Catching Up on June's Events, Books & Bloggers!

June was a very busy month filled with exciting events, and a few contretemps. You've heard all about my meeting Ms. Nalini Singh earlier during the month for the book signing of Kiss of Snow, and how I lost my glasses and couldn't read for almost a week due to blindness. Ugh! But this last week... well, this last week was just plain fun!

Books from Nath:
Jill Shalvis, Gini Koch, Katie MacAllister

Nath and her sister Emilie came down last Saturday night, June 25th to stay with us prior to the RWA Conference. Nath came bearing gifts... yummy, out of this world sweets from Canada that we all love, and, well... books!

Sunday we went shopping at one of our big outlet malls in New Jersey for about six hours or so. The ladies are seasoned shoppers, and I promise I didn't faint, lol! Then I rushed over to my brother's house to visit with my youngest brother and sister-in-law who arrived from Orlando at the same time as Nath and Emilie. On Monday, I left work early and Nath and Emilie and I went over to my family's house for a get together and a family dinner with everyone, this way combining both visits for me. No time to read or blog people, but a great time!

Tuesday was nuts! I worked again and barely got out in time for the RWA Literacy Signing, and made it after an altercation with the bus driver who was giving us a tour of NYC instead of parking the bus at the Port Authority.... well, needless to say the New Yorker in me came out full force (but that's a story for another time, lol) and I finally made it. That was a really exciting and wonderful part of the week that I've been looking forward to for a year. Besides meeting the authors, I had a wonderful time with Mariana at the Blogger Bar Bash afterwards where we chatted for a while with other bloggers, Nath, Librarian of the Year Wendy, KristieJ, Lusty Reader, Christine, author L.B. Gregg and other bloggers  who came around on and off (although I missed meeting Rosie!). The table was grand central. It was such a pleasure to meet them all and lots of fun!

Books from Tabitha:
Patti O'Shea, Laura Griffin, Jill Shalvis
Kathleen O'Reilly, HelenKay Dimon

My week didn't end on Tuesday though. I went to a work-related event on Wednesday night and didn't get home until past midnight, but when I arrived home there was a box waiting for me! It was from our friend Tabitha who shipped a box of books to Nath at my address, but as it turned out most of the books were for me. Thanks Tabs!

Thursday I worked past 7:00 pm... got home and collapsed! Friday, I basically did all the things I should have done during the week at home, ran errands and actually saw that stranger I refer to as husband! (and finished a book, yay)

Madeline Hunter, Jodi Thomas,
Lisa Dale, Heather Webber,
Diana Gabaldon, Julie Kagawa

Saturday Nath and Emilie came back from the RWA conference to New Jersey to pick up their car. Nath came back bearing more gifts... books signed by authors I missed on Tuesday, plus books by other authors that did  not attend the signing, but whose works she knows I really enjoy. I was quite overwhelmed.

Later that same day, they decided to do some more shopping and twisted my arm convinced me to go with them, lol. Good thing too, I found some great deals! Then we all went to dinner together, and they were off!

So here I am... it's July and the long Holiday weekend's here. Time to relax. And after that long post, finally here are my June reads which thankfully are not many!

--------------------------------
Total June Reads: 10
Contemporary: 2 (Women's Fiction: 1, Romance: 1)
Historical Romance: 4
LGBT: 3 (Fiction: 1, Romance: 1, Mystery: 1)
Urban Fantasy: 1

1. Slant by Timothy Wang: B+
2. Sunset Bridge (Happiness Key Series) by Emilie Richards: B+
3. The Salisbury Key by Harper Fox: B+
4. More Than a Mistress by Mary Balogh: B+
5. Magic Slays (Kate Daniels, #5) by Ilona Andrews: B
6. Her Wyoming Man by Cheryl St. John : B
7. Come Unto These Yellow Sands by Josh Lanyon: B
8. Just Like Heaven by Julia Quinn: B
9. The Darkest Sin by Caroline Richards: C+
10. Bodyguards in Bed by Lucy Monroe, Jamie Denton, Elisabeth Naughton: C+
11. Pleasure Me by Monica Burns: DNF

Note that I have one DNF listed this month. I usually place books back in my TBR and read them later, but in this case I really tried to read Pleasure Me by Monica Burns. I read half way through before deciding that this book is not for me. :)

Upcoming reviews and minis for the books I missed reviewing in June. So how was your month? My top read in June was Slant by Timothy Wang... how about you? Which book was your favorite?