summer reads {june, july, august 2019}
prepare yourself for a deluge of books! in the interest of time and space, i'm going to keep my thoughts brief about each one. my summer bookshelf turned out to have several real gems!
1) Oscar Romero: Love Must Win Out, by Kevin Clarke. a short but skillfully written account of Archbishop Oscar Romero, who was martyred in El Salvador for his controversial political and religious beliefs. Saint Oscar Romero was canonized just this past fall. 5/5.
2) All-of-a-Kind Family, by Sydney Taylor. one of my all-time favourite books as a child about a working-class Jewish family living in New York City. now even more delightful as a read-aloud to Greta (who was mostly interested in where she would fall into the age line-up of the five sisters). 5/5.
3) The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of the Little House on the Prairie, by Wendy McClure. the concept of this book was alluring: a grown woman decides to dig deep into her beloved girlhood world of Laura and Mary, learning as much as she can about the real Ingalls family and eventually retracing their steps from the Big Woods to the prairie and beyond. her writing style became a bit monotonous, however, and i found myself annoyed with how long the story dragged on. 4/5.
4) The Traitor's Wife: The Woman Behind Benedict Arnold and the Plan to Betray America, by Allison Pataki. fascinating historical fiction, told from the point of view of a servant in the house of Miss Peggy Shippen, who goes on to marry Benedict Arnold. 5/5.
5) A Man Called Ove, by Fredrik Backman. y'all, i think i might have a new favourite author. this book about an old Swedish curmudgeon made me alternately laugh out loud and sob. i think we all know an Ove or two ourselves, and we'd all do well to understand what really makes them tick. masterful character development and a story arc that manages to be both believable and supremely satisfying. 10/5 (yep, that's right. go read it.)
6) Dying: A Memoir, by Cory Taylor. a brief collection of the author's thoughts as she anticipates her own impending death from metastatic melanoma. she is direct, concise, and honest. much of the book consists of her reflections on her childhood as well as the experience of parenting her own children, seeking to integrate the living and dying parts of herself. 5/5.
7) Love Walked In, by Marisa de los Santos. a thoroughly enjoyable read with likable characters. the plot was wrapped up juuuust a tad too conveniently, but it was such a fun read that i'll forgive it. 5/5.
8) Cloister Walk, by Kathleen Norris. a truly unique reflection from a married Protestant poet who joined the Benedictines as a lay oblate thirty years ago. she writes about her experience as poet-in-residence at a Benedictine abbey. her love for the community is heartwarming, and reminds me a bit of Rumer Godden's In This House of Brede. 5/5.
9), by Laura Ingalls Wilder. another bedtime read-aloud. this one required some judgment calls and i ended up skipping about half of the derogatory content about the Indians because i didn't feel like having that discussion right before bed. i did include some of the more nuanced dialogue (mostly coming from Ma) and we talked about discrimination and privilege. still 5/5 for its authentic portrayal of pioneer life.
10) Station Eleven, Emily St. John Mandel. i don't usually read fantasy/post-apocalyptic books, but this was an incredibly well-done novel that i still think about, two months after finishing it. the narrative shifts back and forth between New York just prior to a pandemic and the rest of the world afterwards. 5/5.
11) At Home in the World: Reflections on Belonging While Wandering the Globe, by Tsh Oxenreider. a pretty perfect read for me right now, although we're certainly not circumnavigating the globe with only one backpack per person. still, i related to so much of what Tsh talks about: the freedom/loss of living without 90% of your belongings, the reality that your kids' favourite part of traveling is going to be that day they just hung out at the hotel, the ups and downs in marriage as you bond intensely but are also constantly with your kids. 5/5.
12) Black Narcissus, by Rumer Godden. an incredible novel about a group of twentieth-century nuns who travel on mission to India. Godden herself grew up in India and her book is incredibly rich with authentic detail. throughout the novel, the nuns wrestle with that central conflict of all missionaries: how to help and not hinder, how to adapt to a foreign culture with grace and respect, and, perhaps most importantly, when to leave. 5/5.
