Bold sci-fi, meditative lit fic, and a creepy library thriller

Plus eerie short story collections and the best mysteries of all-time

Yesterday was Louise’s birthday and my best friend’s wedding (BIG DAY!) so I am keeping this brief today with a couple of book reviews and a mini link roundup. I hope you are enjoying a glorious fall weekend and immersing yourself in a truly excellent book.

This week in books.

This week I read…

• How Can I Help You by Laura Sims. This is a suspense novel about a murderous nurse whose new life as a librarian is rattled by the arrival of a new research librarian who aspires to write a novel. I don’t have much to say about this book other than it was a thriller that I rather enjoyed reading, which is rare. I did find myself wanting to just skip to the ending at about the 75% mark, but it’s a short one so I stuck it out and found the ending pretty satisfying. Reading this after rereading both Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca and Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl was a fun way to consider how unlikable characters, unreliable narrators, and the genre of domestic suspense has evolved over the last 80 years! Do not pick this up if you don’t like being inside the heads of deeply unlikable characters, but it might be for you if you want a quick, engaging thriller. Amazon | Bookshop | Libro.fm

• In the Orchard by Eliza Minot. Since reading My Work by Olga Ravn, I’ve been seeking out all the books I can find that explore motherhood through highly literary writing and structure, and In the Orchard absolutely fits the bill. The first part of the book consists entirely of main character Maisie’s middle of the night ruminations while nursing her newborn. These are spiraling and meandering and ranging from panic over the state of her debt to the bliss of a baby’s small to memories of conversations with other soccer moms. The second half of the book follows the family to an apple orchard where we see more of their dynamic while Maisie continues to oscillate between fear and love and pride and shame at the state of her life. Seriously nothing happens in this book and I adored it. What I loved most about this book is that Maisie is an experienced mom to four kids and she genuinely loves being their mother. While it doesn’t gloss over any of the challenging realities of parenthood, it doesn’t deny the pleasures either. It also holds up as worthy and valuable the life that Maisie has chosen without being simplistic or prescriptive. In the Orchard was recommended to me by Alice Elliot Dark (thank you, Alice!) and if you haven’t read her wonderful novel Fellowship Point yet, I highly recommend it. It’s another favorite for the way it depicts the quiet lives of women with unwavering warmth and undeniable style. Amazon | Bookshop | Libro.fm

• The Employees by Olga Ravn. This slim novel told in snippets of interviews from employees on a spacecraft was weird and wild and thought-provoking. I enjoyed going into this book blind, but if you like something that offers a touch of eeriness and a little bit of a puzzle while seriously contemplating humanity and modern life, this is for you. Amazon | Bookshop

Now I’m reading…

• O Caledonia by Elspeth Barker. Still loving it and hoping to finish this week. Amazon | Bookshop | Libro.fm

• Goodbye, Vitamin by Rachel Khong. It’s been on my list forever and now is finally the time. So far I’m loving Khong’s writing and the dry humor she interjects into this story. Amazon | Bookshop

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.

These snippets from Ann Patchett’s NYT interview are delightful.

Jon Fosse won the Nobel Prize for Literature, so I guess it’s time for me to read Jon Fosse.

Let some indie bookstore sellers tell you what to read this fall.

What a great ode to Poe and review of the new Fall of the House of Usher film.

I think I want to read….a middle grade series??

I am very excited to read Taylor Lorenz’s new internet culture book, but I cannot understand for the life of me why the cover is so so bad.

Time’s list of 100 best mysteries and thrillers is out. I’m shocked that I have read 22!! And there are a few past Paperback Summer Reading Guide picks on their list.

Looking for some great nonfiction? Check out this prize list.

9 eerie literary short story collections.

End notes.

This week in views, listens, eats, and moments of joy.

• All of Louise’s grandparents are in town to celebrate her birthday. What a lucky girl!!

• Speaking of The Birthday, it has been so fun to watch Lou’s excitement around turning two. She kind of gets it, but she also has been saying “happy birthday” to everyone and I love that her little toddler mind has brought everyone else into her celebration.

• My mom made her famous cinnamon rolls this weekend and, in my opinion, there is no better treat.

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Happy reading!

Sara