June TBR – Random Number Generator

Hello Junebugs!

Can you actually believe that we’re already in the month of June?? This has felt life the slowest fastest moving year in the history of the world. Do you know what mean? Anyway, it’s that time of the month again, time to pick out my TBR!

Now, I have to admit, I pretty much failed at my May TBR. I read two of the six books I randomly selected. And while two is better than none, I definitely think I could have done better. I did really well with my overall reading for the month having finished 14 books in total and that is amazing for me! Especially because I began to feel a little slumpy around the middle of the month. I always fall into a reading slump during the summer months. Something about the weather really. It wasn’t until a few days ago that I felt like really picking up a book to read again. But going into the month of June I am going to really hard to actually read the entirety of the TBR I picked out. (Or at least half of it…)

That all being said, let’s hop into the TBR! I decided to use a random number generator again because it was so much fun last month. This month, I did a recount of all my books and it totaled to 550!! (This is a rough estimate because I didn’t count any books that I have multiple copies of and I didn’t count any academia books I have, and I have quite a few.) So, I used the random number generator to pick out six books for me to read in June, that still leaves plenty of books for me to mood read.

Book #1 – number 165

Book #1 is “An Enchantment of Ravens” by: Margaret Rogerson. I tried reading this book a while ago (maybe last summer?) but I wasn’t in the mood for it then so I ended up putting it down and never picking it back up. That said, I really getting into a Fantasy mood and I think this book will be great for pulling me out of the little I’ve been feeling. It’s a Fea centred book and I’m really hoping there’s a lush romance in it. I’m craving a book with a really good romance. This book is also a stand alone fantasy, which I don’t read a lot of, so I’m looking forward to a full story being told in once sitting.

Book #2 – number 322

Book #2 just so happend to be Margaret Rogerson’s second book, “Sorcery of Thorns“. Honestly, what are the chances that I would get two books written by the same author out of the 550 books I have on my shelves! This is the OwlCrate edition from June 2019. This is another book that I just haven’t read yet but I’m excited to pick it up. I managed to snag the audiobook from my Library on Libby so I’ll definitely be getting to think book this month. This book is also another stand alone!

(Not sponsored but I straight up SWEAR by this app! People also ask me how I manage to read so much and my answer is: audiobooks! And I love my audible, don’t get me wrong, but I haven’t used it nearly as much this year as I have my Libby. I mean come on, you can borrow almost anything you can think of! If your library has a copy that is. And I love using my library, before the quarantine I was checking out like 10 books a month. Anyway, I always like to be listening to an audiobook at the same time that I;m reading physical books because they’re so much more portable. Like, if I’m doing a really mundane easy task at work, instead of listening to music I’ll be listening to my audiobook! Okay, I’m done now. Thanks for coming to my TEDTalk. P.S. Libby sponsor me please!)

Book #3 – number 33

Book #3 is “On Tyranny” By: Timothy Snyder. This will be a reread for me, I read it back in 2018, but it feels like fate that the number generator picked this one out. We’re living in tumultuous times, though it’s fair to say that we always have been, and now more than ever people are using their voices and platforms to raise awareness to the injustices that have never ceased being brought upon the Black community in America. #BlackLivesMatter period. This book is primarily a response to the US election of 2016 but it deals with a variety of topics centred around freedom and I feel like it is still so applicable today. It’s a really short, insightful read and I highly recommend everyone reads it. I’ve seen this book be referred to as “the twenty-first century version of Thomas Paine’s ‘Common Sense‘”, I highly agree with this.

Book #4 – number 191

This one is cosmic really. Book #4 is “Great Goddesses” by Nikita Gill. I put this book on my TBR pile back in January! But I have just not picked it up. This is the month though. The universe literally threw this book in my face because right before picking put the books I had just put this back on the shelf! I loved reading “Fierce Fairytales” last year, it’s become one of my favourite books of poetry. So I know I’m really going to love this one too. I haven’t been reading that much poetry lately and I think it would be really good to be reading at least one book of poetry a month.

Book #5 – number 146

Book #5 is “Three Dark Crowns” by: Kendare Blake. This is yet another book I have not picked up yet. (I’m super late to the party with this one.) But I’m really glad it came up in my tbr because now it puts the book back on my radar and it’s another fantasy! I’m really glad so many fantasy books came up in this month’s picks too. I have a habit of rereading a lot of my favourite books over and over again to the point where I’m not picking up new books as much. These picks so far have done a great job of picking me out books I haven’t read but that I’ve been wanting to read.

Book #6 – number 397

Book #6 is “Love & Gelato” by: Jenna Evans Welch. This adorable looking book is a contemporary romance book set in one of my favourite countries in the world, Italy! I fully expecting to live out an Italian summer romance and there is nothing more I want from this book! I want cute and fluffy and swoon-worthy romance and I want it all packed into one book. I’m really hoping this will do it for me. I don’t read a lot of contemporary at all. Like, virtually none if I’m being honest. The closest I get to contemporary is Historical Fiction. But there is something about the summer season that makes me want to read a contemporary. Why is that, do you think? Maybe because they tend to be set in summer themselves? I’m really not sure but it’s something worth exploring more. Anyway, I’m just glad this was chosen by the numbers because I don’t think I would have picked it up myself but I do think I’m really going to like it.

And there you have it! The six books the universe chose for me this month. I’m sure I won’t get to every book I’ve picked out but it’ll be fun to try. Plus, I’ve got a huge list of NetGalley ARCs that I need to review. I did really good in the month of May having reviewed 5 total NetGalley ARCs! I’m super proud of that number. A lot of those books still have a few month before they come out but you expect to see full reviews of them on here the closer we get to their publication days. Anyway, I’m super pumped about my June TBR and this will be the month where I complete my GoodReads goal of reading 75 books! (I’m currently at 70!)

Here’s to having a great reading month and not falling prey to the Summer Reading Slump!

xoxo Juju