![Do you have any decor-related holiday traditions? 🎄
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A Christmas village has been part of my annual decorations for as long as I can recall! My mom put them on top of my piano when I was a little girl, and when I got older and moved out, I received some pieces of my own (with a few from my childhood mixed in). 🤎
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When I chose to renovate my living room this year, I knew I’d need to find the perfect new space to display my village, come Christmas-time. This gorgeous @sauderusa cubby shelf felt like it was *made* to show off all my favorite pieces! 😍 It has been so much fun to find new ways to #SauderStyle these shelves over the last few months! 🙌🏼
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Each evening, I turn the lights on and feel a little bit of Christmas spirit come to life inside my heart. ✨ Which pieces would you want in your holiday village? 🏘️
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#cozyaesthetic #cozyhomedecor #thepursuitofcosiness #cozytime #holidaydecor #holidayhome #homedecor #hyggestyle #quietshadesofbrown #cottagecore #ofcosymoments #christmasdecor #ltkhome #modernorganic #farmhousedecor #cottagedecor #gifted #christmashome #christmasvillage [ad]](https://theespressoedition.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)
I’m feeling very satisfied with my June 2023 reading right about now. It was a heck of a good month with several new favorites – including the best book I’ve read all year!
Even though I’ve already passed my StoryGraph reading goal for the year (by quite a bit), I feel like 2023 hasn’t lived up to my reading expectations. While I’ve unsurprisingly enjoyed my numerous rereads, most of the other books I’ve picked up for the first time haven’t been as amazing as I hoped. My favorites list is pretty short at the moment. However, I was pleased as punch with what I read in the month of June!
This month brought several new favorites, including what I’m absolutely naming right now as my top book of 2023: Bring Me Your Midnight! I also got to read a couple of much-anticipated sequels (The Looking-Glass Illusion and Painted Devils), and I was sent a few ARCs that blew me away (House Party and Someone Just Like You). Overall, I can definitely say it was a great month and I’m crossing my fingers that July will be just as good!
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Click here for wrap-ups archive
The 25 Books I Read in June 2023
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June 2023 Reading Stats
Books That Got a 5-Star Rating
Bring Me Your Midnight
by Rachel Griffin
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
House Party
edited by Justin A. Reynolds
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Books That Got a 4 or 4.5-Star Rating (*rereads)
She Drives Me Crazy
by Kelly Quindlen
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
Ellie Engle Saves Herself
by Leah Johnson
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
King of Scars (King of Scars #1)*
by Leigh Bardugo
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Barnes & Noble
Secret Origins (Story Thieves #3)
by James Riley
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
The Looking-Glass Illusion (The Curious Realities #2)
by Sara Ella
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Barnes & Noble
The Sun and the Star
by Rick Riordan, Mark Oshiro
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
When in Rome (When in Rome #1)
by Sarah Adams
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
Someone Just Like You
by Meredith Schorr
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
The Love Wager (Mr. Wrong Number #2)
by Lynn Painter
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
A Love Catastrophe
by Helena Hunting
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
Painted Devils (Little Thieves #2)
by Margaret Owen
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
Books That Got a 3 or 3.5-Star Rating
There Will Come a Darkness (The Age of Darkness #1)
by Katy Rose Pool
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
Cherish (Crave #6)
by Tracy Wolff
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
Love & Other Disasters (Love & Other Disasters #1)
by Anita Kelly
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
Fourth Wing (The Empyrean #1)
by Rebecca Yarros
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
Nick and Charlie (Solitaire #1.5)
by Alice Oseman
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
Two Wrongs Make a Right (Wilmot Sisters #1)
by Chloe Liese
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
Books That Got a 2 or 2.5-Star Rating
By the Book (Meant to Be #2)
by Jasmine Guillory
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
Nine Liars (Truly Devious #5)
by Maureen Johnson
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
Anne of Greenville
by Mariko Tamaki
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
The Stolen Throne (Dominions #2)
by Abigail Owen
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
Books That Got a 1 or 1.5-Star Rating
Every Summer After
by Carley fortune
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
Tinkering With Love (Rock Falls #1)
by Aliyah Burke
Buy the book: Amazon | Blackwell’s | Bookshop | Waterstones | Libro.fm | Barnes & Noble
July 2023 TBR
The Fragile Threads of Power (Threads of Power #1) by V.E. Schwab [ARC]
Bookshops & Bonedust (Legends & Lattes #0.5) by Travis Baldree [ARC]
Muse of Nightmares (Strange the Dreamer #2) by Laini Taylor [reread]
Heart of the Sun Warrior (The Celestial Kingdom Duology #2) by Sue Lynn Tan
Hell Bent (Alex Stern #2) by Leigh Bardugo
Practice Makes Perfect (When in Rome #2) by Sarah Adams
The Stardust Thief (The Sandsea Trilogy #1) by Chelsea Abdullah
Pick the Plot (Story Thieves #4) by James Riley
Jay’s Gay Agenda (Jay’s Gay Agenda #1) by Jason June
Always Only You (Bergman Brothers #2) by Chloe Liese
A Sweet Spot for Love (Rock Falls #2) by Aliyah Burke
The Celebrants by Steven Rowley
The Littlest Library by Poppy Alexander
Planes, Trains, and All the Feels by Livy Hart
Some Mistakes Were Made by Kristin Dwyer
It’s the End of the World and I’m in My Bathing Suit by justin a. reynolds
Shop the post
coconut wax bookish candle (ESPRESSO10) | single-serve French press | cappuccino mugs & saucers | similar mirror | wooden cake tray | faux pine cones | sweater | cinnamon sticks | faux cotton sprigs | plaid scarf | similar birdcage
I’ve got Painted Devils on my shelf right now, just staring me down! I’ve been so excited to get the chance to dig into it. I’m glad you liked it, too!
It absolutely blew me away! I’m always nervous about picking up sequels for books that I LOVED, but there’s a good chance that I might have (possibly) enjoyed Painted Devils even more than Little Thieves? Maybe????
Sounds like you had a great reading month! The Sun and the Star is on my TBR this month and I’m really looking forward to starting it!
It was a pretty dang good month! I was really pleased about it 🙂 I hope you enjoy The Sun and the Star! It was such a fun book!
Looks like you had a good reading month!! I’m glad to see that you liked Bring Me Your Midnight, it’s on my TBR! I loved the author’s debut, so I need to read more books by her 😊
It’s an absolutely phenomenal book! The Nature of Witches is one of my top 5 favorite books of all time, so I had high expectations for both Wild is the Witch and this upcoming release, Bring Me Your Midnight. They didn’t disappoint (though Bring Me Your Midnight is *almost* on par with The Nature of Witches for me hehe). I hope you love it!
25 books is impressive! My favorite last month was The Little Italian Hotel by Phaedra Patrick.
I haven’t heard of that one! I’ll have to check it out!