BOOKS
Reading Stats of June
- Books read: 10
- Number of pages read: 3,701
- Average star rating: 4.1
- Average time to finish a book: 6 days
- Format breakdown: 50% print books, 40% audiobooks, 10% e-books
- Genre breakdown: 80% fiction, 20% nonfiction
- # of DNFs: 2 (On Our Best Behavior by Elise Loehnen and Done and Dusted by Lyla Sage)
- Audiobook reading: 39 hours, 54 minutes (actual listening time: 22 hours, 59 minutes)
Reading Superlatives of June
- The best book I read in June: The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman
- The book I didn’t expect to love as much as I did: This American Woman by Zarna Garg
- The book I thought I would love more than I did: Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy
- The book that lived up to the hype: Home of the American Circus by Allison Larkin
- The book that taught me the most: Stamped From the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi
Reading List (from favorite to least favorite)
- The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman (print, 2021) ★★★★★
- The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren (print, 2024) ★★★★☆ 1/2
- Home of the American Circus by Allison Larkin (print, 2025) ★★★★☆
- The Takedown by Lily Chu (e-book, 2023) ★★★★☆
- Stamped From the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi (print, 2016) ★★★★☆
- This American Woman: A One-in-a-Billion Memoir by Zarna Garg (audiobook, 2025) ★★★★☆
- The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett by Annie Lyons (audiobook, 2020) ★★★★☆
- Before I Go to Sleep by S.J. Watson (audiobook, 2011) ★★★★☆
- Everyone Here is Lying by Shari Lapena (audiobook, 2023) ★★★★☆
- Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy (print, 2025) ★★★☆☆
MEDIA
- Survivor 37: David vs. Goliath – I’m on a mission to watch older seasons of Survivor to prep for Survivor 50 next year. (As in, getting to know the returning players. This is not an announcement of being on the show because LOL NO.) There are three returning players from season 37 (Christian, Angelina, and Mike). I fell head over heels for Christian, couldn’t stand Angelina, and grew to really like Mike (who, coincidentally, is the famous Mike White of The White Lotus fame!). I’m excited to see all three of them play again, though!
- The Amazing Race, season 4 – I just finished this season of The Amazing Race yesterday! It was a pretty boring season, though, and there weren’t any standout teams. I did find it interesting to learn that one of the contestants ended up dating Lance Freaking Bass a few years after the show!
- Brooklyn 99, season 2 – Rewatching my beloved Brooklyn 99! I love this season because it’s when Amy and Jake have their flirtmance and eventually get together. So cute!
- Clueless – It’s the 30th anniversary of Clueless, so I went with two friends to see it in a movie theater. It was so much fun and ugh, the movie is just perfection.
MONEY
Favorite purchase of June:
Hoop nose ring – I replaced my stud nose ring with a hoop, and then said a little prayer that my CPAP mask wouldn’t bother it. (I had to remove my nose ring last year when I started using a CPAP machine because the pressure of the mask against my nose made the piercing hurt.) And good news – it doesn’t! So now I can have my cute lil hoop nose ring and sleep deeply at night. A win/win!
Most delightful little indulgence of June:
ThermaCare heat wraps – I have always struggled with using a heating pad for period cramps because of my belly. So I picked up these heat wraps on a whim. They are designed specifically for menstrual cramps and you just attach them to the inside of your underwear and within 30 minutes, you’ll start feeling the steady heat against your body. It feels so good! You can wear the heat wrap for up to 8 hours, too!
Most regrettable purchase of June:
Pride cat scratcher – I love this cat scratcher and I think it’s so fun, but the cats have not used it a single time since I put it out a few weeks ago. Are my cats homophobic?!
Number of books purchased in June:
ZEROOOOO. I should celebrate by buying some books!
Best recommendation:
Period underwear – I can’t believe I waited so long to buy period underwear, but you guys: it’s life-changing! It feels almost like a security blanket, as I wear it as a backup on my heavy flow days. I’m a fan!
BLOG/PODCAST
On the blog, I told you all about my medical woes happening right now. I also took you on a journey through other Junes of my life, starting with 2008, the year I lost my beloved dog Minnie. I told you how I use Goodreads and The StoryGraph, and gave you a snapshot of a regular day in my life.
On the podcast, we interviewed our dear friend Lynn, who lost her home after Hurricane Helene in September 2024. This was an emotional interview, and I hope it shines a light on how these natural disasters can affect people in big and small ways.
Then, we lightened things up a bit and released an episode about our pets’ personalities! This was a really silly episode where we talked about our pets (Bri has two greyhounds) and then typed them according to our favorite personality frameworks. (I typed Eloise as an Enneagram 6, The Loyalist, and Lila as an Enneagram 4, The Individualist.)
JOURNAL
Samples from my One Line a Day journal
- June 2, 2025: Started the week with a great morning workout. I should do this more often.
- June 3, 2025: Melting Pot night with Amber, Lynn, and Kim. <3 It was so good but so expensive!
- June 4, 2025: We booked our hotel and a lot of our excursions today for London. Whee!
- June 8, 2025: A very productive day! I got all my chores done and then afterwards went to Mikaela’s to hang out with her and the girls.
- June 10, 2025: Saw a GI doc finally. I need so many tests. Blood tests + abdominal ultrasound + stool sample + colonoscopy. I am overwhelmed.
- June 11, 2025: Book club! Our dolphin cruise got rained out so we went out for ice cream instead.
