Traveling through space, time, and oceanic depths

Plus books to look forward to for the rest of 2022 and how to help your local library

Hey, readers!

I’m back home in Denver and while this has been a hectic week, it’s also been an absolutely fantastic reading week. I finished three books I loved, and I’m very excited about what I have queued up next.

This week is also going to be a big one; there’s a lot going on both with FictionMatters and personally. I’ll share more soon, but until then, let’s get into these excellent reads!

This week in books.

This week I read…

• Persuasion by Jane Austen. This book is just amazing. So much romance. So much yearning. So much wit. So much redemption. Pick it up now before the new Netflix adaptation gives you the wrong idea about Austen’s most breathtaking book. Amazon | Bookshop | Libro.fm

• Trust by Hernan Diaz. I don’t know how to describe this book without giving anything away. I went into it fairly blind, and appreciated that experience, so I’ll try not to say much here. Trust begins with the title page of a novel called Bond by Harold Vanner. Bond is a sort of Jamesian portrait of a marriage and the fate of one of the wealthiest men in American who profits from the stock market crash of 1929. The book Trust then goes in several different directions, repeating some patterns and taking us to entirely unexpected places. It’s a structural feat and a riveting exploration of the artifice of finance and fiction. Amazon | Bookshop | Libro.fm

• Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield. Alternating between the perspectives of spouses Leah and Miri, this lyrical novel explores the relationship between two women who are together again after a long absence, and the gulf that is still between them. Leah is a marine biologist whose recent submarine mission experienced something catastrophic. She returns to Miri totally changed, truly a shell of her former self. Through the book, we learn about both women’s pasts—together and apart—while witnessing something otherworldly, almost Gothic, dissolve them. I was transfixed by this story and mesmerized by Armfield’s prose. This is a beautiful book inside and out, and I think it’s going to be a new favorite for many readers. Amazon | Bookshop | Libro.fm

Now I’m reading…

• Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry. Still going strong! Amazon | Bookshop | Libro.fm

• The World Gives Way by Marissa Levien. I picked this up when I saw it on the staff picks shelf at Book Hampton, and then I heard more about it on the Listener Press episode of Currently Reading. I took that to be a sign, and started right away. I am hooked! This book grabbed me immediately with an explosive opening scene, and has kept me interested with fantastic world-building and a suspenseful premise. Amazon | Bookshop | Libro.fm

Links I love.

It’s finally here! Part Two of Lit Hub’s Most Anticipated Books of 2022 dropped this week.

Librarians are under attack due to rising book bans and challenges around the country. Here’s what you can do to help.

Two of my most highly anticipated books of the month were featured on the NYT Book Review Podcast.

15 discussion-worthy contemporary short stories.

The wonderful podcast Song Exploder is moving into the world of books.

I recently revisited the writing of Sandra Cisneros so I loved reading this reflection on what one of her short stories has meant to a particular reader.

20 must-read under-the-radar queer books of 2022.

End notes.

Watching:

• In a moment of parenting desperation, I watched some of Happy Feet with Louise. We both loved it.

Listening:

• I haven’t had much time for podcasts because I’ve been trying to get through as many audiobooks as possible these days for a (hoped for) upcoming project. But I hope to start listening to Mother Country Radicals, which was recently recommended at a FictionMatters Patreon event.

Loving:

• Now that Louise is game for leaving the house and not spitting up every 30 minutes, I’m loving actually getting dressed every day 😂 My current summer uniform is jean shorts, a loose short-sleeve button up, and my Nisolo huaraches sandals. I’m in the market for a few more button ups right now. I’m currently loving this one and have my eye on this, this, and this.

---

Readers, I hope your week was also filled with great books. 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!

If you’re looking for more book recommendations and delightful bookish community, consider supporting FictionMatters on Patreon.

And 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