Three (very different!) books with reader protagonists
Plus the new releases I'm catching up on and all the summer reading guides
Hey, readers!
One delightful and unexpected benefit of putting out my Paperback Summer Reading Guide is that as soon as it was out in the world on Wednesday, I felt a flood of summer feelings of my own hit me. While the work of putting together the PSRG is much more pleasant then grading finals and submitting end-of-year grades, I was struck by that same rush of being done with a Big Project—and now my own summer reading freedom can commence!
If you missed Wednesday’s email, you can still download the Paperback Summer Shortlist: 12 Moods, 12 Books now. The complete PSRG is also available to you if you ever decide you want more! You can access all 48 titles by purchasing the standalone guide, joining the FictionMatters Literary Society on Patreon, or upgrading to the paid version of the newsletter. From now until May 31st, new paid subscribers can take advantage of the Paperback Summer Reading Guide Special Offer and get an annual subscription for $40.
For now, let’s return to business as usual with our regular Sunday newsletter. If you’re new here (welcome!!), every Sunday I share the books I finished this week, what I’m reading now, a literary link roundup, and what’s bringing me joy this week. I hope today’s newsletter can help you find something great to read, watch, listen to, or wear.
And if you enjoy today’s newsletter, please forward it along to a book loving friend. I am very close to reaching 5000 subscribers to this little passion project of mine and I’ll be hosting an exciting giveaway when I reach that goal!
This week in books.
This week I read…
The Wild Book by Juan Villoro. This was the last selection in our Novel Pairings Children’s Literature semester. While reading this made me realize that I’m ready to take a break from kid lit, it also helped me reflect on the power of kid lit and the joy of returning to it as an adult. The Wild Book was exceedingly popular in Mexico but this was my first experience with 2017 English translation. The story follows a boy named Juan who goes to stay with his eccentric and bookish uncle for a summer. While there, Juan discovers that he is a special and powerful reader with the ability to shape the books he reads and his uncle tasks him with taming what he terms th “Wild Book.” The magic in this story is murky, but in a lovely way that lets readers interpret it for themselves and consider what Villoro might be saying about books and reading. This is a super fun one that might not be right for most adult readers, but should definitely be on your radar for readalouds or gifts for bookish kiddos. Our Novel Pairings discussion will air on Tuesday, May 30th so make sure you’re subscribed! Amazon | Bookshop | Libro.fm
So Big by Edna Ferber. There’s something bittersweet about discovering a new-to-you old book. I loved reading So Big and am particularly glad to have gotten to read it with the FictionMatters Book Club. On the other hand, I kept wondering why I hadn’t read this before—in particular why it wasn’t in any of my college classes or why I hadn’t found it and brought it into my own classroom. So Big won the Pulitzer Prize in 1925, but for whatever reason it has completely fallen out of favor among scholars. That’s a shame because this story is incredibly readable, funny, poignant, and different from so many classics we read in school! It features a strong woman protagonist who—though we may not always like her choices—is the captain of her own life in so many essential ways. It’s a 1920s novel that’s not set in NYC and while the story isn’t tied in a bow at the end, it’s not the utterly depressing end that so many classics have. I loved this book and think many readers will love it too, even if you don’t typically read books that are 100 years old! It’s funny and charming and modern in its way, though there are certainly problematic passages that will remind you of its publication date. Amazon | Bookshop | Libro.fm
Nobody is Ever Missing by Catherine Lacey. I started this book as a possible inclusion for the Paperback Summer Reading Guide. I could tell at around the 50 page mark that it wasn’t going to be right for this year’s PSRG, but I also really enjoyed Lacey’s writing so I picked it right back up after I hit publish on Wednesday’s launch. This is Lacey’s debut and my first book of hers to read (though I’m eager to pick up her newest Biography of X), and I enjoyed it. It follows a young woman named Elyria who has left her husband and home in NYC and is hitchhiking through New Zealand. I loved the use of a stereotypically masculine “roadtrip to find yourself” trope to craft a story that’s essentially all about feminine rage. And Lacey is an exceptional writer who certainly elevates stream-of-consciousness prose. I have some major quibbles with it which I’m still processing and will unpack in May’s Ranked Reading Recap, but I found another writer whose work I’m eager to explore, and that’s always a wonderful feeling. Amazon | Bookshop | Libro.fm
Now I’m reading…
The Centre by Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi. Chelsey, my friend and Novel Pairings co-host, has been championing The Centre since she read an early copy back in December. She declared it the best book she read in 2022, even though it won’t even release until July of this year! I’ve been eager to pick it up since she talked about it, but I wanted to wait until its pub date was a little closer. I’m so excited to finally dive in! Amazon | Bookshop | Libro.fm
In Memoriam by Alice Winn. This has been so many readers favorite book of 2023 so far and I wanted to wait until the hype cooled off a little before giving it a try. I’m literally 10 pages in and have already been moved to near tears so I’m a little worried about my heart, but also looking forward to an impactful reading experience. Amazon | Bookshop | Libro.fm
Monsters by Claire Dederer. Another book I put off until post-PSRG, I am ready to think deeply about the question of separating the art from the artist. I have a feeling this book will inspire a few Reading in Public topics so if you want to pick it up and read it along with me, I’d love that! Amazon | Bookshop | Libro.fm
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.
It’s summer reading guide season, and I’m ready to make my list of must-read books! The NYT list is always a favorite for me and I like this (more manageable) roundup from NPR as well. Lit Hub also shared the fiction and nonfiction they’re loving for summer reading—I always appreciate their literary taste! Now all I need are Obama’s recs!
This is a fascinating look at how Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow became a surprise hit and instant classic.
I got this book in a subscription from Skylight Books and now I’m even more excited to read it.
Books about book people to read after you finish Yellowface.
I just love this title: “10 Screen Adaptations Much, Much Worse than the Books They’re Based On.” My favorite love-to-hate-it movie made the list…did yours?
I had never read this essay about Austen adaptations from 1998 but it is so cranky and so good!
End notes.
This week in views, listens, eats, and moments of joy.
I’m really loving my Nuuly subscription! Nuuly is a clothing rental company that sends you six items at a time. You wear them for a month, send them back, and get six new items. I’ve only gotten one shipment so far, but it’s been a great way to 1) try out items I’ve been eyeing but am not ready to commit to and 2) wear fun clothes I probably won’t spend money on to purchase. I’m really excited to try it for some upcoming vacations too. I don’t have an affiliate partnership with Nuuly, but I do have a referral link if you want to give it a try!
Speaking of summer wardrobes, I’m really happy with these jean shorts I purchased from Madewell. I’ve exclusively worn cutoffs in recent years, and I like the more polished, but still casual, vibe these have. Everything at Madewell is 30% off through the weekend with the code WARMPUP.
I’m really looking forward to seeing how the incredible writers of Succession end the series. This theory based on a main character’s name seems pretty compelling to me.
I cleaned my office after months of PSRG stacks had gotten out of control. It’s amazing what a tidier work space can do for my productivity—not that I don’t also thrive on the chaos.
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Happy reading!
Sara
Ella Enchanted basically took the source material and threw it out the window, but somehow I still enjoyed the movie. Give me Hugh Dancy and a bunch of big musical numbers and I’m good. 😆
Your newsletter with my husband’s blueberry pancakes are my favorite part of every Sunday! I’m going to preorder The Centre (that cover!) and thinking about Monsters on audio. I own In Memoriam and am eager to start it, but wondering if it goes with my summer reading plan. Seems like it could be a good fall book. Or maybe I can sneak it in before June 1.