Welcome to June’s Monthly Minutes at Midnight!
Here’s the deal: I’ll share the books I’ve obtained, posts of interest from others, giveaways I have happening, and just general random shenanigans. You know I love a shenanigan. Also, covers all link to Goodreads, because I am awesome. As always, I link up with the Wrap Up Round Up, too!
The Books
For Review/From Publishers: (I posted about the first 4 for Pride Month on Instagram!)
Milo and Marcos at the End of the World by Kevin Christopher Snipes
A Little Bit Country by Brian D. Kennedy
Only On the Weekends by Dean Atta
The Gathering Dark edited by Tori Bovalino
The Sevenfold Hunters by Rose Egal
Hugest of thanks to the publishers!!
eARCs:
Huge thanks to the publishers for these lovelies! I am so excited for all of them!
Purchased:
Rivals by Katharine McGee ♦ Rebellion by C.J. Listro ♦ Blood Traitorby Lynette Noni ♦ The Freedom Race by Lucinda Roy ♦ Woman of Light by Kali Fajardo-Anstine
Not *too* bad this month!
Won/Gifted/Traded:
Nothing this month!
Shenanigans Since Last Time:
I read 11 books this month. That’s bad. In my defense, some of them were really long- at least two were 500 pages, so. Also the world is on fire, so we have to cut ourselves some slack, yeah?
Some really big hits. And a couple of misses. But more good than not!
Giveaways: Click Here, or on Sidebar
Blogosphere Bulletin
Here are some of the loveliest/most entertaining/super helpful/just plain interesting posts I found this month!
- Amber @ Du Livre discusses tropes and marketing, especially in romance
- Beth @ Bethwyrm talks about training her adorable puppy as a service dog
- Greg @ Book Haven wants to talk about cloning
- Malka @ Paper Procrastinators shares how to make bookish friends
- Sam @ We Live and Breathe Books wants to know if bloggers are reviewers
- Marie @ Drizzle & Hurricane Books shares a fun list of books to read for the vacation vibe you want to feel, AND underrated YA books to read for Pride Month
Fancy & New Since Last I Saw You!
I love looking at pretty covers! So here are some new ones that I have fallen in love with since our last update!
Pretty covers are pretty.
Things we need to talk about at this juncture:
- So, June was a shitshow, eh? Let’s talk about it. Because I need to, and I am sure a lot of you do, too. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, if you don’t believe that people deserve rights over their own reproductive decisions, you can fuck all the way off. Please don’t misunderstand, there is no gray area. In a country where one of the founding tenets is freedom of religion, six shitty old self-proclaimed “Christians” (I use the term very loosely, because how “Christian” were a few of them while they were assaulting and raping?) decided that their personal religious beliefs supersede those of the American people. Full stop. Plenty of Christian folks can understand that they can possess and exercise their own beliefs while not policing someone else’s body, but these few in power? Yeah, they missed the lesson in Constitutional Rights 101 where church was supposed to remain separate from state. While they were at it, they made it easier for people to get guns (and conceal them), police to arrest you without reading your rights, and a host of other complete bullshit.
The question for many of us is, of course, where do we go from here? I honestly don’t know. Because make no mistake, they’re coming for the rights of every last person who doesn’t agree with them. It’s terrifying, and I don’t want to be here anymore. We voted for people who were supposed to stop this from happening, and they’re now sitting around spewing useless platitudes on social media, much like their GOP counterparts when yet another mass murder occurs. We don’t need your words, we need your actions. You know, the ones we hired you to carry out? Those. You tried the high road. Spoiler, it didn’t work. You and your opponents across the aisle are using two vastly different playbooks, I’m afraid. It was cute that you didn’t want to stoop to their level. Really, swell. But now, you’ve tried playing nice, and it’s time to stoop if need be. Stop the madness, any way you can. Then you can worry about picking the pieces back up.
- Personally, this month was a roller coaster. My job was spared… for now. But we are apparently looking at some very bitter negotiations- they want to give us (the least paid people in the district, mind- who they already don’t give benefits to) zero percent raise for the next 3 years. Meanwhile, teachers get their raise (and rightfully so- please don’t misunderstand, they deserve their income, but we deserve to live too), and some admins are getting upwards of $12k more PER YEAR. And they wonder why we’re salty about making basically minimum wage with no raises while the prices of everything skyrocket? Then they want to take away our very meager PTO and I am just. Exhausted. This country as a whole is so disgustingly, emphatically exhausting. Can I quit it?
