WHAT I READ IN JUNE 2023

While this wasn’t my best reading month overall numbers-wise, I read one of the best books of the year so that more than makes up for it!!!

FOSTER DADE EXPLORES THE COSMOS by Nash Jenkins

5/5 Stars

This. Book. I can’t remember the last time I read a book that gave me such an intense book hangover. I did not want this to end. The writing itself was phenomenal and I thought it was such an interesting choice for plot. It’s a coming of age story set on an elite boarding school campus following the lives of a particular clique of students, one of whom finds himself trying to fit in and inadvertently ends up starting a prescription drug ring. The story is told brilliantly– from the perspective of a journalist writing about the events of a decade prior. It takes such a realistic look at boarding school and also the misuse of Adderall. Foster Dade’s first year of boarding school was in 2008, which was the year I started college, and the cultural references (from Obama winning the election to Lizzie McGuire to the iTunes playlists) brought back so many of my own memories of that time. If you haven’t read it yet, I’m jealous that you still get to experience it!!!

SUPER BLOOM by Megan Tady

2/5 Stars

Honestly I just didn’t jive with this book. It was a little too cheesy for me, but if you’re looking for a very light book that doesn’t take itself too seriously, you may consider picking it up! The premise is that a massage therapist grieving the loss of her boyfriend ends up finding herself in a work contract with one of her celebrity clients, a well-known romance writer. She is tasked with providing the “inside scoop” on what it’s like being a massage therapist as research for the famous writer. It was pretty far-fetched; some of the plot felt beyond realistic, but I did like how the book wrapped up.

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS by H.G. Bissinger

3.5/5 Stars

I just finished watching the tv show Friday Night Lights (loved it!), so I wanted to read this book, which is what the series was based on. It was fascinating and heartbreaking, showing a very dark perspective on high school football in the heart of Texas. It was way, way darker than I was expecting (I got a little depressed while reading it and had to take breaks and read it slowly). It also felt slightly dated, as it was written in the late 80s. Overall though, I liked it a lot and it gave me even more context and perspective for the series.

LITTLE MONSTERS by Adrienne Brodeur

4/5 Stars

I really enjoyed reading this one and found myself immediately engrossed in the story. It’s told through alternating perspectives of various members of a family. The family is complicated to say the least. Sibling rivalries. An eccentric father. Multiple family secrets. The drama unfolds over the course of a summer. I personally loved that the book didn’t paint this perfect picture of a family and, instead, showed the messy and complicated parts of family. (My only real complaint is that it kept mentioning the 2016 election and it felt very forced and not really relevant to the story.)

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