PERSONAL LIFE
I definitely enjoy working less hours a lot. I suddenly have so much free time which I can use to read and do other enjoyable things. No, I don’t have a second job or started uni again, thanks for asking. I’m just enjoying the free time I have. Working, no matter if a job is fun or not, is a necessity for me. Something to finance the things I do in my free time. I do not need to be productive, working and learnign at all times.
Anyways, I used my free time and Germany’s 49€ ticket (where you can use all regional public transport in the whole country for 49€ a month) and drove to Saxony Switzerland two times. The first time with my colleague and friend, making use of a free day and hiking around Rathen. After having around 30 degrees every day, the 20 degrees and cloudy sky were very welcome. It was a very fun day and I’d love to do it again soon!
The second time I went with my boyfriend, walking from Königstein to Rathen, then having food and going back home. We had some slight drizzle, relatively cool weather but spectacular views and I always love hiking with my boyfriend. And I also love Saxony Switzerland, it’s one of my favourite places ever and hiking there is always amazing.
Another highlight, as every year, was watching the 24h of Le Mans, aka my favourite motorsport event and it’s one of my life goals to sometime see a race live. Hopefully next year? And this year, it was such a good, exciting race, even though it didn’t go well for Porsche. And yep, I’ve always been a Porsche supporter when it comes to motorsport but I might be biased there.
I went to two concerts. One was Asking Alexandria and I guess everyone in my little group expected more. I mean, it was enjoyable but I’ve definitely been to better concerts before. The other concert was Klassik airleben which is a yearly event in Leipzig, where the amazing orchestra from the Gewandhaus hosts a free concert in the park. I love going every year, bringing friends and snacks, enjoying classical music and summer. To be honest, it might be one of my favourite things of the year.
June was generally a very good month for me which I enjoyed so much!
BOOKS READ IN JUNE
The Bone Season series by Samantha Shannon (rereads)
1. The Bone Season
2. The Mime Order
3. The Song Rising
3.5 The Dawn Chorus
4. The Mask Falling
The year is 2059. Nineteen-year-old Paige Mahoney is working in the criminal underworld of Scion London, based at Seven Dials, employed by a man named Jaxon Hall. Her job: to scout for information by breaking into people’s minds. For Paige is a dreamwalker, a clairvoyant and, in the world of Scion, she commits treason simply by breathing.
It is raining the day her life changes for ever. Attacked, drugged and kidnapped, Paige is transported to Oxford – a city kept secret for two hundred years, controlled by a powerful, otherworldly race. Paige is assigned to Warden, a Rephaite with mysterious motives. He is her master. Her trainer. Her natural enemy. But if Paige wants to regain her freedom she must allow herself to be nurtured in this prison where she is meant to die.
When I tell you I love this series so much, I can’t even express HOW MUCH. This was my fourth (?) reread of the first two books, third reread of The Song Rising and my first of The Mask Falling. Even though it’s technically dystopian and a pretty brutal series, there are not many others that make me feel at home as much as this one does. The Bone Season has a very, very special place in my heart and even though the ending of The Mask Falling left me devastated and crying (again), this is one of my all time favourite series. I’d say it might even be the all time favourite, I just love it that much. Please everyone read this, it’s so good.
Lore Olympus Vol. 4 by Rachel Smythe
The rumor mill of Olympus is constantly churning, but Persephone and Hades are all anyone can talk about. With the constant gossip creating intense pressure on the pair, they decide to slow down their budding romance and focus on sorting out their own issues first.
But that’s easier said than done.
Hades struggles to find support in his personal life, with Zeus trivializing his feelings and Minthe resorting to abusive patterns in their relationship. And while Hades tries to create healthier boundaries where he can-like finally putting a stop to his sporadic, revenge-fueled hookups with Hera-he still feels lonely and adrift.
Persephone feels equally ostracized as her classmates shun her for her connection to Hades, and she can find no refuge at home, with Apollo constantly dropping by unannounced and pushing his unwelcome advances. And on top of it all, the wrathful god of war, Ares, has returned to Olympus to dredge up his sordid history with the goddess of spring, threatening to surface Persephone’s dark and mysterious past and ruin her tenuous position in the land of the gods.
