Book Talk: What I Read in June

Yes, I know. I’m late for this one, effectively breaking my streak but I have good reason. If you’ve read my blog on morally grey characters, you’ll see some shots fired at a certain writer. What can I say? I’ve been trying to write this blog on what I read in June for a few weeks now, but A Simple Favour just makes me so angry.

Like, really, really angry. And I’ve read bad books. I read Fifty Shades, and Twilight, and yet those books (and others: think that Mexican mafia and white supremacist romance I won’t dignify by name dropping) were comprehensible.

The plot made sense. This book was just so, so bad. I wanted to cry. But before we get to that, let’s recap.

June Breakdown: Book Recommendations

June was a happening month for me. My baby sister graduated; moved in with us, before moving out because she got a job at a new place. So, unlike the May reading list (and my longest, April reading list), I didn’t get to read a lot of books.

I only read five books this month, and apart from that book, I was able to find a few good ones. And a new release I HIGHLY recommend. Here’s a list of what I read in May:

1. A Simple Favour by Darcey Bell
2. By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept by Paulo Coelho
3. Life Before Man by Margaret Atwood
4. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
5. Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Book 1: A Simple Favour

• Author: Darcey Bell
• Genre: Thriller (if you can call it that)

Why I Picked It Up

I came across this monstrosity because my sisters are obsessed with watching (and critiquing) Blake Lively movies. And, strangely enough, it was in theatres here in Turkey. So, not only did I have to suffer through that, I also had to live with the fact that, well, I paid for the ticket, the overpriced caramel popcorn (if you can call it that), drinks and stale nachos.

Perfect way to spend your weekend. And then came the sequel this year. And the movie was bad, and this time I just had to read the first book. I planned to read the sequel. But no, no thank you. You already know how I feel about this one. Buckle up.

Summary

Widowed mommy blogger, Stephanie, is asked by her best friend, Emily, to pick up her son after school. A seemingly innocuous favour, right? But when Emily vanishes, Stephanie gets drawn into a web of secrets, lies, and increasingly ridiculous plot twists involving Emily’s husband, a suspicious insurance policy, and a blog that apparently solves crimes. 

What I Liked

I’ll start off by saying that there wasn’t much. So, I’m going to focus on the structure. The pacing is good. The book moves briskly, with short chapters and the kind of gossipy narration that makes it easy to turn pages even when you’re rolling your eyes. 

There are occasional glimmers of cleverness in the social satire of “mommy blogging” and suburban competitiveness, which could have been fun in a more self-aware novel. Overall, this book tries to do too much with little understanding of what it’s doing. I think Darcey thinks she’s better than mommy bloggers. Just a vibe I got.

Downsides

Where do I even begin? The characters are barely more than walking clichés. Stephanie’s “innocent mommy blogger” shtick gets old fast, and Emily is just a grab-bag of femme fatale tropes with none of the charisma. 

The writing is distractingly flat, relying on endless exposition dumps and blog posts that add nothing to the plot. The “thriller” twists are so far-fetched they’re almost a parody, but the book takes itself way too seriously to be funny. 

Worst of all, the central mystery collapses under the weight of so many absurd developments—dead twins, amnesia, insurance fraud, you name it. It’s not clever or thrilling, just convoluted and, honestly, pretty dull. I hated every character by the end. How did this become a MOVIE? 

Final Thoughts & Who Should Read It

Unless you’re in the mood for hate-reading or need a new definition of “bad thriller,” give this one a pass. It might be appealing if you loved the movie (why?) or enjoyed the mess for the spectacle, but there are so many better thrillers out there. Consider this a warning and a public service announcement: A Simple Favour is a simple waste of time.

Book 2: By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept

• Author: Paulo Coelho
• Genre: Philosophical Fiction

Why I Picked It Up

This one’s a reread. No other book in this list is a reread but after that book, I had to stop myself and go back to my comfort reads. And this book’s it. Paulo Coelho, I say this to all my extremely religious relatives, is going to go to heaven. That man’s doing god’s work through writing.

Summary

Pilar reconnects with a childhood friend—now a spiritual teacher—and follows him on a journey through the French Pyrenees. As they travel, Pilar confronts her own doubts, explores the nature of love and sacrifice, and searches for meaning beyond routine. It’s a gentle, meditative story, more focused on reflection than action.

What I Liked

As always, Coelho’s prose has this quiet, grounding energy that honestly gets rid of all negative vibes. I’m not kidding. As you may know from other reading lists, I turn to Coelho whenever I’m upset.

