As I say every month, I’m shamelessly stealing this idea from Jessica Lahey. She has a recurring monthly date where she reviews all the books she reads that month. Book reviews are important for authors, and I want to get better at doing this.

So. I’m going to review them here and also online, but I’m going to do it a little differently. I’m only going to review the stuff I really liked. I don’t see a reason to spend my time writing about something I didn’t love; it’s just using up more of my energy. So only positive reviews.

These are the books I liked (or mostly liked) from June.

Death of a Bookseller (Alice Slater): I started out loving this book. Interesting situation with vivid writing and great characters. But somewhere along the way, it moved from pleasurably creepy into just creepy, full stop. I can’t recommend it, but I also liked parts of it. It’s complicated. But only read if you’re looking for something super unnerving.

Bad Summer People (Emma Rosenblum): They were all the worst people, which made this the best possible fun. Like White Lotus in Fire Island homes instead of Italy. The book has gotten much buzz because some characters are based on real people in a Fire Island town. So you may feel a bit dirty reading it, but it’s so enjoyable.

The Endless Vessel (Charles Soule): What an incredible book about love and mattering and connection. It will make you think, cry (that last page!), and smile. What more can you possibly want in a story? This was a top read of the year for me.

The Wishing Game (Meg Shaffer): To enjoy this book, you need to go into it understanding that nothing about the situation is realistic or healthy. Like relationships you’re supposed to admire and cheer for are dysfunctional and inappropriate. BUT I still loved being in this world while I was in the world. It’s best described as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory but with a book instead of candy.

Death Comes to Marlow (Robert Thorogood): If you like Richard Osman, you will likely enjoy Robert Thorogood. Three friends, running around Marlow, solving crimes and crossword puzzles. I am so happy whenever another one of these books comes out, similar to Osman.

What did you read last month?

P.S. I think I’m going to skip the Roundup this week. See you again this weekend.

I read a beautiful term: dream bankruptcy. I liked it, especially as I read the description of when someone may want to declare dream bankruptcy: “The person has become so attached to their dream that they fail to adapt, even when reality provides evidence that the dream isn’t workable.”

The article explains it is less about the dream and instead looks at “the impact a dream has on our day-to-day behavior.”

I thought it was a massively helpful way of looking at paths not followed through to their ends, what comes next, and how the future may look after declaring dream bankruptcy.

Not sure what #MicroblogMondays is? Read the inaugural post which explains the idea and how you can participate too.

*******

I found out about the fish doorbell too late to participate this year, but this is the Internet at its best. Migrating fish get caught at a lock, a problem solved if the lock operator opens the gates. But one human can’t sit day in and day out, watching for fish who may need to move through. Instead, the city has hooked up an underwater camera, and anyone anywhere in the world can watch the camera. When you see a fish, you push a button, and it signals to the lock operator that they should check the camera, too, and open the lock.

I love the idea of a fish doorbell.

*******

Are you also doing #MicroblogMondays? Add your link below. The list will be open until Tuesday morning. Link to the post itself, not your blog URL. (Don’t know what that means? Please read the three rules on this post to understand the difference between a permalink to a post and a blog’s main URL.) Only personal blogs can be added to the list. I will remove any posts connected to businesses or sponsored posts.

We are down to measuring in weeks.

We measured in months, but now that there are only two months left until the twins go, we’re measuring in weeks. Soon, we will be measuring in days. And then hours. Minutes. Seconds.

No, I couldn’t write that without crying.

The closer the day gets, the harder it gets. It feels like the goodbye has its own gravity, like a massive planet that looms larger as I move closer, making my body slow down and feel heavy. I can’t move off this path; time is magnetic. So I have to stare at it in front of me as weeks turn into days, which turn into hours.

I don’t think I’m going to listen, but Serial Productions is tackling an IVF story out of a Yale clinic where the nurse was replacing the pain killers used during retrieval with saline.

Once upon a time, I would have listened, but treatment stories have been hitting hard with the twins leaving home, similar to the early days after we stopped treatments the second time. It feels like the time in between was a mountain that I could stand on and get some distance from those stories, understanding them and feeling a kinship with the women, but also far enough away that it doesn’t hurt. But now, I feel like I’m back in a valley. It’s hard to hear about cycling.

But I leave it here in case anyone else wants to hear it.

*******

Stop procrastinating. Go make your backups. Don’t have regrets.

Seriously. Stop what you’re doing for a moment. It will take you fifteen minutes, tops. But you will have peace of mind for days and days. It’s the gift to yourself that keeps on giving.

As always, add any new thoughts to the Friday Backup post and peruse new comments to find out about methods, plug-ins, and devices that help you quickly back up your data and accounts.

*******

And now the blogs…

But first, second, helpings of the posts that appeared in the open comment thread last week. To read the description before clicking over, please return to the open thread:

• “Life Just Goes On Without Them” (Bereaved and Blessed)

Okay, now my choices this week.

I had Bereaved and Blessed’s post for this week because I read it on Friday evening. She marks the two years since she last saw her father alive and how a concert led her to find a profound line about life and loss. This line made me cry: “Life does go on without them and I am doing my best to live mine with intention and meaning, one day at a time, while not taking things for granted.” Sending peace of heart.

Lastly, The Road Less Travelled tackles childlessness and religion. She writes, “Churches can be wonderful, welcoming places with lots of programming and activities geared towards children and families — but they’re not so great when you don’t fit that particular mold.” At the same time, they provide structure and community. Here’s to a future of organizations welcoming everyone.

The roundup to the Roundup: IVF podcast. Your weekly backup nudge. And lots of great posts to read. So what did you find this week? Please use a permalink to the blog post (written between June 23 – 30) and not the blog’s main URL. Not understanding why I’m asking you what you found this week. Read the original open thread post here.