A selection of quotes to represent June’s reading:

commonplace book
noun
a book into which notable extracts from other works are copied for personal use.

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“I rather like being a detective,” she said with modesty. “You see, I’ve been to see so many murder mysteries, in the movies, but I’ve never had a – er – chance at the real thing. It’s gruesome” – she refrained from looking at Mayhew – “but fascinating. Fascinating.”

The Cat Saw Murder by Dolores Hitchens (1939)

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“Are kings, soldiers, and diplomatists exceptions to the general rule of humanity? Not they! I tell you seriously, if the newspapers of Europe had one and all decided not to take the smallest notice in print of the war between France and Germany, it is my firm conviction the war would have come to an end for want of encouragement long since. Let the pen cease to advertise the sword, and I, for one, can see the result. No report — no fighting.”

“Your views have the merit of perfect novelty, ma’am,” said Horace. “Would you object to see them in the newspapers?”

The New Magdalen by Wilkie Collins (1873)

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Mairéad raised her hands. ‘Whichever or whatever. Catholic. Protestant. Hindu, Sikh, Jew. We don’t recognise such fabrications, such man-made labels here. Simply cloaks we wear. Cloaks that conceal our natural form and hide the truth. That we are all born from the one universal energy, draw from the one breath of life.’

The Graces by Siobhan MacGowan (2023)

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‘Well, it is so, isn’t it?’ said Benovek. ‘What ought to be free and running in you is tied up in a knot. And that is because of this strong hate, which is using up nearly all of your energy. As for love, where is it? You have the capacity, no doubt; anybody who can hate can love also…hate is no good, it is a self-destructive emotion.’

The Embroidered Sunset by Joan Aiken (1970)

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Favourite book read in June:

The New Magdalen

Authors read for the first time in June:

Dolores Hitchens

Places visited in my June reading:

England, France, America, Ireland

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Reading notes: This was another slow month of reading for me, but at least the four books that I finished were all from my 20 Books of Summer list so I do still have a chance of completing the list by the end of August, although it’s not very likely! One of my books also counted towards Reading the Meow and I was pleased to be able to take part in that event. Coming up in July, Jo at The Book Jotter will be hosting Six in Six, something I enjoy participating in every year as it’s a great way to look back on our first six months of reading. See Jo’s post for the full details!

How was June for you? What are you planning to read in July?