And he’s so good at articulating his thoughts. Even when the ideas get lofty or mystical, he writes like he’s speaking directly to your own tangled thoughts. And I really appreciate how he treats faith and love as complicated, evolving things rather than tidy answers. If you’re a first-time reader, you’re in for a treat. This book feels both deeply personal and inviting. I go back to it once or twice a year and it’s beautiful. Like, seriously.

Downsides

I’ve said this before but the only downsides to Coelho’s writing is that it can feel slow, and a bit repetitive. If you’re looking for a plot that moves or characters who do more than think and feel, this won’t work for you. I also think, depending on your mood, the earnestness can feel a little much. I don’t always want philosophical takes in my reads so yeah, that’s it. But that’s also what makes it a comfort read for me; you can sink in and just reflect.

Final Thoughts & Who Should Read It

If you like books that wander and reflect like The Alchemist, or anything that asks big questions quietly, this will be perfect for you. It’s one of the best books I’ve read in my life. If you want something gentle, spiritual, and meditative, especially after something disappointing or chaotic, don’t think; just read it.

Book 3: Life Before Man

• Author: Margaret Atwood
• Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Why I Picked It Up

Like I mentioned in previous reading lists, I’m reading a lot of Margaret Atwood’s work so this was expected. I found the book on her Google page, my local secondhand book store had this in English so it was a natural fit.

Summary

Three people, Elizabeth, Nate, and Lesje, move through the pale, complicated orbit of late-1970s Toronto, each trapped by routines, betrayals, and their own emotional inertia. Their relationships twist and tangle: an exhausted marriage, a secret affair, and the quiet ache of wanting something new. 

What I Liked

I feel like at this point, I’m just going to be singing Atwood’s praise but here’s why. She always does this in her other books too, but in this book in particular, Margaret’s done a phenomenal job at showing the ugly, everyday contradictions of being human. Each character feels painfully authentic, messy, often unlikeable, but never flat (Darcey Bell, take notes).

The prose is crisp and sometimes bitterly funny, the kind of humour that should be in darker books like these. Her use of mundane details like shopping lists, office politics and so on adds this weight to the book. It’s glorious. I loved how the story never promises redemption, but still manages to find something quietly tender amid all the hubris. If you appreciate character-driven fiction that doesn’t flinch from discomfort, this is Atwood in her element.

Downsides

This isn’t a comfortable or easy read, but I’ve come to expect it from Margaret Atwood. When I talk about writing emotions and making readers feel, Life Before Man is the perfect example of it.

And, of course, that’s not for everyone. There are stretches where the emotional paralysis is so heavy, it risks boring even the most patient reader. You’re stuck in these people’s heads as they avoid honest conversations and drift further into quiet unhappiness. If you’re looking for anything close to catharsis or warmth, it’s not here. I liked it, but I can see why this would be a problem.

Final Thoughts & Who Should Read It

If you liked Cat’s Eye or books by Alice Munro, you’ll probably like this book. If you’re new to Atwood, honestly, start somewhere else. But if you want to see her dissect relationships with surgical precision, you’ll find a lot to chew on here.

Book 4: Wuthering Heights

• Author: Emily Brontë
• Genre: Historical Fiction, Gothic Romance

Why I Picked It Up

Okay, I know I said that By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept is the only reread here. Well, technically, that’s not true. I read Wuthering Heights when I was eight. Don’t ask me why. My family’s never really paid too much attention to what I’m reading so that’s how that happened. 

I didn’t remember much of this story at all except this vivid image of a rundown stately home in the moors, at night, with the winds blowing extremely. That’s it. That’s the only thing that comes to my mind when I think about this book.

So, when my youngest sister finished this book and told me to give it a read, I had to. I just had to. I don’t forget books I read, so the fact that I forgot this one: I knew there was something there.

Summary

Set on the Yorkshire moors, the story unravels the obsessive, self-destructive relationship between Heathcliff and Catherine, whose love manages to poison not just their own lives but those of everyone around them. 

What I Liked

In case the summary didn’t give you a hint, I’ll state it clearly: this book was way too advanced for my eight year old brain. Like, seriously. And there’s a reason why I have the stately image in my head. The writing is elemental: there’s description of wind, rain, raw emotion; sometimes poetic, sometimes blunt, always intensely atmospheric. 

My younger self wasn’t able to understand the depth of what was happening here, but the descriptions stuck. And that makes so much sense, to be honest with you.

As I reread older books, I’m understanding my own preferences better, and this one was so good. The story kind of hits close to home because of a certain situation I recently untangled myself from. 

You are what you read, people.

But, let’s get back to the book. Brontë’s characters are vicious and vulnerable at the same time. And that’s brilliant because it’s almost impossible not to get swept up in the sheer force of their misery. 