It was also the end of the school year, which meant saying goodbye to two of our kids, one of whom was really attached to me (and I her, frankly), and it broke my heart a bit. Then I found out our teacher resigned and… it’s just been a lot. The upsides? It’s finally summer, and I can sleep in, which is great for all the depression this country is exacerbating.
- July should be busy! Hopefully with more uplifting things- like the beach, a Las Vegas Aces game with Sammy in NYC, Lena’s birthday… hopefully I will have some pictures and such to share. Hopefully a little less doomsday/fall of democracy and civil rights to share. Cross your fingers.
I read 11 books this month too, which has been my norm lately.
And we’re getting more Liselle Sambury books? Blessed!
June was such a shitshow. Sorry about your job, love. I assume you’re parapros? (My husband is one.) Do you have a union?
I hope July is better for us all!
Right!? I am reading the sequel to the first one now and it is good! She is awesome!
And right? I hate June hah. And yes, I am, that is so cool that your husband is too! We do have a union, and we had to vote to maybe vote to strike? It is like, some kind of rule where we have to… I guess declare that we would be willing to vote to strike if we can’t come to an agreement? It’s such a slap in the face though, because as you know, we do freaking SO MUCH and yet. I really hope July is going better for you, too!
I hear you, I’m disgusted to be an American right now. I’m so sorry to hear about your job😥 But I hope your summer break is relaxing. I’m so curious to hear what you think of Upgrade, August Kitko, Dead Water and the Kingfisher! I’ve read Upgrade and I’ll be reading the rest next month.
Ugh RIGHT!? It’s embarrassing at this point! And thank you ♥♥ Hopefully it’ll eventually work out!
So I liked them! Well- I LOOOOVED the Kingfisher one, I am trying to put my thoughts into words as we speak heh. Then I really liked Upgrade, definitely liked August Kitko, and… well, I was a little disappointed in Dead Water? I didn’t hate it, but it was long, and there were a ton of POVs that didn’t quite work. The story itself was interesting enough I guess? I hope you enjoy them!
I couldn’t agree more. The other side plays nicey nicey and then is shocked when things go bad. I just call this country Gilead now. I didn’t think in my lifetime this kind of stuff would happen. And wait… 0 raise for the next three YEARS? And no benefits? I don’t understand this country. I mean, if you could design a country to NOT be healthy and fair, could you do any worse than we are now???
How was Three Miles Down? I’ve been so curious about that one!
Seaplane I clearly need to know more about.
Thanks for the shoutout! 🙂
Bwhahah you are right on both counts: YES this is Gilead, and no, you absolutely could not fuck a place up worse if you tried! The thing is too, legit, our classroom could not run without us, full stop. Not like, it would be hard, or whatever. There is genuinely no way it would work with 9 special needs kids and one adult. But they just… don’t give a crap, clearly.
Three Miles Down was good, though light on the aliens and heavy on the politics/morality/history. I still liked it though!
June was bad for me too. I found out I have Hepatitis C. I am starting the medication in two weeks. Also I’m worried about the future of birth control which I am on it. Book wise right now I’m reading a weird and good book called A Door into Evermoor by Kent Wayne. Only read three books this month, but they are long books. I’m not really sure what I want to read next. I want to read some books by Harlan Coben, but I want to finish a martial arts fantasy series I keep putting off reading.
Oh my goodness, I am SO sorry! That really is a terrible month, I am sending you all the love and good thoughts! I feel you in regards to birth control too- I take it because without it, I have periods from actual hell, and without it… well, I would be QUITE cranky!
Glad the book is good- sometimes weird is extra fun! It is so hard to pick books to read next, isn’t it? Luckily (or not, I guess) I request too many books and have my hand forced 😂 Hope you enjoy whatever you end up picking!
Well said, well said. The country is just going to hell in a hand basket and I hate it here. I’m worried about all sorts of things. I’m anxious, and depressed, and my work isn’t exactly helping that either. I am SO glad I have a three day weekend, though I’m not celebrating the 4th of July. I just need a mini break. I’ve been reading some fab books though. Read the first two in the Crave series by Tracy Wolff and I’m OBSESSED!! I really wasn’t sure about them, but so good. Love the witty banter and writing. LOL
Lauren
HARD same. I also refused to celebrate the 4th of July- like what exactly are we celebrating about? That… time we took land from people who already lived here and killed them for it? And now are acting like it is STILL the 1700s? Hard pass. But I agree that we need to take whatever breaks we can, for our own sanity. I am SO sorry that you are feeling so bad mentally, too. I am so glad you are having a good time with reading at least, too! I was always on the fence about that series, but now i may need to try too! Hope you had a decent week ♥♥
I got the Chloe Gong e-galley myself. You got some other books I’m interested in as well. I hope your job stays safe! And let’s all hope July is better, although my summer is over on July 27th when I have to start back to school, so, yeah.
