June Notes
A look back at June. A look forward to July.
June was the month I really slowed down and spent a lot of time with myself. It was a rough month mentally, but going inward was much needed. I focused on my art and realized I want more intentional reading time in my days, too. I feel much better now. I’m looking forward to a fun, exciting July.
The kids spent two weeks of June with their grandparents, which gave me some much-needed downtime. I stayed home a lot. I spent a lot of time at my pool, soaking in the sunshine and journaling. I realized I need to take more photos. Below is a little photo recap of a very simple, quiet month. I’ll definitely capture more memories in July to share.
Consumed
Books I read:
A small note: I am wrapping up my June reads with a mini read-a-thon today, June 30. Below is everything that landed this month.
Simple Passion by Annie Ernaux Just 80 pages about an affair Ernaux had with a married diplomat. Spare, unflinching, refuses to dress anything up. This was my first Annie Ernaux, and it certainly won’t be my last. What struck me most was how fearless she is on the page. Her writing is spare, intimate, and deeply observant. She has a way of saying so much with so few words.
Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan Sagan wrote this at 18. A seventeen-year-old girl on the French Riviera with her playboy father, and the woman who threatens to disrupt their summer. I read this on the beach during my weekend away, and it felt like the perfect setting. It’s not a plot-driven novel. Instead, it’s a beautifully observed story about relationships, desire, youth, and the quiet complexities of being human. I can see why it’s considered a modern classic. It won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but if you enjoy character-driven novels that linger long after you’ve finished them, I think it’s well worth reading.
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas A wrongly imprisoned man escapes, becomes wealthy, and methodically pursues revenge against everyone who betrayed him. Over a thousand pages. I’m still making my way through its thousand-plus pages, and I have the strangest relationship with this book. Every time I pick it up, I become completely immersed and never want to stop reading. Yet for some reason, I always hesitate to start. Maybe it’s the length. Maybe it’s knowing I need more than fifteen spare minutes to settle into it.
Strangers by Belle Burden In this quiet, beautifully written memoir, Belle Burden reflects on marriage, intimacy, and the strange experience of sharing a life with someone you'll never fully know. It's thoughtful, deeply human, and the kind of book that asks more questions than it answers.
I Want You to Be Happy by Jem Calder a collection of stories exploring love, technology, loneliness, and the quiet ways we struggle to connect in modern life. Calder’s debut has been praised for its sharp observations and unsettling honesty. I’m finishing this one tonight during my June 30 mini read-a-thon, so I’ll save my final thoughts. But so far, it’s thoughtful, contemporary, and exactly the kind of book that keeps asking you to pay closer attention to the world we’re living in.
Currently reading (thoughts coming soon):
Taiwan Travelogue by Yáng Shuāng-zi (Buddy read with Hayley Fionna and Lilly | The Commonplace Circle
