Two eerily magical books to slow down and savor
Plus books for True Detective watchers and a hero teacher combating book bans
Hey, readers!
This week I started prepping and reading for my 2024 Paperback Summer Reading Guide. It’s one of my favorite times of year, although it always starts with a lot of chaos and stress. I usually begin with randomly grabbing a few books I want to read in advance of the guide and reading them only to discover I really don’t like them, they don’t fit the categories I have in mind, or they just don’t feel right for the summer vibe I’m going for. That’s okay! Not every book I read for the PSRG goes into it. But it usually takes me this kind of false start to decide to sit down and get organized. This is the point when I look through my unread shelves, books I’ve flagged on Instagram or Goodreads, and a few other trusted sources and create a proper PSRG to-be-read list. Because all of the books I put into the guide are backlist (they have to be available in paperback by summer of 2024), I have near infinite possibilities when it comes to the books I include. This process of narrowing my focus helps me from getting overwhelmed and keeps me excited about the process of reading for the guide.
Because I’m now in the thick of PSRG season, I won’t be sharing every single book I read each week in my Sunday newsletters. It’s important to me to keep the books in the PSRG a surprise so I’ll share what I can each week and then deliver on some great backlist books for summer reading in May!
This week in books.
This week I read…
Ours by Phillip B. Williams. This epic book challenged me in many ways, and I’m so glad I read it. The story of Ours is the story of Saint—a conjurer who uses her powers to free the enslaved in the Antebellum south—and all of those who live under her power and protection in the community called Ours. About a fifth of the way through this expansive novel, I started thinking that, while clearly influenced by African American literary tradition, what the novel most reminded me of in terms of scope and focus is Middlemarch, because like Middlemarch, Ours is a community novel. My early expectations were that this would follow Saint’s story, but really equal time and attention are given to a wide cast of characters living, loving, striving, and hurting in the town of Ours. And like in any community novel, some of Williams’ storylines spoke to me more viscerally as a reader while I struggled to understand how others fit into the larger picture. There were many aspects of this novel that I enjoyed and appreciated. I thought Williams’ exploration of the tension between freedom and safety was explored with clarity and complexity. The characters felt real and the magic felt both wondrous and terrifying. But it’s the poetic details that make this book sing. The thoughtful attention to names and the impressionistic descriptions of place make Williams’ writing a spectacle to behold. But in spite of the vibrant prose and intriguing plot, it took me a long time and considerable effort to finish this book. I wasn’t eager to dive back in after time away and I had to consciously slow myself down to really understand what was happening on the page. As I was reading, I wondered if the themes of the book, force of the magic, and impact of the language might have been better served by a shorter novel. Or, if interconnected short stories might have allowed for the same expansiveness without the confusion. But in the author’s note, Williams shares that he “wrote a book of this length to give a full-life perspective of characters who may often go overlooked” (579) and I can really get behind that as a project. In fact, I found Williams’ brief author’s note to be highly illuminating and wish that I read it before starting the novel to help me orient myself. The last thing I’ll say about this hefty book is that I started it on audio (thank you PRH audio for the free copy!), and while the narration was very good, I wish I had read the entire thing in print. Once I switched to print (thanks Viking for the copy!), I appreciated the language much more and was able to more easily follow the story as it unfolded and expanded. Overall, this wasn’t a favorite, but I ultimately felt rewarded for a careful reading and am curious to pick up more of Phillip Williams’ poetry and prose. Amazon | Bookshop | Libro.fm
Flyaway by Kathleen Jennings. I read this book in consideration for the PSRG and while it’s not right for the guide, it is a special little book that I’d like to see more readers pick up. The story begins when 19-year-old Bettina recieves a note from one of her brothers. This ignites a mystery both because the note is rather threatening, and because Bettina’s brothers have been missing for a couple of years. As she begins an investigation to find out what happened to them and her father, we come to see that there’s more to the mystery than we initially suspected. Bettina herself is…well, not herself. Something happened following her father and brothers’ disappearance to turn her into someone docile and (perhaps willfully) ignorant. Trying to answer the question of what happened to her is definitely why I kept turning the pages. The point-of-view alternates between the present timeline told in the perspective of Bettina herself and stories of past events, folklore, and urban legends. This heightens the Gothic feel and adds a sense of eerie timelessness to the story. Flyaway was an intriguing read, but ultimately it wasn’t right for the PSRG because so much of the story is communicated through subtext and insinuations. It was at times a slow and frustrating reading experience that left me feeling perplexed, even as I admired Jenning’s unique style. At 175 pages, I was okay with that kind of reading to get to the bottom of the mystery, but I didn’t love it enough land it on the guide. Amazon | Bookshop | Libro.fm
Now I’m reading…
Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh for an upcoming episode of Novel Pairings.
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.
Lit Hub’s best reviewed books of the week include Philip B. Williams’ Ours. (Lit Hub)
12 short stories by Black authors to read all year. (Electric Lit)
Matthew Salesses (author of the book that transformed my reading life) on climate fiction. (Lit Hub)
I loved seeing a W.H. Auden poem pop up in the Atlantic’s archive this week. (Atlantic)
Did you love this season of True Detective? Try these books. (Vulture)
What the 5 love languages get right, and what they get very wrong. (Vox)
A Texas teacher is keeping a secret shelf of banned books in her classroom, and I love her for it. (NPR)
3 riveting new thrillers. (NYT)
End notes.
This week in views, listens, eats, and moments of joy.
We tried some of Blue Apron’s Prepared & Ready meals this week and they were pretty good! I don’t know if that will become our go-to, but it’s a nice option for busy weeks.
I finally caved and ordered some Vuori pieces. These are pretty great, but I’m actually more of a fan of this longer, looser pair for lounging around the house.
I bought Louise a bunch of these squishy animals and they are a huge hit. Easy to bring on errands or restaurant trips. And giving them a bath is one of the few activities that will occupy her for longer than 10 minutes.
My favorite clogs are back in stock and now in both hemp and wool.
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Happy reading!
Sara
I also have an audio copy of Ours and was thinking about listening. I’ll grab a print copy too. Thanks for the heads up!