June’s Reads
Running total books/audiobooks/short stories read in 2026 by month end: 46.
Making sure I had books started before the month began definitely helped with my focus. I know reading several books at once is not for everyone, but for me, it makes sure my every mood is accounted for on any given day over the course of the month. If I don’t spot something and instantly think “I need to write that, right now”, I’m still saved the job of looking for something, which instantly devolves into me buying a pile of new books for any reason other than my wanting to read them right now.
Up first is an absolute classic. The Boy at the Window by W. H. Hildick, a very prolific children’s author who wrote, among others, the Jim Starling series. This was always going to get a five-star review from me, because I remembered it ever since borrowing it from my junior school library in 1987, when the reprint was published. Now out-of-print, elderly second-hand copies sometimes pop up on online marketplaces.
Next up, I want to mention Finale by Stephanie Garber. This is the final instalment of the Caraval trilogy. I felt this was the weakest part of the trilogy (I placed it, for me, in the 3-star category), but it was tying many elements up from the earlier instalments, in addition to holding up its own plot. I absolutely still thoroughly enjoyed it, and would recommend this series to anyone looking for a gentle fantasy romance with overtones of adventure. This is also a favourite set of one of my daughters.
My third highlight barely needs mentioning, because it is Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova. My addendum after reading this one is that it shot to fame for pretty good reason. It is original, folklorish, and we all love at least one of the monsters. The characters are great, and so is the plot. There are strong female protagonists, not all necessarily likeable, and the whole cast is very human.
Finally I have a group of books, that I will just mention briefly, to say they are really good reads, in case anyone is interested in any of them. Withered Hill by David Barnett is my first call. This has one of the most original stories under the heading of folklorish horror that I have come across for a long time, and for once, I LOVED the ending.
Brute Force by Scott Meyer is next up. This one is just stomping good fun. The characters are shallow, the plot dips at the end, and it’s still a five-star read from me, because it is hilarious, well-written, and it does not pretend to be something that it is not. What it does have is a positive vibe in the sense of adversity, along with a fun overview of humanity, and what might happen if they were to meet friendly alien life.
Lastly, we have The Mary Shelley Club by Goldy Moldavsky, a Final Girl viewpoint in a teenage slasher situation. Again, this one just has fun being exactly what it is; a gentle spin on the slasher tropes we all know and love. Well worth a read!
As always, thanks for reading along!
These books were all reviewed by me on the My Bookshelf 2026 page, and wherever possible, on my GoodReads and Storygraph accounts; you can follow me and comment on these sites. I sometimes wander across rare, old, or unusual stories that are not listed on these forums, which will appear only on My Bookshelves. Please note that I include audiobooks in my reading record, and absolutely do consider oral forms of storytelling to be a legitimate and inclusive form of reading. The summary of my reading challenge for 2025 can also be found in My Bookshelf 2025 page.
