What I Read Last Quarter // April - June

 

The second quarter of 2023 is well over and done, so it's time to check in with what I've read during the past 3 months.

In the first quarter, I read 4,764 pages across 17 books.

Of those, ten were 5-star reads, five were 4 stars, and one was a 3-star & one was 2-stars!

At the start of the year, I decided to work on the 10 BIG Books I Want to Read in 2023 and so far of those, I have read 2, unhauled 1 and have 2 on upcoming monthly TBRs.
Keep reading to see how things are looking halfway through this year. 

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April
Toby and the Wizards of Wildhaven by Sally Doherty  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Battle for Roar by Jenny McLachlan  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Mary Poppins Opens The Door by P.L. Travers  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Bookshop at the Back of Beyond by Amy Sparkes  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
 The Stickleback Catchers by Lisette Auton  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

- 1,388 pages


I've only got good things to say about everything this month but to not waffle on forever I'll just make a quick couple of points.
I was excited to revisit Toby & see what trouble he'd get into next! I wasn't disappointed and thoroughly enjoyed another magical adventure that includes
chosen family, life as a young carer & cute creatures and I will be very happy to hear when book 3 comes out.
The Battle for Roar was a bittersweet read being the final in the trilogy but it ended so well.
These books have such a place in my heart and I hope they encourage kids and adults alike to PLAY!
Finally The Stickleback Catchers - A heartfelt, heartbreaking and heartwarming adventure full of North East nostalgia and fantastic disability representation.
Very relatable topics for many, including myself, which produced many tears.
Such a good reading month!




May
Cogheart by Peter Bunzl  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke  ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Magicborn by Peter Bunzl  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Nevertell Katharine Orton  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

- 1,683 pages


May ended up being a much heavier reading month for me. I understand that people will look at these books and think 'heavy'?! but when I'm used to light, airy fairytales, magical adventures and talking animals, anything with even a slightly more serious tone is heavy. 
I don't know if it was that in particular that made for the lower stars but they were all still great reads.
Of course, I have to explain the fact that Inkheart, such a classic and the basis of a movie, got only 3 stars from me. It just didn't go as I'd expected. This was a wonderful story, no doubt about it, though in places it felt slightly drawn out and there was too much back and forth that I feel could have been shaved down slightly. 

I wanted to also quickly mention my thoughts on Nevertell. I'd made the mistake of reading a couple of reviews when I added this onto Goodreads and let that worry me into uncertainty. I ended up really enjoying it though. It was a different take on the usual historical fiction that I usually read and despite the setting, it was gripping without being depressing. The ending was satisfying, if a little rushed. I feel the last quarter could have been slightly longer but for a middle-grade story I found it a worthwhile read.



June
The Bootsie Files by Charles Harrison  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Way of Dog by Zana Fraillon  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I, Cosmo by Carlie Sorosiak  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
One And Only Bob by Katherine Applegate  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Toto by Michael Morpurgo  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

- 1362 pages


Dog month!  A full 5-star month!!
We were off on our little camping holiday this month so I gave myself a bigger TBR thinking I'd have extra time for reading.
That didn't happen but I did manage to finish that list by the end of the month with one little extra at the end too. 
The Bootsie Files is a very short book written by the adopter of a special dog from a local rescue centre, to raise funds for them.
It shares the dog's story, which was an incredible one, with some fictional additions and is completely wonderful.
Short and sweet but really lovely.

The Way of Dog by Zana Fraillon! What a book! I'll preface this by saying I am a devout disliker of poetry.
This, however, is a masterpiece.
Everyone who has a dog in their family, is thinking about getting one or even doesn't like dogs needs to read this. Perfection.

All of these books are beautiful, just like their subject matter. 



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As I mentioned in my previous quarterly round-up, this year's monthly 'To Be Read' lists unintentionally ended up with themes. So for the above months, I wanted to share the themes. April was sequels of some series (or the next book from that author) I was currently reading, May was books with single-word titles and June was Dogs!

I hope it's evident from how highly rated everything I've read this year has turned out to be, that mood reading or literally just reading things that you want to, when you want to makes for a good reading experience. I'll never read books because they are popular, because they are on 'must-read' lists or they are winning awards. It's no secret that I predominantly read middle grade and I am not ashamed to say so. I read as an escape. To go to a happy place or fantastical land, so I couldn't be less interested in reading sad, stressful, scary books even if they are what everyone thinks people of a certain age should be reading. 

See what I read earlier in the year here > What I Read Last Quarter // January - March