13) Tuesdays with Morrie, by Mitch Albom. oh, my heart. Gramps mentioned this book a few weeks before he died, and i asked if he'd like us to read it aloud to him. so that's what he did. the author recounts the true story of his weekly encounters with his old college professor in the months leading up to his death. ever the teacher, his professor expounds upon tenets of living a good and fulfilling life at every visit. the professor also candidly talks about his emotional reaction to illness, from frustration and self-pity to optimism and choosing cheerfulness. 5/5 and bring a Kleenex.
15) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon. an absolutely heart-wrenching novel written from the point of view of a boy with autism. this should absolutely be required reading for everyone. 5/5.
16) Leaving Time, by Jodi Picoult. Picoult is one of my favourite authors for her impeccably well-researched books and her compassionate but unflinching portrayal of human nature. this book is about a young girl whose mother disappeared while working at an elephant sanctuary. the huge twist at the end caught me completely by surprise, and made me want to immediately re-read the entire book. 5/5.
17) Parenting Without Power Struggles: Raising Joyful, Resilient Kids While Staying Calm, Cool, and Collected, by Susan Stifel. ha! i needed this one this summer while dealing with some defiance and button-pushing from one of my children who shall remain un-named. her general philosophy is very much in line with the work of Daniel Siegel, Zen Parenting Radio, and Janet Lansbury -- that we are much more effective parents when we remain calmly in charge of our families. 5/5.
18) Calypso, by David Sedaris. oh, i just love David Sedaris. his work is so piercingly funny and bitingly honest. i read this in the days leading up to Gramps' death when i needed something darkly and self-deprecatingly funny -- not too heavy but definitely not saccharine. 5/5.
19) The Nest, by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney. a story about four adult children who have been counting on their family inheritance (referred to as "The Nest"), only to find out that it may not be there for them after all. i really wanted to like this book, but i found the characters simultaneously predictable, unlikable, and unconvincing. i still finished it just to see how it all turned out in the end, but in a world where there are books to read like A Man Called Ove, don't waste your time. 3/5.
20) Brunelleschi's Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture, by Ross King. this was so good! an incredible deep dive into the cultural, social and political milieu of Renaissance Florence. some of the architectural detail got a bit too technical for me, but i pretended i knew what it meant and carried on. 5/5.
21) And Now We Have Everything: On Motherhood Before I Was Ready, by Meaghan O'Connell. i think this should be required reading for everyone who's about to have a baby or, maybe even more importantly, for anyone whose friend is about to have a baby. it's an unapologetically honest recounting of pregnancy, delivery, and the early years of parenthood. i so relate to her first forays out of the house sans baby, feeling like an hour alone is both infinite and infinitesimal. 5/5.
22) Speak No Evil, by Uzodinma Iweala. i found myself immediately engrossed in this book about a Nigerian high school senior who is Harvard-bound, whose parents are highly educated and want him to do well while still embracing his own culture. another book with a gut-wrenching twist at the end. 5/5.
23) Heroines of Mercy Street: The Real Nurses of the Civil War, by Pamela Toler. i started reading this book last year before we moved to Italy, and discovered it in a box in our garage when we were home this summer, so i finally finished it! it's a fascinating account of how the true profession of nursing began. 5/5.
whew! i'm hoping to do a little more spiritual reading now that we're back at the NAC and i have access to the library, but for right now, here's what's on my September shelf:
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Beartown, by Fredrik Backman
Charlotte's Web, by E. B. White (read-aloud)
The Gunners, by Rebecca Kauffman
Dark Matter, by Blake Crouch
Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines, by Nic Sheff
1) Oscar Romero: Love Must Win Out, by Kevin Clarke. a short but skillfully written account of Archbishop Oscar Romero, who was martyred in El Salvador for his controversial political and religious beliefs. Saint Oscar Romero was canonized just this past fall. 5/5.
2) All-of-a-Kind Family, by Sydney Taylor. one of my all-time favourite books as a child about a working-class Jewish family living in New York City. now even more delightful as a read-aloud to Greta (who was mostly interested in where she would fall into the age line-up of the five sisters). 5/5.
