June Wrap Up
June has come and gone, and it’s still raining. However, it’s hot which somehow makes it a little bit better. It’s finally starting to feel like summer.
June was filled with house projects (our 100-year-old wood floors are officially restored!), muddy hikes, puppy cuddles, good beer and so many books.
I’ve been reading more than I ever have in my adult life and it feels so good. I almost feel like I’m 12 years old reading under the covers when I’m supposed to be sleeping. It’s just that special feeling when the reading bug bites and books feel like magic.
I read six books and almost 2,500 pages in June. I’m up to 28 books this year, which means I’m only two books away from my goal of 30. I always set my goal at 30, and I rarely hit it. But I’m on track for close to 60, which is insane to me. May everyone be blessed with the reading bug.
Plus, only one of those was an audiobook. Trial of the Sun Queen by Nashua J. Tuli was fine, but didn’t feel like anything special to me. The excessive swearing sort of turned me off. It felt so forced. As if that was the only way to differentiate Lor’s voice. I also didn’t care for the cattiness, mean girls’ vibes. I don’t know; it just wasn’t hitting for me. I don’t think I’ll continue the series.
In general, I fell off from audiobooks. I was listening on my way to and from work, but I just can’t do it right now. I’d rather have a physical book in my hands. I even cancelled my Audible subscription because I wasn’t feeling audiobooks at this time. If anybody has suggestions to get me back into them, leave them in the comments down below, because I do miss being able to slip into a story while doing other things.
If you missed any of my reviews in June, here’s some links:
I think my favorite read of June has to be Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins, which is probably my favorite read of the year, so far. My Hunger Games reread was most likely the spark of my new reading adventure. It reminded me how fun it is to get lost in a narrative and the power of a good story.
My other top faves from this year have been The Golden Raven by Nora Sakavic, The Atlas Six trilogy from Olivie Blake, and now Once Upon a Broken Heart by Stephanie Garber.
Onyx Storm was definitely my least favorite, and is pretty low on my list for the year. Other than that, my least favorite reads at the halfway point of the year have to be The Wicked Deep, These Deadly Prophecies and Lightlark. All happened to be audiobooks, so do with that what you will.
Other than reading, I’ve been in a writing slump. I started on the next chapter of my WIP, but I’m not happy with it. Here’s a little taste:
Mourning flowers were Darian’s specialty. It was the first flower he ever coaxed to grow on his own. For his grandfather’s funeral march, Darian sat in the garden with his tears and a few petals taken from the floor of the royal crypt. He pressed the scattered petals into the dirt and out popped a mourning flower bush. When mother saw, she asked him to make more. And more. And more. The palace was full of the flowers. Stuffed into vases and spread over window sills and nestled onto bed stands and dining tables.
Mother asked the gardeners to mark out a plot solely for Darian’s flowers. They’d become hot commodities in the kingdom. Whenever death struck in the kingdom, Alaric and Darian delivered a bouquet to the family. It was a blessing from the royals. Mourning flowers were already revered in the kingdom, but royal mourning flowers were sacred
As for hiking, we did two trails in June. Well, technically it was the same trail but two different extensions. Early in June, we hiked the C&I extension of the Ghost Town Trail. It started in a teeny tiny town called Vintondale, and it’s a crushed limestone surface, so it’s extremely nice when it’s been raining. C&I stands for Cambria and Indiana; it was a railroad that stretched throughout the counties to haul lumber and later on coal.
We also did Duman Lake extension, which is a go-to trail for us. It’s within 15 minutes from our house, and has some beautiful scenery. We went to this trail all throughout the winter, and it was a blast. One time we went after an ice storm and there was a tiny hill I knew I’d fall down if I tried to walk it, so I let Gunter live out his full potential as a sled dog and drag me down it lol But in the summer, it’s full of pretty wild flowers and cool breezes.
Other than that, we hit up Muddy Paws Brewery in Smithmill. My husband and I each got a flight of beers, and it did me in. I lost 9-0 at air hockey; but I had the best brick oven pizza of my life and tasty beer, so I’m the real winner.
Well, that’s all for June!
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