Summer Reading List, Part 4

Greetings, fellow readers! The dog days of summer are upon us, and I finally feel like I'm getting into the swing of things this season. While it may seem to you readers like books cover my hobbies, exercise, and social life, (which they do!) I have been up to a few other things this summer. I've been writing letters by snail mail to friends (if you want a letter, message me your address and I'll send you one right away), practicing my writing in the archaic German script Suetterlin, spending a lot of time at the beach and the gym, and making friends with all the neighborhood dogs, including Lulu, an English Sheepdog puppy who is just as goofy as I am (her hair's pretty poofy, too, so we have a lot in common!) I am also planning a trip to California later this month and continuing to work away at the bookstore.



(Behold, the Penguins of Florida!)

Fortunately, my reading has not suffered at all! Here's what I've enjoyed lately.

The Astronaut Wives' Club by Lily Koppel. I loved Koppel's first book, The Red Leather Diary, which is a true story of how the author found a journal from the 1920's inside and old trunk and tracked down the woman who wrote it so many years ago. I've always wished something like that would happen to me, and this book gave me the chance to live my dream vicariously.

Of course I was ecstatic to hear she'd written another--this book is about the wives of the astronauts who flew in the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo missions. Their story has never been told before (imagine that!), but seriously, without these women, the Apollo missions wouldn't have made it off the ground, and the U.S. wouldn't have put a man on the moon.

It wasn't easy to live with the pressure of being in the public eye, not to mention the stress and worry of having a husband in space when no such thing had ever been done before. The wives banded together, offering each other support and friendship through good times and bad. Their camaraderie survived divorce, suicide, alcoholism, and NASA politics, and ushered in the feminist movement and a new age of scientific discovery and exploration. I highly recommend this book.

A Burnable Book by Bruce Holsinger. This is a historical mystery (my favorite!) set in medieval England. It concerns a book of prophecies suspected to contain a plot for the death of the king. Poet John Gower (a real person, by the way) and his friend Geoffrey Chaucer, of Canterbury Tales fame, must unmask the conspiracy before the king is murdered.

Not only was the writing in this book fabulous, but so was the scholarship. The author is an expert on medieval literature who teaches at the University of Virginia, and I can attest to his thorough research, having read many of the books in his bibliography myself. I think this is the first in a new series--I sincerely hope so because I can't wait to read the second one!

Sense and Sensibility by Joanna Trollope. This is also the first in a new series called The Austen Project, where bestselling authors rewrite Jane Austen's classics set in the modern day. The writing wasn't stellar, but I enjoyed it because I love the original. I'm looking forward to the retelling of Northanger Abbey, which is my favorite Austen.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley. Summer really is the season for mysteries! It's my favorite genre, but still. This novel, also the first in a series, came to me from a BookTuber--you can watch her recommendation video here.

First of all, I love, love, LOVE! the protagonist of this book. She is eleven years old, her name is the Flavia de Luce, and she is the smartest little evil genius I ever did see. Basically, she's me as a child, only with a passion for chemistry that I never had. Flavia solves murders all on her own, despite the obstacles set forth by condescending grownups, and she does so in a way that is both extremely intelligent and roaringly funny. This book made me chuckle out loud several times, and I can't wait to read the next one.

The Deception of the Emerald Ring by Lauren Willig. I'm currently reading this one, which is the third in the Pink Carnation series--more historical mysteries, but with a strong romantic component. This one is about a group of English spies and their attempts to thwart an Irish rebellion. Again, the author has a J.D. and a Ph.D. in History, both from Harvard, so these books are immaculately researched, good for smart people who like a nice love story now and then.

FYI: the author, Lauren Willig, is really nice. I've emailed her a few times, so if you like her book, write her a fan letter, and I'm sure she'll reply.

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susana Clarke. This is another one I'm reading currently; it came as a recommendation from my friend Alex, and I bought it used for 50 cents (impressive when you consider the hardcover retails for $27.99). This one is about a society of scholarly English magicians during the Napoleonic wars who find their authority threatened by two men, the title characters, who--gasp!--can actually do magic. I'm not very far into this one--it's almost 800 pages--but I like it so far. More thoughts to come later.

That's it for now! I think it's about time for a cup of tea and a book . . . the only question is, which one?

Until next time,

Anna

Summer Reading List, Part 3

Greetings, fellow readers! I'm happy to report that as we approach the midpoint of the summer this Saturday, I am reading more than ever. Unfortunately, my book record-keeping system is in need of repair: ever since I filled up my last reading logbook, I haven't been able to settle on a way to record the titles I've finished. I tried Goodreads for a while but couldn't stick with it, perhaps because my TBR is mainly concentrated in my (very large) Amazon Wishlist. I've been writing book reviews for my library's adult summer reading program, but those have to be turned in to the reference desk, leaving me no paper trail with which to jog my memory.

