Pictured: walking through a field of oil seed rape on a rare beautiful day at the end of May.
I read ten books during June, a great mix, which found me deviating slightly from the pile of books I put together at the end of May. One of those books I simply didn’t get around to, another From Dusk to Dawn by Violet Trefusis I read five pages of and threw to one side, finding it utterly banal. It later had a bookcrossing sticker put inside it and was taken to the monthly bookcrossing meet up where I hoped it would find a more appreciative reader. Three of the books I have read during June, I hadn’t intended to read at all this month – I do so easily get distracted by other books I find.
This is this list.
59 No Fond Return of Love (1961) Barbara Pym (F)
60 A Very Private Eye (1984) Barbara Pym, H Holt, H Pym (NF)
61 Locked Rooms (2005) Laurie R King (F)
62 Farewell Leicester Square (1941) Betty Miller (F)
63 A Particular Place (1989) Mary Hocking (F)
64 A Woman of my age (1967) Nina Bawden (F)
65 Quartet in Autumn (1977) Barbara Pym (F)
66 Stoner (1965) John Williams (F)
67 The Exiles Return (2013) Elisabeth De Waal (F)
68 Perfect (2013) Rachel Joyce (F)
June started with Barbara Pym reading week – for which I re-read No Fond Return of Love before moving on to her diaries and letters in ‘A very private eye’. Later in the month I re-read Barbara Pym’s ‘Quartet in Autumn’ which I absolutely loved this time around. My Classic Club spin book was the hugely enjoyable ‘Farewell Leicester Square’, and I also read another Persephone book ‘The Exiles Return’, which I liked very much although I had a few minor issues with it. ‘Stoner’ by John Williams was one of two wonderful discoveries ; ‘Stoner’ a modern American classic which seems to have gone unrecognised by many for a long time was a giveaway on twitter – and one I was really delighted to have received. My other wonderful discovery was ‘A Particular Place’ a Virago Modern Classic by Mary Hocking – whose writing is reminiscent of both Barbara Pym and Elizabeth Taylor. I immediately bought four others from awesomebooks and it seems several members of the librarything Virago group seem to be gearing up to read her books this summer too. The last book of the month was ’Perfect’ by Rachel Joyce – a review copy from the publisher – the novel comes out next week and I’ll post my review in a couple of days – but I urge everyone to look out for it – it is quite remarkable.
So July is upon us – in a few hours at least. Last July Liz and I began our months of re-reading a month of re-reading in July and another in January in recognition of how many wonderful books we have read and never seem to have time to re-read. I loved my re-reading – but in the months since January when I did my last month of re-reading my TBR has exploded! I just can’t justify re-reading all month – as I have some review copies I need to get around to – so glad I don’t get too many of these generally – too much pressure. I also wanted to celebrate all things Brookner and came up with an Anita Brookner reading month for July too. So July will be a mix of
Brookner, three re-reads and some review copies. 
I haven’t decided which of the Brookners, I have, to read yet – although I have started with Undue Influence.
I will try to read at least a couple of Anita Brookner novels during July – her writing is really very good indeed.
I also have Bartchester Towers by Anthony Trollope, The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald and The Sweet Dove Died as my re-reads. 
A group of Noble Dames for my Hardy reading challenge. And review copies of Big Brother by Lionel Shriver –which came out in May and The Illusion of Separateness by Simon Van Booy which is out in July and a memoir The Alley of Love and Yellow Jasmines by Shohreh Aghdashloo, which came out a couple of weeks ago.
Some great things to look forward to for me. What will you be reading?
heavenali 
I have a book group lunch on Tuesday and since I suggested the author, I’m rushing to finish Jonathan Coe’s The Rain Before it Falls, I suggested it because he came to visit our little French town a couple of weeks ago and the evening was absolutely incredible, a French style literary event, where even the author was slightly intimidated by the knowledge of the host of his works – he said he enjoys these visits to France and many of the readers will have read all his works and come armed with incisive and penetrating questions.
Then I have Barbara Pym’s Excellent Women, Henry James What Maisie Knew, Tove Jansson’s The Summer Book and Elisabeth von Armins A Solitary Summer. And no doubt a couple of others will butt their way in as happens every month, either because I have read a great review here or elsewhere or just because!
What a great mix – enjoy your June reading : )
I still have to catch up on last month’s Pyms before I even get onto this month’s one – at least I have managed my June Powell!
Good luck with the Brookner event. Now that I’ve cleared most of my library loans I’m looking forward to a month of chipping away at Mount TBR. 🙂
I so need to chip away at mine.
I’ve seen several reviews of ‘Perfect’ and have come away very perplexed because in a couple of instances at least the reviews seem to have read a different book from each other. However, if you say it’s worth reading then it’s going on the list. I loved her previous work.
Maybe it will turn out to be a book that divides people. I am still writing my review – I finished reading it on Saturday – finding it very hard to review it for some reason.
I’ve put together a pile of books for July, something I only do in my Months Of Re-Reading. There are quite a few here, but I have some train and bus journeys to do … http://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2013/07/01/state-of-the-tbr-and-month-of-re-reading-in-july/
I’m a little more than halfway through Hotel du Lac, which has me in its thrall. I’ve just blogged about my experience at this point, though I will again when I have finished.
I came to you from Lakeside Musings.
Thank you,
Judith (Reader in the Wilderness)
Glad you are enjoying Hotel Du Lac I’ll look out for your thoughts on it.