What Moved Me: June 2026

Catching up on the books, music, podcasts, and other things that I've loved lately

Please enjoy this monthly round up of the books I’ve read, the music I’ve listened to, the podcasts I’ve binged, and a few other things I’m loving.

As always, this monthly offering is free. I love sharing the things I love, especially books. However, if you value what I share here on What Moves You, please consider becoming a paid subscriber. Financial support makes it possible for me to do this work.

For those who are already paid subscribers: thank you so much. I am so grateful for you.

Let’s start with the books:

I read 3 books this month. The Cost of Free Land: Jews, Lakota, and An American Inheritance by Rebecca Clarren, Toe to Toe by Fallon Ballard, and The Future Saints by Ashley Winstead.

It took me well over a month to read The Cost of Free Land: Jews, Lakota, and An American Inheritance. It was not an easy read. It was painful and powerful. Deeply insightful and withholding nothing. Clarren tells the raw, unfiltered truth about what led her ancestors to leave Europe — the hate, violence, pogroms, and systemic oppression that drove around 2.5 million Jews to flee Europe in the late 1800’s through the early 1900’s. And she also tells the parallel raw, unfiltered truth about what happened to the Indigenous people who lived in the land where her ancestors settled, largely the Lakota people of the Black Hills in South Dakota. But she also does broad documentation of the treatment of Indigenous people by the US government and how those laws did, and continue to do, monumental harm.

If you know anything about the treatment of these 2 peoples, you can understand why it was a brutal read. It was particularly intense because it was easy to sell not only the parallels of how Jews and the Indigenous of North America were treated by those in power, but how their stories intertwine. The similarities are stark and gut wrenching. And it’s also painful to see how Jews went from being hated and hunted to finding opportunity in a new land that didn’t quite accept them, but that also allowed them to perpetuate harm to others — in the case of Clarren’s ancestors in South Dakota, the Lakota whose land was stolen to provide land for “white settlers.”

In the book, Clarren writes about the relationships she builds with Doug White Bull, a Lakota elder, as well as the research she does into her own family tree. And she shares the wisdom she receives from White Bull and other Indigenous leaders about reparations, as well as studies she’s done with her own spiritual leaders. If you want a little preview of this book, you can read this very brief article I found. But I highly recommend grabbing this book from your local library or buying it. It’s a powerful, valuable read.

*****
I picked up Toe to Toe at the library because on the back it had a review that read something along the lines of “a delightful combination of Center Stage, Magic Mike, and Dirty Dancing.” I was sold and Ballard did not dissapoint.

Allegra Hart is a ballet dancer, because with that name, of course she is. Allegra has been working as a professional ballet dancer since she was 17 and dancing since she was 3. Nearing 30, she is desperate for a principal role in her company but her gross, lecherous, director keeps dangling it over her head like a carrot and insinuating that she is not sexy enough for a new dance he is choreographing.

So Allegra seeks outside support in the form of Cord Donovan, the owner of an all-male, dance and entertainment club — she goes to a show for her sister’s bachelorette party and instead of being hot for the dudes removing their clothes while dancing, she’s taken by Cords sexy tap routine opening the show.

I mean, same Allegra, same.

Turns out, Cord is a former pro dancer with some baggage of his own but he agrees to “tutor her in sexiness” and it’s shenanigans of the highest degree.

As a dancer, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Small caveat, while author Ballard suggests that Allegra (as she is written) does not have an ED, she is just mindful of what she eats, I think it’s a fine line. So if you are sensitive to that sort of thing, this book might not be for you.

*****

The Future Saints has a review on the front cover indicating it’s a love story. And while there is some truth to this, it’s not the central story. This is the story getting lost in grief and pain and eventually digging yourself out.

It’s the story of a band, The Future Saints, and how they become famous thanks to a viral video of a raw and haunting performance of a new song, with a new sound. They’re a trio, fronted by Hannah, a messy, grieving, wreck of a human. It’s all over her new music and the new sound, but it also shows up in her behavior — she’s not sober almost ever and is flailing in life, as well as in art.

Theo, the new manager for the Saints, is initially hired to squeeze one more album out of them to get them out of their contract while bringing in money to the record label, but he witnesses that same viral performance and makes a different decision.

Of course there is friction between him and the band. Honestly, I prefer him to the band and especially Hannah, at the beginning of the book. They are terrible to him and he’s a bit of a fish out of water, but trying. And then it flips. Hannah becomes more sympathetic and Theo, irritating in his choices.

I don’t want to give too much away, because it’s a powerful book that deserves a read, purely because of how Winstead handles grief and recovery. The only thing that took away from the experience were occasional “on the nose” references that were just too much — like a character named “Sasha Thee Pop Princess”.

But I otherwise really loved this one. I hope it’s made into a series so I can listen to the music because I am 100% certain they would be bangers and watching them performed would be incredible.

