Reading Recap: July & August 2023
Welcome to my annual summer slump.
For the past three or four years, I’ve gone through a reading slump at some point in the summer. This year, that slump hit in August. It is now almost the end of September and the slump is lingering! I had trouble getting into anything and ended up doing a reread. July was so long ago, but I loved The Rachel Incident and think it would make fabulous fall reading. Don’t miss it! Another thing you shouldn’t miss is my friend Sarah’s new book coming out this fall! The Power Beneath and Other Stories is part of her original series and you can learn more about it here.
July
The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue
Sally Rooney meets Katherine Heiny in this angsty book about two best friends who end up in some capital D drama. It was so nostalgic 90s Ireland that it made me feel like I grew up in the 90s in Ireland. I loved it. It was literary fiction without taking itself too seriously.
The Art Thief by Michael Finkel
This book was way over-hyped and it turned out very meh for me. It was just a bunch of repetitive stories a guy stealing art. Truly I did not find this interesting, but kept reading in hopes that something more interesting would happen. (It did not.)
The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger
Oh William Kent Krueger. Ordinary Grace is by far his best work and this new one was just okay for me. I personally thought it was trying to do too much. At its heart, it is a crime/mystery novel which kept me turning the pages, but I don’t feel like Krueger trusted his reader. So many details were just spelled out which made the writing feel a bit armature, almost like YA. I think this was a solid 3 star, middle of the road book for me, but I know lots of people will love it!
I Could Live Here Forever by Hanna Halperin
If you’re reading this, you can understand why I said I was in a book slump. This book was so dramatic and on a regular day I would have put it down and not finished it, but because of my slump, I just kept reading even though it also felt very YA! Maybe this newsletter should be titled Books to Avoid This Fall. Because so far, I’m only happy recommending The Rachel Incident and a couple more.
You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith
This book was so strange and lovely! Maggie Smith is a working poet who writes about the disintegration of her marriage in such an honest, humble, and visceral way. If I ever have a friend experience a divorce, I will almost certainly hand them this book as a companion.
The Sweet Spot by Amy Poeppel
This book was so cute! I am happy to actually give you a recommendation, rather than just complain about all of the books that didn’t work for me in July. This would be a great fall book because it is set in Brooklyn, it features a big sprawling family, fun characters, and a grouchy grandma who everyone loves to hate.
August
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
I loved it! This was the most heart-warming Ann Patchett I’ve ever read. It was sweet and lovely and a tad boring, but I greatly enjoyed spending time with this family. If you read and loved The Dutch House, I think you’ll enjoy this too!
The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith
Listen, if you aren’t already a Cormoran Strike fan, this book is not for you. It is the sixth in the series and I reread it in anticipation of the new book coming in September! It is my favorite detective series, despite the literal one thousand page count.
Happiness Falls by Angie Kim
Another solid 3 star book for me, but so many people loved this much more! I thought it was fine! The fact that this is the last book I read in August and my review are still “this was MEH” is evidence of my reading slump. Stay tuned for September book for more riveting content. I wish you a month free from reading ruts!