An incredible dark comedy and exciting fall releases
Plus my new favorite snack and a quiz to help you find your perfect Booker book
Hey, readers!
We made it to August…the last month of the summer reading season. I am simultaneously ready for fall and hoping time slows down a little. It’s a real internal struggle for me at the moment! We’re moving into a new house in November, and I couldn’t be more excited to have more space to spread out and to start settling into our new home. On the other hand, Lou will turn one at the beginning of October, and I don’t feel at all ready for her to no longer be a baby. Luckily for us she has taken it upon herself to make sure these baby days feel extra long by going on a nap strike this week…so maybe I’ll change my mind about that last sentiment soon.
One thing I’m unequivocally excited about is fall reading. While summer is filled with big buzzy book releases, the quieter, more literary books (read: my favorite books) tend to be released in the fall. This upcoming season is looking to be a particularly good one for books—check out the megalists from The Millions and LitHub to see for yourself. This year I’ve decided to release my first ever fall reading guide that I’m calling it Five for Fall. It will be a hyper-curated list of my five favorite literary fiction titles releasing throughout the fall 2022 season. I am extremely excited about this project because it feels very true to the heart of FictionMatters, putting stellar fiction into the hands of readers who care about craft. While I won’t be able to preview every title I’m excited about, I have been feverishly sampling titles and devouring books to make sure I find the best of the best for my list.
I can’t wait to share my chosen titles with you in September. Until then, make sure to check out my Paperback Summer Reading Guide for some phenomenal backlist titles to get you through the last weeks of summer reading season!
This week in books.
This week I read…
The Trees by Percival Everett. This book blew me away. The story follows two detectives from the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation who are called in to investigate a pattern of murders: white folks from Money, Mississippi are being murdered and mutilated, and are being found next to the body of the same dead Black man. This novel is deeply funny. Yes, you read that right. It’s a darkly and brutally comedic look at the history of lynching and racial violence in America. I don’t think any other author could have pulled it off, but Percival Everett is an absolute master of the craft, and I can easily say that this is one of the best books I’ve read this year. I probably don’t need to include this after the plot description, but content warnings abound for this book and if you think this book won’t be for you, you’re probably right. But I highly recommend it to anyone who likes their social commentary with a side of satire, is looking for a totally original mystery novel, or is curious about the experimental writing being noted by this year’s Booker Longlist. Amazon | Bookshop | Libro.fm
I’m going to be a little bit secretive about my reading over the next few weeks as I vet books for my upcoming fall reading guide. I’ll share that I read this emotional book in translation, this story about a queer, indigenous novelist, and an upcoming title by the author of a very polarizing 2020 book. I’ll be able to say more about these reads and others after I finalize and release my guide in early September!
Now I’m reading…
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry. I’ll be (finally!) finishing this week to record our Novel Pairings, which will drop August 30th. Amazon | Bookshop | Libro.fm
Treacle Walker by Alan Garner. This is next up for me on the Booker Longlist. It isn’t out in the US yet but you can get free shipping to the US from the wonderful Blackwell’s Books.
More fall releases for my fall reading guide!
Links I love.
I loved listening to this article about the push to diversify publishing. I thought it was the perfect expansion on what I attempted to voice in last week’s newsletter.
Quiz: Which Booker longlisted book is right for you?
Read your way through Cairo with Yasmine El Rashidi.
I have admired many books from Graywolf Press and much enjoyed reading about their new executive director’s mission.
I adore a good speculative novella, and this list and deep dive is A+.
Make the most of the last month of summer reading with Lit Hub’s 15 favorite summery books.
BookRiot consolidated some great information on how to talk to your local school and library communities about book bans.
Stephen King voiced his disapproval of the proposed Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster merger. This merger would mean decreasing from 5 big publishing houses to 4, which could cause lots of issues for indie presses and small authors.
End notes.
As I watch less TV and struggle to find new podcasts, it’s gotten harder to fill specific categories each week so I’m mixing up my “End notes.” I hope you enjoy it!
Five things making me happy this week:
Reese’s Dipped Pretzels. These are the best snack (okay, candy) if you like something a little salty, a little crunchy, and very sweet.
BeReal. Like a true elder millennial, I learned about this new social media app on a podcast. It’s created to help you check in with your friends without promoted posts or an overly addictive design. Once a day, the app sends you a notification. You then have two minutes to take a photo of what you’re doing and share it to the app. The cool thing is it takes two photos simultaneously: one of you and one of what you’re looking at. You can post late if you miss it, but there’s no point trying to curate your pictures into something cool…the more random and mundane the better. For the first couple of weeks I only followed my husband 😂 but now I have a couple of BeReal friends and it’s fun to check in and see what people are actually up to outside of the Instagram highlight reel.
My Apple Watch. Speaking of social media, I am a very online person and I’ve noticed lately that it’s very hard for me not to open Instagram any time I look at a text or even the time on my phone. Louise has noticed this too and she’s obsessed with our phones. I decided to get an Apple Watch so I could be on my phone less but still get the notifications I need. It’s a bit of an extreme solution, but it’s definitely helped me cut out some mindless scrolling.
My boring manicure. My mom watched Louise this week so I could sneak out of the house for a mani-pedi and it was such a treat! I usually feel pressure to choose a fun nail color, but this time I stuck to my guns and chose Essie Mademoiselle. The very kind manicurist asked me three times if I was sure that was the color I wanted because it was basically clear. But I love the way it looks and knowing that it will grow out well in spite of the fact that I probably won’t do or have my nails done in a very long time. I love my boring nails, and I’m never going back!
Cold brew with oat milk. It’s been HOT here (and everywhere). Mixing up some bold brew concentrate with oat milk has been a delightful way to keep me energized through the afternoon lull.
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Readers, I hope your TBR is stocked for the last month of summer reading! 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