Books Read in June 2026

Bolded means favorite

Grownup Fiction

Over Easy by Mimi Pond
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
Wreck by Catherine Newman

What You Are Looking for Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama and translated by Alison Watts

Enjoyable collection of interwoven short stores united by a unique librarian. I did find myself distracted by wondering what size clothing this “very large” woman wore. I’m guessing she’s a 16.

Grownup Nonfiction

You’ve Been Pooping All Wrong: How to Make Your Bowel Movements a Joy by Trisha Pasricha

Funny Internet Things June 2026

Algae in the reflecting pool:

This makes me laugh. But also, we’ve been making trickle down jokes since the 80s, yet our economic policy is still trickle down economics. I think it’s the rich people who are really laughing.

The president did his level best to make the celebration of the USA’s 250th birthday un-fun.

I wonder if people bought the shirt on the left?

Movie Quiz Results June 2026

It was a great night for the Good, the Battleship, and the Ugly this month at the Movie Quiz.

We aren’t even holding up the bottom of the middle; we’re smack dab in the middle! Our 130 points is 10 above what I consider an acceptable score!

Fun names this month: Nirvana, the band, the show, the movie, the quiz; the Rambo Connection; and Ken Burns’s Squatty Potty

Postcard from Scotland and SKS: Tapioca Stories

Friend S. North went to her homeland this summer, and I got this beautiful postcard.

She said her best days were a 15-mile sunny romp around Aberdeen (her birthplace) discovering hidden gems, and a long country walk in Yorkshire to the grave of Sylvia Plath. (For some reason (*cough* Ted Hughes *cough*) SP is buried in Scotland, though Mr. Hughes didn’t bury himself there.

Sara sent this postcard titled “There’s a monster in the kitchen.”

And my, what a monster.

Toiles for Summer Pants

I was fairly confident of my skilz with the summer pants pattern, so I drafted some in-seam pockets and cut everything out and finished the edges before sewing together my practice pants. And everything was too small, which meant the in-seam pockets became vagina pockets. A big no.

I went back to the drawing board and made a toile with more of the material I’m using for the top layer of my mystery masquerade skirt.

It took two tries for the back, but I got it fitting, so next I will cut out again in the fun red/pink lines fabric.

Three Loved One Cards at Once

Ariel texted me that I would be getting three weeks of Loved One reaction postcards at once because she missed a week so wrote two, then posted them before she went on vacation, but her house sitter “helpfully” brought in the not-posted cards, so they weren’t sent until she got back, at which time it was time to write another card.

I chuckled at the house sitter’s action. At least we know she didn’t read the postcards she brought in, otherwise she might have realized her mistake.

These three postcards chronicle Ariel’s changing view of Elizabeth. She is “hard to like, but also I keep wanting to read more of her.” Her “relationship to alcohol seems annoying and obsessive,” and “Elizabeth gets more unlikeable.”

She was a hard character to really like.

Another good observation based on Ariel’s experience: I think there is something magical about being with art with another person.

Matt’s Birthday Dinner at G Love

A photo of Matt (and a G Love employee) on the day of his birthday.

We had “the works” their name for a prix fixe menu, and had many delicious thing. Pictured here: focaccia de fromaggio, and the crusty avocado. Both were quite good.

Matt also enjoyed this zero proof drink and I took a picture of the can in case we want to revisit that beverage.

Handkerchief Skirt Progress

My assigned character for the mystery masquerade ball is the mouse, a poor relation. So I figured, no need to spend a lot of time finishing seams. Instead I used wooly nylon serger thread to finish the edges. It’s a very pretty brown color.

Other progress: Not only did I manage to cut out the upper panels, I pieced them together using French seams, and then finished the edges in the same way as on the lower skirt.

Ideally, I would have gotten the correct tension and the edges wouldn’t be wavy, but I like the effect here.