June Favorites
*I'm behind this month, so I'm going to take a break from adding book covers so that I can get this posted in a timely manner!
The 10: A Memoir of Family and the Open Road by E. A. Hanks
This author was a year behind me in college, and we were dorm neighbors, but I don't think we ever actually met. I read this out of curiosity, and because her dad is Tom Hanks, but I was pleasantly surprised by how excellent the writing is, and I stuck with the book for its own merits and not the celebrity connection.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
This was a re-read, my third time reading it since high school. I love all these twentieth century American novels, but I think I actually slightly prefer The Sun Also Rises.
Meet Me at Wonderland by Julia de Villiers
This YA workplace romance was very sweet and exactly like the books I remember borrowing from the library in my early teens. It was just a cozy, gentle feel-good story with a quirky setting and absolutely nothing objectionable.
A Long Way from Verona by Jane Gardam
This vintage British children's novel published in the 70s and written about WWII has a strong first-person voice that really grabbed me, and I loved the unique flavor of the author's writing. I also appreciated the very resilient attitude it had about things like bombings.
The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis
I didn't want to finish this series because I was afraid the ending would be sad. I wasn't exactly right about that, and I'm actually really impressed that I went so long in life without reading it and no one spoiled it for me. A beautiful, fitting ending, and one of my favorites of the seven.
The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
I remember hating this book in 7th grade, but after reading it aloud to my kids I had to change my Goodreads rating from one to five stars. The writing is so vivid, and the story has so much more depth than my 12-year-old mind took from it.
Everything's Coming Up Rosie by Courtney Walsh
Another hit from a favorite author! This was more women's fiction than romance, which is fine with me. I loved the retirement community setting, the sweet romance, and most of all, watching Rosie come into her own.
DNF
- Life and Art: Essays by Richard Russo
- Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry
- Sing Me Home to Carolina by Joy Callaway (but I'm planning to try this one again)
Read-Alouds
- Rich Inheritance by Winefride Nolan (with me)
- A Boy of Old Prague by Sulamith Ish-Kishor (with Dad)
- Castaways of the Flying Dutchman by Brian Jacques (audiobook in the car)
Family Reading Lists
M. (11 years, 7 months)
- Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
(She finally finished it! And every single one of her predictions was wrong. Poor girl.)
C. (9 years, 9 months)
- Americans to the Moon: The Story of Project Apollo by Gene Gurney
- Moonshot by Brian Floca
- The Honest Dollar by Dorothy Simpson
E. (7 years, 8 months)
- Mattimeo by Brian Jacques
- Dr. Dolittle's Garden by Hugh Lofting
- Curious Missie by Virginia Sorensen
- The Road to Oz by L. Frank Baum
R. (5 years, 3 months)
- The Happy Hollisters and the Ghost Horse Mystery by Jerry West
- Rip-Roaring Russell by Johanna Hurwitz
- Busybody Nora by Johanna Hurwitz
- Two Times the Fun by Beverly Cleary
- Riding the Pony Express by Clyde Robert Bulla
- Heartwood Hotel Book 1: A True Home by Kallie George
- Thimbleberry Stories by Cynthia Rylant
A. (5 years, 3 months)
- Little Bear by Else Holmelund Minarik
- Father Bear Comes Home by Else Holmelund Minarik
- A Kiss for Little Bear by Else Holmelund Minarik
- More Tales of Oliver Pig by Jean Van Leeuwen
My husband
- Castaways of the Flying Dutchman by Brian Jacques
- A Long Way from Verona by Jane Gardam
- A Boy of Old Prague by Sulamith by Ish-Kishor
- Rich Inheritance by Winefride Nolan
- The Haunted Wood: A History of Childhood Reading by Sam Leith
