What's Dawn Devouring Lately?
June 2026
June has arrived, bringing with it longer days, warmer temperatures, and the promise of summer adventures. For many readers, summer feels like a season made for books, whether it's reading on a porch swing, listening to an audiobook during a road trip, or finding a quiet moment by the lake or pool with a favorite novel.
As my calendar fills with summer activities, I always find myself reaching for stories that entertain, inspire, and transport me somewhere new. There is something special about summer reading; the books we read during these months often become tied to memories of vacations, sunshine, and slower-paced days.
This month’s newsletter is filled with books, articles, and resources that I hope will add a little joy to your summer reading life. Whether you're working through your TBR pile, discovering new releases, or simply looking for your next great read, I hope you'll find something here that sparks your interest.
Here's to a summer filled with great books and unforgettable stories.
Until Next Month!
Happy Reading! 😎📚
The Calamity Club By: Kathryn Stockett
From the author of The Help, Kathryn Stockett's newest novel, The Calamity Club, was well worth the 17 year wait. From the very first page of this 630+ page book, I knew I was in for something special.
Set in Depression era Mississippi, the story follows three unforgettable characters whose lives become intertwined in unexpected ways. Some chapters center on Meg, an 11-year-old orphan whose heartbreaking circumstances immediately captured my sympathy. Others focus on Birdie Calhoun, a determined young woman navigating her wealthy sister's hidden secrets while doing everything she can to help her struggling family. The third main character, Charlie, is fighting for a second chance at life and redemption.
Stockett masterfully weaves these three storylines together, creating an unlikely alliance forged through hardship, social hypocrisy, and the limitations placed on women in the South.
If you enjoy books about found family, resilient women supporting one another, and characters who stay with you long after you've turned the final page, then this is a book for you. I gave it 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩 on the devour scale.
The Things We Never Say By: Elizabeth Strout
Written in true Elizabeth Strout fashion, I devoured this character-driven novel in just three days. From the very first page, I felt as though I was living alongside the characters, quietly listening in on their conversations and sharing in their struggles.
This short novel (203 pages) centers on Artie, a beloved high school social studies teacher who appears to have it all; a long marriage, a close circle of friends, and the admiration of his students. Beneath the surface, however, Artie is grappling with feelings of loneliness, isolation, and anxiety about the state of the world around him.
Through his relationships with his students, his son, and an unexpected new friend, Artie comes to understand that everyone carries hidden fears, griefs, and secrets. Strout beautifully captures the complexities of human connection and the quiet ways we help one another navigate life's uncertainties.
If you enjoy character-driven stories that explore family dynamics, particularly father-son relationships, then this is a book for you. I gave it 🤩🤩🤩🤩 on the devour scale.
Enormous Wings By: Laurie Frankel
Written in true Laurie Frankel style, Enormous Wings tackles a contentious topic with the perfect blend of humor, heart, and wit. Pepper Mills, a seventy-seven-year-old mother and grandmother, reluctantly moves into a senior retirement community in Texas. Within weeks, she begins building new friendships and even finds herself wrapped up in a budding new romance.
Not long after settling in, Pepper starts feeling exhausted, nauseous, and confused. Fearing that her cancer has returned, she seeks medical answers only to receive an even more shocking diagnosis: she's pregnant. As news of this miraculous and unprecedented event spreads, Pepper quickly finds herself at the center of a media frenzy. Journalists, paparazzi, activists, and medical researchers come out in full force with each of their own opinions, agendas, and questions.
At its core, Enormous Wings is a thought provoking novel about female agency, bodily autonomy, morality, and mortality. It explores what happens when life's most personal choices are no longer entirely your own. Frankel also examines motherhood, family, friendship, love, and sexuality, reminding readers that even late in life, our relationships and our understanding of ourselves can still evolve in ways that change everything.If you like literary fiction books with deep themes that address current social and ethical issues, then this is a book for you. I gave it 🤩🤩🤩 on the devour scale.
