LazyDayLit's JUNE 2023 Wrap-up & Challenge Progress

 

GOODBYE JUNE! 

I read 24 books this month! 
16 fiction novels
4 graphic novels
1 nonfiction read
3 poetry collections


What I read this month:

FICTION READS

The Mysterious Mansion of Myra Malone by Audrey Burges
The Secrets of Hartwood Hall by Katie Lumsden
Emily Wilde's Encyclopedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

Episode Thirteen by Craig DiLouie
Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison
The Lost Girls of Willowbrook by Ellen Marie Wiseman

Solitaire by Alice Oseman 
The Sunbearer Trials by Aiden Thomas
The Ruins by Scott Smith

Gender-swapped Greek Myths by Karrie Fransman (short stories)
Mysteries of Thorn Manor (1.5) by Margaret Rogerson (novella)
This Poison Heart (1 of 2) by Kalynn Bayron

Camp Quiltbag by Nicole Melleby & AJ Sass
Melissa by Alex Gino 

Mr. Tucket by Gary Paulsen
Call Me Francis Tucket by Gary Paulsen



GRAPHIC NOVELS READ IN JUNE

Welcome to St. Hell: My Trans Teen Misadventure by Lewis Hancox
Night Bus by Zuo Ma
Isla to Island by Alexis Castellanos

Queer: A Graphic History 

NONFICTION READS

Beyond the Gender Binary by Alok Vaid-Menon
Complex PTSD: From Surviving to Thriving by Pete Walker


POETRY COLLECTIONS

A Thousand Mornings by Mary Oliver
Pillow Thoughts by Courtney Peppernell
Pillow Thoughts II: Healing the Heart by Courtney Peppernell

What I Read To/With My Child

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate Dicamillo
The Mercy Watson series by Kate Dicamillo
Leroy Ninker Saddles Up by Kate Dicamillo

& more





CHALLENGE PROGRESS

ABC CHALLENGE

JUNE

Fiction:

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
16 / 26

Graphic Novels:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
14 / 26
Nonfiction:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
16 / 26

Fiction:

S - The Secrets of Hartwood Hall, Solitaire, The Sunbearer Trials
T - This Poison Heart

Graphic Novels:

W - Welcome to St. Hell: My Trans Teen Misadventure
N - Night Bus by Zuo Ma

Nonfiction/Poetry:

Q - Queer: A Graphic History

BookRiot's READ HARDER Challenge

3/24

JAN: 0/24
FEB: +2
MAR:
APR: 

MAY: +1

June: +1 or more

Prompt 12: Read a nonfiction book about BIPOC and/or Queer history:
Queer: A Graphic History
Beyond the Gender Binary

Prompt 1 (might be a repeat) Trans MC written by a trans author
The Sunbearer Trials

Prompt 4 (repeated): A recently banned/challenged book in your area:
Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison
Melissa by Alex Gino

Prompt 12 (repeated) nonfiction about a queer or bipoc person:
Queer: A graphic History
Beyond the Gender Binary

The52BookClub Reading Challenge

12 / 52

JAN: +2
FEB: +6
MAR:
APR:

MAY: +4
JUNE: +4

Prompt 46: Script font on the cover:
Solitaire by Alice Oseman

Prompt 23: An alliterative title:
The Miniscule Mansion of Myra Malone

Prompt 34: Features mythology
Gender-Swapped Greek Myths & This Poison Heart

Prompt 46: Script font on the spine:
Solitaire by Alice Oseman


PopSugar Reading Challenge

Jan: +1
Feb: +4
MAR: 
APR:
MAY: +1
JUNE: +2

Prompt 16: A book with the MC's name in the title:
The Miniscule Mansion of Myra Malone

Prompt 23: A book with a map:
The Sunbearer Trials


Barnes&Noble ReadingChallenge

Jan: +3
Feb: +6
MAR:
APR:
MAY: +1
JUNE: +2

Prompt 5: Includes a map:
The Sunbearer Trials

Prompt 30: A B&N Monthly Pick:
The Lost Girls of Willowbrook


Nonfiction Reader Challenge

History:
Queer: A Graphic History

Memoir/Biography:
Welcome to St. Hell: My Trans Teen Misadventure

Crime & Punishment:

Science:

Health:

Travel:

Food:

Social Media:

Sports:

Relationships:

The Arts:
A Thousand Mornings
Pillow Thoughts
Pillow Thoughts II

Published in 2023: 



NEW TO ME AUTHORS

FEB: +12
MAR: +12
APR: +12
MAY: +16

June: +18

Audrey Burges
Katie Lumsden
Lewis Hancox
Heather Fawcett
Alok Vaid-Menon
Craig DiLouie
Jonathan Evison
Ellen Marie Wiseman
Zuo Ma
Pete Walker
Nicole Melleby
AJ Sass
Courtney Peppernell
Alexis Castellanos
Scott Smith
Karrie Fransman
Alex Gino
Kalynn Bayron




Happy reading! 

The Lost Girls of Willowbrook by Ellen Marie Wiseman (Adult Historical Mystery Thriller Review)

 I won a copy of this historical mystery thriller from the publisher via Goodreads. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

The Lost Girls of Willowbrook
by Marie Ellen Wiseman
Published by Kensington Books
on August 30, 2023
Genre: Adult, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thriller
Length: 355 pages

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N 

Synopsis:
Fact, fiction, and urban legend blend in this haunting story about a young woman mistakenly imprisoned at Willowbrook State School, the real-life institution later shuttered for its horrendous abuses. 