Despite agreeing to take it slow, Persephone and Hades find themselves inextricably drawn toward each other once more amid the chaos. The pull of fate cannot be denied.
I really, really like Lore Olympus, and more so with each Volume released. I didn’t like this fourth one as much as I did the previous one, but I really liked where the story is going and how the characters grow and develop. Lore Olympus is such a great take on the Hades/Persephone myth and I’m absolutely here for it and ready to devour it all.
Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood
The many lives of theoretical physicist Elsie Hannaway have finally caught up with her. By day, she’s an adjunct professor, toiling away at grading labs and teaching thermodynamics in the hopes of landing tenure. By other day, Elsie makes up for her non-existent paycheck by offering her services as a fake girlfriend, tapping into her expertly honed people pleasing skills to embody whichever version of herself the client needs.
Honestly, it’s a pretty sweet gig—until her carefully constructed Elsie-verse comes crashing down. Because Jack Smith, the annoyingly attractive and broody older brother of her favorite client, turns out to be the cold-hearted experimental physicist who ruined her mentor’s career and undermined the reputation of theorists everywhere. And that same Jack who now sits on the hiring committee at MIT, right between Elsie and her dream job.
Elsie is prepared for an all-out war of scholarly sabotage but…those long, penetrating looks? Not having to be anything other than her true self when she’s with him? Will falling into an experimentalist’s orbit finally tempt her to put her most guarded theories on love into practice?
I simply love Ali Hazelwood’s romances. They’re fun and quirky and I simply enjoy them and myself while reading them a lot. They’re not necessarily very deep or make a lot of sense but I’m here for the fun, the a-spec discussions and the guy always being head over heels for her. Love, Theoretically is not an exception to this but I don’t care. Ali Hazelwood can write the same book over and over and exchange the names of the characters and I’ll read it. Gladly so.
Never a Hero by Vanessa Len
Monsters #2
Despite all of the odds, Joan achieved the impossible. She reset the timeline, saved her family – and destroyed the hero, Nick.
But her success has come at a terrible cost.
She alone remembers what happened. Now, Aaron, her hard-won friend – and maybe more – is an enemy, trying to kill her. And Nick, the boy she loved, is a stranger who doesn’t even know her name. Only Joan remembers that there is a ruthless and dangerous enemy still out there.
When a deadly attack forces Joan back into the monster world as a fugitive, she finds herself on the run with Nick – as Aaron closes in.
As the danger rises – and Nick gets perilously closer to discovering the truth of what Joan did to him – Joan discovers a secret of her own. One that threatens everyone she loves.
Torn between love and family and monstrous choices, Joan must find a way to re-gather her old allies to face down the deadliest of enemies, and to save the timeline itself.
This series is SO GOOD?!?!?! It has so much action, forbidden love, and angst while at the same time the humor is great, it has a great, somewhat dystopian atmosphere and wonderfully written characters. Never a Hero is just as fast-paced as book one and we get thrown right into the story and after that it’s like spooking a horse and it just gallops forward until it tires out except this book doesn’t tire. It doesn’t have many breaks, many calm moments which makes it very exciting and difficult to put down. On the contrary, I read this so quickly, having to know what was going to happen. All that said, I also need to say that we stan Aaron in this house.
Fräulein vom Amt – Die Nachricht des Mörders von Charlotte Blum
Fräulein vom Amt #1
Baden-Baden 1922. Das Fräulein vom Amt Alma Täuber liebt ihre Arbeit als Telefonistin und meistert sie mit Geschick und Energie. Gemeinsam mit ihrer besten Freundin Emmi genießt sie es, frei und unbeschwert zu sein und ein selbstbestimmtes Leben zu führen.
Als Alma bei einer Telefonschalte zufällig den Bruchteil eines Gesprächs mithört, lässt sie die knarzige Stimme des Anrufers, die von einem erledigten Auftrag »bei den Kolonnaden« spricht, nicht mehr los. Alma stellt beherzt Nachforschungen an und findet heraus, dass genau dort eine Frau ermordet aufgefunden wurde. Doch bei der Polizei glaubt niemand an einen Zusammenhang zu dem Anruf – außer Kommissaranwärter Ludwig Schiller.
