The Best of June

June was a good month. Lots of reading, lots of travel (lots of train trips!), lots of sunshine. I wrote about most of my favorite June reads in yesterday's roundup of the best books of the year so far, but let me recap quickly:

The Book of Speculation, by Erika Swyler: Circuses. Tarot cards. Curses. Family secrets. Yes, please.

Saint Mazie, by Jami Attenberg: A novel with a lot of heart about a woman who looks out for the broken men of the Depression on New York City streets. It's about a lot more than that, too.

The Shore, by Sara Taylor: A novel that reads like linked short stories; dark and violent and heartfelt stories of the South and of family heritage.

Something Must Be Done About Prince Edward County, by Kristin Greene: Part memoir, part history of the lengths one county in Virginia went to to avoid desegregating schools. Well-written and eye-opening.

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Less redundant, here's my favorite stuff on the internet from the past month:

• This month marked the start of the Summer of #BlumeALong! I (and several others) read (or re-read) Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret and had a lot of thoughts and feels.

• I'm working on accepting the un-done items on my to-do lists(s), and was so glad to hear from others that I'm not alone in this.

• Do you already get Brenna's "This Week I Learned" TinyLetter each week? No? Go fix that. From one of my favorites this month: "Let's celebrate being unsettled this week and talk about the things that matter, even when it's scary." Yes, that. All of that.

• Book Riot had excellent pieces on loving books we can't remember (I do this all the time) and on 25 books featured at BEA by authors of color (which definitely expanded my reading list).

• In case anyone needed further proof on why authors responding to negative views is never a good idea, there's this thread on Goodreads. (Also, I deleted my Goodreads account this month.)

• Author and Sherlock-enthusiast Lyndsay Faye on mental health and the importance of recognizing the mad duck-foot paddling happening beneath the perfectly smooth surfaces of our everyday lives.

The ducks are gliding along, sleek and streamlined and graceful, and we think, man, check out that badass duck trucking it across a pond like it's riding its own private current. That duck is a BOSS. What we don't see are the duck's feet.



• Rachel Verona Cote on Daily Dot talking about why Twitter is the best place for women's friendships.

We only have the responsibility to be kind, and to navigate social spheres empathetically.
When we do that, Twitter wields a formidable power. Because when women write to each other, talk to each other, we cohere as a juggernaut of progressive change. We fill the world with our words, and we set it on fire.

• The Reblog Book Club on Tumblr shared this recipe for a gin and tonic cake that a participant made for the Saint Mazie book club reading. Um, yes, please. I want to eat that.

• The blog Nonprofits With Balls (which is excellent if you have any interest in work in nonprofits, by the way) had a great piece on twelve pieces of advice for college grads seeking work in the nonprofit world. I'd say it's pretty damn relevant to non-college grads and for-profit job seekers (and job holders).

• Maureen Johnson reminds us not to be dicks online:

Because you're never going to look back and think, "I wish I said more mean stuff online." And if you do, then I feel for you.

— Maureen Johnson (@maureenjohnson) June 12, 2015

• Oh, and also, there's a trailer for The Martian, and I. Cannot. Wait:

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What were the best things you read in June?