Reader Round Up: June
I’m not sure why I think it’s automatically summer when May flips over to June on the calendar. It wasn’t the case this year. Our wet spring adamantly hung on through a major portion of June with only a scattering of sunny days. June ended with a torrential rainstorm complete with donner und blitzen (as my latent German surfaces).
Rainy days equal reading days. Here are the five star reads for June 2024.
Vendela in Venice by Christina Bjork, illustrated by Inja-Karin Eriksson
The adult Swedish author recounts a trip she took to Venice with her father when she was a child presented as a picture book. Informative and charming with beautiful illustrations that capture and complement the text.
The Word is Murder by Anthony Horowitz
Anthony Horowitz is a talented writer. He is also a cheeky one in how he can get away with writing himself in as a character in a novel, dropping names hither thither, promoting his other works, and elaborating truths into meta fictional facts to suit his purpose.
His latest foray into adult fiction involves him teaming up with the irascible Hawthorne, a former police officer, who wants Horowitz to write a book about a murder case he’s working on. The problem is that Hawthorne is unreliable and unlikable, and that Horowitz gets dragged into the investigation at the risk of his career and even his life.
The Door-to-Door Bookstore by Carsten Henn
Quite an original and superb novel emphasizing how books bring people together. Though translated, it easily becomes a story that any culture which values reading can embrace. Books, eccentric characters, even a cat with idiosyncrasies—a novel that is a delightful one sitting read.
Modernity overlaps tradition as the new bookstore owner wants to phase out home delivery service, which essentially phases out Carl. His simple life becomes more complicated when precocious nine year old Schascha joins him on his rounds. Her involvement on his deliveries begins the end of life as he knows it to open a door to other possibilities.
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
A few years ago I read the book and have recently watched the TV series, which necessitated rereading the book. This proved the best way to thoroughly enjoy the author presentation of a Russian fairytale that deftly weaves in Russian history. Watching the TV series with Ewan McGregor playing Count Rostov is proving the old adage “the book is the book and the movie is the movie.”
Now that July has arrived the weather report indicates a hot summer is anticipated. No problem—I just bought a new hammock with an umbrella. My TBR is fully loaded. I’m looking forward to lounging and reading in the backyard.
Where’s your favorite place to read in the summer?
Pam Webb 