Goodbye June

Or the books I read this month and the little moments I loved

Jun 30, 2026

June, June, June, you were good to me, well, reading-wise. After bad news, then rejection, then some good news…then more rejection, reading felt like a kiss this month. While I was finding wonderful books, June was also a slow month, spent with the people I love, amid a desire for change in my life and the bad news that snuck in between these pretty Florida summer moments. With that being said, here are the books I managed to finish in June and the little moments I loved throughout the month xoxo

Books read in June:

First book read of June and one of the most memorable of the year so far. Letters Never Sent, published by NYRB, is a collection of Eve Babitz’s messy letters and correspondents spanning from her early twenties, her writing process, and a fleeting letter after a Huntington’s disease diagnosis left her feeling like writing was not enough anymore. Eve details her cluttered love life, her conversations with literary agents, and her tumultuous friendship with Joan Didion, all hidden behind these letters. Truly a treat and the perfect read for the summertime.

Last month’s Fable book club pick, and probably not the smartest choice considering this book is a long and terrifying, claustrophobic read of pure suffering. A woman’s body is found dead as we are taken through multiple interconnected accounts of the so-called “witch” who was murdered, the social conditions these characters face on an everyday basis, and the rampant femicide that is plaguing society. An important read, beautifully written (of course), but you need to tread lightly if wanting to pick this up.

A new release that was meant to be read and devoured in June. A queer coming-of-age novel following Mina, a fifteen-year-old girl, during her summer with her two best friends and the ever-changing dynamic of female friendships throughout adolescence. I felt so seen by my younger self while reading this book, with its mentions of the loneliness we often feel growing up and the complexities of girlhood that make us feel ostracized, like there is nowhere for us to go. Girl’s Girl is a quick, yet deeply personal read about growing up in a Midwestern summer that I would recommend to everyone this summer.

My first, but not my last, Caroline Blackwood book, I can be sure of that. A novella that follows an unhappy housewife who has been recently left by her husband for a younger woman, and who leaves behind a daughter he and the narrator share, and also a daughter from a previous relationship, a daughter whom the narrator abhorrently detests with her entire being. This was a perfect look at projection in its most vile form, along with extreme loneliness that can bring on an outburst of rage and misplaced anger.

One of the shortest Annie Ernaux books that left me wanting more, there is just too much to say about this one, except it’s an Annie Ernaux book, so I will be reading regardless. This memoir-style novella, sitting at around 40 pages, details a relationship Annie had with a man 30 years her junior. Ernaux details feeling her age while wanting not to conform to the middle-aged-woman mold imposed on people in society. While again I wish this were much longer, Annie Ernaux, you are my muse.

I can never praise Deborah Levy and her beautiful writing enough. After A Year in Paris with Gertrude Stein shot up to one of my favorite books read this year so far, I thought it was time to read one of Levy’s most notable and recognizable books. Narrator Sofia and her mother are on the Spanish Coast, hoping that an unconventional doctor on the island can fix her mother’s strange illness that is affecting her walking. This novel puts into perspective the lengths loved ones will go to when faced with a caretaking role, especially when a child is caring for a parent, and the inevitable mental turmoil it causes. Deborah Levy has solidified her status as one of my favorite writers, and this book just confirmed what I had already concluded.

The newest novel from R.F. Kuang, I can never form a firm opinion on you. Taipei Story takes the reader on a journey through one young woman’s time in Taipei during a difficult language program. Lily Chen has just finished her freshman year of college and has found herself trying to connect with her roots and better understand not only herself but also her culture and family. Annoying roommates, obnoxious men, and grief are the focal points of Lily’s summer, which is surrounded by intensive studying and self-doubt. This book still has me wondering what I truly thought of it. There were very interesting and relatable themes before, but I just cannot put my finger on what little thing was missing for me.

If Anaïs Nin has no fans, consider me no longer around. My Fable’s book club pick was truly a treat, with only about 140 pages to fully immerse yourself in, Anaïs Nin manages to do just that. Sabina is torn between wanting to express her sexual desires freely, but being haunted by the guilt that comes along with it in our society. The narrator seeks a sort of detached love or fascination from her affair partners. She wants the physical sense of love without the emotional burdens that come along with loving too deeply. This book is an exploration of sexual repression, freedom, and the obstructions of societal guilt. Nin leaves everything on these pages for everyone to read and feel seen.

Our unnamed narrator, alongside her friends September and Claudia Thursday, spends her time in The Bowl avoiding deadbeat boyfriends and drinking wine, but when September has an encounter with a homeless man they dub ‘Burnside,’ the town is flipped upside down by some dark, looming cloud. At the core, this book is about victimhood and scapegoatism, the need for someone tangible to blame when Capitalism is the root of suffering, climate change, and the quality of life being dependent on the disposability of the working class. Personally, I feel this is a book I would have to reread to fully immerse myself in the writing style, but all in all, it’s a creative and informative book done impressively.