We’ve already reached June 23: my birthday! My daughter is officially on her summer break and we’re getting into the swing of this season. Just yesterday I spent the day wandering Cape Cod and visiting shops on The Cape and Islands Book Store Trail. Over this past week, I managed to off the book I’d started last week and then read through an advance reader copy (ARC) of a book coming out today! Here’s the full recap.

1. How to Protect Bookstores and Why: The Present and Future of Bookselling – Danny Caine

CW: Discrimination, Book Bans, Consumerism, Climate Change, Gentrification

Summary:

You probably have a good idea already what this one’s about from the title. It’s an exploration into what modern bookstores look like, how they contribute to their communities, the threats that they face today, and actions that the average person can take to help defend them.

My Thoughts:

If you’ve spent any time at all on my website or social media (and if you’re reading this, I know you have), then you already know I’m passionate about supporting independent bookstores. It’s why I started my video series showcasing indie bookstores around my home state. They serve vital roles in our communities, most even going above and beyond providing that crucial access to information and entertainment. If they’re going to continue to do so, they need the help of the communities they reside in.

I stand by what I said about this one last week. This book does a phenomenal deep dive into the challenges that modern bookstores face while remaining conversational and easy to digest. It covers both the obvious as well as the more subtle and nuanced. It’s also wonderful at illustrating the variety of ways that individuals can show up for the stores nearest them. A lot of these ways are very simple and a little surprising. For example, buying a book from your local bookshop is great, but if you buy a shirt with their logo, it’s likely that the store will keep a larger percentage of the purchase price, and each time you wear it in public, the store gets more marketing.

This book falls into a category I thoroughly enjoy, and that is “simple little books of big and complicated ideas.” The author of this one has a way of making the reader feel like they’re sitting cozily at the table of a shop alongside him and the owner during their interview. It’s an ingenious way of helping the reader to understand what is at stake without becoming heavy-handed.

If this is a topic that you’re also passionate about, this is a good book to pick up. I would recommend doing so at your local bookstore or through Bookshop.org who did get a shout-out in the text!

2. Midnight Witch House – Julie Catharine

CW: Abandonment, Misogyny, Graphic Depictions of Violence and Injuries, Blood, Gore, Vomit, Sexual Content, Grief, Fire & Explosives, Insect Swarms, Decay, Ableism, Toxic Relationships, Slut Shaming, Torture, Trafficking

A big thank you to The Nerd Fam for the eARC! This one is officially coming out today, June 23. It’s currently only available through the ‘zon (or potentially your local library if you ask them).

Summary:

Persephone (or “Seph” as she prefers to be called) has faced life entirely on her own. When she finds out she had a wealthy uncle who has passed and left her his sizeable estate, she jumps at the chance to start her life over with a solid foundation. However, when she arrives, she finds it’s a bit more complicated than that. Her uncle was a witch and his estate is sealed with a magical barrier. Seph has magic in her too, but no idea how to use it, so she’ll need help to remove the barrier and move in.

An educator from the local witch academy is willing to help if Seph will find and deliver the Blood Stone her uncle was protecting. If it fell into the wrong hands, there would be dire consequences for the whole town and likely even the world. To help her stay safe and accomplish this task, the educator assigns Seph a bodyguard. He turns out to be a surly vampire who Seph finds far more attractive than she would like to admit.

My Thoughts:

Readers who are big fans of Young Adult fiction concerning magical schools and vampire romances will likely get a big kick out of this one. It is a headfirst-dive into all of the most well-loved tropes in the genre. From masquerade balls, to borrowing identities with magic, to a tension-fraught climb through the school’s rafters while pursued by enemies, this book has all of it. They are packed in and taken to their extremes. These are combined with an extremely solid Young Adult voice in the narration. It’s full of onomatopoeias and single-line sentences for emphasis. I would only caution that if you’re buying this for your kid or teen, read it yourself first. Determine for yourself whether the violence and the spice level are appropriate for your child. There is more violence than sexual content, but both are present throughout the book.

I did struggle to like the main character for much of the book, but we do see significant character growth by the end. A few of the characters around her were much more sympathetic than she was at first. Her saving grace for a while was that her goals aligned with theirs. Those who continue reading will see improvement, but I know this can be a deal breaker for some. Some readers will also be less than fond of how much attention is paid to tropes and dramatic tension. The sheer intensity will be polarizing for readers. Some will be gasping and kicking their feet while others will roll their eyes, and it will be up to the individual to determine which category they’re more likely to fall into.

A final point that some readers might find uncomfortable is the handling of representation. While there are a couple positive portrayals of diversity in our characters, the only Black character of any note and the only disabled character are both villains. Had we seen more characters in these demographics it wouldn’t have stuck out to me nearly as much as it did. It would not surprise me if it rubs a few readers the wrong way.

June 23 is Now in the Books

That’s my reading through June 23! I’ve stated before that I don’t cover my audiobooks or my daughter’s storytime. I also usually don’t cover any beta reading I do, sticking instead to the final drafts. However, this week I finished reading one that I can’t resist teasing. It has strong King Arthur of Camelot vibes combined with a thoroughly original pantheon of fascinating deities. I’m very excited to watch this one on its journey toward publication!

I plan to spend the rest of my birthday (June 23) hanging out with my kiddo and reading. I’ll bring you an update next week on Bound in Violet Ink that I mentioned in the video. I’ve also got a bunch more ARCs on my list plus an ever-growing physical TBR from all my bookstore adventures. I plan to visit every single one in the state. Since I’m in Massachusetts, I’m lucky enough to have a lot of them. You can join in along with my partner and I in our explorations – we have a whole playlist of bookstore videos for you to check out!

Keep an eye out on my YouTube channel or the main updates page here to follow along on all my bookish adventures. My reading recaps go out on Mondays and bookstore adventure videos go out on Thursdays. Plus, there are lots of little shorts in between. As always, I want to hear from you! What have you been reading lately? Are you having fun with it? Have you read any of these titles, and if so, what did you think of them? Tell me everything, and follow along for more!