Sage Winters always knew her sister was a little different even though they were identical twins. They loved the same things and shared a deep understanding, but Rosemary--awake to every emotion, easily moved to joy or tears--seemed to need more protection from the world. 

Six years after Rosemary's death from pneumonia, Sage, now sixteen, still misses her deeply. Their mother perished in a car crash, and Sage's stepfather, Alan, resents being burdened by a responsibility he never wanted. Yet despite living as near strangers in their Staten Island apartment, Sage is stunned to discover that Alan has kept a shocking secret: Rosemary didn't die. She was committed to Willowbrook State School and has lingered there until just a few days ago, when she went missing. 

Sage knows little about Willowbrook. It's always been a place shrouded in rumor and mystery. A place local parents threaten to send misbehaving kids. Wish no idea what to expect, Sage secretly sets out for Willowbrook, determined to find Rosemary. What she learns, once she steps through its doors and is mistakenly believed to be her sister, will change her life in ways never could have imagined...



My Thoughts:

The Lost Girls of Willowbrook is a historical thriller starring Sage Winters, a sixteen-year-old girl who thought her twin sister had died of pneumonia six years before. Having also lost her mom in a car crash, Sage lives with her not-so-friendly stepdad, Alan, in his Staten Island apartment. When she overhears a phone call about her twin missing from Willowbrook, a state-run mental institution, Sage runs off to join the search and finds herself mistaken for her very alive twin and is committed to one of the worst places a girl could find herself. 

The author based this story off of the very real state-run institution for mentally and physically disabled youth which was eventually exposed in the 1970s for severe neglect, overcrowding, abuse, unethical practices, and medical experiments. It was eventually shut down a decade later. 

This novel really captures the horror of what it was like to be a patient at Willowbrook but also has a thrilling plot that horror/thriller lovers would enjoy. It had me on the edge of my seat, tense, and disturbed the entire read. 

Additional thoughts: 
I'm not sure how I feel about the cover. When I first saw it, I definitely thought of historical fiction and nothing more, and then promptly set it aside for preferred genres at the time. I'm beating myself up about it a bit now.
 On the other hand, I think this book ultimately blew me away because I really wasn't expecting it to go so dark and disturbing! 

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The Miniscule Mansion of Myra Malone by Audrey Burges (Adult Contemporary Mystery Book Review)

 I won an ecopy of this book from the publisher via Goodreads. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

The Miniscule Mansion of Myra Malone
by Audrey Burges
Published by Berkley
on January 24, 2023
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Mystery
Length: 352 pages

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N

Synopsis:
A woman learns to expand the boundaries of her small world and let love inside it in this sparkling and unforgettable novel by Audrey Burges. 

From her attic in the Arizona mountains, thirty-four-year-old Myra Malone blogs about a dollhouse mansion that captivates thousands of readers worldwide. Myra's stories have created legions of fans who breathlessly await every blog post, trade photographs of Mansion-modeled rooms, and swap theories about the enigmatic and reclusive author. Myra herself is tethered to the Mansion by mysteries she can't understand--and rooms that appear and disappear overnight, music that plays in its corridors. 

Across the country, Alex Rakes, the scion of a custom furniture business encounters two Mansion fans trying to recreate a room. The pair show him the Minuscule Mansion, and Alex is shocked to recognize a reflection of his own life mirrored back to him in minute scale. The room is his own bedroom, and the Mansion is his family home, handed down from the grandmother who disappeared mysteriously when Alex was a child. Searching for answers, Alex begins corresponding with Myra. Together, the two unwind the lonely paths of their twin worlds--big and small--and trace the stories that entwine them, setting the stage for a meeting rooted in loss, but defined by love. 


My Thoughts:

Myra Malone has spent her life creating miniatures for the minuscule mansion that she inherited from her step-grandmother who taught her to sew and care for the mansion and its' miniatures since she was a little girl. 
As an adult, Myra stays cooped up inside creating blog posts about the mansion that captivate readers all over the world, which is how Alex Rakes, who inherited a custom furniture business, steps in and helps unravel a mystery that Myra has waited for her entire adult life to find the details of. 

The Minuscule Mansion of Myra Malone is a lovely story that is perfect for loves of miniatures and doll houses (in a non-spooky way). Myra's miniature mansion is her entire world, filled with memories of her childhood and years of dedication. The story is filled with these memories and the history of the mansion while also unraveling a major mystery about the mansion and Myra's life and loved ones. 

There's a somewhat whimsical aspect to the story, and possibly a little magical realism, but it's also a mysterious tale about family secrets. 

There's also a little bit of romance but it's toward the end and is very light and subtle. Perfect for clean readers. 

Many thanks to Goodreads and Berkley for the chance to read The Minuscule Mansion of Myra Malone by Audrey Burges! 

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LazyDayLit's JUNE 2023 TBR & Reading Goals

HELLO JUNE!


Hello readers!
May was another fantastic reading month!
I read 24 books in all!
You can see which books in my May WrapUp Post!



MY JUNE HOPEFULS

GIFTED/ARCS

Many thanks to Farrar, Strous, and Giroux,
Berkley,

and Kensington Books! 



Library Loans

Libby Loans

Nonfiction Picks

    

Off My Shelves

What are you most looking forward to reading this month?



K - L Reads for #TBRTACKLECHALLENGE

You can keep up with what I end up reading over on Bookstagram @LazyDayLit! 

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