In ihrer entschlossenen Art lässt Alma sich nicht beirren und begibt sich gemeinsam mit Schiller zwischen mondänen Bäderhotels und illegalen Casinos auf die Spur des Mörders.
Ich lese ja normalerweise gar nichts in Richtung Krimi, aber ich habe zufällig Fräulein vom Amt bei Storytel entdeckt und beschlossen, dass ich es ja mal hören könnte. Und ich muss sagen, ich fand es ziemlich gut. Es war keine schwere Story, es war locker und gut wegzuhören und einfach irgendwie auch gemütlich. Ich mochte das Baden-Baden Setting sehr gerne, die Atmosphäre kam wirklich gut rüber. Ich mochte auch Alma und Emmi und die Dynamik zwischen den beiden. Ich hätte es nciht gedacht, aber ich will Teil 2 definitiv auch noch hören, Dagmar Bittner spricht wirklich sehr angenehm und der Schreibstil der beiden Autorinnen funktioniert auch wunderbar.
Wie man einen Prinzen tötet von T. Kingfisher
engl. title: Nettle & Bone
Die junge Marra, drittgeborene Tochter eines kleinen Königreichs, muss mitansehen, wie ihre beiden älteren Schwestern nacheinander mit dem sadistischen Prinz Vorling verheiratet werden. Nach dem mysteriösen Tod der Älteren, muss die Jüngere ihren Platz einnehmen, um Vorling endlich einen Erben zu schenken – ein Los, das auch Marra zu drohen scheint.
Es sei denn, sie nimmt ihr Schicksal in die eigene Hand und sucht sich ein paar schillernde Verbündete für ihren Plan – denn Marra will den Prinzen nicht küssen, sondern ihn töten!
Ich bin immer noch etwas zwiegespalten. Einerseits war das Buch absolut nicht das, was ich erwartet habe, andererseits war die ungewöhnliche Truppe, die auszieht, den Prinzen zu töten, sehr charmant in ihrer Skurrilität und ihre Mission sehr wichtig. Leider wurde ich, obwohl ich die Charaktere mochte, nicht wirklich in die Geschichte hineingesogen und habe relativ lange für ein doch recht kurzes Buch gebraucht. Das Buch konnte mich nicht dauerhaft halten und ich war an manchen Stellen eher gelangweilt. Trotzdem konnte ich “Wie man einen Prinzen töten” einiges abgewinnen.
Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams
When in Rome #2
Annie Walker is on a quest to find her perfect match-someone who nicely compliments her happy, quiet life running her flower shop in Rome, Kentucky. Unfortunately, she worries her goal might be too far out of reach when she overhears her date saying she is “so unbelievably boring.” Is it too late to become flirtatious and fun like the leading ladies in her favorite romance movies? Maybe she only needs a little practice…and Annie has the perfect person in mind to become her tutor: Will Griffin.
Will-the flirtatious, tattooed, and absolutely gorgeous bodyguard-is temporarily back in Rome, providing security for Amelia Rose as excitement grows for her upcoming marriage to Noah Walker. He has one personal objective during his time in town: stay away from Annie Walker. But no sooner than he gets settled, Will soon finds himself not only breaking his rule, but tasked with far more than simply providing security.
Will wants no part in changing the sweet and lovely Annie, but he can’t bring himself to say no to her request, so he officially agrees to teach her how to be the next leading lady of Rome, Kentucky, and find the love of her life-even if he doesn’t believe in love himself. Between faking a relationship so the meddling town doesn’t catch on to what’s really happening on their practice dates, and tutoring lessons that convince Annie to add passion to her list of must-haves in a mate, it doesn’t take long for the lines of their friendship to blur…
This was very cute! The town of Rome is simply charming, its inhabitants weird but loveable. I liked Annie, and how she grows into the person she always was and finds the courage to be herself was really well written. Will also has such a heart of gold and is so gentle, yet has an entirely different side as well. The two of them worked so well together, bringing out the best in the other and being always supportive. I also enjoyed the family and friends aspect in the book. Highly enjoyable!
JUNE BOOK HAUL
The Midnight Kingdom by Tara Sim (ARC)
The Dark Gods #2
Scattered across the realms, the four noble heirs of Nexus walk a dangerous path, attempting to undo the damage the gods have wrought.