(quick note: all of the links you see in the book review section are affiliate links at Bookshop.org and if you’re thinking about buying any of these, please consider using my links instead of using amazon. For one, I get a tiny commission when you use my links. But also important, bookshop.org directly supports small bookstores, which is of great value to me.)

*****

Things to Watch:

I haven’t watched it yet, but I am dying to see the new Master’s of the Universe movie. My friend Val did see it and recommended it, highly.

For most of this month, I’ve been watching the Strange New Worlds Star Trek series with my kids. And they actually love it, which makes my trekkie heart happy. My son has even started watching some original series episodes! Strange New Worlds is great because it’s phenomenal storytelling that combines the best of trek (ethical or moral questions that don’t have easy answers) with humor, a great cast, and the kind of forward thinking that Gene Roddenberry always aimed for and was sometimes hampered by the time he was creating in.

Also, if you want to watch me tap dance, my absolute favorite way to move my body, watch me here:

Things to Listen to:

I somehow just discovered the “Like a Version” YouTube channel and I got a little obsessed. In case you, like I was, are unaware of this channel, it’s musical artists doing live covers of songs by other artists. Most are ok, in that they do a fine job of performing someone else’s song, but they don’t really change much. However, some are truly spectacular. Current favorites include: MUNA covering the Titanic theme song, My Heart Will Go On, G-Flip covering Cruel Summer (Taylor Swift), Blusher covering Your Love is a Drug (Kesha), and Rebecca Black covering Fame is a Gun (Addison Rae).

If you have a favorite LIKE A VERSION, share it with me and feed my obsession!

Also really love Olivia Rodrigo’s new album. Teen me would have had this on repeat even more than 45 year old me.

In terms of podcasts, here’s what I’m still thinking about after listening:

You must subscribe to Blair Braverman’s new podcast, What to Carry, What to Burn. Braverman is one of the best storytellers out there, so even if you’re not into stories of wilderness survival or shipwreck survival or just survival against all odds, I am certain you will love this podcast. Braverman has long been my favorite guest on the You’re Wrong About podcast — she did episodes about Christopher McCandless, Aron Ralston, Balto, The Dyatlov Pass Incident, and so many more.

But her new podcast is meticulously researched, brilliantly written, and beautifully shared. Every episode is fascinating and a delight to listen to. She only has 5 episodes out currently, but stay tuned because it’s all gold.

A bunch of things to read on your phone:

I wrote a piece published by my favorite online fitness platform, Fit Bottomed Girls, about SQUATS! I know, I know….people have strong feelings about squats but they’re also one of the most versatile exercises that allow people with a wide range of physical ability to do them. Check out my piece here, which also has 5 instructional videos to help set you up for success!

Honestly, this month was bananas, so I didn’t read as much as I would have liked online. But 2 that stuck with me that I did read were these:

An interesting piece by Azadeh Ghafari about another woman dying as a result of the influence of the Freebirth Society — I love this line in particular, “What should concern us is not that people seek community or second opinions. It is that trust itself has become one of the most valuable commodities in the digital economy.”

This one by Celeste Davis on Matriarchal Blessing titled “When the most patriarchal woman is the feminist icon” — it hits exactly as intended.

Here’s my latest video on YouTube:

I’m all about squats this month, apparently, because in this video I’m sharing the 1st in a series of videos that teaches you how to start with a squat and gives the option for a sit-to-stand (which is a squat with chair support), as well as how to progress the squat and “flying sphinx” (my name for forearm plank). You can watch it here:

It’s also a preview for my app, Strength in Midlife, which is currently on sale for 20%, through today, July 3rd. The whole reason I created this app was to make movement more accessible and enjoyable so that it's easier to move your body everyday. And my goal is to show women over 40 that getting stronger as we get older is not only possible, but a powerful choice that can vastly improve quality of life. So if you’re into that, check it out!

Oh and here are a few of my favorite moments from June:

Moody clouds, a rock heart, my dad offering the ashes of his sister to a lake in Wyoming, a mountain goat on a fourteener (Mt Bluesky), craft night, a 1500 piece puzzle I did with my kids themed “the 90’s”, putting nearly all of my plates on my barbell for a lift, birdbath heart, my dog and a hotel remote.

That’s it for June from me, but I want to know, what are you loving lately? Hit me with your book recs, music, podcasts, and anything else moving you right now — drop them in the comments!

Did you like this smorgasbord of links and recs? Please “like” this piece by clicking on the heart icon below. If you really liked it, please leave a comment or share it via Notes. These actions help others find my work which supports me as a writer. And if you’re able, the absolute best way to support me is with a paid subscription.

If purchasing a subscription is not in the cards, you can make a one-time donation here: https://coff.ee/naomi.gottliebmiller