Five Favorite 5 Star Reads from June!

June was a busy month, with five kids and Leah getting older! We've had a lot of summer fun outside in the hot weather and we've been inching our way back to "normal life" as Leah's naps have started getting more consistent. I was still able to read quite a bit, but with all that going on, I did have my lowest reading month of the year so far. I also had more books that I didn't love as much, though some were really fun to read.

I read 13 books in June and 4,033 pages, for an average of 310 pages per book (this is my lowest reading month book and page-wise this year so far). I owned 8 books and borrowed 5 of the books I read. 11 were by female authors and 2 by male authors. I read 1 physical book, 8 ebooks, and 4 audiobooks. I read 2 middle grade, 0 YA, and 11 adult. I had 2 read alouds with my kids and read 0 new releases. I read 6 stand alones and 5 books from series (starting 3 and finishing 0). I had 4 five star reads, 6 four star reads, 2 three star reads, and 1 two star read.

The Hypnotist's Love Story by Liane Moriarty

I've been reading through all of Liane Moriarty's books lately and I've loved them. She writes Chick Lit, often with a bit of thriller/mystery thrown in. The Hypnotist's Love Story falls more on the Chick Lit end of things, but was still really fun to read. I loved the characters and was very invested in the story--a hypnotist starts dating a guy who is being stalked by his ex.

Courting Miss Lancaster by Sarah M. Eden

Courting Miss Lancaster is the sequel to Seeking Persephone, which is still my favorite in the series so far. I really enjoyed this sequel, though. The love interest, Harry, is adorable and I loved the chemistry between the two main characters.

The Coddling of American Mind by Greg Lukianoff/Jonathan Haidt

The Coddling of the American Mind was my main nonfiction read of the month and I was surprised by how much I loved it. I thought it was going to be hard to get through, but it was very engaging and I took a lot away from the book (I know because I keep referencing things the book talked about in conversations!).

Mastering the Art of French Murder by Colleen Cambridge

For a few years now, I've been reading Colleen Cambridge's Phyllida Bright mysteries, which follow the fictional maid of Agatha Christie solving mysteires. They are so fun, I love them! I decided to try some of her other books and started with this one. I didn't love Mastering the Art of French Murder as much as Phyllida Bright (part of that may simply be how much I love Agatha Christie), but I still really enjoyed it! It follows a fictional friend of the French cook Julia Child, solving a mystery in France post-WWII. It took me a little longer to really get into it, but once I did, it was so fun. I can't wait to continue the series.

The Law of Moses by Amy Harmon

I tend to put off reading Amy Harmon books because they are never light, easy reads, but I pretty much always love them once I read them. The Law of Moses was a little bit of a different book--a contemprary with magical realism/paranormal and a dash of msytery/thriller. The characters were, of course, very real and well written, and the ending was very satisfying.

Those were some of my favorite books from last month! How was your reading month in June? What is a book you've read recently and just loved? I'd love to hear from you!