I read a slightly alarming fact this week.

Apparently, July 2, 2025, marked the point where we are closer to 2050 than we are to the year 2000. I find that so hard to comprehend. Even now, when someone says 20 years ago, my mind thinks the 1980’s. Time is weird and continues to get weirder as I get older.

Existential crisis aside, I did read 7 books in June. I was shocked that the list was primarily non-fiction:

• The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker
• Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas
• Roar by Stacy Sims
• The Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter
• Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman
• Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel
• Relentless Forward Progress by Bryon Powell

Let’s get into the reviews!

The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker

This book has a lot of hype, including high praise from Oprah.

However, I wasn’t the biggest fan. There were definitely some very interesting chapters and takeaways. The most important lesson is to listen to your fear. There’s a reason you feel fear, even if you don’t realize exactly what it is yet. You are subconsciously picking up on clues and trends.

From reading reviews, people do really recommend this book, so don’t let me stop you!

Rating: 7/10

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas

This is the third book in the Throne of Glass series (check out my review of Throne of Glass here and my review of Crown of Midnight here), so please read with caution as spoilers are likely ahead.

This book started a bit slow, but by the end, I couldn’t put it down!

Celaena is a bit lost and struggling with her identity after being forced to leave Adarlan on a new mission for the King. Deep down, she knows nothing will ever be the same again, especially her relationship with Chaol. So, when a very distant cousin finds her, she knows it’s time to move on and accept her destiny. Their aunt has knowledge she needs and she’s willing to do whatever it takes to get it, even if that means tapping into her fire magic.

Rating: 9/10

Roar by Stacy Sims

I know this is nothing new, but I find it frustrating how conflicting nutrition and exercise advice can be. It makes it tough to figure out what you should be doing.

That aside, this was an interesting read for female athletes, especially those looking to hydrate and fuel themselves for performance. As someone that tends to run shorter distances, I’m not sure this was the best book for me. I feel it was more geared toward women taking on more extreme endurance events.

Rating: 7/10

The Comfort Crisis by Michael Easter

Are you challenging yourself enough? That’s the big question this book tackles. Michael Easter dives into some of the science about taking on challenges and not being afraid to fail. This science is interwoven with a personal tale of an extreme trip he went on in a very remote part of Alaska. (Unfortunately, the big trip revolved around hunting, which I am not a fan of…)

I was intrigued by the idea of a “misogi.” As explained by Michael Easter, it’s essentially an extreme challenge that tests you mentally and physically and that you have a high chance of failing. I also liked the focus of being out in nature as much as you can.

Rating: 7/10

Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman

Bela is growing increasingly uncomfortable as an entity living in her bedroom starts becoming more demanding and more powerful. At first, she was a friendly presence, but it’s become clear that “Other Mommy” wants more from her. Once confined to her room, “Other Mommy” begins to venture out and terrorize her and her family. Can Bela and her parents make “Other Mommy” go away for good?

This was an entertaining and stressful read, but the ending was too open-ended for me. I needed concrete answers about something.

Rating: 7/10

Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel

If personal finance causes some unpleasant emotions to bubble up for you, I highly recommend this book. While there weren’t necessarily any practical takeaways or recommended actions, Morgan Housel dives into the psychology of money and why we handle it all so differently. I found it to be comforting in a strange way. Really, no one knows exactly what they’re doing. Even those who are rich often ended up there by luck.

I thought the section about how we end up accumulating more and more debt from a historical perspective was particularly interesting! If you read this and enjoy it, I’d recommend checking out I Will Teach You To Be Rich by Ramit Sethi next.

Rating: 9/10

Relentless Forward Progress by Bryon Powell

As an aspiring ultra runner, this was a good resource to get an overview of what to consider when training, prepping, and then, ultimately, running an ultramarathon. The book doesn’t go too deep into any particular subject, but gives some pointers on how to prepare in terms of training, gear, weather, terrain, and more. If you’re already an experienced ultra runner, you can probably skip it, but if you’re new to the sport, I think it’s a helpful place to start!

The book also includes training plans for a few different distances that I may use when the time is right. (Unfortunately, I’m currently dealing with a chronic injury…)

Rating: 8/10

Want more reviews? Check out what I read in May 2025!

As always, I want to know what YOU are reading. Please leave a comment below.