June reading roundup

Usually when I am traveling solo I tear through books since I pass a lot of time reading at bars or in restaurants. The batch of books during my first month of nomading were a bit of a mixed bag. I started out with The Seven Year Slip, thinking the rom-com by Ashley Poston would give good escapism, vacay vibes. Not so much - there was a time travel element that was just not for me.

Next up was Piglet, by Lottie Hazell. I could not put this book down. The way I compulsively devoured it mirrored the outsized appetites of the titular protagonist of the novel. When I turned the last page I was dying for someone to discuss it with. If you have read it, let me know what you think!

Abby Jimenez is one of the current masters of the contemporary rom-com genre, and as soon as Just For The Summer was available to download, I smashed that buy button. My favorite thing about her books is how she weaves mental health struggles into her plots and characters. A lot of romance novels suffer from situational or weak conflict, but with Jimenez the stakes feel high and real.

I rounded out the month with The Barbarian Nurseries by Héctor Tobar, a novel that unfolds in the Southern California home of a white wealthy couple who are beginning to suffer the consequences of living outside their means. Their financial irresponsibility puts their longtime housekeeper, Araceli, in a compromised position. My takeaway on this one is that Tobar tried to do too much and it ultimately fell flat.

Heading into July, I am currently reading The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd and will report back in next month’s roundup.