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