Hello reader friends. How are your book-stacks evolving? Mine’s bigger somehow. Summertime means extra reading minutes for me, so even though I have taken titles off the stack, my little book-buying habit persists.
Yesterday, we were on a flight home; I finished one book and pulled out the next, carefully placing the former gently into my bag. I ensured that my bookmark was still in good condition and transferred it to my new title. Harper leaned over and said, “Mom, your books are like your pets. You care for them and don’t let their pages get bent, and it’s kind of like feeding them.”
Awww.
She did follow up by asking (again) if we could please have a dog. But that’s a different post.
Here are some of the books I have read over the last couple of months, a bit of an eclectic assortment. What are you reading?
The Rural Diaries, Hilarie Burton Morgan
I have a thing about romanticizing life in quiet, rural places. Not too remote (is there Amazon delivery?) but just enough to picture myself as good at gardening and having an adorable (and low-need, not-smelly) highland cow roaming a manicured pasture behind me. This book is the memoir of an actress who left California and bought a farm in Rhinebeck, New York. Yes, she has a highland cow, which I very much appreciated reading about, but it’s also a story about marriage and motherhood. Morgan discusses her fertility struggles and what it’s like to live in a close-knit community. I loved this one and google-imaged the town all the way through.
One Night on the Island, Josie Silver
A couple of years ago, I read Silver’s book One Day in December and adored it. I enjoyed this one, too, likely due to its beautiful and intoxicating setting. Island takes place on a remote island off the coast of Ireland. The premise sounds a bit silly – a single woman about to turn thirty and “marry herself” – but the story is sweet and the characters are cute. This was a fun read.
Many Storied House, George Ella Lyon
This is a book of poetry that is enjoyable and readable. The author wrote poems for each room of her childhood home and weaved in memories and anecdotes about her life there. I used this as a mentor text for myself when I was working on the Colorado Writing Project. If you are looking for something different, perhaps you don’t read poetry often, this is a great place to start!
Born a Crime, Trevor Noah
I know I am behind a bit on getting to this one, but I am so happy I finally picked it up. I appreciated the beginnings of each chapter, the small history lessons of Apartheid he weaved. Of course, the anecdotes that followed and built this memoir were both shockingly funny and incredibly sad. He was precocious and scrappy, knew multiple languages, and used his insight and hustle to claw his way forward. What a story.
Red, White, and Royal Blue, Casey McQuiston
This was a quick and flirty read about a romance between the First Son of the US and the Prince of England. At first, they don’t want to be in the same room as each other. But, overtime they strike up an awfully cute connection and have to figure out how to navigate the PR that comes with being in their positions. Of course, I also loved that the president in this story was female.
The Island of Missing Trees, Elif Shafak
This story is beautifully written. If you are a lover of descriptive language, this is one for you. The story takes place, mostly, on the island of Cyprus. Before reading, I did not know anything about the conflict between the Turkish and Greek people on the island, and this becomes the backdrop for two young teenagers who fall in love and have to meet secretly to see each other. They meet in a tavern, owned by two of the best characters in the book (I think), and in the center of the tavern a fig tree grows. Some of the story is told from the perspective of the tree, which was odd at first. But, I decided that I really liked it. This was a lovely read.
Paris for One, JoJo Moyes
This is a collection of short stories, so it’s a perfect book for reading in spurts and in crevices of your day. You can read a story in the parking lot while waiting to pick up your kiddo from camp, or right before bed when your eyelids are too heavy to pursue something heftier. The characters are all female, but the narratives are not all “fluffy.” An easy read, a good book to have on the nightstand.
Group, Christie Tate
This book is about a woman’s experience in group therapy and how her life unfolds through years of it. I thought the idea was interesting, and getting a peek into a circle of strangers, each with different issues, was engaging. Yet, I had a hard time caring for the author. At times, I felt flustered by her and, worse, indifferent. Despite this, I certainly admire her vulnerability and courage in writing this.
Every Summer After, Carley Fortune
This is a classic summer love story. I loved it and read it in two days. The book alternates between summers past and the present, but it is not difficult to follow. It is about young love and how, sometimes, it truly endures. The setting is perfect, a small cabin on a remote lake, and the characters are sweet. Good stuff.
We Are Not Like Them, Christine Pride and Jo Piazza
My dear friend Maura gave this to me for my birthday back in December, but I realized I had not mentioned it here. And it’s so worth a mention. In fact, it’s probably the best title in this round-up. Please read this story of two friends, one black and one white, who live in the same town and share a childhood and an adulthood of memories together. One is a successful news anchor, and the other is the wife of a police officer. When a young black boy is shot by the police, their friendship is held together but a fraying thread. The story will make you think and remember. Terrific read.
