Every season, I post my reading list and try to update you periodically on my progress. A little over a year ago, I made the decision to get back to reading as an act of mindfullness, relaxation, and self-care. I have enjoyed getting back into the rhythm of reading, finding the space to sit quietly and get engrossed in a story. My amazing Book Club also introduces me to new authors, a community of good humans, and provides hours of friendship and laughter through our shared love of reading.
I'm curious, what are you reading this summer?
Claire's summer reading reviews/insights:
8/10 Real Americans
This book was highly recommended by many friends and seems to be on every summer reading list! It tells the story of three generations of a family—mother, daughter, and grandson. While I liked the book, I didn't love it. Throughout the story, I kept anticipating a pivotal moment that never arrived. I was also hoping for a deeper exploration of what it means to grow up Chinese-American, but the author only scratched the surface. One of the stories explores the science central to the book, particularly the ethics of gene editing and selection. However, this topic was also treated superficially, as if the narrative was hesitant to fully engage with its controversial aspects. The writing style, though beautiful, kept me at a distance, never fully allowing me to immerse in the characters' experiences.
9/10 Verity
My book club read this last year before I joined and recommended it to me. It was a wild ride. Most surprising was the level of creepiness Hoover managed to evoke—especially for a first book in this genre. It is so compulsively readable that it's almost impossible to put it down until you've finished it. Hoover expertly leads us on a winding trail of lies and manipulation. Also,it's just seriously creepy and disturbing. The story, essentially Hoover—an author—writing about an author reading about another author, creates a constant sense that someone is lying to you. But who is it? That's not so easy to tell. It's clever because of the fear and uncertainty that Hoover, and all three authors, create. It's a must read.
9/10 Table for Two
This is a fascinating collection of short stories and a novella featuring distinct characters and varied themes set in both contemporary and historical settings. Towles explores themes of choices and consequences, family and trust, ambition and guilt, friendship, and appreciation for the arts, etc. This collection was thought-provoking and entertaining, with a perfect balance of wisdom, humor, and emotion, this collection is simply a joy to read.
The stories are fun—really fun. My favorite story was "Hasta Luego," where a business traveler is bullied into assuming responsibility for an affable, alcoholic stranger. That description might give you a "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" vibe. However, it's a flawlessly crafted narrative that brought me to tears.
6/10 The Four Winds
"The Four Winds" by the much-loved author Kristin Hannah was a disappointment for me. Having recently read "The Women," I had high expectations. The story focuses on a family forced to leave their home in Dust Bowl-era Texas to find agricultural work in California amidst a dangerous and politically charged time in the state's history.
I found the characters extremely simplistic, as Hannah painted them in broad strokes. Her storytelling style in this book is more tell-than-show, rushing from one incident to the next without carefully setting up scenes and observing their consequences. Once they set off for California, the plot closely mirrors "The Grapes of Wrath." I wanted more of her signature theme of women surviving during impossibly challenging times that normally run through Hannah's books.
7/10 The Berry Pickers
This sad sad sad story revolves around themes of family, identity, loss, hope, and grief. Spanning fifty years, the narrative is told from dual perspectives in alternating chapters. Despite the non-linear transitions between past and present timelines, the story flows well and is easy to follow. It's a slow, sad tale about a family whose daughter went missing without a trace and a woman determined to uncover a family secret. I appreciated how Peters depicted the aftermath of losing a child, the lack of answers, and its impact on both the family as a whole and individual members. Peters also illustrated how having unanswered questions and family secrets can affect the trajectory of your life in complicated ways.
6/10 Ink Blood Sister Scribe
In this debut novel, two estranged half-sisters are tasked with guarding their family's library of magical books. The story progresses slowly, so if you "prefer to savor your books rather than devour them" as one reviewer shared, this one is for you. However, the sometimes cringey dialogue and amateurish narrative style made it hard for me to form any emotional connections with the characters. I really liked the premise of magical books and curses, but I struggled with the stagnation of the three main characters, who lead isolated lives dictated by a male authority figure. The plot and writing only picked up around the halfway mark. Even with two romantic connections, this aspect of the story felt underdeveloped. One relationship, established before the story began, was mostly told rather than shown, making it feel shallow.
5/10 We Must Not Think of Ourselves
This story of love and defiance set in the Warsaw Ghetto is based on actual archives from World War II. Inspired by the testimony-gathering project Oneg Shabbat, author Lauren Grodstein draws readers into the lives of people living in the Ghetto during this pivotal and heartbreaking time in world history.
As with any story of this scope, there is love, death, and betrayal. Amidst the terror and sadness, there is also hope. However, the author's narration felt mechanical, failing to evoke the deep emotional impact intended. Rather than allowing us to witness the hardships faced by these individuals, we are merely informed about them. The narrator's factual and pragmatic tone in a situation that calls for emotion and desperation, with a glimmer of hope, fell short for me.
4/10 Never Lie
What a ride! I couldn’t put this book down until I read the last word, yet I disliked it greatly. It has McFadden's trademark suspense vibe with a crazy twist, but the way she hammered us over the head with a red herring felt a bit insulting.
Without giving too much away, my main issue was that the ending made some of the previous events seem unlikely. There were too many inconsistencies. McFadden was clever in leading you in directions that might or might not be the right ones, but it was clear when they were trying to hit a specific word count. Actual plot points were barely described, whereas designer clothing was detailed and frequently referenced for no apparent reason. It's a big no for me.
I plan to do another summer reading update after Labor Day.
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