Three ensemble cast novels with drama and heart
Plus an epic nonfiction summer reading guide and the best books of the year so far
Hey, readers!
Happy Memorial Day Weekend to those of you in the U.S. Work wise, my summer starts after the release of my Paperback Summer Reading Guide, but mentally, my mind shifts into summer during this long weekend. Here in Colorado, we can also get pretty crummy weather well into May, but by the time we make it to MDW, I feel like we’re finally in the clear for warm weather and (mostly) clear days. I have been doing my best to get outside as much as possible, mostly by walking rather than driving anytime that’s possible.
As for books, I am deep into my new release binge after reading almost entirely backlist for the last three and a half months. I’m enjoying myself but I am reminded again how reading new books sometimes makes me feel…well…itchy I think is the best descriptor. I’m itching to find my next great book, claim a favorite of the year, or weigh in on something with buzz. All of that makes me itch to start something new while I’m still in the middle of something I’m enjoying. I need to figure out how to bring the same mindset I have for backlist reading to my new release reading, but I’m not sure how to do that. For now, I’ll keep trying to pick up the new releases that are calling to me—and that really paid off this week!
This week in books.
This week I read…
On Beauty by Zadie Smith. This was a reread for Novel Pairings and while I had more issues with it on this second go around, I also found it to be even more layered and brilliant. On Beauty is a classic retelling, a campus novel, a family story, and a satire, all rolled into one dramatic package. The writing is dense and erudite, but also filled with moments of true humor. It’s a favorite of mine and I’m excited for you to hear my conversation about it with
on Tuesday’s episode of . Amazon | Bookshop | Libro.fmWomen and Children First by Alina Grabowski. I’d seen glowing reviews of this debut from some of my trusted reading sources, and while it won’t be a favorite of the year for me, I am so glad I picked it up! The story centers on the death of a high school girl named Lucy and includes both the lead up to and fall out from this tragic incident The novel is narrated by ten different women—each of whom gets one chapter to tell her story and may or may not appear in the pages of another woman’s chapter. Some of the narrators are intimately connected to Lucy while others merely exist in the orbit of her small town. I liked the structure of the book—it was very reminiscent of Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips, which is a favorite of mine—and I thought it was mostly successful. Grabowski does a wonderful job of creating ten distinct voices (which is no easy feat!), and every narrator was nuanced and voicey. I was occasionally confused about when in the story I was (perhaps a byproduct of listening on audio), but my bigger issue is that I think the book might have been stronger if it had either connected all of the dots or committed to being a collection of loosely connected stories. Instead, this existed somewhere in the middle, which left me feeling a bit unsatisfied in moments. I’ll also confess that I felt a personal connection to an important element of this book that made it challenging for me to read and may have interfered with my overall reading experience, but that is no fault of the book itself. Still, Grabowski is a lovely writer with a firm grasp on characterization and how to build tension in a quiet, poignant way. Plus some of the moments of insight into the loneliness, anxiety, terror, and sheer boredom of being a young woman stopped me in my tracks. This is a book I highly recommend checking out this summer and I will absolutely be reading whatever Grabowksi writes next! Amazon | Bookshop | Libro.fm
Evenings & Weekends by Oisín McKenna. I really enjoyed this debut novel and think it is a fantastic bit of literary fiction for summer reading. It’s fast-paced, juicy, and dramatic—but still brimming with emotional intensity and complex themes. The story revolves around a group of friends and relations who all come from the same small town outside of London but are currently residing in the city. Maggie is newly pregnant and she and her boyfriend Ed are planning to move back to their hometown to save money and be closer to family. But Maggie has yet to tell her best friend Phil, who—in turn—has been keeping some pretty big secrets from Maggie. As the book opens, it’s the middle of a heatwave and the sweltering weather only adds to the frenetic tension between McKenna’s messy cast of characters. This was an interesting reading experience because while I really enjoyed it while reading, I didn’t necessarily feel pulled to pick it up when I was not reading. That could be mindset or could be that in spite of the dramatics, something about the plot lacked a true hook for me. While I didn’t love it quite as much as either, I think this is a great book for fans of Real Life and Conversations With Friends. I’m also very glad to have read it, especially before my London trip coming up in August because it really captured the vibrancy of the city. Amazon | Bookshop | Libro.fm
Now I’m reading…
Caucasia for the FictionMatters Book Club and Les Misérables for Novel Pairings.
Links I love.
I am obsessed with
’ Nonfiction Reading Guide for summer. And if you sign up for her paid Substack now, you’ll get to listen to me, Traci, and our pal chat about our favorite reads of the year and our most anticipated books of the back half of the year in a new episode of The Stacks Unabridged.Speaking of summer guides,
put together a lovely one that came out this week.The best books of the year so far. (NYT gift link)
10 new audiobooks for Spring. (The Millions)
The NPR critics are recommending 20 new books to read this summer.
Guess the book titles based only on emoji—it’s hard and really fun. (Electric Lit)
End notes.
This week in views, listens, eats, and moments of joy.
Louise has been loving sleepovers at her Nonna’s house. It’s amazing to get a bit of a break and a night of excellent sleep, plus seeing their bond deepen even more is so cool.
We made our favorite oven-roasted chicken shawarma for the first time in ages and it was just as delicious as I remembered.
We started watching Three Body Problem, and I’m into it in spite of not understanding the science at all.
FictionMatters Newsletter is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. If you’d prefer to support my work with a one-time “tip,” consider visiting my Buy Me a Coffee page.
For questions, comments, or suggestions, please don’t hesitate to reach out by emailing fictionmattersbooks@gmail.com or responding directly to this newsletter. I love hearing from you!
This email may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through the links above, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.
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
You’ve got me looking forward to Women & Children First and Evenings & Weekends even more now ☺️ And thank you for sharing my guide! 🤍
Loved your conversation with Traci and Cree!!