June 2026: Monthly Wrap-Up

After a rollercoaster of emotions the past few months, I am relieved to report that June was closer to smooth sailing for me. Having worked in the education system for a number of years, with my job change, this was the first time in a long time that I didn’t experience the hectic-ness that is the end of the school year. Don’t get me wrong, June was still a busy time for me, but more in a keep-your-head-down-and-get-things-done kind of way rather than the complete insanity that is schools in the last couple weeks of the year.

I feel like I have been very reading-oriented this month too. Maybe it’s the summer weather, I’ve found myself choosing to pick up a book often rather than turning on the TV or playing a video game. My spouse and I even went to a local outdoor readathon event where people in my city got together and read outside in the park. It was so much fun seeing all the readers out and about and peeping all their interesting book covers. Anything that encourages my spouse to read is a good time for me, so it was definitely a hit with our household and we look forward to participating again next year! 🤩

After going through a short phase where I was really only open to reading non-fiction books (after experiencing a huge loss, I just didn’t have the emotional bandwidth for happily ever afters), I finally dipped my toes back into fiction at the end of last month, and have fully submerged myself into the realm of sci-fi/fantasy once again this June.

I’m probably going to jinx myself by saying it, but this year has probably been my most consistent year of reading since I’ve been keeping track. I feel like 6 books in one month, one of which was almost a thousand pages, is pretty impressive! I’ve been satisfied with the books I’ve been picking up lately too. With the exception of a few books, I’ve really enjoyed the majority of the books I’ve read this year!

This month I finally took the plunge and started Dungeon Crawler Carl, which seems to have been everywhere recently. While not my favorite sci-fi series ever, it’s a pretty light, fast-paced, and humorous story, so it’s been pretty easy to speed through the first few books in the series. They are starting to get longer the further I get however, so I’m preparing myself to maybe take a break and give myself a chance to read something else before diving into the later instalments in the series.

Books Read:

Media Watched:

I really enjoyed the A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder books (minus the last one because while it’s satisfying, veers way too far into unbelievable territory), and thought the first season of the show was a pretty faithful adaptation, so I was thrilled to see the new season pop up on my Netflix.

Similar to the last season, I really enjoyed AGGGTM season 2! I thought they managed a very faithful adaptation of the second book once again, and anything added (like the integration of the prequel novella and Matt’s mother’s storyline) were very well done and helped add to the overall storytelling. I am a little nervous for season 3, simply because the third book, while not horrible, did lose me by the end (it was just SO unrealistic) that I’m pretty hesitant to be too invested in the show at this point. However, I’m always open to be proven wrong, and sometimes a story just needs a new medium to make it shine. So, who knows. 🤷‍♀️

Next Month’s TBR:

I’m currently in the process of reading The Gate of the Feral Gods by Matt Dinniman, the fourth book in the Dungeon Crawler Carl series, and listening to Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt on audiobook (I still really want to watch the movie and compare them). Besides those two reads, I’m leaving things a little open in terms of a summer TBR. I’ve got a lot of books that have been on my mind for a while (like The Everlasting by Alix E. Harrow, Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner, and Bloom Town by Ally North). I also find it very hard to put down a series after I’ve started it, so there’s always a pretty good chance I spend most of my summer reading time on DCC. For right now I’m willing to be noncommital and see where the vibes take me.

How was your June?

What books are you looking forward to reading this summer?

Let me know!