This Month In Reading - June 2026

Monthly Reading Total: 18.  After a couple of slow months it was good to get back in a good place with my reading!

Type:

Print - 7

Ebook - 6 

Audio - 5

Genre:

Mystery - 6 

Fiction - 7

Nonfiction - 2

Romance - 3 

Favorite Books of the Month:

Favorite Audio Book - Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan - This was just a delight.  I loved the story and I loved the characters.  I'm very much looking forward to reading more by this author.

Favorite Other Books: The Reimagining of Thornwood House by Jaleigh Johnson - I loved this one and it was exactly the fantasy story to get the month of June started off right.

Death in the Details by Katie Tietjen - This is the first book in the mystery series loosely based on Frances Gessner Lee who created a series of "Nutshells" or miniature crime scenes to be used as an investigative tool.  It takes place in post-World War II Vermont and I enjoyed it so much I immediately picked up the 2nd book.  I'm hoping the series is continuing.  

Rereads:  I am not doing well on my goal to do more rereads this year.  This month my only reread was The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie

Monthly Armchair Travel

Domestic Travel:  I visited Ohio, Vermont (twice), Texas, and Rhode Island for the first time.  I revisited Kentucky, North Carolina (twice), Connecticut, and California.

International Travel:  I visited New Zealand and then visited England twice

Friday Fives - July TBR

I'm in a list making kind of mood so I thought I'd start making random five lists.  Sometimes they'll be bookish other weeks not so much. Since this is the first Friday in July, I'm planning my July TBR.  Here are 5 books I plan on reading in July. 

1.  Meet Me in Paris by Kristin Harmel - I really enjoyed a previous book by this author and am really looking forward to this one.

2.  Bitter Spirits by Jenn Bennett - This has been on my TBR for ages and summer seems like the perfect time for some 1920s ghost.

3.  Murder in Paperback Parlor by Ellery Adams - I like this author but I was a bit surprised by the direction the first book in this series went so I'm curious to see what I think of this one.

4.  Everyone on This Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Steveson - I absolutely loved the first book in this series and this was the one that caught my attention in the first place.  I'm excited to get started on this one.

5.  What Happens in Paradise by Elin Hilderbrand - I read my first Hilderbrand book last year which was the first in this series and really enjoyed it.  I'm excited to get the continuation of the story.

What are you hoping to read in July?

Recipe Thursday: Penzey's How We Became One's Hoisin Chicken

One of my goals for 2026 is to sort through all the recipes I have laying around tucked into folders and notebooks as well as my gigantic Pinterest/food blog collection that hasn't been touched in years.  I've been having quite a good time with it.  I enjoy cooking but it can become a chore pretty easily and this has made it a lot more fun for me as I feel like I'm working on a project.   Around here we've taken to calling it Recipe Thunderdome as all recipes have to be auditioned before earning their place in the final recipe binder. 

*For context I'm a reasonably capable home cook but one who is often trying to multitask and who is pretty much completely self-taught. *

Cookbooks aren't exempt from the Thunderdome and here's this week's candidate from Penzey's How We Became One

Hoisin Chicken

1 chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces
1 T olive oil
1 c sliced onion
3 T hoisin sauce
4 T rice wine
5 T soy sauce
1 1/2 T sugar
1 T sesame oil
2 TB minced garlic
1/4 lb green beans, trimmed

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and cook until softened.  Remove from skillet and set aside.  Add the chicken to the skillet and cook until lightly browned on all sides.  While the chicken is cooking, whisk together the hoisin sauce, rice wine, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, and garlic.  Add to the skillet along with the onions.  Stir well.  Add the green beans.  Cover the skillet and reduce heat to a simmer.  Cook about 10 - 15 minutes or until the green beans are cooked to desired consistency.  Serve over rice or noodles.

Changes:  I probably used more than 1/4lb of green beans but no other changes.

Thoughts on Recipe Difficulty:  I found this pretty simple.  There's some chopping but everything is pretty straightforward and goes together well.

Cook Time: 25 - 30 minutes.  Most of the prep can be done while another part is cooking.

Served With: Rice

Results:  This was really good!  The flavor of the sauce was nice and it made enough for both of us plus some leftover.  

Verdict: Survived!  Though the cookbook itself is on the edge. It's super bulky and there aren't that may recipes that interest me.  I might make it a project to try out the recipes that caught my eye, those that I like go in the binder, and then the cookbook itself is exiled.

The Secret Thread - Fiction Review

Goodreads: The Secret Thread by Eve Chase

Rating: Liked It (3 Stars)
Source: Publisher

Description:  At a lavish summer party on an English country estate, tensions between social classes lead to deadly consequences that won’t stay buried in this twisty, engrossing suspense novel by the author of The Midnight Hour.

Even the darkest secrets unravel in time. . . .

