Summer pleasure reads

Brief reviews of the books I read in June

Jun 28, 2026

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Hello, my friends.

As I write to you, I’m sitting in perfect quiet at my kitchen table as the wind whips through the tall pines outside my window.

The gravel that covers the ground in my backyard—remember, I’m in the desert—is alive like the shallow water in a tide pool, as patches of afternoon sunlight and shadow sway back and forth, side to side, thanks to the wind dancing with the bristly green boughs above. A squirrel skitters up a pine, flaking bits of bark into the undulating jumble below.

I’m enjoying the heavy peace of this moment. The past few weeks have been stuffed with activity and noise. I’ll update you when I share my June Bits next week, but for now, I’m bringing you mini-reviews of the books I read this past month.

For one reason or another, I’ve slipped into one of those reading currents. Like ocean currents, these literary zones suck you in, body and mind, and pull you through books at high speed. As soon as I drain one dry, I slam it down on the counter and yell, “Another!” Since I know these currents eventually ebb, I’m enjoying this one while it lasts.

Without further ado, here are this month’s book reviews (condensed to save my time and yours).

The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien

We listened to this as a family on audio (Andy Serkis narration). It took a long time to plod our way through, but we enjoyed it. I confess that I haven’t ever read The Hobbit in print. As I was listening, it struck me that this book is probably much better on the page than in the ears. Why? Well, you can’t zone out, for one. Second, you can’t zone out. Third, well, you get the idea.

Career of Evil and Lethal White by Robert Galbraith (J. K. Rowling)

Guilty as charged. I’m reading for pleasure and not personal improvement. I took down these doorstoppers (over 600 pages each) in record time because they are addicting and immensely satisfying.

I almost abandoned Career of Evil, though, because of the gristly chapters written from the killer’s POV. Eventually, I had to skim. Lethal White was a welcome respite from the criminal underbelly, taking me to the gilded wrongdoings of the upper crust. I don’t care what you think about Rowling. The woman can tell a story.

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Volume 4 and Volume 5

I’m revisiting these on audio in anticipation of Volume 9, which Brower says will come out sometime this year. I cannot stress enough the superior quality of the audiobook narrations. Genevieve Gaunt is a vocal magician.

Emma continues to stumble into one zany scenario after another, but these antics balance beautifully with her emotional development, as she mourns the lost, keeps her chin up in the moment, and girds her loins for the future. The parade of men is a bit much, but you don’t see too many of us complaining. (Do me a favor and drop your favorite in the comments for me.)

Page One to Done by Jessica Brody

As a self-proclaimed writing-craft book junkie, I couldn’t resist this one. Even though the title feels gimmicky, I like Brody’s two main strategies: relentless forward momentum and invisible revisions. I feel like these two approaches make drafting much more doable. What is drafting but supplying yourself with clay to mold later? So many of us avoid drafting for as long as humanly possible. But here, Brody tries to take the tedium out of this essential first phase of writing a book—or anything, really.

Death and Devices by Anna Vander Wall

My second paranormal YA novel in one year? Unheard of. After seeing this recommended on Substack, I was intrigued by the premise: A young man at a prestigious prep school is vying for a life-changing internship under a famous AI mogul, but in the process, he learns strange things about himself and his connection to his school. Ultimately, this novel is about death—why we fear it and the lengths we go to avoid it by means mystical or technological.

The Song of the Stone Tiger by Glenn McCarty

I listened to this on audio with my boys, and the timing was impeccable, as they are going through a major Calvin and Hobbes phase right now. A book about a boy and a tiger? Not a tough sell. This novel, too, is ultimately about death and separation, which weighs a lot, especially for a kids’ story. But this book feels light and points to the light (which is no surprise for a story published by Bandersnatch Books.)

See my interview with Glenn McCarty here.

Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

This was our May book club selection, which we wrapped up in June. I was surprised by how many kids loved it simply because it was a dog story. It’s essentially about opening up to friendship while dealing with past losses.

I think that when this book published in 2000, it resonated with a lot of people because we were starting to become aware of the effects of the whole “bowling alone” phenomenon. Watching Opal and her dog bring lonely people together in friendship was just the ticket. Now, more than 25 years later, we are SO much more fragmented and isolated from each other. It’s difficult to imagine a story like this taking place in our current world. It seems almost like a fairy tale now.

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