The Children By: Melissa Albert
This was the Read with Jenna Pick for June and I have some mixed feelings about it. On the surface, Guinevere Sharpe had the kind of childhood most readers dream about. She and her brother, Ennis, were the inspiration behind their mother's wildly popular Ninth City fantasy series. But behind the magic and fame was a very different reality. Growing up isolated in rural Vermont, the siblings were neglected, often left to fend for themselves in the surrounding woods. After a devastating fire claims their mother's life and leaves the beloved series unfinished, Guinevere spends decades living off her family's legacy while avoiding the painful truths of her past.
When her estranged brother announces an art installation called Mother long buried memories begin to resurface forcing Guinevere to confront what really happened the night of the fire. Part family mystery, part literary suspense, this novel explores the blurry line between fantasy and reality, the stories we tell ourselves, and the secrets families keep.If you like stories with complicated family dynamics, books with alternating chapters from past to present, and filled with dark childhood secrets, then this is a book for you, I gave it 🤩🤩🤩 on the devour scale.
The Red Notebook By: Antoine Laurain
This charming Parisian novella was the selection for my online book club, and it proved to be the perfect palate cleanser between some of the longer, heavier books I've been reading.
After returning home to her apartment, Laure is mugged, her purse stolen, and she suffers a traumatic fall that leaves her in a coma. The following morning, Laurent, a local bookstore owner, discovers her purse in a dumpster on his way to work. Inside, he finds a small red notebook filled with its owner's likes, dislikes, hopes, and fears. Intrigued by the woman behind these intimate thoughts, Laurent embarks on a quest to uncover her identity using the clues hidden within the notebook and the purse's contents.
Interwoven with Laurent's search are chapters that explore Laure's fragmented memories, creating parallel storylines that gradually move toward one another. As their lives inch closer to intersecting, readers are left wondering what will happen when these two strangers finally connect.
If you like books filled with serendipity, fate, and the magic of human connection, then this is a book for you. I gave it 🤩🤩🤩🤩 on the devour scale.
Razor Blade Tears By: S.A. Cosby
I don't often reread books, but when this novel was selected as the pick for my in-person book club, I didn't mind revisiting it one bit. This time, I chose to experience it as an audiobook, and it did not disappoint.
I originally read it in 2021 and recently came across the review I wrote at that time. After listening to it again, I stand by every word:
This is a book I'll be pressing into many people's hands. While there are some gruesome and violent moments, it's absolutely worth reading. How far would you go to get revenge on the people who killed your child? Ike and Buddy Lee, the fathers of two married gay men, embark on a wild and unforgettable journey as they grapple with that very question. Along the way, an unlikely friendship develops, and you'll find yourself laughing, crying, and cheering them on. It's an excellent choice for book clubs and a particularly meaningful read during Pride Month.
Some books lose a bit of their magic on a second read, but this wasn't one of them. I gave it 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩 the first time I read it, and it earned the same five-star rating on my reread.
Running Point - Netflix
Running Point on Netflix follows Isla Gordon (Kate Hudson), a reformed party girl who unexpectedly takes over as president of the Los Angeles Waves. Thrust into the male-dominated sports world after her brother enters rehab, she must navigate dysfunctional family drama, skeptical players, and high-stakes corporate decision. Watch Trailer Here
Office Romance Movie (Netflix)
Following a legal emergency, Jackie is forced to rely on Daniel to handle a massive lawsuit from a rival airline. Despite immediate and explosive chemistry, the pair are forbidden from dating due to Jackie's own strict HR rules. Jackie's job is already on the line with her board of directors and an overbearing, disapproving father, so getting caught could destroy her career. Daniel's personal baggage—including caring for his incarcerated older sister—and rival executives trying to use the illicit affair against them further complicate their attempts to stay together. Watch Trailer Here
Voicemails for Isabelle Movie (Netflix)
The new Netflix film,Voicemails for Isabelle, stars Zoey Deutch as Jill, a promising pastry chef whose life is shattered when her sister, best friend and confidant Isabelle dies. Jill’s way of coping is to call up and leave voicemails on Isabelle’s old phone number, not knowing that it has already been reassigned to Wes. After listening to Jill’s private messages, Wes becomes smitten and seeks her out. Watch Trailer Here
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2)/voicemails-for-isabelle-3-051926-c3b2740ca5594f8db330e0425845adc8.jpg)
