Three weeks worth of excellent reading

Plus books for Pride, books for Paris, and why we forget what we read

Hey, readers!

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve gotten a normal newsletter to you and I have some great books to tell you about. May was a fantastic reading month and while June is shaping up to be slower in terms of quantity, I’ve really been enjoying everything I’m taking in. More recently I’ve been on a major podcast kick rather than turning to my audiobooks, but I’m looking forward to finding my next unputdownable read!

This week in books.

This week I read…

• The Weight of Ink by Rachel Kadish. This one was so good that I immediately made room for it on my Paperback Summer Reading Guide. It’s long. But with its dual timelines, literary mystery, real life historical figures, and feminist themes, I could not stop turning the pages. It’s billed as a readalike for Possession by A.S. Byatt, and I think that’s a great comparison, though Weight of Ink may be slightly more readable (no long Victorian poems to wade through). I highly recommend it if you’re looking for something to sink your teeth into this summer. Amazon | Bookshop | Libro.fm

• The Penderwicks Series by Jeanne Birdsall. Well I started the first book in this beloved middle grade series as a little break for myself between more rigorous reads and I ended up devouring all FIVE. I loved these books so much and thought the way they depicted family and friendship was truly lovely. I especially loved the character of Batty, and I cannot wait to return to these with my daughter one day. Amazon | Bookshop | Libro.fm

• Essential Labor: Mothering as Social Change by Angela Garbes. Garbes’s book Like a Mother was one of my favorite books that I read about pregnancy and labor during my own pregnancy. Her newest work is about parenting and caregiving as a means of social progress. It made me feel hopeful and powerful, and it gave me some great ideas about how to be a positive influence in Louise’s life. Amazon | Bookshop | Libro.fm

• The Sentence by Louise Erdrich. I love everything I’ve read by Louise Erdrich and this book was no exception. Set over the course of a single year and told through the perspective of a Minneapolis bookseller, The Sentence delves into Covid, the murder of George Floyd, and subsequent Black Lives Matter protests, all while being a surprisingly hopeful take on the capacity of humans to forgive and love. It’s also delightfully bookish and will blow up your reading list! Amazon | Bookshop | Libro.fm

Now I’m reading…

• Play It As It Lays by Joan Didion. This is the FictionMatters Book Club selection for June. While I’ve read Didion’s essays in the past, this is my first foray into her fiction. So far I admire it more than I like it, but I’m glad to be reading it and eager to discuss with the Patreon community. Amazon | Bookshop

Links I love.

Does anyone else forget details about the books they read? Here’s why.

8 books to celebrate Pride Month.

I really enjoyed reading Maris Kreizman’s reflection on Gone Girl and the decade that’s followed it.

Leila Slimani gave us a great list of books to read in Paris (or when you’d like to be in Paris).

Lit Hub’s ultimate summer reading list rounded up the best reviewed books of the season.

There’s some great summery (ie: a little bit frivolous and compulsively readable) nonfiction coming out this year including this book about the history of shopping malls.

7 books to help you understand January 6th.

I added way to many books to my shopping cart after discovering this list of translated books coming out later this year.

5 nuanced YA books to read this summer.

End notes.

Watching:

• I’m starting The Old Man as I type…I’ll report back.

Listening:

• I went on a Pop Culture Happy Hour bender recently. I loved the episodes on American Idol and graduations in pop culture.

• The new Slow Burn about Roe vs. Wade.

Loving:

• Being out east and seeing Louise interact with her extended family.

• I got some super cute summer PJs for Lou during the Hanna Andersson sale.

• Planning my own summer reading list now that my Paperback Summer Reading Guide is out in the world.

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Readers, I hope you’re finding the right balance in your reading life! 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!

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Happy reading!

Sara