We are now officially in deep summer in Atlantic Canada and I could not be happier about it. Days spent outside in the sun, letting baby girl run around through the grass until her heart’s content, and barbecuing every single meal is my idea of a good time.

What was extra thrilling about this month, in addition to all the outdoor time, was that I managed to get through four full books! This has been a rarity as of late, so it was a real treat to be able to carve out the time to move through so many new stories.

Here’s what I covered in June:

Books Read June 2026

1. The Tapestry of Fate (Amina al-Sirafi #2) by Shannon Chakraborty: probably the only book I read immediately upon release this year and WELL worth it!! Chakraborty is simply one of the best names in fantasy right now. I loved this installment in the middle-aged pirate series as much as the first, possibly even more as I felt like the aspects related to motherhood resonated so strongly. This was an easy 5-star read with a full review to come.
2. Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke: this might be the buzziest book of 2026, and for good reason. The story follows a tradwife influencer who finds herself transported to 1855, but all is not as it seems. It’s been some time since I encountered a cast that was so truly unlikeable, and Burke covers a huge breadth of critical analysis about so many timely topics, including the use of children in social media and the influencer industry. This was a fast-paced read that really evoked a lot of thought. I rated this one 4-stars with a full review to come.
3. Alchemy of Secrets by Stephanie Garber: if you like Stephanie Garber’s writing, I think there’s a strong likelihood you’ll like this book, even if it fell a bit short for me. The writing and magic felt really similar to the Once Upon a Broken Heart series, and while the setting was wholly different (urban fantasy), it had a lot of her trademark foreshadowing. I read this one on the treadmill which was a good format for it since it was fast-paced and light on detail. I rated this one 3-stars.
4. Glow of the Everflame (Kindred’s Cures #2) by Penn Cole: this series has really hooked me! It’s peak romantasy with the right balance between plot, action, and romantic interests. I loved seeing the world and magic more flushed out in this installment, and the ending really took me by surprise. I knocked .5 of a star off because there was a lot of miscommunication and intentional stupidity on the part of the main character, but it didn’t deter too much from my enjoyment of the book. I rated this one 4.5 stars with a full review to come.

TBR Lists

As usual, I made an effort to keep a short list this month of titles I saw but didn’t have time to pick up. These are the ones that made the TBR list throughout June:

• Lady of Thorns by Tasha Suri: a story about a woman who is banished to a forbidden realm ruled by an evil sorceress that she has been instructed to kill, but as she learns more, she begins to question how evil the sorceress truly is. I saw this one recommended by Alix Harrow, whose books I thoroughly enjoy, and figured it would be a good one to pick up when it releases in 2027. 
• The Unmagical Life of Briar Jones by Lex Croucher: a dark academia novel about two friends who are split up when one is accepted to magic school and the other is not. When they do eventually find themselves at the same school, they quickly end up on opposite sides of ugly secrets. Another one recommended by Harrow and added quickly to my list.
• The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus by Emma Knight: an atmospheric novel set in Scotland that offers portraits of womanhood, motherhood, and female friendship. This lit fic sounds thoroughly entertaining and I can’t wait to pick it up.

What I’m Loving Right Now

This month’s What I’m Loving has felt exceptionally easy to write because right now, life is very sweet. I’m feeling grateful and fortunate in a million different ways and it’s bleeding out into everything I do. 

The highlights for June included:

Having My Family on One Schedule

If you have a shift worker in your family, you’re likely acutely aware of how much of an impact it has on every single thing that your family does. Everything takes time, consideration, and careful planning and scheduling when you’re all on different schedules and with the addition of baby girl, this aspect of our lives often served as a point of friction. Through new opportunities, we were recently all able to get on the same schedule and I cannot express enough how life-altering it has been. Having ample time together to enjoy each other’s company, and knowing that we’ll have the ability to knock out errands, chores, and the things that simply need to be done is a luxury we’ve never had before. Everyone in my house is noticeably brighter from this change and I’m savouring every moment of it.

Simple, Small Luxuries

I am a lover of simple luxuries. A nicely made coffee, a piece of high-quality makeup, a pastry made in-house—they all give little boosts of dopamine that make the day feel infinitely better. Being a parent and a corporate professional, I don’t have as much spare time as I used to, so these little boosts have become small moments that I look forward to, and I’ve been trying to carve them out wherever I can.

My latest obsession for elevating my day in a small way is through a new skincare routine that’s left my face looking better than it has in years. I researched products and routines meticulously and started with mostly drugstore products that I’ve been slowly upgrading to nicer brands as time moves along. My morning and evening skincare rituals now leave me feeling fresh and rejuvenated and it’s something I genuinely look forward to.

A Yard Full of Green Grass

A couple of months ago I mentioned the insane amount of work we did to our backyard to ensure it would be ready for baby girl, and we’re now seeing the fruits of that labour! An enormous swath of our backyard was previously all rocks from below our old deck. We spent hours raking, laying down fresh dirt, and adding grass seed, not to mention the weeks we spent outside watering and pruning to coax out new growth. We fully expected to have a very small showing in this first year, but to our utter delight, a thick and luscious lawn of green grass is coming in fast. It’s made for even more useable space to play with baby girl and makes our backyard feel like a forest oasis. I’m so endlessly pleased with it every time I walk outside.

In case it wasn’t obvious, this past month has been pure joy. I’m thoroughly looking forward to the rest of the summer, curled up with good books and surrounded by family.