Taesia, the shadow-wielding rebel of House Lastrider, and Nikolas, the reluctant soldier of House Cyr, find themselves stranded in Noctus, the realm of eternal night. But they are not alone. They’ve been followed by the unpredictable god of light, determined to destroy Noctus.
Meanwhile, Risha, the peacekeeping necromancer, must navigate the treacherous realm of death, Mortri, where the spirits don’t take kindly to the living. The stubborn elementalist Angelica fights a battle of her own in Vitae, trying to keep Nexus from unravelling while secretly suffering from an illness that could have disastrous repercussions for her family, her kingdom, and her dreams of the throne.
As the heirs struggle to restore balance to the universe, they encounter new allies and new foes alike. But the gods grow stronger. And their descendants will need more than their magic and wits to survive the coming war…
Jade City – Familie ist Pflicht by Fonda Lee
Green Bone Saga #1
Seit Jahrhunderten ist die magische Jade das Lebenselixier der Insel Kekon. Ihretwegen wird gekämpft, gestohlen und gemordet, denn sie verleiht den ehrenhaften Kriegern der Green Bones ihre außergewöhnlichen Fähigkeiten. Doch nun ist eine mächtige Droge aufgetaucht, die es auch Fremden ermöglicht, die Jade zu nutzen. Diese neue Bedrohung für Kekon lässt die alte Blutfehde zwischen den rivalisierenden Familien Kaul und Ayt eskalieren. Wem wird es gelingen, den Jademarkt zu beherrschen und die Bezirke unter seinem Schutz zu verteidigen? Der Ausgang des Clan-Krieges wird über das Schicksal von ganz Kekon bestimmen…
The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston
Sometimes, the worst day of your life happens, and you have to figure out how to live after it.
So Clementine forms a plan to keep her heart safe: stay busy, work hard, find someone decent to love, and try to remember to chase the moon. The last one is silly and obviously metaphorical, but her aunt always told her that you needed at least one big dream to keep going. And for the last year, that plan has gone off without a hitch. Mostly. The love part is hard because she doesn’t want to get too close to anyone—she isn’t sure her heart can take it.
And then she finds a strange man standing in the kitchen of her late aunt’s apartment. A man with kind eyes and a Southern drawl and a taste for lemon pies. The kind of man that, before it all, she would’ve fallen head-over-heels for. And she might again.
Except, he exists in the past. Seven years ago, to be exact. And she, quite literally, lives seven years in his future.
Her aunt always said the apartment was a pinch in time, a place where moments blended together like watercolors. And Clementine knows that if she lets her heart fall, she’ll be doomed.
After all, love is never a matter of time—but a matter of timing.
Wie man einen Prinzen tötet by T. Kingfisher (review copy)
Die junge Marra, drittgeborene Tochter eines kleinen Königreichs, muss mitansehen, wie ihre beiden älteren Schwestern nacheinander mit dem sadistischen Prinz Vorling verheiratet werden. Nach dem mysteriösen Tod der Älteren, muss die Jüngere ihren Platz einnehmen, um Vorling endlich einen Erben zu schenken – ein Los, das auch Marra zu drohen scheint.
Es sei denn, sie nimmt ihr Schicksal in die eigene Hand und sucht sich ein paar schillernde Verbündete für ihren Plan – denn Marra will den Prinzen nicht küssen, sondern ihn töten!
Court of the Undying Seasons by A.M. Strickland
When nineteen-year-old Fin volunteers to take her secret love’s place in their village’s Finding, she is terrified. Those who are chosen at the Finding are whisked away to Castle Courtsheart, a vampire school where human students either succeed and become vampires, fail and spend the rest of their lives as human thralls…or they don’t survive long enough to become either.
Fin is determined to forge a different learn how to kill the undead and get revenge for her mother, who was taken by the vampires years ago. But Courtsheart is as captivating as it is deadly, and Fin is quickly swept up in her new world and its inhabitants – particularly Gavron, her handsome and hostile vampire maker, whose blood is nothing short of intoxicating. As Fin begins to discover new aspects of her own identity and test her newfound powers, she stumbles across a string of murders that may be connected to a larger ritual – one with potentially lethal consequences for vampires and humans alike. Fin must uncover the truth and find the killer before she loses her life…or betrays her own heart.
