Books in the wilderness and audiobooks to enhance literacy
Plus kid-lit, thrillers, and a little bit of poetry
Hey, readers!
Any other year, this would be the week I was returning to school, so of course it felt odd not to be going back. Luckily for me, the last few days were incredibly busy and barely had time to think about what I was missing. I worked on an article for my friends at Libro.fm, read a lot of Aspen Words books, recorded an episode of Novel Pairings, met with a SheCan scholar to work on her college essay, and had a few meetings for other projects in the works. I think (and hope!) things will slow down a bit this week, but I was very grateful for this particularly packed week.
I also spent a lot of time sending my new Patrons their personalized book recommendations. It’s been so much fun to learn about the FictionMatters book club members’ reading tastes and get to know everyone a little better. I got through 100 of those personal recommendations this week!!! While it was a LOT of work (and I still have about 30 to go), I also had to keep pinching myself thinking about how lucky I am that recommending books is kind of my full-time gig now! Whether you have joined the Patreon community or not, I so appreciate all of your support as I explore this new endeavor.
This week in books.
This week I read…
Woman, Daughter, Widow, Wife by Robin Wasserman*. I’m not sure what I expected going into this book, but whatever it was was different from what I got. This book is about Wendy Doe—a woman found on a bus with no memory of her prior life—and the team of researchers who study her. It’s a really unexpected look at consent, identity, and psychology. Amazon | Bookshop
Black Sunday by Tola Rotimi Abraham*. A compelling, but difficult read, this book follows four siblings in Lagos who lose everything. Abraham’s voice and style are powerful and I found this to be an impressive debut. Amazon | Bookshop
Luster by Raven Leilani*. Edie is a Black woman in her early twenties working in publishing who finds herself entangled in an older white couple’s open marriage. I read this in a single night and think fans of Sally Rooney might enjoy it. Amazon | Bookshop
Lovely War by Julia Berry. I’m so glad I stuck with this one. This book follows the intersecting lives of four young during WW1, and their indomitable spirits in the face of big loves and big losses. What makes this particular WW1 story original is that it’s told through the perspective of the Greek gods. That could be used as a gimmick, but Berry does it so well. The gods are characters in their own rights and I loved the way she explores their motivations. But they also serve as symbols to explore major themes like love, jealousy, art, and war, and how those forces work on our lives. Amazon | Bookshop
*These books were submissions for the Aspen Literary Prize. Due to my participation on the selection committee, I will not be able to fully review these works until the long list is announced.
Now I’m reading…
Untamed by Glennon Doyle. I haven’t read anything else by Glennon Doyle and I’m really not sure how I feel about this book yet. I’m listening to it on audio and mostly put it on in the background while I do other things, which I guess means I’m not super invested in it. Amazon | Bookshop
Thin Girls by Diana Clark. I just started this so don’t have much to offer, but I do know that Roxane Gay was Clark’s thesis advisor, which piqued my interest! Amazon | Bookshop
And I put aside:
The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan. It’s possible I might love this if I picked it up another time. It’s also possible that it would be a little silly and syrupy for me no matter when I read it. I’m going to hang onto it for a possible future read but I’m probably not going to prioritize it. Amazon | Bookshop
The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley. I really, really want to be a mystery reader, and occasionally I do discover mysteries I love. But this one just didn’t work for me. I didn’t like the way it started with a thriller-like look at what was about to happen and I couldn’t get invested in any of the characters. While I did like the Scottish setting, I wanted it to be more atmospheric and captivating. Amazon | Bookshop
This week Michelle read…
I didn’t get very far with any reading this week because I was in the final push of my online class (it was a 10-week course condensed into 4 weeks, so it was a little intense!). But here is what I got part-way through:
By the Book by Amanda Sellet. I love being reminded of high school with his book! Mary Porter-Malcolm is adorable and although her friends are nothing like her, I appreciate the ways they all support each other. Amazon | Bookshop
Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes. This is a cute, quick read. So far, I’m a little frustrated with Evvie but I have a feeling she’ll win me over in the end. I think everybody wants to have a best friend like her’s, though! Amazon | Bookshop
We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry. I have mixed feelings about this one so far. I like the way Barry addresses issues around race, but I want more historical context. I also feel like there are too many characters for me to keep track of. Amazon | Bookshop
Now Michelle is reading…
I’ll be finishing the books I mentioned above and hopefully starting something that Sara gave me like…
You Should See Me in a Crown by Leah Johnson. I’m sure we’ve all been seeing this YA read everywhere. It looks so cute and I can’t wait to dive in! Amazon | Bookshop
I Miss You When I Blink by Mary Laura Philpott. This is a collection of personal essays, which is a nice genre to have in rotation for when I want to skip around. Amazon | Bookshop
Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas. I’ve been wanting to read more mysteries. This one could be a little dark for me, so I’ll see if it’s my speed. Amazon | Bookshop
I’ll let you know next week which books I end up sticking with!
Five great man vs. nature books.
One of the early lessons in high school English courses is learning to distinguish between the different types of conflicts that propel a plot forward: character vs. character; character vs. self; character vs. society; and character vs. nature. Of those four, if I had to choose one to never read again, it would definitely be character vs. nature books (this also happens to be my husband’s favorite type of book!). But there are some absolutely man vs. nature gems that have really worked for me. These are all books where the author writes rapturously about the natural world and where the struggle against or amongst nature reveals something powerful about the human spirit.
The New Wilderness by Diane Cook. For a complex mother-daughter story about a band of people trying to escape rapidly intensifying climate disaster. Amazon | Bookshop
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood. For a dystopian world where humans desire to control the natural world has backfired. Amazon | Bookshop
The River by Peter Heller. For a wilderness on fire, a poignant friendship, and a threat around every bend. Amazon | Bookshop
True Grit by Charles Portis. For an unforgettable young woman fighting for justice in a hardened landscape. Amazon | Bookshop
Weather by Jenny Offill. For a librarian’s struggle against and deep dive into the possibility of global climate disaster. Amazon | Bookshop
Bookish reading.
I wrote an article for Libro.fm about using audiobooks to help young reader’s improve their literacy skills. It’s a great resource for teachers and parents!
Read it Forward and I must have had a mind meld, because they also posted a great list of wilderness thrillers.
Check out Vulture’s best books of the year so far.
You know I love book pairings and this series of middle-grade/adult pairings is really fun.
There’s an aspiring poetry reader in all of us and this list is a great place to start.
If you finished listening to Nice White Parents and want more, check out Chana Joffe-Walt’s reading list.
BookRiot posted a great resource filled with kid-lit to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Starting your own Little Free Library? You probably need some of these adorable stamps and stickers.
This is a great article about Toni Morrison’s influence on The Vanishing Half.
End notes.
Watching: The Democratic National Convention. I loved watching all of the speeches without having to plan ways to analyze and discuss the rhetoric in my classes 😂
Listening: From the Front Porch Podcast. This is The Bookshop owner Annie Jones’ bookish podcast. I’d stopped listening for quite a while, but downloaded a few episodes this week and am finding it very soothing.
Making: Plans to drive East to visit our family!
Loving: Michelle is loving this Rifle Paper Co. AirPods case she just got in the mail! So nice to be able to clip it to her water bottle, purse, or backpack.
Readers, thanks for spending another Sunday catching up on books with me. For questions, comments, or suggestions, please don’t hesitate to reach out by emailing fictionmattersbooks@gmail.com or responding directly to this newsletter. Michelle and I love hearing from you!
And if you enjoyed today’s newsletter, please forward it to a book-loving friend. That’s a great way to spread bookish cheer and support the newsletter!
Happy reading!
Sara
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