June 2025
Summer Reading Club is here at work and it’s been a wildly busy season so far. Exciting, but very draining! Writing this newsletter has been a bit of a struggle, to be honest, because my brain has mostly melted.
I am in extreme disbelief that it's June. Here we are. It's been a strange year so far, in a way that's hard to put into words: very difficult on a personal and political moment, still woven through with moments of connection and beauty.
Monthly highlights
January: A lot of January was focused on making community and reaching out to friends in various ways. We had a nice Nativity celebration on the 7th for Old Calendar Christmas, and then had an anti-inauguration party on the 20th that was delightful.
February: R has been doing some local music shows with his Timothy Rye persona and had two fun shows this month. We also went on a date to a local conservatory, which is always refreshing in the depths of Winter.
March: spring arrived so, so slowly. The weather stayed cold and wet this year, but little by little, the green returned and the first flowers began to arrive.
April: Pascha (Easter) was wonderful, with perfect weather and a fun group of people who joined us for good food and celebrations. I figured out a blood sugar friendly version of kulich that made me happy. And some beloved friends visited from out of state!
May: We went to one of my favorite local spots, a wetlands attached to a private university, and another state park. Both were fun in different ways, but there was something so refreshing about being out in the natural world.
June: We were able to see Valerie June in concert this month. She's one of my all-time favorite musicians and one of very few who I've seen more than once live. The show was really moving and magical, with a mix of older songs and some from her newest album, Owls, Omens, and Oracles. Of these, I think “Endless Tree” hit the hardest in person. The crowd was super eclectic and into it, and it was just a super fun and energizing experience.
Favorite books (April - June)
May was maybe my worst reading month so far this year, but overall, I still read some great books in this quarter!
Adult Titles
How to Suppress Women’s Writing by Joanna Russ (non-fiction, reread): There's something both moving and sad about rereading this book in 2025 and finding it just as relevant as when it was first published. (More here)
The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer (non-fiction): I talked about this one last month as part of my nature reading project. It's truly stuck with me as a way to rethink our approach to community and the possibilities of hope.
Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite (science fiction): A very fun sci-fi/mystery novella, set in a generation ship, with hints of Miss Marple in the background. I enjoyed the characters and the worldbuilding and would be quite happy to read more! This is the kind of slice-of-life fiction I really enjoy, where the narrowness of the scope doesn't mean a flattening of emotion.
The River Has Roots by Amal El-Mohtar (fantasy): Another novella that packs a powerful punch in a short amount of space. I loved the references to folk stories and songs while the world and characters also feel very deliberately thoughtful about the weight of narrative and the choices we might make in spite of it.
Asunder by Kerstin Hall (fantasy): I did NOT know what I was getting into with this one! But I loved it–the spikiness of the characters, the feeling of being doomed to a fate and still fighting against it, the way the ending went there. I've heard Hall is hoping to write a sequel and I really, really hope it happens!
Rose/House by Arkady Martine (futuristic fantasy?): Another novella! I’m convinced Martine was influenced by The Haunting of Hill House (I’m sure this is a very obvious insight) but it’s not a retelling by any means. The story takes on some big questions as far as personhood, agency, and the beauties and dangers of art and technology.
Children’s titles
Bea Mullins Takes a Shot by Emily Deibert (realistic, contemporary): I've been enjoying my recent descent into women's hockey fandom, so Bea Mullins was a perfect tie-in story. And I enjoyed it a ton on its own merits as well! The plot is a really nice mix of light and heartfelt that seems perfect for the target audience.
A Song for You and I by K. O’Neill (fantasy, graphic novel): K. O’Neill returns with a gorgeous fantasy graphic novel in a slightly different art style that really worked for this story. The plot and characters were engaging and I loved the way some of the panels cut out any dialogue to show the passing of time or beats of emotion.
Creaky Acres by Calista Brill and Nilah Magruder (realistic, graphic novel): I really liked this sweet coming-of-age story about a young Black horse rider who moves to a new town and struggles with the adjustment, particularly when her new horse barn turns out to be a little more chaotic than she expected. I especially liked the way the story deals with Nora’s new and old friendships!
Media recently
Music
As mentioned, Valerie June’s newest album has been in heavy rotation around here, as has SG Goodman’s Planting by the Signs. Goodman just keeps getting better, in my opinion, and the latest album has a hazy summer feeling to it that’s balanced by some of the more serious themes woven into the lyrics. “Solitaire” is a particular favorite for me.
TV
Andor s2: I mostly loved the second season of Andor, even when it was hard to watch…however. That last shot. No, thank you. {spoilers} I deeply appreciated this reading of it, which said almost everything I wanted to. Given that Star Wars notoriously has a problem with its depiction of mothers, this was really not the way to go. I also hate when media gives a female character a child when she’s previously shown no interest in parenthood. {/spoilers}
Murderbot: We’ve been watching the Apple+ adaptation of Martha Wells’ Murderbot series as the episodes have aired. For the most part, I’m really enjoying it! They’ve definitely made some changes from the books, some of which I really like. In particular, the way Gurathin and Murderbot circle each other like wary cats is very entertaining and plays up some of the themes of belonging really nicely. I’m much less pleased with the whole Leebeebee arc, which didn’t add much depth and mostly felt very uncomfortably awkward. However, that’s a more minor issue that doesn’t detract from my overall positive reaction.
Schitts Creek: We finished a rewatch of Schitts Creek this month! Revisiting the show, which was a huge comfort watch for me in 2020, was really nice. Annie Murphy’s physical performance as Alexis deserves so many gold stars!
Garden updates
The strawberries and raspberries really started to take off this year, which was lovely, though a little overwhelming. I bought some yarrow for $3 each on clearance at Kroger and they seem to be happily taking root. The Shasta daisies are blooming for the first time and the milkweed is really taking off. As I type this, we're stuck in the middle of a hot, dry spell, but the spring & even early summer so far have been relatively cool. I'm working on figuring out fall plantings and trying to keep up with all the weeding (hahahahahahahaha).
Recipe Highlights
We made a bunch of good food in June! Here are some favorites:
Chicken Gyro Salad from Smitten Kitchen
Spiced labneh from Home Made Summer
Summer Chicken Stew / Sazapkhulo Chakhokhbili from Supra
Chocolate & Raspberry Financiers, adapted slightly from Cannelle et Vanille
Lamb with feta, lemon & mint, highly adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Other Stuff
As previously mentioned, my pal Renay has launched a new project: Intergalactic Mixtape is a weekly newsletter rounding up the happenings from around the SFF world. Every issue has been a delight and I've found so many new links to explore!
Want to support your local library but don't know where to start? I've made a guide that walks through steps and pathways you can choose. Feel free to share! bit.ly/3FQixwe
I cackled at this Murderbot meme
The Ursula K. Le Guin Prize shortlist has been announced! Congrats to everyone listed. I try to read through the shortlist every year and have found that project very rewarding. Of the books on the shortlist, I have read Blackheart Man by Nalo Hopkinson and thought it was pretty awesome.
Where to find me
Wishing you some summer joy,
Maureen