The Phoenix Pencil Company – The Bookish Mutant

Happy Wednesday, bibliophiles!

I’m back with a wrap-up, and we’ve officially passed the halfway mark of 2026…jeez. Currently reporting you within hours of melting into a puddle like the Wicked Witch of the West from this heat. I feel like I should start paying my swamp cooler for the labor it’s been putting in for the past month. Stay cool and hydrated, everybody!

Let’s begin, shall we?

GENERAL THOUGHTS:

I’m coming to you in a very different place than I was while writing the March/April Wrap-Up, which is, for the most part, a welcome thing. Between my honors thesis, finals, and graduation, I had been constantly on for the most part. Sure, I had some time to squeeze in some fun and relaxation, but it was just go, go, go for most of the semester. But now I’ve got myself a nice Bachelor’s degree, and I’m spending it…not doing much. For right now, that’s exactly what I wanted.

I’ve spent most of the past few two reveling in the free time I have right now. I have several very disparate goals that I’ve set for the summer (exercise more, write one short story per month, and don’t buy any more yarn…send help, I’m drowning in yarn over here) that (knock on wood) I’ve managed to stay true to. But I love the routine I’ve set for myself. I love my college town, and I love taking walks to the local coffee shops, writing for an hour or two. (More often than not, those trips have also resulted in a trip to the record store, which has…[ahem] put a slight dent in my bank account. Maybe I need to put a ban on that too.) But ultimately, this summer has felt comfortably exploratory so far—I’m slowly trying new things, but they’ve all extended into cherished parts of my weekly routine.

So mostly, May and June have been about creativity. I’ve been more locked in than ever with my knitting, even if the results have been less than optimal. I’ve done so much more drawing and sketching. I’ve made more time to practice my guitar. I’ve written the most since I stopped my honors thesis. And I have more time to read than just before bed! Imagine that…

MAY READING WRAP-UP:

I read 13 books in May! It was really all over the place with a 5-star read and a DNF in the same month, but I read so many exciting books this month, both from new-to-me authors and familiar ones, focusing on AAPI authors for the Heritage Month.

1 – 1.75 stars:

All This Could Be Different – Sarah Thankam Mathews (DNF – ⭐️)

2 – 2.75 stars:

Silver Under Nightfall – Rin Chupeco (⭐️⭐️)
The Subtle Art of Folding Space – John Chu (⭐️⭐️)

3 – 3.75 stars:

The Phoenix Pencil Company – Allison King (⭐️⭐️⭐️.5)
Interstellar Megachef (Flavour Hacker, #1) – Lavanya Lakshminarayan (⭐️⭐️⭐️.5)
The Obake Code – Makana Yamamoto (⭐️⭐️⭐️.5)
The Killing Spell – Shay Kauwe (⭐️⭐️⭐️.75)
Flight of the Fallen (Magebike Courier, #2) – Hana Lee (⭐️⭐️⭐️.75)

4 – 4.75 stars:

Saltcrop – Yume Kitasei (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Vol. 1 – Hayao Miyazaki (re-read) (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
Messy Roots – Laura Gao (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter – Stephen Graham Jones (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.25)

5 stars:

See No Stranger: A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love – Valarie Kaur (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

FAVORITE BOOK OF THE MONTH (not counting re-reads): See No Stranger: A Memoir and Manifesto of Revolutionary Love – 5 stars

REVIEWS:

SUNDAY SONGS:

BONUS:

The Bookish Mutant’s Books for AAPI Heritage Month (2026 Edition)

JUNE READING WRAP-UP:

I read 14 books in June! It’s the most books I’ve read in a month in 2026, definitely owing to being freed up by summer. Though my ratings were once again all across the board, they trended towards positive ones—and I had some excellent reads from new and familiar queer authors for Pride Month!

2 – 2.75 stars: