Y’all … June was one hot month. As the heat continues to build, it has a very real impact on day-to-day life, including my reading/watching/listening habits. Especially the watching, which you’ll see later in this post. Honestly … I am not a fan of these super long daylight hours. It’s not supposed to still be light-ish at 9pm, that’s a solid hour into “cozy time.” And with it being so hot we’re not even getting to our outside work until late in the evening, so it’s just all topsy-turvy. I’ll be glad when things shift to a more equal balance – the older I get, the more Fall is my perfect ratio.

Meanwhile, thanks to multiple formats, the reading is still happening. And it’s largely been enjoyable, which is always a win. I hope the reading mojo will continue through the Summer, and there are several books on my TBR that I am very excited about. But first, what happened in June.

📱 Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies | Catherine Mack | ⭐⭐⭐⭐
This was a wild and wacky read. There were twists and revelations and confessions, and some of them I totally saw coming – but I didn’t land on the exact twist. The footnotes were deliciously snarky, and this is one that I feel like I missed out on a bit by doing Kindle, so I’ve requested the print copy for book 2!

📱 Murdle at Marble House | Alyssa Maxwell | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 1/2
I’m so glad I decided to give this series a try. This second installment features the Vanderbilts I’m most familiar with, and it was quite entertaining to see Alva from this perspective. It was twisty and complicated, and while I had a hunch someone was not as they seemed, it was a good read all around. Loving the Jesse/Derrick dynamic and that it’s not a love triangle so much as a further expansion of the unique position Emma holds.

🎧 Great Big Beautiful Life | Emily Henry | ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Is this my new favorite EmHen? No. Is it her typical offering? Also no. Did I still enjoy it? Yes! I was very invested in finding out Margaret’s Great Big Dark Secret – and it honestly caught me by surprise. I did suspect something similar, but not that direction. Alice and Hayden have great banter, but I lost a little interest in their story once they shifted more into a pairing.

🎧 It’s a Love Story | Annabel Monaghan | ⭐⭐⭐
I absolutely loved this book – until the entirely unnecessary third-act breakup. That ruined the magic for me, and did nothing except stir up drama and prolong the book. Sigh. Before that point: the banter is so good, the unveiling of Jane and Dan’s “history” is perfectly timed, and the Finnegan family is fabulous. And then … it all crashed.

🎧 Once Upon a Summer Romance | Teri Wilson | ⭐⭐⭐
Exactly the sort of light, frothy romance one expects from a Hallmark movie {this was published by Hallmark’s book imprint}, and sometimes you just need that sort of read.

📖 Swordheart | T. Kingfisher | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Maybe I was in dire need of a good fantasy, or maybe it’s that this one hit just right, but it was fabulous. The world-building. The characters – oh, the characters! {I would like a gnole, please and thank you}. It’s delightful. It’s absurd. It’s hilarious. How am I supposed to wait for the next book?

📖 What the Chicken Knows | Sy Montgomery | ⭐⭐⭐⭐
While this is less what the chicken knows and more about the author’s personal experience with chickens, it is still an enjoyable little read. Of course, I am in my Chicken Era at the moment.

Listening:
Another month, another set of sounds in the AirPods … and audiobooks are carrying the day, obviously. I’m also continuing to dabble my way through Season 1 of This is History podcast, and have spent a decent amount of time listening to the new Josh Groban album Gems. {Hard to fathom, but I’ve been listening to him for 20+ years. Well then.}

Watching:
Lingering daylight continues to make for weird watching, especially since it’s been so hot that we’re having to do the majority of our outside work late in the evening when it’s at least a little shadier if not “cooler.” Which is to say: there’s been barely anything watched. We’re even very far behind on our YouTube subscriptions. Oops.

On the Blog:
It’s been a busy month, and the blog posts reflect the variety of activities we’ve been up to. From making kraut to getting the chickens moved to grass, not to mention a rapidly growing garden. I’ve got a list of upcoming releases I’m looking forward to, and we are impatiently waiting for the heat to break so our porch picnics can resume. There were numerous gorgeous sunsets and a much needed weekend getaway.

June, for all its sweat and melting, was a pretty good month on the whole. We’re going to try and carry that energy into July, and there’s a lot on the agenda! It’s my birthday month, the garden should start cranking out tomatoes, and I am desperately hoping for a break in the heat.

What was your best read/watch/listen of June?
What are you most excited about heading into July?
I hope you all have a fabulous July – with great reads and cold treats!