So I am actually VERY happy with the reading that I've done in June! It's been a crazy busy month, with moving and the wedding, but I've somehow managed to read 10 books, including 2 books that I hadn't actively planned to read and every single book on my June TBR list except for Where Angels Fear to Tread, and that's just because it's not in at my new library yet. And, even better, most of these books were really awesome! Great reading month. 

 

I think that my favorite book this month would have to be We are the Goldens, with Treasure Island very close behind. If you haven't read We are the Goldens yet and you're a fan of YA literature, I highly recommend checking that out - it's very well-written and it was just published last month. I'd recommend Treasure Island to just about anyone. It's a great adventure story and a wonderful introduction to classic literature if you're new to it. The book that I struggled with the most this month was definitely The Art of Arranging Flowers, not because the book itself was bad, but because I received a really awful galley copy. I'm going to be revisiting the book in July once it comes to my library. 

 

What were your favorite books this month? Have you read any of the books I read in June? 

Laurel Daneau has moved on to a new life, in a new town, but inside she’s still reeling from the loss of her beloved mother and grandmother after Hurricane Katrina washed away their home. Laurel’s new life is going well, with a new best friend, a place on the cheerleading squad and T-Boom, co-captain of the basketball team, for a boyfriend. Yet Laurel is haunted by voices and memories from her past. (source)

 

(4.5 stars, deducted a few points for personal quibbles with the way the story is told and that some parts felt kind of glossed over. But seriously. Immensely compelling story from an author whose every work seems to be gold.)

The horror of this book comes on slowly and without being graphic and extreme; an after school special or PSA this is surely not. The writing is, of course, ridiculously good; I expect no less from Jacqueline Woodson, of course. Few authors can take subject matter as disturbing as this and write about it with such eloquence. Thing is, before this I'd only read her Newbery Honor books and Locomotion and had no experience with her work for the over-14 set. Dare I say that, based upon this novel alone, it's even better than her middle grade work?

(Maybe. I'll get back to you on that after I grab some of her older stuff. But this may be my favorite work by her so far, and I LOVE that she doesn't over-stuff her works at all.)

So, here's the deal. I would love to read at least 10 books this month. Like, you have no idea how much I would like to. I would feel so, so accomplished if that could happen. But I read a grand total of 4 books in April (okay, if we're feeling generous, we could say 5 since I finished Tess of the d'Urbervilles today, but technically, that makes it a May read!), and I'm going to have even less time this month, since I'm now less than 50 days away from my wedding (and on that note - prayers and happy thoughts for my fiance as he searches for an accounting job in the Pittsburgh area would be greatly appreciated!). So, yes, I have ambitious reading goals for this month, but I'm trying to accept that it's likely that I may not accomplish them. 

 

Gritty. Laurel loses her mother and grandmother in a flood. After living with her aunt for a couple of years, she moves to a little town called Galilee with her father and brother. Now 15, she becomes a cheerleader and starts dating the star basketball player. Unfortunately, T-Boom introduces her to meth ("moon").

From there her life slowly disintegrates. Her dad is still too grief-stricken to notice, but her best friend Kaylee does and tries to help. Laurel turns away from her, and when her dad finally finds her stash she claims it is Kaylee's. Dad takes it over to Kaylee's mom to narc on her, finally gets the clue-by-four that his daughter has been using right under his nose.

Laurel runs away and starts panhandling to try to get her fix. Her only friend is Moses, who makes a living painting murals of deceased drug addicts for their families as part of an anti-drug campaign. He warns her about the hazards of meth but still gives her $3. When she asks him why he did it when he knows she's going to buy meth, he tells her it's an investment because he'll get $100 from her dad to paint her mural in a few months when she's dead. She knows he's right; part of her is aware of the damage she's doing to herself while the rest just craves the next dose of moon. It's a struggle as to which side will win in the end.