A buzzy celebrity memoir and hints about Five for Fall
Plus all about the PRH merger trial and behind-the-scenes of how a book gets made
Hey, readers!
I’m keeping today’s prologue short because house and baby things are keeping me busy. I’ve been reading a ton (get ready for a great fall for books!) and while releasing a reading guide while getting ready to list the house might have been a bit ambitious, I’m thoroughly enjoying this project as a motivator to keep me reading. I’ll be sharing Five for Fall—my top five literary fiction releases of the season—in a special edition of the free newsletter on September 6th. Make sure you’re subscribed and let your reader friends know, because this list is going to be great!
This week in books.
This week I read…
I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy. I’ve heard so many readers rave about this memoir by the former teen Nickelodeon star, and I decided to download it after being gifted a copy by Libro.fm (sidenote: if you’re a teacher, librarian, or bookstagrammer, you need to apply to be part of their ALC program immediately). This was a really compelling read about McCurdy’s relationship with her codependent mother, and how her mother pushed her into acting and an eating disorder. I marveled at McCurdy’s bravery and openness and, as I marveled, I was equally horrified by the way so many adults in her young life failed her. I had seen all of the most “shocking” elements of her mother’s abuse described in other reviews so there was little left for me to discover in that regard—but I found myself reading more to discover who Jennette would become after her mother died of cancer and that was a compelling journey. I will say that I didn’t love and adore this memoir the way so many readers did. The vignette style was sometimes hard for me to follow, perhaps because I was completely unfamiliar with McCurdy’s career. I also didn’t find the book funny at all, though that’s how McCurdy herself and other reviewers have described it. While I could tell in my reading that McCurdy has a great sense of humor and a level of resilience that allows her tell her story with a witty frankness, the tone still never struck me as humorous in the least. If you’re a fan of books like Educated or The Glass Castle, I’d recommend checking out this memoir whether or not you’re familiar with McCurdy from her acting days. Amazon | Bookshop | Libro.fm
So many good fall titles including a very strange historical mystery and a lushly written family drama. My Five for Fall reading guide will drop in a special release newsletter on Tuesday, September 6th. If you want to read my reviews of five additional titles and get a podcast episode detailing every book I vetted for my guide, now is a great time to sign up for Patreon or a paid newsletter subscription.
Now I’m reading…
I’m trying to fit in a couple more fall releases to see if anything unseats my favorites so far!
I’m also contemplating what fun, light book I’m going to read to cleanse my palette after reading so many literary fiction titles. Right now I’m considering this historical romance or this fanfiction mystery. Or….I might just dive right back into Booker books, because I am who I am.
If you are an international reader or just prefer UK covers, you can also order books through my Blackwell’s affiliate page!
Links I love.
This is a wonderful read about how a book gets made.
Like many readers, I love picking up witchy books in the fall. Here’s a great list of forthcoming YA titles to add to your spooky season reading list.
This headline caught my eye, because I too find myself confused when readers need to love a character to enjoy a book. But I’m not sure what I make of the article’s ultimate message—I’d be curious to hear other readers’ thoughts.
Great summer audiobooks to download (and how fast to listen to them).
I’ve been too busy to follow the PRH antitrust trial as closely as I’d like, but I’m trying to catch up now with this article from Vulture about who came out on top and this one from Vox about the publishers’ odd courtroom strategy.
End notes.
Five things making me happy this week:
Our mountain excursion. We realized while we were away that this was our first little trip with just the three of us, and it was so special. We hiked (Louise loved her hiking backpack!) and swam and played. Louise got to see horses, goats, donkeys, and chickens! It was delightful.
Waffle. Not the food (although a frozen waffle with peanut butter and yogurt is my go-to breakfast) but the word game. I still play Wordle everyday, but Waffle is the game nearest to my heart. Not only is it super fun, the design is extremely pleasing and it gives you definitions for all of the answer words…what more could a word nerd want?!
House of the Dragon. Like many people who loved Game of Thrones until that terrible last season, I’ve felt apprehensive about the new spin-off series. But after watching the pilot, I’m all in!
Our Novel Pairings episode on Lonesome Dove comes out Tuesday, August 30th, and—I know I’m biased—but it is so good! It felt wonderful to be back at the mic deep diving into a book with Chelsey. And it was so fun to find pairings for this book we both loved. You can listen to the episode whether or not you’ve read the book, so make sure you’re subscribed to the podcast in your favorite podcast player and signed up for our newsletter to get all the Novel Pairings news delivered to your inbox.
Neighborhood walks. Our move is starting to feel more imminent and even though we’re just moving 6 blocks away, I’m really going to miss our immediate neighborhood! We’re trying to get out and about in it as much as possible in these upcoming days and weeks.
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Readers, I hope you’re enjoying a great book in a beautiful place today! For questions, comments, or suggestions, please don’t hesitate to reach out by emailing fictionmattersbooks@gmail.com or responding directly to this newsletter. I love hearing from you!
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Happy reading!
Sara
If you're looking for a light palette cleanser, I'm reading the Very Secret society of Irregular Witches right now, and it's the absolute PERFECT book for that!