited to know that you gave the O'Farrell such high praise (new title for my tbr), and Wide Sargasso Sea is a perfect classic to cross off the list - fascinating take, yes? I'll go read your review next. However, I have an allergy to Kristin Hannah - it's the weirdest thing and even though this has Kansas references, I won't read it. LOL

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    1. Care - There is a disturbing sexual assault scene at the beginning of Lessons in Chemistry, but after that it is wonderful. I recommend reading rather than listening... SO many audio mispronunciations and they drove me crazy! I'm already looking forward to reading through O'Farrell's backlist... Esme Lennox check so many boxes for me. Glad to finally read Wide Sargasso Sea, but think I would benefit from a reread - it's short, so why not? I'm going to swear off Kristin Hannah now... my nerves can't take any more, lol.

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  8. Oh! one more note: Way back, I was rec'd *Salt* by Mark Kulansky but accidentally bought *The Book of Salt* and realized I had made the mistake but enjoyed the Truong quite a lot! I'm sad that I didn't review it on the blog - Grrrrrrr (I need to get back to reviewing - the ramifications even years later! LOL.)

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    1. Care - That's so funny! Did you ever go back and read SALT? Glad to know you enjoyed Book of Salt anyway.

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  9. I love beach pictures!
    It has been several years ago, but I read Wide Sargasso Sea.
    Enjoy the visit with family.

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    1. AnneKristy - Thanks, it was a really nice holiday weekend.

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  10. Sounds like June was a good month for you. I hope July is good too. I've been wanting to read the Kristin Hannah book but haven't had a chance yet. Hope you have a great week!

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    1. Yvonne - When you get to the Kristin Hannah book, choose a time when all the tragedy won't get you down.

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  11. It sounds nice to have a summer home! Sounds like June was a great month and July is off to a good start. Enjoy the time with your family!

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    1. Cindy - It's really nice to be able to escape the heat, humidity, and especially hurricane threats of the Florida summers.

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  12. Hard to believe we're halfway through 2022! I must move The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox to the top of my library list since you gave it such a high rating. We enjoyed a quiet 4th, but celebrated with a lot of our neighbors on the 2nd at a big outdoor BBQ. The weather has improved greatly, so I'm enjoying my daily walks, watching the whales just offshore. Summer has arrived!

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    1. Les - Hooray, you finally have summer! Despite a visit from our daughter and her boyfriend, our 4th seemed very quiet. When we lived in NY, our town always 'did it up' with parades, concerts, a craft show, sidewalk sales, plus a big fireworks display over the lake. We still had a wonderful weekend together... and tried not to let the news get us down. Glad your summer routine is underway at last!

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  13. I liked The Four Winds an awful lot even though it was a sad story. Glad you are settling in by the shore and enjoying seeing the girls more often as well.

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    1. Diane - The Four Winds was just devastating in so many ways. Now I'm appreciating Steinbeck's writing and the way he is setting things up. I only remember that one scene toward the end of Grapes of Wrath, but we'll see how much else has stuck with me. I'm just over the 50% mark now. We loved having our daughter and her boyfriend here for the holiday. They tell me the current boyfriends represent our "final roster" lol!

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  14. Wow beautiful pictures. You certainly had a great June to accomplish all that. I need to try another O'Farrell book after liking Hamnet.

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    1. Susan - I think Hamnet will be my next O'Farrell.

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  15. Ah, your pictures make me miss the northeast. We spent the summer in Maine in 2019 and it was magical. Though later, my husband, a Miami boy, confessed that he prefers Florida lobster to Maine lobster. I was shocked! I don't eat it but everyone else seems to prefer Main lobster.

    Enjoy your gatherings and time with family!

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    1. Jen - I love Maine, too, but think our last trip there was in 2018. We visited Bar Harbor and Acadia NP, which were gorgeous! Chuckling at your husband preferring FL lobster... probably true that we favor the flavors of our childhood!

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  16. It sounds like you've been having a lovely time! I hope you are enjoying Connecticut and the summer so far and enjoy July!

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