imyril @ There's Always Room For One More Redux

June Redux: rainbow reads

A pair of burgundy boots rest on a bookshelf of fantasy novels

June means Pride and as I had few rigid reading commitments, I indulged in mood reading focused on queer characters. I immediately dived into space opera, which made me so happy I clearly need to balance my recently fantasy-dominated reading diet back out. I’ve loved my fantasy this year (and my fantasy read this month will make my Best of 2021 lists for sure) …but I’ve missed my spaceships.

Reading Round-up

This month’s reading was generally as good as – or better than – expected, which was delightful. I thought I’d squeeze a couple more reads in, but I hurt my knee mid-month (yes, I’m absurdly accident-prone; there’s always something) badly enough that I retreated into the comfort of playing Stardew Valley instead of trying to focus on new things. I’m on the mend now – although still having to be very careful of overdoing or twisting it – and back in the books. I’m currently halfway through She Who Became The Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan, which I’m enjoying immensely.

  • The Jasmine Throne – Tasha Suri ★★★★★
  • A Pale Light in the Black – KB Wagers ★★★★
  • Seven Devils – Laura Lam & Elizabeth May ★★★
  • Bite-size Books: Upright Women Wanted – Sarah Gailey ★★★★

Additional Reviews

Still chipping away at my backlog – the oldest read but unreviewed are now cleared (okay this is a lie, but I accept at this point that if I read it in 2020 I’m going to need to reread it to review it). I’ve not managed to review everything before July’s ARC deluge, but I’m confident I’ll get there over the summer. Being caught up once a year is a win, right?

Stacking the shelves

I had a surprised little moment mid-month when I realised I hadn’t bought or requested any books yet, but I recovered 😉

Book cover: Son of the Storm - Suyi Davies Okungbowa
Book cover: Riot Baby - Tochi Onyebuchi

Reading statistics

My goal – always – is to read diversely and to love every book. I decided not to set any particular targets for my reading this year – no Goodreads Challenge or even Game of Books – although I continue to monitor my reading mix.

Books completed: 38 | DNFs: 2

  • 6 off the shelf (i.e. not bought in 2021)
  • 17 ARCs
  • 12 bite-size (excl. short stories)
  • 6 audio reads

Authors: 10 male (25%) / 21 female (53%) / 4 trans, enby or genderqueer (10%) + 5 collaborations (13%)

  • Authors of colour: 13 (33%)
  • LGBTQIA authors: 13 (33%)
  • Non-US / UK based authors: 4 (10%)

BookSpin: 2 read | 3 WIP | 1 DNF

What’s coming up?

Not much to report other than ‘more summer reading’. I’ve got some holiday coming up of the sort that accommodates much quiet reading, which I’m very much looking forward to.

How was your June?