Lore Olympus Vol. 4 by Rachel Smythe
The rumor mill of Olympus is constantly churning, but Persephone and Hades are all anyone can talk about. With the constant gossip creating intense pressure on the pair, they decide to slow down their budding romance and focus on sorting out their own issues first.
But that’s easier said than done.
Hades struggles to find support in his personal life, with Zeus trivializing his feelings and Minthe resorting to abusive patterns in their relationship. And while Hades tries to create healthier boundaries where he can-like finally putting a stop to his sporadic, revenge-fueled hookups with Hera-he still feels lonely and adrift.
Persephone feels equally ostracized as her classmates shun her for her connection to Hades, and she can find no refuge at home, with Apollo constantly dropping by unannounced and pushing his unwelcome advances. And on top of it all, the wrathful god of war, Ares, has returned to Olympus to dredge up his sordid history with the goddess of spring, threatening to surface Persephone’s dark and mysterious past and ruin her tenuous position in the land of the gods.
Despite agreeing to take it slow, Persephone and Hades find themselves inextricably drawn toward each other once more amid the chaos. The pull of fate cannot be denied.
Fourth Wing – Flammengeküsst by Rebecca Yarros
Violets Traum, Schriftgelehrte am renommierten Basgiath War College zu werden, zerplatzt jäh, da sie als Tochter der Generalin am Auswahlverfahren der Drachenreiter teilnehmen muss. Das erste Jahr wird nicht einmal die Hälfte aller Bewerber überleben, denn Drachen binden sich nicht an schwache Menschen, sie fackeln sie nieder. Die meisten Kadetten wollen Violet allein aufgrund ihrer Herkunft niederstrecken – besonders Xaden, der mächtigste und skrupelloseste unter den Geschwaderführern. Und ohne Frage auch der attraktivste. Ausgerechnet ihm wird Violet unterstellt. Sie wird jeden Vorteil nutzen müssen, wenn sie überleben will. Denn am Basgiath War College haben alle eine Agenda und es gibt nur zwei Wege hinaus: den Abschluss machen oder sterben.
King of Pride by Ana Huang
Kings of Sin #2
Reserved, controlled, and proper to a fault, Kai Young has neither the time nor inclination for chaos—and Isabella, with her purple hair and inappropriate jokes, is chaos personified.
With a crucial CEO vote looming and a media empire at stake, the billionaire heir can’t afford the distraction she brings.
Isabella is everything he shouldn’t want, but with every look and every touch, he’s tempted to break all his rules…and claim her as his own.
Bold, impulsive, and full of life, Isabella Valencia has never met a party she doesn’t like or a man she couldn’t charm…except for Kai Young.
It shouldn’t matter. He’s not her type—the man translates classics into Latin for fun, and his membership at the exclusive club where she bartends means he’s strictly off limits.
But she can’t deny that, beneath his cool exterior, is a man who could make her melt with just a touch.
No matter how hard they try, they can’t resist giving into their forbidden desires.
Even if it costs them everything.
Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood
The many lives of theoretical physicist Elsie Hannaway have finally caught up with her. By day, she’s an adjunct professor, toiling away at grading labs and teaching thermodynamics in the hopes of landing tenure. By other day, Elsie makes up for her non-existent paycheck by offering her services as a fake girlfriend, tapping into her expertly honed people pleasing skills to embody whichever version of herself the client needs.
Honestly, it’s a pretty sweet gig—until her carefully constructed Elsie-verse comes crashing down. Because Jack Smith, the annoyingly attractive and broody older brother of her favorite client, turns out to be the cold-hearted experimental physicist who ruined her mentor’s career and undermined the reputation of theorists everywhere. And that same Jack who now sits on the hiring committee at MIT, right between Elsie and her dream job.
Elsie is prepared for an all-out war of scholarly sabotage but…those long, penetrating looks? Not having to be anything other than her true self when she’s with him? Will falling into an experimentalist’s orbit finally tempt her to put her most guarded theories on love into practice?
The Battle Drum by Saara El-Arifi
The Ending Fire #2
Anoor is the first blue-blooded ruler of the Wardens’ Empire. But when she is accused of a murder she didn’t commit, her reign is thrown into turmoil. She must solve the mystery and clear her name without the support of her beloved, Sylah.
