I read a lot this month. It’s the best escape because [gestures to the world around us]. Here are a few of my favorites from June 2025. My most read genre was romance, followed by cozy mysteries. I read mostly on my kindle this month as well. 

Extra Normal by Kate  Alice Marshall

Three cheers for spooky middle grade fantasy adventure stories! I listened to this and devoured it. “Charlie Greer is nothing special—at least not compared to her adopted siblings. Her younger sister is a ghost. Her brother Mateo is a werewolf. Gideon is the product of seriously sketchy experiments that gave him telekinetic powers. Even her parents work for the Division of Extranormal Investigations tracking down all things supernatural, alien, and otherwise unusual.” And then her parents go on vacation and spooky neighbors move in and something is just not right. Is Charlie the only one who can save the day? You bet, and I am here for it.

One Final Turn by Ashley Weaver

The fifth and final entry into the historical mystery Electra McDonnell series. This series is outstanding (and so entertaining on audio). While I am sad this is the last one, it was so perfectly well done that it made it a bit easier to say goodbye. I binge listened to this in a day and a half, using every possible excuse to have it in my ears. I gasped and sighed and smiled throughout and the ending was chef’s kiss. If you’re a mystery lover and want a strong, funny, independent former lock-pick sleuth in your reading life, go now and read. You won’t regret it. 

The Love Haters by Katherine Center

“It’s a thin line between love and love-hating.” Well, I loved this with all my heart and soul (iykyk). It was absolutely delightful and meaningful and funny and endearing and deserves as many heart eyes as I can possibly give it. And getting to hear the author speak with my buddy made it even better! 

Lasagna Means I Love You by Kate O’Shaughnessy

“Nan was all the family 11 year old Mo ever needed. But suddenly she’s gone, and Mo finds herself in foster care after her uncle decides she’s not worth sticking around for. Nan left her a notebook and advised her to get a hobby, like ferret racing or palm reading. But how could a hobby fix anything in her newly topsy-turvy life?” This was a lovely middle grade story that had me tearing up in a few places. Fans of the Vanderbeekers would love this – different stories and situations, but gave me the same kind of feels as I read. I love Mo and wanted to hug her, and there are some adults in this book I could have smacked. I gave this five stars. And if it weren’t a billion degrees, I’d fire up my oven and make some of Mo’s recipes.

Beard Science by Penny Reid

The Winston Brothers series came out in 2015ish, and now it’s 2025, and I have fallen in love with this series. So funny, spicy and heartwarming. I am honestly considering putting aside all my other books and lists and plans for summer reading and just reading these back to back. This is my favorite so far – Oh Cletus, you are my absolute favorite. You’re kind of a stinker, but I love you for it. So much fun.