Hey, readers!
I have loved all of the excitement around summer reading season that’s been popping up all over the internet. In today’s newsletter, I’m sharing some of my own recommendations for breezy beach reads and rounding up some of the summer reading guides that blew up my own reading list.
Once again, I started a lot of books this week before I settled into what I actually wanted to be reading. I typically don’t share books I don’t finish on instagram, but this week I’m going to write a bit about those here. Hopefully knowing what’s not working in my reading life right now will help you choose books that will work for you!
As summer officially begins for me, I’m trying to make some plans and set goals for all of my personal projects—this newsletter, the Novel Pairings podcast, my instagram, my currently defunct blog. With this in mind, I’d be thrilled to get your feedback on my weekly newsletter. If you’re so inclined, please take this short survey to help make sure I’m sending you more of what you love each week.
This week in books.
This week I read…
All Adults Here by Emma Straub. Oh I love this book so much. I will read any book about a complicated family and the secrets they keep, but Emma Straub truly has a gift for crafting readable family stories that are acutely perceptive, but still perfect for breezy summer reading. All Adults Here is about Astrid Strick and her three adult children who are all facing life crisis or dissatisfaction. Astrid herself has a secret she’s been keeping from her children for years. When she finally shares, it doesn’t go as she expects and her revelation unearths memories from her children’s youths that she’d rather forget. Not all of the characters in this book are likable, but every reader will find someone to root for. I particularly loved that Straub gives us some chapters told from the perspective of Astrid’s thirteen-year-old granddaughter Cecilia. Cecilia is charming, smart, and although she’s experienced a hard road in middle school, she’s not yet jaded. I loved the layers Cecilia’s character added to the text, but I really marveled at Straub’s ability to craft all of her characters and develop true-to-life individuals and relationships. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
The Undocumented Americans by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio. I saw a lot of book reviewers decrying the lack of attention this book has gotten, so I wanted to pick it up. In The Undocumented Americans, Cornejo Villavicencio shares her own experience as an undocumented immigrant, a student at Yale, and someone who struggles with mental health. Her vulnerability and honesty make this book viscerally uncomfortable at times, but it’s also part of what makes the book beautiful. Her voice is astonishing, and she frames her observations about the world in such a unique and insightful way. There’s a bluntness here that is rare in even the most honest of memoirs. This book isn’t just a memoir though. While she interweaves her own story throughout, Cornejo Villavicencio also shares the stories of other immigrants that she collected from conducting extensive interviews. The book manages to weave in common experiences and cohesive observations while celebrating the individuality of every immigrant’s story. It’s a beautiful book—a short and important book—that I hope more readers decide to invest in. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Now I’m reading…
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. I’ve been meaning to read this book since it came out, and now that it’s my book club’s May pick I’m finally doing it!
The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix. I don’t know if I’ve ever read a horror novel before, but between the title, the cover, and the social media love it’s gotten, I had to give it a try. I’m really enjoying the audiobook* narrated by Bahni Turpin, but since starting it, I’ve read more reviews that address the potentially problematic content of this book. I’m planning to finish, but I’m glad I know what to pay attention to and where my blindspots might be.
And I didn’t finish…
The Book of V. by Anna Solomon. The themes of this book aren’t connecting with me at the moment. Plus the biblical retelling element felt a bit too similar to The Book of Longings, which I just read last month.
Godshot by Chelsea Bieker. I’ve seen fantastic reviews of this book, and a story of a complicated family set in a cult sounds right up my alley. But when I started it I couldn’t focus enough to piece together the character relationships and history of the cult. I don’t think the book is particularly confusing, but my concentration is weak at the moment and I’m trying to respect that.
Uprooted by Naomi Novik. When I posted that I was reading this on instagram, I had so many people respond to tell me how much they love this book. For that reason alone, I hope to eventually finish it. However, I struggled with the style. Novik tends to tell readers what’s happening (I must have read at least 30 sentences that boiled down to “the Dragon was furious”) without really showing or proving what she’s depicting. I had a hard time losing myself in the story because of that, which is something I need for a fantasy novel to work for me.
Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas. I really wanted to love this book. I love campus novels, atmospheric writing, and gothic suspense, and this book promised all three. But the writing fell a bit flat for me. Even though there’s lots of drug, sex, and alcohol in this book, it overall reads more like a young adult novel in terms of style and depth. I know a few trusted reviewers who are reading this right now and if they tell me it gets better, there’s a chance I’ll pick it back up and just go in thinking of it as YA.
*You can get three audiobooks for the price of one and support independent bookstores by using my Libro.fm affiliate link.
Five favorite backlist summer reads.
As excited as I am for summer book releases, I haven’t read many of the books coming out this June, July, and August. In the links below, you’ll find lots of links to summer reading guides full of new releases, but here are five of my favorite summery backlist titles—the perfect paperbacks to pack in your tote, even if it’s just to head to your backyard.
American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld. For a fictionalized account of Laura Bush’s life that’s smart, readable, and just juicy enough to make it perfect for the summer season.
The Vacationers by Emma Straub. For a sparkling novel about family secrets rising to the surface during a two-week family vacation on the island of Mallorca.
Normal People by Sally Rooney. For a book about first love that will make you feel deeply, but that you can easily finish in a day.
The Other Typist by Suzanne Rindell. For a glitzy 1920s novel about obsessive female friendship with an ending that demands to be discussed.
My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite. For a bizarre and incredibly original tale of lust, sisterhood, and murder.
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Bookish reading.
I made a Bookshop list of over 60 great summer reads based on a poll about what readers are looking for in their 2020 beach books. There are new books and old, and something for every summer reading mood.
Lots of wonderful summer reading guides went up this week. I love this one from Sarah’s Bookshelves because she really nails the categories for types of books readers are craving.
And, of course, Anne Bogel of Modern Mrs. Darcy released her annual Summer Reading Guide this week, too. It may be her best yet.
Read It Forward put together a great list of upcoming summer releases. The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennet, my favorite read of 2020, is on their list so I’m eager to read the other books they’re recommending.
There are lots of great YA books coming out this summer, including long-awaited returns to two beloved series.
I’m really into BookRiot’s list of 20 contemporary adult books that may appeal to YA readers.
Independent bookstores are continuing to work hard to stay afloat and keep readers happy. This Washington Post article explores the ingenuity of our favorite indies and this Esquire article suggest that the book world has truly bonded in our current climate.
The Hard Sell: Passing by Nella Larsen
I’ve been pushing this book into people’s hands since I read it as an undergrad. It was unlike any classic I’d studied up until that point and I wanted everyone to know about it. I used it in my graduate thesis and as a teacher I’ve included it in two different classes’ curricula. It’s just a brilliant little book that explores complicated issues and dark themes through a propulsive story.
Passing tells the story of two childhood friends, Clare and Irene, who run into each other after many years of separation. As adults, Clare and Irene are living drastically different lives. Irene has stability with her husband and lives in a close-knit African American community in Harlem. Clare is passing as white and married to a hateful and racist man who’s unaware of her past life. The two women become entangled in, almost obsessed with, each other’s lives. And as their fascination and jealousy build, a sense of impending doom develops over the entire text.
This is one of the few classics I’ve read that I can honestly say makes a great beach read. It’s propulsive and intense and utterly absorbing. Plus now is the perfect time to read it because it’s one of our June picks for Novel Pairings and the movie version is (still…fingers crossed) scheduled for a 2020 release. Read this with a friend because you’re going to need someone to discuss the ending with!
Alright, readers! I hope you’re as excited for the summer reading season as I am and that your beach bags are stuffed to the brim with good books.
Happy reading,
Sara