Hungry Hungry Wyrm's Book Club: June's Discussion and July's Theme

June's Gathering: The Strawberry Micromoon

Welcome back, friends.

First, a small apology for this month's slightly delayed post. I had every intention of having this discussion ready beneath the Strawberry Moon, but life had other plans. The journey home from a wonderful family reunion included a few unexpected travel hiccups, and by the time I finally made it home, a little extra rest won out over writing. (And some garden triage to try to save my own strawberries from an invasion of beetles!)

There was, as always, time to find a little bookshop during the travels, though! This one is tucked into Duncans Mills and is tiny but worth the popover, if you're in the Northern California area!

Thankfully, books are patient. They wait for us, just as good friends do.

A Strawberry Micromoon

June greeted us with something rather special: a strawberry micromoon.

Despite its delicious name, the strawberry moon isn't named for its color. Many Indigenous peoples of North America gave June's full moon this name because it marked the brief season for harvesting ripe wild strawberries. A celebration of abundance, gathering, and the sweetness tucked into ordinary seasons. I was even able to snatch a few ripe strawberries from my own garden before abandoning it for my cross-country journey!

This year's moon was also a micromoon, occurring near the moon's apogee, the point in its orbit farthest from Earth. Instead of appearing large and dramatic, it looked just a little smaller than usual.

Getting pictures from the airplane was a tad difficult, though the ones I took from the parking lot and my backyard weren't that much better...I did try.

With that lunar recap, on to the books!

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A Gentle Book Club Reminder

Before we fully dive in...This is, after all, a book club.

That means we'll be chatting openly about themes, characters, and moments that made us think. While I'll avoid major twists whenever possible, there may be details that you would rather discover for yourself.

Consider this your friendly spoiler warning. If you would rather come back to read the full post later, feel free to scroll to the end to see July's theme.

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June's Theme: Books About Books

I managed to finish two wonderful books this month and am happily making my way through a third. It turns out books about bookstores, libraries, and readers may be one of my favorite little niches of literature. Apparently I have a type.

I finished The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick and Stay for a Spell by Amy Coombe. And I am a little less than halfway through The Astral Library by Kate Quinn. Once again, did quite a bit of my reading while traveling and with furry friends!

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The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick

Why did you choose this book?

Honestly? Because I was feeling...well...a little troublesome.

Sometimes a book finds you because it's popular. Sometimes because the cover catches your eye. And sometimes because the title feels like it knows you.

This one felt like the right book at exactly the right moment.

How did it fit this month's theme?

A book club reading a book about a book club might seem a little on the nose...

...but this novel beautifully illustrates something readers have known forever.

The right book, arriving at the right time for the right person, can quietly change the course of a life.

For the women in this story, that book was The Feminine Mystique. Whether readers agree with every idea it presents isn't really the point. The point is that books start conversations. They challenge assumptions. They give us language for feelings we couldn't quite name before.

Isn't that one of the greatest gifts stories can offer?

Did it leave you with any new books to read?

Absolutely! I think this book expanded my TBR pile more than almost anything I've read recently.

Among the many titles now patiently waiting are:

A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft

A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf

The Group by Mary McCarthy

Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis

Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates

Favorite moments or quotes?

One quote, in particular, felt like it belonged here at The Bookwyrm:

"Don't turn yourself inside out trying to make everyone love you. Instead, be on the lookout for two or three like-minded souls who'll take you as you are and stand by you no matter what."

I hope that's exactly what we're building here. Not thousands of strangers. Just a growing community of kindred readers.

Another favorite came from Helen describing her little bookstore:

"Just a book lover who enjoys sharing a good thing."

That may be one of the simplest descriptions of The Bookwyrm I've ever heard.

There were so many others that made me pause, underline, and think.

"Books sprung from an author's imagination can be just as meaningful as those based on facts, figures, and events, or even more meaningful. Novels force you to think--to make your own conclusions about characters and themes, and decide if they're valid or relevant or true or good, or the opposite, or maybe somewhere in between. My personal preference is for in between. I don't think I've ever met anybody who was all one thing or the other, have you? Most people are a walking bundle of contradictions."

Yes. Entirely yes. Stories don't have to be factual to tell us profound truths.

"'It is a good life.' What would it feel like to say that and mean it? To have a purpose and know you had lived to fulfill it?"

"...there are countless good and right ways to be a woman and only two wrong. The first is to insist that your way is 'the' way, the only way. The second is to buy into that nonsense and to spend your life limping along an aimless path in shoes that will never fit."

"If you let us give you a boost today, then someday maybe you'll be in a position to do the same for someone else. We've got to start someplace. If we don't, how is anything ever going to change?"

"You know what Eleanor Roosevelt used to say: 'A woman is like a tea bag. You never know how strong it is until it's in hot water.'"

And perhaps my favorite lesson of all:

"It's a start, and starting is the hardest part."

I suspect many dreams begin exactly that way.

What stayed with you after finished?

"As Betty Friedan once said, 'You can have it all, just not all at the same time.' People often cited that quote in reference to women. As far as Margaret was concerned, it applied to any person of any gender at any stage of life."

