Reading Roundup: June 2026

In June, I finished my re-read of Adrian Mole, which means I can start getting back to reading standalone books! I loved re-reading the series, but I’m definitely ready for more variety now! I’ve also finally moved out of reading X-Men comics over Carol Danvers’ corner of the Marvel Universe, which is exciting!

It’s the end of Q2 for 2026, which means I’ll also do a review of where I am with Law of Fives; I’ll post that at some point this week!

5 books – 3 audio and 2 ebooks!

This was aprox. 660 pages read and 37 hours listened (of finished books).

Adrian Mole: The Prostrate Years (Adrian Mole #7) by Sue Townsend 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I still feel a bit sad I finished this book; it was like saying goodbye to a friend. It’s such a shame that Sue Townsend died before she could write another. I would have loved to see what could have happened to him in his 40s. There was some tough stuff in this book, but it really showed how Adrian has matured.

Carl’s Doomsday Scenario (Dungeon Crawler Carl #2) by Matt Dinniman ⭐⭐⭐

I didn’t like this as much as the first, some unfortunate thematic choices, but still overall fun.

The Museum of Modern Love by Heather Rose ⭐⭐

Disappointing; it just wasn’t the book that I wanted it to be. It was a chore to finish it. A shame because I’d been excited to read this one!

The Dungeon Crawler’s Cookbook (Dungeon Crawler Carl #3) by Matt Dinniman ⭐⭐⭐

Better than the second book, some good dramatic tension and character growth. I might be tiring of either Carl or Jeff Hay’s performance for Carl, but taking a little break.

Picnic At Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay ⭐⭐⭐

An Australian classic that I need to re-read at some point to better appreciate it. I didn’t get it until the end because it wasn’t quite what I had expected it to be.

Marvel Unlimited: Avengers versus X-Men (2012), and Ms Marvel (2006)

I read 30 issues of comics. All of the Avengers versus X-Men (2012), which was alright, and I didn’t find it particularly memorable. It follows on from the Messiah Complex and Second Coming: the Phoenix Force is coming to Earth, and everyone assumes it is coming for Hope. Cyclops’ unshakable belief that she is the mutant messiah who will restore mutants (after Scarlet Witch decimated them in House of M) has him defending her against the Avengers, which leads to a big conflict between the two groups. The Phoenix Force ends up split between Cyclops, Emma Frost, Namor, Colossus, and Magick, who use it (at first) to help mankind, end hunger etc but we all know that’s too good to be true.

It is only 13 issues, and I wasn’t particularly engaged with most of it.

Then I went back to reread the Carol Danvers Ms Marvel series from 2006 (before Carl became Captain Marvel and Ms Marvel was Kamala Khan). This is one of the first ever comic book runs I read, and it is interesting to see how much I’ve forgotten! It has taken a little while for the series to get going, but I’m now about 20 issues in (it’s only 6 issues in before Civil War stuff takes over a bit), and it’s getting there. Wonder Man features quite a bit; this series is how I knew who he was! A very different version of him than what we get in the Disney+ live action series.

I like Carol because she is a character with a lot of history and feels very much like part of the fabric of the Marvel Universe. She’s got a lot of strength, is very badass with incredible powers, but also has human vulnerabilities, and here is going through a period of trying to redefine herself following her experience in the alternate reality she was in during House of M.

Currently Reading

Currently, I am reading Dr Bloodmoney by Philip K Dick and listening to The Gate of the Feral Gods (Dungeon Crawler Carl #4).

Adding to TBR

June was supposed to be a non-book-buying month, but then, really annoyingly, two books I’ve been excited about for ages popped up on deals, and I couldn’t resist.

99p eBook deals

1. The City & The City by China Miéville
2. American Fantasy by Emma Straub
3. The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden