June In Review
Books read, links, and a poll for you!
Hello! Trying something a little different with this June in Review post, let me know if you like it:) I don’t know what it is about summer, but I for one tend to feel the need to change things up a bit—both in my reading and in the kind of content I put out. That’s what I love about having a newsletter, I have the ability to change and pivot.
June has been an exceptional reading month for me. I’ve had four 5 star reads! I’ve also just overall enjoyed my reading this month. There’s been less tv time and more reading which was a goal of mine this month.
Something I noticed last month was how out of sorts I felt when I didn’t have a book to look forward to at the end of the day, which unfortunately happened most weeks in May. I’m happy to report I’ve righted the reading ship this month.
I’m curious—do you go through these periods of feeling off or frustrated with your reading lives? What do you attribute it to if you’ve figured it out?
I’ve been seeing a significant increase in the amount of online chatter about people coming to the conclusion that scrolling on social media is costing them time they can’t get back. I think we’ve all known on some level that this is true.
Speaking for myself, if I get on Instagram and start scrolling though the explore page, I often look up and 30-45 min have gone by and it dawns on me that I could’ve been reading. As a result, I’m working on making some changes in July and will probably write about it next month:)
As for the books I read this month, I’ll share my ranked reading list below. For just about all of them except my most recent read, my full reviews are available in the Friday Threads posts throughout the month.
Side Note: if you’re wondering if I’ve read a certain book or just trying to find out what I thought of a book I mentioned in the past, you can go to my main page itsbooktalk.substack.com, go to the search/explore icon and type in the name of the book or author
Books Read In Order of Enjoyment
The River is Waiting by Wally Lamb - 5 ⭐️
I finished this over the weekend and it left me in tears. So many tears. Which if you’ve followed me for awhile you know, I love it when a book makes me cry. I’m not going to say much about what this story is about because I went into it completely unaware of the synopsis. I saw he had a new book coming out and having read and loved I Know This Much Is True and She’s Come Undone years ago, I requested it on Netgalley and then jumped right in (thank you Simon & Schuster for my complimentary egalley and audiobook). The audio narration was excellent.
This is the story of a family, of unspeakable, devastating tragedy, and whether the person who caused it deserves to be forgiven. Lamb explores forgiveness , redemption, addiction, punishment, rehabilitation, our justice system, love, friendship, hope, perseverance and more in what I found to be a page turning story. This story leans heavy on being character driven, but plenty of plot happens. I often say my favorite types of character driven stories have character driven plot twists and this delivered and then some on that.
I was incredibly moved by this story, so much so that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the main character (and narrator) Corby and his family. I also found the librarian in the story a compassionate, memorable character. I love stories that challenge me and force me to go deeper with my thinking and this did that. This is a complex story with no easy answers. I was unprepared to cry so many times. I loved this and think it would make a great book club book too
Next To Heaven by James Frey - 5 ⭐️ 🎧
After Her by Joyce Maynard - 5 ⭐️ - full thoughts via audio in Shelf Secrets #1
Bug Hollow by Michelle Huneven - 5 ⭐️ 🎧
The Silence in the White City by Eva Garcia Sáenz - 4 ⭐️
The Hidden Messages in Water by Masaru Emoto - 4 ⭐️ 🎧
She Didn’t See It Coming by Shari Lapena- 3.25 ⭐️ 🎧
Another new release I recently finished. When Bryden, a beloved wife and mother, disappears without a trace her husband, sister, friends and family are at a loss as to what could have happened while she was working from home in the family’s luxury condo. That’s all you really need to know. Shari Lapena writes compelling set ups with interesting characters that pull me into the story. The problem for me in this book (as well as her last couple books) is sustaining the early momentum. I became bored by the halfway point. And the one thing I don’t want to do in my mysteries is have the whole thing figured out which in this case I did. Overall, it was an ok story. I much prefer her earlier books like Someone We Know and An Unwanted Guest
With a Vengeance by Riley Sager - 2.75 ⭐️ 🎧
Life in June
Links I Enjoyed
‘The Sisters’ Turns a Family Mystery Into a Transnational Tour de Force (NYT Gift link) - This is on my July tbr
I love hearing about author’s favorite reads. Susan Choi: ‘I Feel I’ve Read Nothing but Great Books Recently’ The list includes “Heartwood,” “Other Worlds,” “The Wall” and “The Fact Checker.” Her own new novel is “Flashlight - this is also on my tbr (NYT Gift link)
The Best Books We Read This Week (The New Yorker)
I LOVE a literary mystery! Set it along the coast and I’m all in…. 5 Great Literary Mysteries Set in Coastal Massachusetts (LitHub)
The Best Movies of 2025 (so far) (Esquire)
If you can’t read this headline without getting distracted, try the ‘Take Five’ method for better focus - I never thought I’d need to do something like this, but I’m going to be trying this method
Why Are We So Obsessed About a Group of Friends in a Big City? (LitHub)
We Tested More Than 800 Pieces of Summer Gear. These 7 Are the Best (Outside)
3 Salad Dressings You Should Memorize (NYT)
2025 Debuts Novels - I love a good debut novel! A great list of 2025 debuts - and it includes one of my very favorite reads of the year, Slanting Towards the Sea. (Powell Books)
A Short Poll For You
Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions! I want to make sure I have a pulse on what’s important to you in your reading lives and your bookish content
Thanks so much for reading & answering the poll questions!
What June highlights, reads, links etc do you have to share?
Happy Reading!
Renee
I just finished Slanting Toward the Sea and give you full permission to say, “I told you so!” What a powerful yet quiet debut - I’ll be processing it for some time 💗
I finished The River Is Waiting on Sunday. I cried and cried and cried some more. I need to email you about it. I went into it the ame as you not knowing much about what to expect. Like you, i cannot stop thinking about the book or the characters.