Read With Keri: Books I Read in June

We are officially halfway through 2021. Can you believe it?

When it comes to my reading goal, I thought I was in pretty good shape. After all, I have been reading consistently all year so I thought I’d be ahead in terms of reaching my yearly goal of 75 books.

Turns out, I checked my Goodreads the other day and I was two books behind schedule. I couldn’t believe my eyes. When was I, miss Type A, ever behind schedule on something? Not to brag, but timeliness and beating abstract personal goals is kind of my thing.

No need to fear, though. I was able to crank out a few books this past week and I’m back on track (woo!). It’s the little things, you know?

As of June 30, 2021, I have read 38 books in 2021. My July goal is to get ahead as much as possible since I know come fall, when grad classes begin again, I won’t have tons of extra time to commit to reading. Stay tuned!

So what did I read in June? Some good books, let me tell you! And don’t worry, for all you asking for summer reading recs, I got you. It’s coming soon!

Beach Read — Emily Henry (4/5 stars)

This book was making its way around the Bookstagram community so I thought I’d give it a shot. The main character, January, is grieving the loss of her Dad while also having a quarter-life crisis when it comes to her friendships, career, and dating life. It’s a sweet story that made me want to both cheer January on and give her a hug. I’d say it’s for a more mature audience but overall pretty good.

Capital Gaines: The Smart Things I’ve Learned by Doing Stupid Stuff — Chip Gaines (4.5/5 stars)

I’m a huge fan of Chip & Joanna Gaines. I loved Fixer Upper and receive The Magnolia Journal every season. I’ve read other books written by the dynamic duo so when I saw this available as an audiobook, I borrowed it instantly. Chip narrates it and it’s basically a memoir of lessons he learned in entrepreneurship, leadership, time management, and more. One thing is for sure, he is a hard worker and super disciplined. It made me admire his work ethic even more!

Anxious People — Fredrik Backman (4.75/5 stars)

I ordered this from the library months ago and it finally came in. I don’t know how to describe this except that it was weird, random, and I ended up loving every second of reading it. I knocked .25 off the rating because there were times I felt the author was trying to force something just to check off a box. The premise: A bank robbery turned accidental hostage situation with a bunch of idiots. It’s funny, thought provoking, serious at times, and worth the read.

Cilka’s Journey — Heather Morris (4/5 stars)

I read The Tattooist of Auschwitz a few years ago and Cilka’s Journey is the sequel to it. The story is based on the real story of Cilka Klein (a secondary character in The Tattooist of Auschwitz). Cilka is a brave young woman who not only survived Auschwitz, but was shortly thereafter arrested and put in a Russian concentration camp in Siberia for years. Her story is remarkable and details her life and the tremendous struggles she went through. Although you can read this without reading the first book, I recommend reading the first book for additional context.

The Perfect Couple — Elin Hilderbrand (4.75/5 stars)

Elin Hilderbrand is becoming one of my favorite authors to read during the summer months. Her books are based in Nantucket and are fun stories to enjoy while on the beach. I’d heard good things about this one. It’s basically a wedding weekend turned murder mystery that kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. There are some scenes/storylines that seemed unnecessary/forced, but overall, really good.

The Path Made Clear — Oprah Winfrey (2/5 stars)

Oprah narrated this, which was fun. Her voice is easy to listen to and soothing! In this book, Oprah interviews a bunch of different celebrities about what they think the purpose of life is and how to find one’s life path. Celebrities include Lin-Manuel Miranda, Shonda Rhimes, Joel Olsteen, and President Joe Biden. It was interesting to hear other points of view, but here’s the truth: If you’re looking for purpose and life, you’ll find it in nothing but Jesus. Nothing else in this world will truly ever satisfy.