June book recap

Sharing the book recap from June and if I’d recommend adding these to your list!

Hey friends! How are you? I hope you’re enjoying the morning so far! I’m off to an F45 class and am looking forward to taking the crew to see the new Minions movie later today. I also might get brave and post my first TikTok video (the first one feels like so much pressure!). I’d love to hear what you have going on!

For today’s post, I thought I’d share a recap of the books I read in June. One of these was an accidental re-read, one is a cookbook that’s destined to become a staple, and the other one was the most fun book I’ve read in a long time. Let’s get to it, shall we?

June book recap

1. Book Lovers by Emily Henry

If you’re looking for a cupcake of a book for summer (light, fluffy, sweet and satisfying), this is the one. It’s one of the most feel-good books I’ve read in a long time and I didn’t want it to end. I LIVED for the witty banter, the Sweet Home Alabama vibe to the whole situation, and the fact that while it was simple, it still had me fully intrigued and trying to figure out how it would end. 10/10 would recommend diving into this one this summer!

From Amazon:

Nora Stephens’ life is books—she’s read them all—and she is not that type of heroine. Not the plucky one, not the laidback dream girl, and especially not the sweetheart. In fact, the only people Nora is a heroine for are her clients, for whom she lands enormous deals as a cutthroat literary agent, and her beloved little sister Libby.

Which is why she agrees to go to Sunshine Falls, North Carolina for the month of August when Libby begs her for a sisters’ trip away—with visions of a small town transformation for Nora, who she’s convinced needs to become the heroine in her own story. But instead of picnics in meadows, or run-ins with a handsome country doctor or bulging-forearmed bartender, Nora keeps bumping into Charlie Lastra, a bookish brooding editor from back in the city. It would be a meet-cute if not for the fact that they’ve met many times and it’s never been cute.

If Nora knows she’s not an ideal heroine, Charlie knows he’s nobody’s hero, but as they are thrown together again and again—in a series of coincidences no editor worth their salt would allow—what they discover might just unravel the carefully crafted stories they’ve written about themselves.

2. Run Fast. Cook Fast. Eat Slow

This cookbook, by Shalene Flanagan and Elyse Kopecky, includes so many mouthwatering and healthy recipes that are designed to be nutrient-dense, yet cooked quickly. These are the exact type of recipes I love to make on weeknights for the family, and there are so many new ideas and recipes in here. I’m so pumped to try these! I’ve been in a food rut for a while – I just feel sick of cooking and uninspired – and this made me excited to plan this week’s menu. We’re making Superhero Muffins, Power bowls with a green goddess tahini dressing, a frittata, and pesto pasta with sardines this week.

From Amazon:

Run Fast. Cook Fast. Eat Slow. is full of pre-run snacks, post-run recovery breakfasts, on-the-go lunches, and 30-minutes-or-less dinner recipes. Each and every recipe—from Shalane and Elyse’s signature Superhero muffins to energizing smoothies, grain salads, veggie-loaded power bowls, homemade pizza, and race day bars—provides fuel and nutrition without sacrificing taste or time.

3. And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Housseini

I read this book when Liv was a baby, and didn’t realize it until I was a few chapters in. At this point, I was fully committed and decided to re-read the book, which is something I never do. It was interesting to read these pages again older and hopefully wiser. Khaled Housseini is brilliantly talented and he has a way of drawing you into a story, and breaking your heart open while also filling it with hope. (I also highly recommend The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns if you haven’t read them.) This book was poignant, devastating, and explores the way our choices affect those around us. 10/10 would recommend, especially if you enjoy historical fiction and plots that cover a variety of characters’ perspectives.

From Amazon:

Khaled Hosseini, the number-one New York Times best-selling author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, has written a new novel about how we love, how we take care of one another, and how the choices we make resonate through generations. In this tale revolving around not just parents and children but brothers and sisters, cousins and caretakers, Hosseini explores the many ways in which families nurture, wound, betray, honor, and sacrifice for one another; and how often we are surprised by the actions of those closest to us, at the times that matter most. Following its characters and the ramifications of their lives and choices and loves around the globe—from Kabul to Paris to San Francisco to the Greek island of Tinos—the story expands gradually outward, becoming more emotionally complex and powerful with each passing minute.

What was the best thing you read in June? Anything that’s on your list this month?

See the previous book recap here.

xoxo

Gina