That being said, I will do my best to reconstruct a list of what I've finished since my last post:

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin. I'll admit, once I realized this book was authored by the same woman who penned some very lackluster YA fiction a few years ago, I was less enthusiastic about reading it than I was after reading the blurb. However, I was pleasantly surprised by this touching hybrid between George Eliot's Silas Marner and Penumbra-esque homage to bookstores and those who love them. I don't know what's causing the recent proliferation of books about books, but whatever it is, please, keep them coming! This book is bittersweet, delightful, and heartwarming, a must-read for all book lovers.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon. This was another excellent recommendation from Jacob, which I finished last weekend. It tells the story of an autistic teenager who sets out to solve the murder of a neighborhood dog and gets more than he bargained for. This is a tale of family, thought, and altered perspective. I liked it very much; I enjoyed both the mystery and the character's distinctive voice. Reminded me of Flowers for Algernon and its sympathetic portrayal of mental disability.

Art and Physics: Parallel Visions in Space, Time, and Light by Leonard Shlain. This history of humanities and science written by a California surgeon took me back to the Good Ol' Days of my Science and Literature class. Shlain explores the predictive capabilities of art and examines how shifts in artistic perspective and representation prefigure new discoveries in physics. The "world soul" stuff at the end was a little too theoretical for me, but I really enjoyed Shlain's scholarship and idolization of Leonardo Da Vinci. This book made me appreciate modern art because of the way it taught me to see the world. It also sparked my interest in the life and work of the French artist Marcel Duchamp, about whom I cannot wait to read more.

Tales of the Otori: Across the Nightingale Floor by Liam Hearn. My friend Grant told me about this series, which he described as "Eragon set in medieval Japan." With a description like that, how could I not be curious? All I can say is, I'm so glad this book is part of a series because the story is so awesome, I don't want it to end. Though there are some fantastic elements, the book is based on Japan's rich history, something which I firmly believe people in the West should know more about. I can't wait to read the second one.

Circle of Friends by Maeve Binchy. I'm almost finished with this one, and though it is Binchy's Big Break, I'm not really a fan. For one thing, the storyline is pretty depressing: girl suffers from negative body image, unrequited love, and feelings of stagnation in provincial Irish town. Men and women alike are mean to this girl: they use her, make fun of her, and play with her affections. The other reason why I'm not a huge fan of this book is that I've seen what Maeve Binchy can do, and this is not it. In many ways, this prefigures the richness of Whitethorn Woods and Quentins, but it's not all there yet. I suppose that's what you get for going back and reading the early stuff after reading what the author wrote in her prime.

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. I just got this one from the library today, and I'm about halfway through it. I remember when this book came out, I thought it was silly to have a book for adults told from the point of view of a dog. How wrong I was. This dog is more human than I am, for goodness sake! I love this book--I know I will be sad to see it end.

That's it for now--I went to the library this morning and came home with a pretty sizable haul, so it'll probably be a while before I have enough finished to write another post. In the meantime, maybe I'll figure out a suitable way of recording the books I read!

Until next time,

Anna

Summer Reading List, Part 2

Greetings, readers! Before I get started on this second installment of my summer reading list for grownups, I have some exciting news: I got a job in a bookstore this summer! Needless to say, this is a dream come true for me, and I'm looking forward to many new literary adventures in the weeks and months ahead.

I haven't finished any more books since my last post, but I am currently reading four:

Firefly Summer by Maeve Binchy. I usually turn to Maeve Binchy for some literary comfort, but this book was actually really sad. It's very Great Gatsby-esque, with an American hotel tycoon expanding his business to a small Irish village in pursuit of his dream of returning to his homeland. However, his values clash with those of the villagers, with disastrous consequences. Nobody wins in this book; it was more of a bittersweet read than a comforting one.

The Vigilante Poets of Selwyn Academy by Kate Hattemer. Another YA recommendation from Book Riot, this novel is a hilarious account of what happens when the set of a reality tv show invades an arts high school in northern Minnesota. Though I am a bit older than the target audience for this book, I'm enjoying the jokes that only people who did music or drama in high school will understand. If this sounds like you, give this book a shot for a light, entertaining summer read.

My Life in Middlemarch by Rebecca Mead. I've discovered I have a penchant for literary memoirs, and My Life in Middlemarch is my latest fix in this genre. Some of you know that I wrote a 30-page thesis on George Eliot's first novel, Adam Bede, during my senior year of high school, and as I read this memoir, I'm reliving my own year of reading, research, and total immersion in Eliot's work. While the biographical sections are a little repetitive for me (I did read something like three different 800-biographies of Eliot while I was writing my thesis), this is a wonderful trip down memory lane for anyone who has enjoyed Eliot's work.

The Beetle by Richard Marsh. This is a gothic novel recommended by BookTuber Ron Lit. It's about a beetle that causes a political scandal in the British parliament. This book is very strange, and it's taking me forever to get through it because the story moves so slowly. My bookmark is languishing about halfway through this one.

Until next time,

Anna