Hi everyone! Today I’m sharing the books I’ve read in June! I didn’t read as much as I hoped. Overall I have read 33 books in total this year, so I’m 9 books ahead of schedule. My goal is 50 books and I’m 66% of the way there!

I thought I had been over my reading slump but apparently not. Despite trying, I just can’t seem to pick up the books I have either bought or checked out from the library. I had actually hoped to be nearly done with my goal at this point as I don’t know how much I can read the rest of the year if other things come up but I’ll just go with it.

I think that my reading time was definitely cut short because I’ve kept busy. Normally I read won weekday mornings before getting up. In order for this to happen, I cannot pick up my phone for any reason! If I do, I get out of the reading mood and there goes my reading time for the day. On one weekend I ended up writing a Random Saturday Morning Thoughts post and the next day I went to work with my dad. On another weekend I went downtown to see The King and I and ended up watching Aladdin as well in a wonderful Two Musicals Day so I didn’t read that day either, and the next day was Father’s Day so I woke up and got up to wrap his gift. Another weekend without reading!

Anyway, this month I only read two books, and actually only one book was an actual book! You’ll see in a moment. Here we go!

---

Tickets Please: A Comprehensive Seating Guide to Chicago Area Theaters and Sports Arenas by Center for Enriched Living

Not Rated

This is the “not actual book” that I read but as it does have an ISBN number and I’m tracking it on Goodreads (my page linked below), I am including it in my wrap up. So my local library has a “book sale” of sorts where they clear out older books or extra copies they don’t need. I’ve gotten quite a few books this way. I think I paid like 10 cents or something like that since it’s a paperback book.

I think I could get a lot of use out of it! I know the general layouts of many of the bigger theatres but I do want to try smaller theatres so that would work. I love that it includes the Marriott Lincolnshire theatre by my work in the suburbs as well as the big theatres and theatres in Milwaukee and St. Louis. Some of the seating charts aren’t as clearly labelled so I can’t really use it for every theatre but most are legible and helpful. There is no consistency in the charts so I’m assuming the organization that put it together just asked the venues for their charts and complied them.

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

4 out of 5 Stars

After hearing so much hype about this book and seeing Emma Watson promote it for her book club, “Our Shared Shelf”, I requested this book at the library. I didn’t have to wait as long as I expected actually. Since everyone’s been talking about it I expected a longer wait but maybe everyone has already read it and I’m the only one this late to the party?

I’m very glad I read this book. I can understand why it was getting that level of attention. I won’t spoil anything but the book centers around Offred, a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. The people of Gilead live very regulated lives. The Commanders are the rulers of the land, and because their wives are often unable to have children, women who can are labelled as Handmaids, meant to provide children for the Commanders and Wives to raise. Offred is a Handmaid, who as someone who lived in the world before Gilead suffers as she tries to survive. She is no longer allowed to read, as women are forbidden from doing so, and is only allowed to leave the house of the Commander she’s sent to once a day to go to the market for food for the house. Even so, she can only go when accompanied by her assigned Handmaid companion. As a Handmaid, she can only wear red with a white bonnet. She is constantly trying to surpress her memories of her husband, Luke, and their daughter, as well as the world she lived in when she had the freedom to work, provide for herself and her family, and the ability to learn and choose.

It’s truly a powerful read and I wish I had been able to read it with less breaks. I actually did read part of this before bed a few times so I had to stop myself from reading too late. Overall I think it took me out of the world too much and it would have left more of an impression otherwise but don’t get me wrong, it was still very thought provoking.

---

So that’s my June books! I hope I have more to share with you for July’s books next month. I am almost done with one book so we’re almost halfway to meeting June’s numbers!

Oh and remember that it’s your last chance to get any questions in for my upcoming video Q and A! Since I’m hoping to film tomorrow I can’t guarantee your questions will make it in if you post them after today. You can leave them here, on my post announcing 500 followers and asking for your questions, or on my social media linked below!

Thanks for reading!

Pamela

Follow me on social media!

Instagram | Youtube | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Bloglovin‘ |Pinterest |Snapchat: StarringPamela