Books for visiting old friends and new places

Plus a Rooney review roundup and recent fall purchases I'm living in

Hey readers!

This was a fantastic reading week for me, not because I read a slew of books I loved, but because I felt totally free to pick up what I wanted to read, when I wanted to. After months of vetting books for the Fall Fiction Compendium, it was a relief to have total freedom in my reading life.

Speaking of total freedom, this week I’m headed up to the mountains for two nights…by myself! I don’t think I’ve ever done a solo trip like this before. I am very excited but also trying not to put too much pressure on myself for it to be amazing and transformative. Even if it’s just relaxing and moderately fun, I know it will be worth it. I’m also trying not to put too much pressure on the books I bring but I can’t help it! This is an important moment! I’m about to have the longest and best uninterrupted reading stretch I’ve had in years and for the foreseeable future. So, tell me, what book(s) should I bring?!

This week in books.

This week I read…

• The Road to the Country by Chigozie Obioma. I have been trying to read this book for months and have picked it up and put it down many times. I needed an extra push to finish this one so I chose it as our Buzzy Book of the Month for the FictionMatters Literary Society. Having finished, I understand why it was so daunting, but I’m also very glad to have made the time for it. It’s a brutal book about the Biafran War—something I knew next to nothing about. Obioma’s writing is quite striking and often truly beautiful, but there’s a quality to his syntax that requires careful attention even to merely follow the plot. I found myself rereading passages multiple times, sometimes to understand what was happening and other times to bask in the resonance of an idea. This book has many things I like including allusions to myths and fables, explorations of memory and storytelling, and a mystical element that really stuck the landing. It also felt like work to read it. And that’s okay! I firmly believe that it’s okay for books to ask a lot of you, and The Road to the Country asked a lot of me, but was well worth the investment. Amazon | Bookshop | Libro.fm

• Jane Fairfax by Joan Aiken. On the complete opposite end of the spectrum from books that ask a lot of me is Jane Austen pastiche. Sometimes I just need to return to Austen’s world but don’t have the inclination to reread one of her books. In these moments I turn to pastiche, and this particular book, which centers a side character from Emma, has been on my TBR for quite a while. Joan Aiken was a prolific writer who penned many romance novels, some weird fantasy short stories, a middle grade series, and a fair bit of Austen pastiche. I had only read a few of her stories but I’ve always been curious about how her writing would lend itself to Austen’s world. Unfortunately, I really didn’t enjoy this one. Aiken does not attempt to write in Austen’s signature free indirect discourse nor does she use wit and humor as Austen does. This was disappointing, but I also can respect that choice since Austen’s writing is inimitable. I also felt that the first part of the novel went on too long. I think Aiken really wanted to give Jane a robust backstory, but I didn’t necessarily want to be with childhood Jane Fairfax quite so long and even after so much time with her, I never felt like her character fully came through. I did appreciate Aiken filling in some of the scenes from Emma in Jane’s perspective, but she also made choices about the characters’ motivations that I didn’t like. I believe that every retelling is also an act of literary criticism that offers commentary on its source material, and I disagreed with much of what Aiken was suggesting about Emma. Still, I always find it interesting to engage with a smart writer’s take on a classic work of fiction, and since I had never read an Emma retelling, this reimagining felt very much worth my time. Amazon

• Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout. At this point I am so invested in Elizabeth Strout’s universe it almost doesn’t matter to me what she writes as long as one of my old friends makes an appearance. In this novel, the entire gang is together for the first time and I was enraptured. The plot of this book largely follows Bob Burgess as he takes on a case defending a lonely middle-aged man accused of murdering his mother. But while that is a large part of the rising and falling action of the story, the emotional resonance lies in the ongoing conversations between Bob and Lucy Barton, as well as Lucy and Strout’s infamous curmudgeon Olive Kitteridge. This isn’t my favorite Strout novel, but just being back in her world brought literal tears to my eyes. I love them all so much that it feels like catching up with long distance friends. Additionally, Strout is uniquely capable of giving voice to quiet lives—something I always really appreciate in books.. She also creates characters with deep flaws and flawed ways of seeing the world who we come to fully understand and empathize with throughout the course of her novels. I just love her and while I wouldn’t recommend starting with particular book, I think making your way through Lucy and Olive’s stories is a great fall reading project and you will arrive at a very satisfying culmination with this new novel. Amazon | Bookshop | Libro.fm

Now I’m reading…

• I’m slowly making my way through As Meat Loves Salt by Maria McCann. It is atmospheric, melancholy, and slightly (so far!) sinister. In other words, it is perfect for fall.

New on my TBR…

• Yr Dead by Sam Sax.

  Traci Thomas
  ingeniously predicted it would be on the National Book Award longlist and there it is! I don’t know much about this book at all, but I’m really eager to give it a try.

Links I love.

This essay by a cozy mystery author and former Nancy Drew books editor is a fascinating look at how complicated the famous girl detective is. (Crime Reads)

Andrea Long Chu wrote a (surprisingly positive?) perspective on Sally Rooney and novels of love. I found it a really interesting read, but it spoils some major plot points for Intermezzo so wait to read if that will bother you. (Vulture)

There are a million other Intermezzo reviews out this week—honestly there’s barely any other book news, that’s how dominate a Rooney release is. I enjoyed browsing through the roundup of BookMarks reviews, which range from raves to pans. (BookMarks)

Another fall book preview! (NYT Book Review podcast)

This is a wonderful interview with Isabella Hammad. (The Guardian)

7 creepy mysteries set on campuses. (Electric Lit)

8 books about women being bad. (Electric Lit)

End Notes.

• I am obsessed with English Teacher. It is my current favorite show and captures what it feels like to teach high school better than anything I’ve seen or read.

• Louise has moved on from her Cars obsession and is now into The Lion King, which is great for me. It’s also helpful that when we “skip the scary parts!” the movie is less than an hour.

• I’m very into my new weighted vest. I know I need to be doing more weight-bearing exercise and this is easy to add in since I love going for audiobook walks whenever I can.

• I took the plunge on a pair of loafers and I love them. These have a bit of a platform without feeling too trendily chunky. I wanted a pair that is classic and will last me a long time.

• I’m also obsessed with these pants. I now have them in two colors and am contemplating also getting a denim pair.

• This conversation between Ezra Klein and Zadie Smith is so good!

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Happy reading!

Sara