Reading is my oldest and favorite hobby. I literally can’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t love to curl up with a good book. Here are my reads for June, 2021.

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A Thousand Ships, by Natalie Haynes – I absolutely loved this retelling of The Iliad and The Odyssey from the perspective of all the women who hover in the background. Not just Penelope (who did receive her own starring role in Margaret Atwood’s The Penelopiad, of course – which I also loved), but also Briseis, Chryseis, Cassandra, Clytemnestra, Iphigenia, Hecabe, Andromache, Penthesileia – and more. It was beautifully written, engaging, tragic and totally captivating.

The Kitchen Front, by Jennifer Ryan – Having read and enjoyed The Chilbury Ladies Choir when it first came out, I figured I’d like another World War II home front competition novel from the same author – and I did. The Kitchen Front follows four women vying for a spot as co-host on a BBC radio show about cooking, through the vehicle of a food competition. It was a sweet, lovely story; I found myself rooting for all four of the women, and I was sad when it ended.

Slightly Foxed No. 9: Tusker’s Last Stand, ed. Gail Pirkis and Hazel Wood – Continuing my slow journey through the back issues of Slightly Foxed. The highlight was an article about Gwen Raverat’s wood engravings, which I have loved for years.

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Ready Player Two (Ready Player One #2), by Ernest Cline – I enjoyed the follow-up to Cline’s Ready Player One, but wasn’t as blown away by it as by the first. Wade Watts (a.k.a. Sir Parzival) has officially taken the reins of the Oasis after winning founder James Halliday’s contest, but life isn’t as great as he thought it would be. Then another mysterious contest begins, and a new rival rises, even more dangerous than the nefarious Sixers. The pop culture, eighties, and nerd references still abound, but since it’s basically the same plot as its predecessor, it didn’t feel as fresh and creative. That said, if there is ever a Ready Player Three, you know I’ll read it.

The Vanishing Half, by Brit Bennet – I’ve been waiting months for this on the library holds list, and I finally got my hands on a copy! Desiree and Stella Vignes are twin sisters growing up in the Jim Crow South. Although they are both Black, they live in a town that prizes light skin – until one day, they do the unthinkable and, shoulder to shoulder, walk out of town. Years later, Desiree returns, escaping a toxic marriage, with a very dark-skinned daughter in tow; the town isn’t sure what to make of this deveclopment. Meanwhile, Stella is halfway across the country, passing for white, and her family has no idea where she is – until Stella’s and Desiree’s daughters meet, threatening to upend the entire fictional basis of Stella’s life. So – this was powerful, gorgeously written, and wildly compelling. I loved it.

Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times, by Katherine May – Seems like an odd choice for sweltering June in the mid-Atlantic, but again: library timing dictated. May writes with depth and sensitivity about winter as a time in one’s life – when difficulties arise, as they periodically do – and, well, as the subtitle says, “the power of rest and retreat.” May’s musings take her to the far Arctic north and to her own local beach. We have all had winters – times when nothing seems to go right, and the only thing to do is hunker down. I’m not in one at the moment, thankfully, but when my turn comes again I will take to heart May’s advice to be gentle with myself.

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British Summer Time Begins: The School Summer Holidays 1930-1980, by Ysenda Maxtone Graham – I just love Ysenda Maxtone Graham’s charming social histories. After reading Mr Tibbets’s Catholic School and Terms and Conditions, both from Slightly Foxed, I knew I wanted a copy of British Summer Time Begins, and it was just as informative and charming as Graham’s other work. She skillfully melds together reminiscences of hundreds of Britons across the social spectrum, about everything from rolling in cousin gangs to freezing on Scottish fishing trips between 1930 and 1980. I enjoyed it immensely.

Klara and the Sun, by Kazuo Ishiguro – A new Kazuo Ishiguro novel is always an event. Klara and the Sun, his latest, follows an exceptionally observant Artificial Friend (a.k.a. lifelike robot) as she is absorbed into a family and concocts a plan to save the life of the ill daughter of the house. It had a very Never Let Me Go vibe, which had me worried, but (spoiler) it does end slightly better than that downer. Klara was sweet and poignant and quite, quite weird.

June was a library heavy month for me! It just happened that a bunch of holds hit at once – it’s been over a year since I’ve had that situation, goodness – and other than the back issue of Slightly Foxed and British Summer Time Begins, it was all library for me. Brit Bennet is always going to be a highlight, and I’m glad I finally got to Wintering, after so many friends have raved about it. That said, I am looking forward to getting back to my own shelves in July.

What did you read in June?