2024: Jo O’Mara, a young writer, lands a job working for Mimi Mott, a wealthy style icon and legendary founder of a decorating empire. Newly widowed and in her seventies, Mimi is preparing to auction off her possessions, through them finally telling the story of her early life. Famously private, Mimi has kept her past shrouded in mystery. Jo doesn’t dare reveal how closely it touches her own.

Tasked with collecting the untold tales behind each auction lot, Jo peels back the layers of Mimi’s origin story and discovers it’s far darker than anyone ever suspected.

1969: Mimi and her sister, Pamela, live in a cramped, musty staff cottage on the grounds of Rushwood, an idyllic English country estate owned by the Caswell family, their demanding new employer. Working alongside their gardener parents, the girls have been raised with their hands in the soil and know only a traditional, simple life—but spirited Mimi hungers for more.

When the Caswells’ adult children, Nancy and Lawrence, arrive at Rushwood for the summer, the sisters are drawn into a privileged, intoxicating world, unsettling their own, and passions spark under the blazing sun—until a shattering death at Rushwood’s high-society party tears Mimi and Pamela apart.

Now time is running out. Jo discovers both a missing auction piece and a missing sister and vows to find them no matter how dark the secret they expose—or the cost to herself.

Genre: Fiction/Historical Fiction

Why I Picked This Book: I've read another book by this author and really enjoyed it.  The blurb also caught my attention.

My Impression: I read a book by this author several years ago and one of the big things I remember is the eerie atmosphere she infused in every page of that book.  I felt that was a bit lacking in this one.   I knew something bad was going to happen, but it wasn't because I felt like there was something wrong but more because the reader is told pretty regularly that things go bad.  

The structure of the book was interesting with the modern-day timeline centering around the creation of an auction catalog and each item triggering a flashback to Mimi's early life taking place on an estate in the 1960s.  As the story goes on the story gets closer to the catastrophic event that splintered the family.

It took me awhile to get really invested in the story and at no point did I really feel connected with the characters.  I don't mind not liking them but I teetered on the edge of not caring about them.  

What kept this book enjoyable was the author's writing style.  Even when I wasn't particularly engaged in the story it was never difficult to keep reading.  While the book didn't have an unsettling atmosphere the author did make the setting come to life and I could easily visualize each of the auction items as well as Rushwood both past and present.  

Looking at the Goodreads reviews, I appear to be in the minority with not loving it and I do think there was a lot of positives about the book.  It wasn't my favorite by the author, but I am looking forward to reading more from her.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author? I would.  I like this author's writing even when I'm not loving the story.  

Would I Recommend this Book? I would with some reservation.  Unless you're a big fan of the author, I might recommend getting it from the library instead of buying unread.  

* I received this book in exchange for an honest review. As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *

Top Ten Tuesday - Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the Second Half of 2026

 

Today I'm linking up with Top Ten Tuesday hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl which is all about lists.  Since lists are one of my favorite things this is one of my favorite linkups!  Today's topic is Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the Second Half of 2026.

1.  The Vanished Sister by Sherry Thomas (September 29) - I've enjoyed this series from the beginning (though I've missed a couple that I need to catch up on) and this one looks really interesting.

2.  The Key to a Killer by Olivia Blacke (October 20) - This is the third book in the Ruby and Cordelia series and I've loved the previous books.  I'm looking forward to seeing how the series continues to develop.

3.  See You at the Sunset by Susan Lee (August 11) - I don't know much about this author but the blurb really caught my attention, and it looks like a really entertaining read.  

4.   Killing in the Countryside by Maria Malone (August 11) - I absolutely loved the first book in this mix of cozy and police procedural last year and am so excited to read this one.  

5.   Murder on the Sacred River by Tasha Alexander (September 22) - This series is on my series list for this year and I'm enjoying reading the early books but I've liked the most recent books even more.

6.  It Could Have Been Her by Lisa Jewell (July 2) - I love Lisa Jewell's books and this one looks really good.  I haven't gotten to last year's book yet and I don't want to drag my feet as much with this one!

7.  The Unknown by Riley Sager (August 4) - I have only read one book by this author and I really want to read more.  This one sounds absolutely amazing!

8.  Queen of Lombard Street by Lisa Kleypas (October 20) - I was so excited when I saw a new book from Lisa Kleypas on the upcoming release list.  Kleypas is one of my absolute favorite authors and has been on a hiatus for several years.  I hope all is well with her and I'm so excited to pick this one up.

9.  Birth of the Witch by Nora Roberts (November 17) - I love Roberts' trilogies and this sounds like the beginning of a good one!

10. Murder at the Grand Alpine Hotel by Lucy Foley (September 22) - I'm cautiously really excited about this one.  This is a Miss Marple story written by Lucy Foley which makes me a bit nervous as Miss Marple is one of my favorite characters of all time.  However, I read a short story collection of Miss Marple stories written by contemporary authors and Foley's one of my favorites so I have hope. 

