Book Blog: May and June 2024
It’s summer, and what better season to make a date with a book? It’s hot hot hot here in Washington State so you’ll catch me reading on the deck late in the day (it’s light until almost 10pm!) or from the air-conditioned house. It was an incredibly busy two months of work but thank goodness for the stress-busting of reading. Here are my favorites from the 21 books I read in May and June!
Fiction
The Running Grave (Robert Galbraith): I couldn’t stop reading this book after a bit of a slow start in the first 100 or so pages because I was so thrilled to be back with Cormoran and Robin and their latest mystery. Given that cults and other high-control groups are super buzzy right now, I really appreciated the setting and mood I got as a reader when Robin joins the UHC’s farm in Norfolk. I mean, we’re now seven books into the series and maybe, just maaaaybe we’re finally moving towards a resolution in the attraction between Cormoran and Robin — or maybe we aren’t? Dang it, I have to get my hands on #8 the moment it’s released!
Remarkably Bright Creatures (Shelby Van Pelt): This is a super-sweet book that weaves together the story of a widow named Tova, a young man named Cameron who is seeking his father, and an octopus named Marcellus who narrates the story (as well as finds fun ways to escape his tank). Set in the beautiful PNW, a sentient octopus could be super-gimicky, but it was actually different, creative, and quirky. This is a summer read in the best sense — showcasing the normal and surprising moments in our daily lives.
The Wind Knows My Name (Isabel Allende): Put me down in the “it’s still too early to read pandemic novels” column, which was what made me reconsider if I wanted to add Allende’s latest novel to my recommended list. I wasn’t entirely thrilled with the (small-ish) amount of political commentary (it’s a novel — can we just not?)The problem is that she is such a talented writer and makes the characters in her story interesting, complicated, and relatable. In this book, the stories weave from minors crossing the US/Mexico border in 2020 all the way back to children escaping the Holocaust. The way it weaves was what I loved about the book the most.
Non-Fiction
Break, Blow, Burn, and Make: A Writer’s Thoughts on Creation (E. Lily Yu): I feel extra special because I received this book as a gift from the author(!) and it was so thoughtful of her to do so! Because this book brought me so much joy and introspection any review that I write I fear will come up far short of my experience. I have never read a book like this before — which alone is saying something — but the author’s magical use of language interwoven with deeply thoughtful (and researched and referenced!) chapters made me pause for thought, laughter, and wonder. She weaves faith and works (writing) in novel and puzzling ways, and I found myself stopping to consider her words. Truly as this review shows, this book is beyond description, and would be a great fit for anyone who is curious to explore the connections between writing and God.
What an Owl Knows and The Bird Way (Jennifer Ackerman): Am I in my Bird Lady phase? Yes, I believe I am. I can’t believe how interesting birds can be, and it’s Ackerman’s writing that is engaging, beautifully balancing science and story, that makes it so wonderful. I know a book has sparked something in me when I fold down a ton of pages to go and research more, and that was the case for both of these! If you like birds or owls and want to better understand them, this is the best combination of science and story.
The Home That Was My Country: A Memoir of Syria (Alia Malek): This family epic follows Malek’s family, from her great-grandfather to her fleeing Syria during the Arab Spring. Syria is a country that is easily caricatured, but through the generations we can see factions split, neighbors argue, and people care for one another as the first and second Al-Asad regimes take control of the country. I had set aside my Read the World challenge for a little while, but now I’m back into it, expanding my perspectives by
That’s it for now. July is off to a fantastic start, so can’t wait to share more summer books with you in September. Happy summer, y’all!
Cheers, S
