June Book Report

June 2026, Manchester, NH

I finished 13 books last month.

A quote from this month's reading:

“Revelation, someone’s learning something, is what transforms event into story.” -- Tracy Kidder, Good Prose

Here are the books I finished in June 2026: 

1. Lamorna Wink by Martha Grimes (4-stars)
2. Buried in Books by Kate Carlisle (3-stars)
3. Good Prose by Tracy Kidder and Richard Todd (3-stars)
4. Inside the Box by David Epstein (4-stars)
5. State Fair by Earlene Fowler (3-stars)
6. The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict (audio, 4-stars)
7. Every Day I Read by Hwang Bo-Reum (3-stars)
8. Breaking the Mould by Victoria Hamilton (3-stars)
9. The Body in the Belfry by Katherine Hall Page (3-stars)
10. A Lesson in Secrets by Jacqueline Winspear (4-stars)
11. Cast Iron Alibi by Victoria Hamilton (4-stars)
12. Of Mutts and Men by Spencer Quinn (4-stars)
13. Bloodroot by Susan Wittig Albert (4-stars)

I had a good month for reading--especially mystery novels! I am well on my way for 20 Books of Summer and I haven't even been to the beach yet.

20 Books of Summer 2026

The 20 Books of Summer challenge runs from June 1 - August 31, so at this point it is nearly 1/3 over. However, even though I wasn't going to sign up this year I have decided to jump in with a modified approach. AnnaBookBel is once again hosting this lovely event and she says there aren't really rules, so I can't be breaking them. 

This is my plan -- I am making a list of 20 kinds of books I am going to read this summer and will fill in what I read for each type as I go. Every year I make a list of 20 specific books and almost never read any of them -- I am too busy reading 20 books I didn't put on my list. Perhaps this will be more successful. 

1. One book from my Classics Club list
   
   Two books from my Readers' Advisory Reading List
   
   
2.  The Body in the Bellfry by Katherine Hall Page (June)
3.  --
   
   Two books published within the last 12 months
   
   
4. Inside the Box: How Constraints Make Us Better by David Epstein (June)
5. --
   
   Five works of non-fiction -- maybe from my Nonfiction November TBR list
   
   
6. Inside the Box: How Constraints Make Us Better by David Epstein (June)
7. Good Prose: The Art of Nonfiction by Tracy Kidder & Richard Todd (June)
8. Every Day I Read by Hwang Bo-Reum (June)
9. --
10. --
    
    Six books from the series I am trying to make progress on in 2026 
    
    
11. Breaking the Mould by Victoria Hamilton (June)
12. State Fair by Earlene Fowler (June)
13. Buried in Books by Kate Carlisle (June)
14. A Lesson in Secrets by Jacqueline Winspear (June)
15. Cast Iron Alibi by Victoria Hamilton (June)
16. Bloodroot by Susan Wittig Albert (June)
    
    Four wildcards -- can be anything from my TBR lists --bonus points if it is a book I already own
    
    
17. The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict (June)
18. The Lamorna Wink by Martha Grimes (June)
19. --
20. --