What upcoming releases are you looking forward to? 

Enter the Nightmare - Romantic Suspense Review

Goodreads: Enter the Nightmare by Jayne Castle

Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)
Source: Publisher

Description:   Alice Radstone should have known not to return. Her life before the Hotel of Dreams had been the perfectly cloistered world of a teacher at the Ballantine Academy. When the death of her mentor forced her out, she was left to reinvent herself in the big city. Since then, things have not gone well. Ten months ago, after her first trip to the hotel, she woke up in the locked ward of a hospital for the criminally insane, told that she had murdered her husband on their wedding night. She has no memory of the husband or the wedding but after escaping the asylum, one thing is certain—she is never going back.

Unfortunately, Alice’s second reinvented life is also deteriorating rapidly, which is why she finds herself once again at the Hotel of Dreams—this time hiding in the shadows of her room, a dead body in the shower, and two men wearing masks creeping toward the bed to kidnap her. Again.

When the enigmatic and decidedly dangerous Owen March shows up, claiming he’s there to rescue her, she has no choice but to accept his offer—and hope that he doesn’t intend to kidnap her, too.

With Alice and now Owen in the killer’s sights, time is running out. Alice and Owen must trust each other and the electric passion between them if they are to make it out of this hotel alive.

Genre: Romantic Suspense - Paranormal 

Why I Picked This Book: I've enjoyed previous books in this series and pretty much everything I've read by this author (and the other names she writes under)

My Impression: This series is such a fever dream of a good time and this book was no exception. I'm not sure I always understand the dynamics of Harmony but I always enjoy my time visiting the world that Castle has created here.  I'm fascinated by the dust bunnies, the Underworld, and all the different talents.  Alice's might be the most unique talent we've come across yet and I loved the addition of her principals that she learned at the school she lived at and eventually taught at.  Owen is also an interesting character.  It takes a bit longer to learn his backstory but he and Alice work well together from the very beginning.

There is a bit of insta-love (or at least soon after meeting love) but the characters are reasonably sensible about it.  They communicate well and try to understand each other.  The addition of dust bunny chaos in the hotel adds for some fun comic relief and I would love the see that final hotel bill.  The cat and mouse game keeps the tension up and the pacing stays strong from beginning to end.  

This was a fun bit of escapism with interesting characters, a bizarre world, and solid pacing.  If you need a fast read to keep you entertained this is a perfect choice.  The backstory of Harmony took me a little getting used to but for each book I read in the series the more I'm getting used to it.  I'm looking forward to the next book and reading the books I've missed in this series.  

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Yes, absolutely!  I'm looking forward to doing a big binge read of this series (and this author in general) sometime soon.

Would I Recommend this Book? If you're in the mood for some distraction and don't mind some urban fantasy/sci fi this is a great choice.  

* I received this book in exchange for an honest review. As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd - Classic Mystery Review

Goodreads: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

Rating: Loved It (5 Stars)
Source: Purchased

Description: The peaceful English village of King’s Abbot is stunned. The widow Ferrars dies from an overdose of Veronal. Not twenty-four hours later, Roger Ackroyd—the man she had planned to marry—is murdered. It is a baffling case involving blackmail and death that taxes Hercule Poirot’s “little grey cells” before he reaches one of the most startling conclusions of his career.

Genre: Mystery - Classic

Why I Picked This Book: This was the June selection for the 2026 Read Christie Challenge under the category of "Best to Read in One Sitting"

My Impression: If you don't know anything about this mystery do your best to keep it that way and read it as soon as possible!  In many ways this is a typical Christie mystery - set in a small village with gossipy neighbors and characters trying to keep up appearances while hiding some significant secrets.  Dr. Sheppard is the narrator and has some very Hastings-like qualities which both amuses and exasperates Poirot.  Sheppard's sister, Caroline, is by far the biggest of the neighborhood gossips which adds quite a bit of information and some humorous moments.

This is the one of the few stories where we actually see Poirot enjoying the retirement he so often dreams about.  He has his out of the way house and spends his days growing vegetable marrows and everything else he's dreamed of - and he's bored silly.   He jumps at the chance to investigate the murder when Roger Ackroyd's niece, Flora, appeals to him.  The mystery is a good one with red herrings and misdirection all spearheaded by Poirot and his little grey cells.  

This is one of Christie's most controversial books and is one that probably brought her the earliest recognition.  I don't want to go into too much detail but it's worth reading to see if you think she cheated or not!  

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Definitely!  Next month's book is one published under her Mary Westmacott pseudonym which she used to publish romantic fiction.  I haven't read it so I'm excited about it.

Would I Recommend this Book?  I would!  It's a good mystery as well as an interesting piece of mystery fiction history.