The June Archive

At midnight, in the month of June, I stand beneath the mystic moon. (Edgar Allan Poe)

some recommendations based on what i’ve been reading, watching and using in the month of june.

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to read —

• Everything My Mother Taught Me written by Alice Hoffman. (2019)

(you can read my review here)

There are those who insist that mothers are born with love for their children and place them before all other things, including their own needs and desires. This was not the case with us.

In this haunting short story of loyalty and betrayal, a young woman in early 1900s Massachusetts discovers that in navigating her treacherous coming-of-age, she must find her voice first. For fatefully observant Adeline, growing up carries an ominous warning from her adulterous mother: don’t say a word. Adeline vows to never speak again. But that’s not her only secret. After her mother takes a housekeeping job at a lighthouse off the tip of Cape Ann, a local woman vanishes. The key to the mystery lies with Adeline, the silent witness. New York Times bestselling author of The Rules of Magic Alice Hoffman crafts a beautiful, heart-wrenching short story.

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(articles corner)

• Omar Hamad in Gaza: “I once wrote with ink, today I write with ashes.”

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• Spanish Journals by Catherine Lacey.

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• A Woman and a Philosopher: An Interview with Amia Srinivasan

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to use —

1. Skillet Brown Sugar Peach Cobbler.

2. Norah Jones — Feels Like Home.

3. Summer Cooking with Valerie Stivers — Unburied Books.

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to watch —

• Sinners directed by Ryan Coogler. (2025)

You keep dancing with the devil... one day he's gonna follow you home.

Trying to leave their troubled lives behind, twin brothers return to their hometown to start again, only to discover that an even greater evil is waiting to welcome them back.

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• 12 Angry Men directed by Sidney Lumet. (1957)

Gentlemen, that's a very sad thing... to be nothing.

The defense and the prosecution have rested and the jury is filing into the jury room to decide if a young Spanish-American is guilty or innocent of murdering his father. What begins as an open and shut case soon becomes a mini-drama of each of the jurors’ prejudices and preconceptions about the trial, the accused, and each other.

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• The Nun’s Story directed by Fred Zinnemann. (1959)

Pride has not been burned out of me. When I succeed in obeying the rule, I fail at the same time by having pride in obeying.

After leaving a wealthy Belgian family to become a nun, Sister Luke struggles with her devotion to her vows during crisis, disappointment, and World War II.

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(youtube corner)

1.

Like all true artists, Tove Jansson resisted commercial pressure to churn out iterations of the same hugely popular images and stories. Not only did she constantly push the boundaries of her practice, experimenting with design and seeking new depth and nuance in her books, but she also kept a keen eye on their production values and artistic quality. Sophia Jansson, the niece of Tove Jansson and Natania Jansz, publisher of Sort of Books, discuss the extraordinary integrity (and work ethic) of Tove Jansson as she navigated Moomin fame to stay true to her ideals as an artist and writer.

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2.

It's been twenty years since Keira Knightley & Rosamund Pike starred in the movie 'Pride & Prejudice.' Keira and Rosamund reunite to discuss everything from their first audition and Keira's Oscar nomination for her role as Elizabeth Bennet to their latest projects 'Black Doves' and 'The Wheel of Time.'

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