I loved the way the setting bleeds into the characters, the bleakness of the moors reflecting their moods and fates. And for all its melodrama, the book is brutally honest about love, obsession, and what happens when people can’t let go. I should’ve read this book in 2019. Would’ve saved me from a lot of trouble. Anyway, let’s move on.

Downsides

The first thing you need to know about this story is that everyone in this book is deeply unpleasant. If you need even one redeemable character, you won’t find it here.

Heathcliff is, frankly, monstrous, and Catherine is, at best, exasperating. The plot is a spiral of cruelty and miscommunication, and if you don’t click with the gothic style, it can feel overblown and exhausting. 

Some of the narrative choices (the double-layered narration, the time jumps, the endless grievances) make it easy to lose your place. 

I get why some people hate this book. It’s honestly not for everyone. You have to be in the mood for something relentless, bleak, and very, very extra.

Final Thoughts & Who Should Read It

If you like your literary classics dark, your romance destructive, and your landscapes windswept, this book’s perfect for you. Think of it like Jane Eyre but with more storm clouds and drama. And yes, I used to think these books are similar; they’re the same genre but the stories are different. 

Book 5: Atmosphere

• Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid
• Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance

Why I Picked It Up

I found this book through YouTube Shorts. I believe it came out in early June so I had to get it on Amazon. I have gotten the audible version of this too. I haven’t done any long coding sessions recently, so I haven’t been able to listen to it. But I read the book on Kindle, and if you’re someone like me: likes reading, obsessed with anything that flies and the history of it, you’re in for a treat.

Seriously, this is the first book since the Magnus Chase series that I’ve actively been excited about in a long time. I saw the Shorts, I read the blurb and boom: I bought the book.

You don’t understand how rare this is for me. I ONLY do this when Paulo Coelho releases a book these days. But EVERYTHING about this book was just straight up ‘you have to read this or the tech bros with their AI book startup won.’ I’m not joking. THIS IS WHY WE NEED HUMANS TO WRITE BOOKS. Say it louder for the AI squad at the back please!!!

Summary

Joan Goodwin’s quiet life gets rocketed out of orbit when she joins NASA’s first female astronaut class. Suddenly, she’s training with hotshot pilots, prickly geniuses, and mysterious engineers, finding unlikely friendships—and unexpected love—on her way to the stars. But one mission in 1984 changes everything, forcing Joan to rethink her place in the universe.

What I Liked

Every new writer should look at this book and see the checklist here. I’ve never read anything by Taylor Jenkins Reid before but this was it for me. This might actually be one of the best new books I’ve read. Granted, I don’t read a lot of new books, and part of the reason behind that is because of how they just feel off to me.

But this one has everything: NASA, history, astronauts, action, romance—this is the holy grail. This is my new Roman Empire. 

The historical details are chef’s kiss (and I don’t use that phrase lightly) without ever feeling like a lecture, and the sense of place anchors every emotional beat. I loved the way the romance developed; not just as a love story, but as a reflection of each character’s growth and the realities they’re facing. 

The dialogue is snappy, and even side characters have dimension. This book makes it so easy to get swept up in the mood and movement of the story. Seriously, A++. Take my money for the movie adoption. This one deserves it.

Downsides

Of course, if you’re looking for high drama or unexpected twists, you might find this book a bit understated. 

At times, the pace slows to linger on the atmosphere over action, which might not work for everyone. There are chapters where not much happens, but you’re asked to sit in the character’s feelings. And while the romance is satisfying, there are moments where it slips into melodrama or predictability, which can undercut the emotional stakes. 

But I liked it. It was great.

Final Thoughts & Who Should Read It

If you love books that blend historical detail with the messiness of ambition and relationships this will be right up your alley. Think The Mercury 13, The Other Einstein and Hidden Figures. If stories about chasing big dreams in impossible times are your thing, add this to your list.

What I Read in June: Summary & Favourite (and Least Favorite) Book

So, yeah. That’s a wrap now. My reading list for this month was short, but I’d give it a solid 4/5. Because I made the dumb mistake of reading A Simple Favour, and yes, that’s my least favourite book for June.

Honestly, I saved the best for last: Atmosphere was, hands down, the best read for me in a while. Especially from a modern writer. I’m very distrustful of those generally but I need to read more of Taylor Jenkins Reid to decide if we’re going to be fans of hers. But this book. It was so, so good.

You can check out my Goodreads profile for what I’m reading this month. I’m going to be updating that at some point over the coming week. I keep forgetting that I have that account, so bear with me there.

But that’s it. Solid list this month. What do you think? What did you read this month? Let me know in the comments below!