Everything I Read in May-June 2024
After knocking out 22 books in the first four months of the year, I only finished 5 more in May and June. I can thank distractions (mostly travel) and the fact that I’ve been focused on finishing the longest book EVER (Iron Flame, lol). I’m finally almost done with that book, yay! Of the 5 books I finished in May and June, two were nonfiction and three were fiction—and all of the books were on audio except for one fiction book.
My 2024 reading goal on StoryGraph is to read 45 books and 13,000 pages. I’m way ahead of my goal so I have time to read some longer books! If you’re also a reader, be sure to join the app and add me as a friend: my username is cottoncashmerecathair! And share your favorite recent read(s) in the comments!
READ NEXT: Everything I Read in March-April 2024
Everything I Read in May-June 2024
Fiction
Such A Bad Influence by Olivia Muenter
Because I’m a regular listener of the Bad on Paper Podcast, I heard co-host Olivia talk a lot about the process of writing her debut novel, and like I did with Becca’s debut novel (read in fall 2023), I preordered it! I was so excited to read it that it was the first book I picked up after getting home from Scotland.
Evie Davis grew up on the internet. After a video of her and her father goes viral when she was five, it was like she was destined to be an influencer, thanks in large part to her “momager”, Erin, who is an influencer in her own right. Evie’s much older sister, Hazel, always hated everything about being on camera and social media and also hated Evie’s involvement in that world and what her millions of “fans” and followers expected of her.
When Evie mysteriously goes missing, Hazel is the first to put everything down to help find her sister. Evie’s sudden disappearance takes social media by storm and drives Hazel to learn more about her sister, the online world she lives in, and her own family than she ever expected. This book is twisty without being scary, and the ending was not something I was expecting! The descriptions about social media and influencers seemed the most accurate of any book on the topic I’ve read so far (Olivia is in that space herself, so it makes sense!).
Audiobooks
Unreasonable Hospitality by Will Guidara
This book came highly recommended by other bloggers, and I can confirm it’s a great read even if you’re not in the hospitality space (or at least, in a restaurant like the author describes; blogs are sort of adjacent to the hospitality space).
Will Guidara shares his experience taking over Eleven Madison Park in NYC and leaning into truly “unreasonable” hospitality—being purposefully over the top for his customers to leave a lasting impression and inspiring his staff to become true collaborators in the business. I loved hearing how joyous the whole restaurant staff was when they reached that coveted 3-star Michelin star status after working so hard for years. I listened to Will narrate his story on audio, which was a great experience!
Forever Princess by Meg Cabot
This is the 10th book in The Princess Diaries series and the last book in the original young adult series! I can’t remember if I read every single book when I was younger, but now I can say I have (minus the two adult books added later). It was super fun to listen to them via audiobook, even though I selfishly wish Anne Hathaway narrated them all; Clea Lewis, the narrator after books 1-3, is still great and differentiates characters well.
Of course, here’s my usual disclaimer to skip this if you’re planning to read the series and don’t want spoilers! Mia is in her senior year of high school with a new boyfriend, and it seems like everything is going right for once—she’s been accepted to her dream colleges, and her 18th birthday party is coming up. She’s also secretly written a romance novel (as her senior project) that she’s trying to get published. Michael returns from Japan and enters back into Mia’s life, which throws her for a loop, and she’s not sure her new boyfriend is the one. At the same time, her dad might lose the Genovian election! There’s a lot covered in this last book but it’s a good wrap on the YA portion of the series.
Organizing for the Rest of Us by Dana K. White
I listened to Dana’s other book, Decluttering at the Speed of Life, last fall, and it was a favorite of mine. I really love her gentle approach to decluttering. I also love her voice! She has a great audiobook voice. In this book, Dana shares 100 strategies for organizing. She doesn’t go into great detail about each strategy and instead basically spends the whole book listing them (it’s a quick listen), so I recommend reading her other book first so you know her approach and then dive into this one to get more. I learned some new tips, and like her other book, this one will likely be a re-read for me.
Clap When You Land by Elizabeth Acevedo
If you’re looking for a book to break your heart and then put it back together again, read Clap When You Land! I actually listened to the audio version, so while the book is written in verse (like poetry), it’s not as noticeable in the audio version because it just sounds like they’re reading regular sentences (for the most part; you can tell there were specific word choices and phrasing). The two narrators, which includes the author, were fantastic!
Camino lives in the Dominican Republic with her aunt since the loss of her mother and loves it when her father returns to visit every summer from NYC. Yahaira lives in NYC with her mom and is used to her father leaving every summer to return to the DR. Except this time, when he leaves NYC for the DR, his plane crashes and there are no survivors. Both girls grapple with the loss of their father, and through learning more about his life (and how imperfect he ended up being), they learn of each other. This book is told from both of their perspectives and touches on their different upbringings in NYC and the DR. It’s just very sweet and sad and beautifully written!