Sylah braves new lands to find a solution for the hurricane that threatens to destroy her home. But in finding answers, she must make a decision, does she sacrifice her old life in order to raise up her sword once more?
Hassa’s web of secrets grows ever thicker as she finds herself on a trail of crimes in the city. Her searching uncovers the extent of the atrocities of the empire’s past and present. Now, she must guard both her heart and her land.
The three women find their answers, but they’re not the answers they wanted. The drumbeat of change thrums throughout the world.
And it sings a song of war.
Return to Cherry Blossom Way by Jeannie Chin
Blue Cedar Falls #2
May Wu is no longer the shy teen who skipped out of her small North Carolina town right after graduation. Now she’s a successful travel writer who can handle any challenge. Until her latest assignment sends her home to Blue Cedar Falls, where, of course, she runs straight into Han Leung, a.k.a. the guy who got away. How dare he still be so good looking, funny, and easy to talk to?
Han always does the responsible thing, which is why he put aside his dreams of opening his own restaurant to run his family’s business. But when May re-enters his life, he can no longer ignore his own wants and desires. Garden gnomes are stolen, old haunts are visited, and sparks fly between the pair, just as they always did. But Han and May broke up because they wanted vastly different lives, and that hasn’t changed—or has it?
Full Exposure by Thien-Kim Lam
Boudoir photographer Josie Parks never ever takes a vacation. But when a client cancels a New Orleans shoot at the last minute, she decides to fly out from her Washington, D.C., studio anyway. Maybe the trip will reawaken her recently stagnant muse. After all, it’s Mardi Gras season…
Spencer Pham has come home after twelve soul-sucking years in corporate hell to pursue his passion: making a docu-film on his family’s history as the first Vietnamese Mardi Gras krewe. The last thing he expects is getting whacked in the head by a beautiful woman trying to snag some parade beads.
During a long night at urgent care, Spencer and Josie connect over their artistic pursuits. He offers to show her the real New Orleans, if she’ll help him with the camerawork for his film. Despite Josie’s type-A personality clashing with Spencer’s laissez-faire attitude, they seem to make a great team, and soon, the good times are rolling both on and off camera. But Josie has a life in D.C., and they both have big dreams they’re chasing. When this Big Easy fling starts feeling awfully serious, can they find a way to choose between personal and professional passion?
Dark Skies by Danielle L. Jensen
Dark Shores #2
Lydia is a scholar, but books are her downfall when she meddles in the plots of the most powerful man in the Celendor Empire. Her life in danger, she flees west to the far side of the Endless Seas and finds herself entangled in a foreign war where her burgeoning powers are sought by both sides.
Killian is Marked by the God of War, but his gifts fail him when the realm under the dominion of the Corrupter invades Mudamora. Disgraced, he swears his sword to the kingdom’s only hope: the crown princess. But the choice sees him caught up in a web of political intrigue that will put his oath – and his heart – to the test.
With Mudamora falling beneath the armies of the Corrupter, Lydia and Killian strike a bargain to save those they love most—but it is a bargain with unintended and disastrous consequences. Truths are revealed, birthrights claimed, and loyalties questioned—all while a menace deadlier and more far-reaching than they realize sweeps across the world.
Starry Eyes by Jenn Bennett
Ever since last year’s homecoming dance, best friends-turned-best enemies Zorie and Lennon have made an art of avoiding each other. It doesn’t hurt that their families are the modern-day Californian version of the Montagues and Capulets.
But when a group camping trip goes south, Zorie and Lennon find themselves stranded in the wilderness. Alone. Together.
What could go wrong?
With no one but each other for company, Zorie and Lennon have no choice but to hash out their issues via witty jabs and insults as they try to make their way to safety. But fighting each other while also fighting off the forces of nature makes getting out of the woods in one piece less and less likely.
And as the two travel deeper into Northern California’s rugged backcountry, secrets and hidden feelings surface. But can Zorie and Lennon’s rekindled connection survive out in the real world? Or was it just a result of the fresh forest air and the magic of the twinkling stars?
