June reading summary

I’ve had a very good reading month, I’ve liked nearly everything that I’ve read!  This is very unusual. Well, not that unusual, since I tend to know what I like, but I’ve started acquiring ARCs, which makes everything a bit more uncertain since I normally read less about these before I get them. See links for reviews!

Literary Fiction

The White Mary, Kira Salak
The House on the Strand, Daphne du Maurier
Aberrations, Penelope Przekop

Historical Fiction

Roma, Steven Saylor
Year of Wonders, Geraldine Brooks
The Firemaster’s Mistress, Christie Dickason
A Bloody Field by Shrewsbury, Edith Pargeter
The Aviary Gate, Katie Hickman
The Pale Horseman, Bernard Cornwell
The Good Thief, Hannah Tinti
The Lords of the North, Bernard Cornwell

Fantasy

Kushiel’s Mercy, Jacqueline Carey
The Crystal Cave, Mary Stewart

Romance
Castaway Hearts, Nancy Butler
Outlander, Diana Gabaldon

History
John Adams, David McCullough
The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher, Kate Summerscale

Definitely a good reading month, in other words! I’m surprised by how much my taste is turning into historical fiction these days. I feel that I was reading a lot more fantasy at the beginning of the year, but now that I’ve graduated university, I need some semblance of history to keep me going until grad school in the fall.

My favorite book of the month … difficult choice! I’ll have to pick one fiction, one non-fiction, both of which were five-star books for me:

Kushiel’s Mercy, Jacqueline Carey

I just loved this book.  I have now noticed from other people’s reviews that my feelings are not universally shared, and while I can sometimes see their point, in all honesty, I was thrilled with it and I could not put it down.  I have to see if my opinion stands through a reread, but that probably won’t be for quite some time.  In any case, definitely my favorite fiction choice of the month. Buy this book from Amazon.

John Adams, David McCullough

This is exactly, in my opinion, what a biography should be.  Brings a man perfectly, almost effortlessly, to life, providing us with his virtues and his vices in equal measure, all the while with engaging, clear text.  I’d really recommend it for anyone interested in history, even those who don’t read history normally, because it’s easy to read, informative, and utterly fascinating. Buy this book from Amazon.