Goats, ghosts, and an epic game of Telephone
Goats, ghosts, and an epic game of Telephone
Plus 50 ideal summer reads and Caribbean lit for your TBR
Hey, readers!
We had the best time in the mountains this week. As expected, Louise loved riding in the “pack pack” for hikes and visiting the barn on property. The first day we arrived a stable worker told her she could feed the goats dandelions and I don’t think she’s ever had more fun in her life. In spite of her catching a cold and sleeping terribly while we were gone, it was such a treat to get away, and we all had a fantastic time!
Thank you so much to everyone who entered by giveaway with Libro.fm! The winner was chosen by a random number generator and has been contacted to claim their prize. I really appreciate the wonderful feedback you all shared with me about this newsletter. There were some really excellent ideas dropped in the survey, and I’m eager to find a way to work some of them into my posts. Stay tuned!!
This week in books.
This week I read…
Enter Ghost by Isabella Hammad. After first loving The Parisian and the falling hard for Enter Ghost, I will now read anything Hammad puts out. This book is slow and tense, with an electric energy sizzling under the surface of a very classic writing style. The story follows Sonia, a Palestinian-British actress who goes to visit her sister in Haifa, Israel after a wonderful stage role and terrible relationship both come to an end. While there she is captivated by the life and work of a director named Miriam who plans to stage a classical Arabic production of Hamlet in the West Bank. As the title suggests, this book is about ghosts in all their forms: ghosts of relationships, ghosts of careers, ghosts of houses, political ghosts, even the idea of art as a sort of ghost. It’s stunningly conceived and brilliantly executed and I loved every moment of reading it. Giving the setting and story, it’s no surprise that Enter Ghost verges far into the realm of the political, so steer clear if that’s not for you. Amazon | Bookshop | Libro.fm
Telephone by Percival Everett. This is the FictionMatters Book Club selection for June and confirmed without a doubt the genius of Percival Everett. This novel was published in triplicate with three different versions containing some minor and some major variations. The version I read blew my mind in its own right, but thinking through the puzzle Everett created and how it intensifies the book’s themes was another level of brilliance. Amazon | Bookshop
Fellowship Point by Alice Elliot Dark. I reread this tome in preparation for my interview with Alice Elliot Dark happening this Monday. Paid newsletter subscribers and Patreon members are invited to join us for this Zoom webinar at 7pm ET on Monday, June 26th (link emailed Monday morning). I’ll be talking with Alice about Fellowship Point specifically, as well as about writing and reading more broadly. If you have questions for Alice, please submit them here and if you’d like to join us, consider upgrading to a paid plan for the month. In addition to access to this event, you’ll get an event recording, the complete Paperback Summer Reading Guide, Summer Samplings podcast episodes, and the entire backlog of paywalled newsletter content. If you haven’t yet read Fellowship Point, I highly recommend picking it up this summer!! It is truly a perfect summer read filled with lifetime friendships, powerful secrets, a fantastic summery setting, and thought-provoking details about the writing life. Amazon | Bookshop | Libro.fm
Now I’m reading…
I’m not sure! I’m not usually in the position of simultaneously finishing my audio and print books, plus I had a huge stack of bookmail come in this week so I’m overwhelmed with options!
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.
Add these Caribbean novels to your summer TBR.
50 great summer reads, old and new.
I love unlikeable characters and morally ambiguous stories, but this essay challenged my thinking in a good way.
7 stories about obsessive love.
Was Tolstoy right about families and happiness?
I think A.O. Scott decided to begin his tenure with the NYT Books section by writing down literally everything he knows about reading. The resulting piece is a bit of a chaotic mess, but does wander into some interesting points and questions.
End notes.
This week in views, listens, eats, and moments of joy.
I got Lou her own backpack (or, as previously stated, “pack pack”) so she can carry some of her own things when we travel. It’s almost as big as she is and SO stinking cute.
I always love hearing Annie and Hunter’s best books episodes on From the Front Porch.
Reading Telephone with the big group text that is the FictionMatters Discord channel has been an all-consuming reading experience.
I finally started watching season one of The Bear so that I can watch season two with my husband. I love having a really great 30 minute show to watch.
I’m trying to be more vigilante about sun protection this year. This is my go-to face sunscreen (still looking for a great body one if you have recs!) and I’ve been living in my hats more than ever. This is a great neutral one.
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Happy reading!
Sara