Bone Crier’s Moon by Kathryn Purdie
Bone Criers have a sacred duty. They alone can keep the dead from preying on the living. But their power to ferry the spirits of the dead into goddess Elara’s Night Heavens or Tyrus’s Underworld comes from sacrifice. The gods demand a promise of dedication. And that promise comes at the cost of the Bone Criers’ one true love.
Ailesse has been prepared since birth to become the matriarch of the Bone Criers, a mysterious famille of women who use strengths drawn from animal bones to ferry dead souls. But first she must complete her rite of passage and kill the boy she’s also destined to love.
Bastien’s father was slain by a Bone Crier and he’s been seeking revenge ever since. Yet when he finally captures one, his vengeance will have to wait. Ailesse’s ritual has begun and now their fates are entwined—in life and in death.
Sabine has never had the stomach for the Bone Criers’ work. But when her best friend Ailesse is taken captive, Sabine will do whatever it takes to save her, even if it means defying their traditions—and their matriarch—to break the bond between Ailesse and Bastien. Before they all die.
Let’s be bold by Nicole Böhm & Anabelle Stehl
Let’s be #2
Imogen, Obviously by Becky Albertalli
Imogen Scott may be hopelessly heterosexual, but she’s got the World’s Greatest Ally title locked down.
She’s never missed a Pride Alliance meeting. She knows more about queer media discourse than her very queer little sister. She even has two queer best friends. There’s Gretchen, a fellow high school senior, who helps keep Imogen’s biases in check. And then there’s Lili—newly out and newly thriving with a cool new squad of queer college friends.
Imogen’s thrilled for Lili. Any ally would be. And now that she’s finally visiting Lili on campus, she’s bringing her ally A game. Any support Lili needs, Imogen’s all in.
Even if that means bending the truth, just a little.
Like when Lili drops a tiny queer bombshell: she’s told all her college friends that Imogen and Lili used to date. And none of them know that Imogen is a raging hetero—not even Lili’s best friend, Tessa.
Of course, the more time Imogen spends with chaotic, freckle-faced Tessa, the more she starts to wonder if her truth was ever all that straight to begin with. . .
Love at First Set by Jennifer Dugan
The gym is Lizzie’s life-it’s her passion, her job, and the only place that’s ever felt like home. Unfortunately, her bosses consider her a glorified check-in girl at best, and the gym punching bag at worst.
When their son, Lizzie’s best friend, James, begs her to be his plus one at his perfect sister Cara’s wedding, things go wrong immediately, and culminate in Lizzie giving a drunken pep talk to a hot stranger in the women’s bathroom-except that stranger is actually the bride-to-be, and Lizzie has accidentally convinced her to ditch her groom.
Now, newly directionless Cara is on a quest to find herself, and Lizzie-desperate to make sure her bosses never find out her role in this fiasco-gets strong-armed by James into “entertaining” her. Cara doesn’t have to know it’s a setup; it’ll just be a quick fling before she sobers up and goes back to her real life. After all, how could someone like Cara fall for someone like Lizzie, with no career and no future?
But the more Lizzie gets to know Cara, the more she likes her, and the bigger the potential disaster if any of her rapidly multiplying secrets get out. Because now it’s not just Lizzie’s job and entire future on the line, but also the girl of her dreams.
ON THE BLOG IN JUNE
- What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez (ARC-Review)
- The Foxglove King by Hannah Whitten (ARC-Review)
- Read the Rainbow: Orange Books
JUNE BLOG VISITS
posts by other bloggers that I loved this month
- Consequences in Books and Why the Lack of Them Frustrates Me by Becky @ Becky’s Book Blog
- Rezension: Happy Place von Emily Henry by Cindy @ Behind the Books
- Review: The Dos and Donuts of Love by Adiba Jaigirdar by Charvi @ It’s not just fiction
- Review: Seven Percent of Ro Devereux by Ellen O’Clover by Caro @ Bookcheshirecat
- Der Farbschnitt beim Buch: Ein ästhetisches Detail by Sarah @ Nonsensente
- Rezension: Jade City – Familie ist Pflicht by Fonda Lee by Isabell @ Books of Tigerlily
And that is my June 2023 wrap up. I read a lot, got even more books, had a lot of fun and simply enjoyed summer and life for once. I feel as good as I haven’t in quite a while.
How was your June? Have you read anything exciting? Do you enjoy hiking?
Until next time,