- June 12, 2025: Eloise’s dentist appt! She did so well. But she was a maniac when she got home. Anesthesia’s got nothing on her.
- June 15, 2025: Father’s Day. I was very melancholy all day and stayed off social media.
- June 21, 2025: A lovely day where I got to read a lot! The dogs were very receptive to my snuggle and read agenda.
- June 26, 2025: Gyn follow-up. Best option for my heavy periods is ablation, which would mean I can’t ever get pregnant. Having a lot of feels about that!
Previous years:
- June 13, 2022: Today, we went to the American side of the Falls and there, I had the best experience of the vacation: Cave of the Winds!
- June 9, 2023: Bri and I had a wonderful lady date to celebrate 9 years of friendship. <3
- June 22, 2024: Big day! I went to the best bookstore ever with Kim and then we went to the Popcast Live! What an incredible show.
SUPERLATIVES
- This month’s chapter title: In My “I’m Falling Apart” Era
- Weather notes: Hot and humid, with lots of afternoon thunderstorms. We’re also officially in hurricane season, although things don’t get “exciting” until September/October.
- Favorite meal/snack: Melting Pot! Is there anything better than cheese and chocolate fondue? I think not!
- Something I learned: The proper way to take a passport photo at home
- An unexpected delight: This Instagram page. I would die for this cat and I’m not being dramatic.
What was your favorite book of June? What was your favorite meal or snack last month?
Ha ha, I’m laughing at your cats being homophobic. You read a lot of good books- mostly 4-5 stars. (Also- yes, you should celebrate by buying some books! I’m in Barnes and Noble right now and I haven’t bought a book in a while. I think it’s time!)
I hope July is a “putting yourself back together” month. You’re definitely trying!
It is July 6th and I have already bought 5 books this month. OOPS.
June was a very good month for reading! I hope July is the same.
I’m also laughing about the cats being homophobic. Come on, girls!
My favorite snack was probably the ice cream we had the afternoon after we were at the Shedd. It was so hot outside and we walked so many steps. It felt so good to sit down and inhale some ice cream (chocolate and mint choc chip for me). My favorite book of June was One Star Romance!
Who knew my cats were so homophobic? Gah! I thought I raised them right!
There’s nothing like ice cream on a hot day, especially for keeping a kiddo happy!
Ha! I love that you’ll celebrate not buying any new books by buying some new books! You have such a fun sense of humor!
I listened to your podcast about your pets’ personalities, and it was so much fun!
Thank you for listening! It was a very fun episode to prep for and record. 🙂
OMG I am laughing so much at “are my cats homophobic?” LOLOLOL. Please show them that reel I sent you earlier in the week where the shelter reunited the two lesbian cats LOLOLOLOL.
GIRL YOU DIDN’T BUY A SINGE BOOK IN JUNE?! Whoa! You do deserve one! Or two. Or three.
They need to get with the program! I still cannot get over the most beautiful lesbian cat story ever told!
By July 6th, I had bought 5 books so I am definitely making up for it! OOPS.
OMG Stephany I think your cats ARE homophobic. There is literally no other explanation.
Fondue! That’s giving me such great 70s vibes. There is a restaurant in Banff called the Grizzly House, and it’s 100% fondue-related. There are phones on every table – so you can call a particular table – and in the 70s-80s it was a total hookup place. There are “back rooms” that were apparently “fuck rooms.” It was a different time (I never used those, being a child at the time, but I have eaten at the Grizzly House a few times and yet never had backroom sex with a stranger)
I don’t know why I always have to make your comment section weird but well. Here I am.
Clueless is one of the few movies that remade a beloved book, that I love. It’s just so fun. I love when they find out they are on the freeway, omg, I die every time. “Use the blinker!” and then the windshield wipers go on. I feel seen.
I know this is going to sound obnoxious, but I have been loving Big Salad Night at our house, when I use homegrown kale. My fave book was Sky Daddy. God I loved that weird, weird book.
These homophobic cats of mine, argh!
I love you and your weird comments. They go in places I never expect!! I need some sort of movie or book written about Grizzly House. What a name!
The freeway scene is also my favorite in Clueless! It gets me every time I watch it! Between Cher screaming and the big semi honking at them… gah! It’s so good!
When I say I literally LOL’ed at the celebrating no books by buying books – I feel that to my inner soul!!!!
There’s no other way to celebrate such a great accomplishment, ha!
LOL at celebrate by buying books– perfect!
Stephany! I listened to an episode of your podcast and I really liked it! I mostly listen to book, but once in a while I go for it, and at just the right time I remembered that you have one. I listened to the episode about your moms and thoughts about motherhood by childless women. I really enjoyed it, how fun and loving and thoughtful you both are. And my opinion on it is that it is a kid’s job to take care of their aging parents, and it is a parent’s job to try to make that as easy on the kid as possible. Everyone within their capabilities of course, and as with any rule, there are exceptions. Children of abusive parents are not responsible. We’re getting to that point with my husband’s parents, and it has some rough days for sure.
Love the self-chat! I’m glad period underwear is a hit… lol on your cats–I doubt they’re homophobic.
Wow on _Clueless_ being 30–I wasn’t ready for those “digits.” “I like totally paused” there.
And I know who Zarna Garg is! TikTok’s algo has been showing me her reels for a couple of months now… she’s hilarious and I hear she opens for Tina Fey and Amy Poehler?