My Recent Reads: April-August 2020
/It’s happened- I’ve made my randomly timed book recommendations on Instagram Stories into a recurring blog post series! 🥳 I loved all of the feedback on the first post of this series back in March so much that it had.👏🏽to.👏🏽 be.👏🏽done.👏🏽
As you’ll find going through the list, there are hits and misses, old books and new. Once my local library closed in March as per county pandemic guidelines, I slowed down for a bit, only reading whatever book I could physically get my hands on at my nearest Little Free Library. K and I then transitioned to sharing our one old and trusty iPad to read our Libby e-books, but as you can imagine, that situation had to end quickly. ⚔️ I have since become the happy giftee of an Amazon Fire tablet for my 8 years of amazing wifely contributions 😝and peace has reigned supreme. Just FYI, if you read e-books, public libraries have a number of device-dependent apps (Axis 360 is the library app that I now use as Libby doesn’t work on the Fire), so be sure to check your library's website for what’s compatible on your device.
Now, let’s get to it!
How Could She by Lauren Mechling
Sort of a sad beginning to this roster, but I didn’t love this one.🙈 Was honestly surprised that I didn’t because the book got a lot of buzz on social media! Centered on the evolution of female friendships, the plot is super relatable. But that’s about the only nice thing I can say. I thought the characters lacked depth and didn’t find myself invested at all.
Hence the meh review. Let’s move on.
2. The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown
AMAZING. I had no primer on rowing when I began this book, but I ended it with the utmost respect and admiration for the sport and the sportsmen detailed in it. Daniel James Brown is a master storyteller of the lives of the 1936 US Olympic rowing team, inspiring the kind of personal investment in them that only excellent writing can. It’s rare that I read non-fiction, let alone recommend it to everyone I know, so you better take it to heart when I say that you must read this. ❤️
3. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
In 2019, I was introduced to Madeline Miller’s vivid, poetic writing in an all time favorite- Circe. This book precedes Circe, but true to her style, it too brings beautifully to life a legendary tale in Greek mythology. The character of Achilles is at once tender and strong, and the love story that the plot centers on is heartwarming and heartrending at once. Reading her two books has piqued my interest in Greek mythology so much, I’ve been on the hunt for a good documentary series or book(s) on the topic. Please send suggestions my way! 🙏🏽
4. Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson
I literally had no context when I picked this book mid-April, until my reading it coincided exactly with George Floyd’s murder. As you’re probably aware, a historic movement against white supremacy has since gained ground around the world. My own personal effort towards better allyship includes a black author reading list, and I’m happy to report that several titles on it have made it to this list. Jacqueline Woodson’s writing is a timely and especially excellent window into the experiences of the African American family.
5. American Royals by Katherine McGee
I don’t know about you, but my sanity in 2020 requires that I alternate heavy and light reads? Sandwiched between two heavy reads, this book was a mindless little escape into the frills and fancies of bookish royalty. Great YA level teenage romances and glamorous parties aside, I’ve found myself constantly pondering the premise of the book, which is that America is a monarchy where George Washington is king instead of president. Fascinating, yes, but also eerie given that democracy isn’t the in thing as per the news lately.😳
6. Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo
This book blew me away. 💯 A title on my BLM reading list, it is such an artful narration of the stories of a truly diverse cast of Black women. I’m embarrassed to admit that the book brought to fore some of my own stereotypical views on the female Black lived experience, but aren’t such self-revelations why we sometimes read? If you tend to have a monolithic view of Black women and people in general, it is a must read!
7. Writers & Lovers by Lily King
Guys, Lily King is such a master wordsmith. A single chapter in, I was rooting very hard for her moody, vulnerable, struggling writer protagonist. A messy life, complicated relationships, the hard decisions particular to growing up and into one’s 30s… these are things put onto paper by her so well. Currently itching to read her earlier book- Euphoria.
8. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
You know that I love Ann Patchett and I have unreservedly raved about Dutch House and Commonwealth in an earlier post, but this… is not my favorite from her. It’s one of her older books and I have to admit I only read it because it was there for the taking at the Little Free Library. The pace was too slow for my liking, which is a shame because an evolving hostage situation at a private concert for international diplomats seemed like a promising plot!
9. The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
Based on a true love story born amidst the atrocity against humanity that were the concentration camps of Auschwitz in Nazi Germany, this biographical tale is important reading material, as is every story of World War II survivors and non-survivors. The writing itself fell a little flat on its promise of taking the reader along on the journey, so I’d recommend reading with tempered expectations!
10. Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Yet another title on my BLM reading list and a much anticipated one at that, as I’d seen rave reviews of it all around. A multigenerational saga of the families of a pair of Ghanaian half-sisters that spans across continents and time, it’s a story of slavery on an EPIC scale. I admit that it was hard and slow reading given the difficult topics at hand, but I look back now with immense gratitude for the gifted writer who is Yaa Gyasi. Her just released work, Transcendent Kingdom, is high up on my current wishlist!
11. Big Summer by Jennifer Weiner
Such an entertaining read! If you’re looking for a lighthearted summery beachy book, this might be it. Several current themes like body positivity, influencer culture and female friendships run through this fun story, and oh, be warned that there is a twist in the tale early on in the book that I did not foresee! Also gave me major wanderlust for New England in the summer. Campaign Cape Cod 2021!💘
12. Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
The fourth title from my BLM reading list, this smart novel was deceptively fast-paced as a female centric coming-of-age story centered around racism until I got to the end and went… huh. Because it was so much more nuanced than that when I was done processing it! The concepts of white guilt and white saviorism are undercurrents to the whole book, and even if you find yourself annoyed with the two leading women and their complicated dynamic like I did, it’s a very current take on cross-race relationships.
13. Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld
This book was RIVETING! If you, like me, mistakenly thought that it’s another autobiography of HRC, it is not. It’s her life re-imagined as the woman who dates but doesn’t marry Bill Clinton, and yes, it was just as exhilarating and frustrating as you’d imagine. As I’ve talked about in this blog post, politics is an (unfortunate) interest of mine, and it totally felt like my worlds were colliding with this piece of brilliant fictional writing on a major political personality. Thoroughly enjoyed this fantasyland version of Hillary!🤓
And now, let’s discuss! I’d love to know what you are reading, and your thoughts on any of these titles.😊
Thank you for making it to the end, have a good week ahead and please stay safe & well!
XO Sushmitha :)