One idea kept returning as I read. Throughout history we've often framed conversations as "us versus them." Men versus women. Old versus young. Traditional versus modern.

But perhaps the better question is this: What if it isn't us against each other? What if it's all of us working together against the circumstances that keep people from becoming who they're meant to be?

That feels like a conversation worth continuing. And one The Bookwyrm is happy to pull up a chair for.

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Stay for a Spell by Amy Coombe

This book couldn't have been more different.

It traded social commentary for floating wisps, tiny dragons, magical bookstores, and cozy fantasy. And I loved every minute of it.

What stood out most?

At first, being trapped inside a magical bookstore sounded suspiciously close to heaven.

Then I stopped to think...Would it still feel magical if you couldn't leave? Knowing you had yet to discover your heart's desire?

The bookstore itself isn't the obstacle. The obstacle is understanding your own heart well enough to know what you're searching for.

That idea lingered with me long after I closed the cover.

Favorite quotes?

Without question:

"Books promise you that your life can change in an instant. And bookstores? Bookstores offer refuge, a home away from home. No matter how far you travel, you can always find a little piece of home inside a bookstore."

If I could quietly tuck one sentence into the foundation of The Bookwyrm, it might be this one.

Biggest takeaway?

Sometimes we spend so much time waiting for opportunities that we forget one very important step.

You have to ask.

You won't always receive what you ask for. But you'll never receive what you never ask for.

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Currently Reading: The Astral Library by Kate Quinn

I'm only about halfway through this one, but I already know it's going to stay with me.

Truthfully...I bought it because it was beautiful. Sometimes that's reason enough.

Early thoughts?

The idea of a magical library serving as literal sanctuary feels almost tailor-made for The Bookwyrm.

Libraries should be safe places. Bookstores should be safe places.

Everyone deserves somewhere they can breathe, rest, think, imagine, and simply exist without pretending to be someone else.

One line especially stood out:

"Have you ever wanted to live inside a book?"

I imagine many of us would answer yes without hesitation. But which one?

I also couldn't help smiling when I spotted an unexpected reference to Tamora Pierce's Tortall. Those books meant so much to me growing up that seeing another author lovingly acknowledge them felt like bumping into an old friend.

Another thought that has stayed with me:

What happens after we finish a book? Do the characters simply disappear?

Or do they continue living somewhere beyond the final page?

I rather like believing the latter.

I'm excited to see where this story leads.

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Wrapping Up

This month's theme reminded me that books are wonderfully recursive.

Books create readers. Readers create book clubs. Book clubs create friendships. Friends recommend more books. And around we go again.

Whether they challenge us, comfort us, transport us, or simply give us a place to rest for a little while, stories continue shaping our lives long after we've turned the last page.

Perhaps that's the real magic.

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Looking Ahead: July's Buck Moon

Our next discussion will take place beneath the Buck Moon on 29 July 2026.

The Buck Moon takes its name from the time of year when young bucks begin growing a fresh set of antlers. Every summer they shed what came before and begin again, growing something stronger in its place.

It seems like a wonderful reminder that growth isn't always dramatic. Sometimes it's slow. Sometimes uncomfortable. Always worthwhile.

Here are a few possible reading paths if you'd like to join us:

Growth & Becoming, Rooted & Reaching, Shedding Old Antlers

Trees don't choose between growing roots and reaching toward the sky. They do both. Balance where we've come from with where we're going.

Stories about transformation, personal growth, and discovering who we're meant to become. Second chances, reinvention, healing, and leaving behind what no longer fits.

• The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

• The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

• Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

• Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes

• The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

• The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

• Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

• Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman

• The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes

• The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson

• The Switch by Beth O'Leary

• Emily Wilde's Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett

• The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst

• Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

• Still Life by Louise Penny

• Ink Blood Sister Scribe by Emma Törzs

• The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

• The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters

• The Book Charmer by Karen Hawkins

Questions to Help You Choose

• Am I looking for hope or hardship? Am I looking for healing or adventure?

• Do I want character growth more than plot?

• Am I ready for something reflective?

• Is there something I need to let go of?

• Would I rather read about healing than heartbreak?

• What kind of person do I hope to become by the last page?

• Do I want characters rebuilding after loss?

• Would I rather read about physical journeys or emotional ones?

• Am I ready for something hopeful, or something bittersweet?

• Do I want quiet personal growth or dramatic transformation?

• Do I want a character discovering who they are?

• Would I rather watch someone slowly bloom or dramatically change?

• Do I want the story to focus on family, friendship, romance, or purpose?

• What part of my own life feels like it's growing right now?

Or...

Ignore all of these.

Pick the book that has been quietly calling your name from the shelf for weeks.

Sometimes that's exactly the right choice.

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Moonlit Question: If you could step into the world of any bookstore or library from fiction for just one evening, which would you choose...and do you think you'd ever want to leave?

Until next time...

May your tea stay warm, your books multiply faster than your shelves, and may you always find a story that feels a little like coming home.

The tea is steeping, and the book hoard awaits.

The Wyrm