Here is my end of month wrap-up: https://lisalovesliterature.bookblog.io/2022/06/30/the-looooong-and-the-short-of-it-with-a-giveaway-june-2022-wrap-up-post-and-what-to-expect-in-july/
Waaaait you have to go back to school in JULY!?!? Goodness, WHY!? That is rude and wrong! I am so sorry, but I hope you do enjoy the time you have! And thank you!!
UGH I’m so sorry everything is just…on fire, personally and country-wide. Fuck the district that can’t recognize the value of paras, especially when subs are so thin on the ground (and teachers, too!). I’m very tired of this country, but I also don’t see how it can be fixed. Can the aliens please invade us now? Nuclear apocalypse? Something.
On the plus side, those are some *gorgeous* (and intriguing) books! Only 11 is still better than 0! I average 4/month and I’m not working and don’t have kids, so. You’re rocking it. I can’t wait to read your reviews of those!
Thanks! And honestly- everyone apparently treats paras like crap, from what I can tell? And it is so true- our district BEGS for subs- most of the time, we don’t get them in our class. Honestly, we need ALIE. The problem really IS too many people heh.
AW thank you! I get so mad at myself when really, I should be happy with whatever. But then I also overrequest so I force myself to be hard on myself 😂😂
I love how 11 books is a bad reading month for you. 🙂 I’m happy dancing at 5 at the moment because… Reading has been hard for a long time. (So have many other things but my regular reading mojo is the thing I miss most.)
I’m sorry about your country/job. It… Is truly a shit show. Here in the UK, I can bitch viciously about the assholes in government, their incompetence and the scandals but at least we have basic human rights and they’re not under attack. I’m truly heartsick for you all. I’ve been ranting like a madwoman over the supreme court’s decisions all week even though it’s not my country because I just cannot believe it. 🙁 I agree with you. It’s time action was taken by the current administration even if it means fighting dirty because the high ground doesn’t work when the other side preaches superiority from the gutter. So much of the world looks to America as a model of democracy and civilization. THAT is what is truly terrifying these days. 🙁
Hahah I know, I know- but my problem is, I request too many and then feel like I must read them, hence the worry! But I hope you get your reading mojo back soon, that is hard! ♥♥
Thank you so much! I feel embarrassed to be from the US at this point- I don’t want people from other countries thinking I agree with this abhorrent nonsense! And that is exactly it- we tried the high road, it didn’t take. So you do what you must to save people, full stop. Some days, I really don’t know what is going to become of this country- and then I worry even more because what will become of the rest of the world, too? I would NOT blame you if you just write us off as a loss 😂
It’s so funny to me how you’re disappointed by how little you read this month, and I’m jumping for joy that I managed to read 10 whole books in one month! But I totally understand how each person has their own system to define what is and isn’t “a lot” of books in a month!
Thanks so much for sharing my post! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I am SO FURIOUS at everything going on in the US right now you have no idea. I was on vacation overseas when I found out what happened with Roe vs Wade and it honestly was so hard to process. And I feel like each day since then they’ve found something new to make me angry over.
HOWEVER! You mention you’re coming to NYC! While I’m still in the area (since I’ll be moving in about a month) would you want to meet up? I know you probably have plans already and you will have a small child with you, but if you want to go to a bookstore or something while you’re in NY, please let me know! It would be such fun to meet you!
That is awesome! And look- I SHOULD be fine with it, but the problem is, my dumb ass requests like 291793 books and then wonders why she is overwhelmed 😂
Omggg that must have been extra awful being overseas honestly- like you feel almost BAD about being from here just because of these fools. And exactly- they didn’t even stop with our bodily autonomy, they took an ax to the environment, to Miranda, etc etc. It never ends and I hate it here.
One of these days we REALLY need to do a NYC bookstore trip because… wait for it… I have NEVER been to a NYC bookstore! I know, the horror! I just have usually been with family, and hadn’t the opportunity, but we seriously need to plan for this sometime when you are back in the city! It would be SO FUN!
I hope July is going better for you! I don’t remember what sleep is like. It’s just all stress all the time. 🙂
Dude right? That was legit how June felt. I feel like July has been a tiny bit better because I did get some sleep so far? But when work starts up again… yeah, it’ll be more of the same ugh.