3) The Wilder Life: My Adventures in the Lost World of the Little House on the Prairie, by Wendy McClure. the concept of this book was alluring: a grown woman decides to dig deep into her beloved girlhood world of Laura and Mary, learning as much as she can about the real Ingalls family and eventually retracing their steps from the Big Woods to the prairie and beyond. her writing style became a bit monotonous, however, and i found myself annoyed with how long the story dragged on. 4/5.
4) The Traitor's Wife: The Woman Behind Benedict Arnold and the Plan to Betray America, by Allison Pataki. fascinating historical fiction, told from the point of view of a servant in the house of Miss Peggy Shippen, who goes on to marry Benedict Arnold. 5/5.
6) Dying: A Memoir, by Cory Taylor. a brief collection of the author's thoughts as she anticipates her own impending death from metastatic melanoma. she is direct, concise, and honest. much of the book consists of her reflections on her childhood as well as the experience of parenting her own children, seeking to integrate the living and dying parts of herself. 5/5.
7) Love Walked In, by Marisa de los Santos. a thoroughly enjoyable read with likable characters. the plot was wrapped up juuuust a tad too conveniently, but it was such a fun read that i'll forgive it. 5/5.
8) Cloister Walk, by Kathleen Norris. a truly unique reflection from a married Protestant poet who joined the Benedictines as a lay oblate thirty years ago. she writes about her experience as poet-in-residence at a Benedictine abbey. her love for the community is heartwarming, and reminds me a bit of Rumer Godden's In This House of Brede. 5/5.
9), by Laura Ingalls Wilder. another bedtime read-aloud. this one required some judgment calls and i ended up skipping about half of the derogatory content about the Indians because i didn't feel like having that discussion right before bed. i did include some of the more nuanced dialogue (mostly coming from Ma) and we talked about discrimination and privilege. still 5/5 for its authentic portrayal of pioneer life.
10) Station Eleven, Emily St. John Mandel. i don't usually read fantasy/post-apocalyptic books, but this was an incredibly well-done novel that i still think about, two months after finishing it. the narrative shifts back and forth between New York just prior to a pandemic and the rest of the world afterwards. 5/5.
11) At Home in the World: Reflections on Belonging While Wandering the Globe, by Tsh Oxenreider. a pretty perfect read for me right now, although we're certainly not circumnavigating the globe with only one backpack per person. still, i related to so much of what Tsh talks about: the freedom/loss of living without 90% of your belongings, the reality that your kids' favourite part of traveling is going to be that day they just hung out at the hotel, the ups and downs in marriage as you bond intensely but are also constantly with your kids. 5/5.
12) Black Narcissus, by Rumer Godden. an incredible novel about a group of twentieth-century nuns who travel on mission to India. Godden herself grew up in India and her book is incredibly rich with authentic detail. throughout the novel, the nuns wrestle with that central conflict of all missionaries: how to help and not hinder, how to adapt to a foreign culture with grace and respect, and, perhaps most importantly, when to leave. 5/5.
13) Tuesdays with Morrie, by Mitch Albom. oh, my heart. Gramps mentioned this book a few weeks before he died, and i asked if he'd like us to read it aloud to him. so that's what he did. the author recounts the true story of his weekly encounters with his old college professor in the months leading up to his death. ever the teacher, his professor expounds upon tenets of living a good and fulfilling life at every visit. the professor also candidly talks about his emotional reaction to illness, from frustration and self-pity to optimism and choosing cheerfulness. 5/5 and bring a Kleenex.
14) My Name is Lucy Barton, by Elizabeth Strout. a short, beautifully written novel that reminds me of the writings of Marilynne Robertson. Lucy is hospitalized for weeks for complications following surgery. her mother comes to visit her (the first time she's seen her mother for a while), and her husband does not. an emotionally complex exploration of the bond between mother and daughter, husband and wife, parent and child. 5/5.
16) Leaving Time, by Jodi Picoult. Picoult is one of my favourite authors for her impeccably well-researched books and her compassionate but unflinching portrayal of human nature. this book is about a young girl whose mother disappeared while working at an elephant sanctuary. the huge twist at the end caught me completely by surprise, and made me want to immediately re-read the entire book. 5/5.
17) Parenting Without Power Struggles: Raising Joyful, Resilient Kids While Staying Calm, Cool, and Collected, by Susan Stifel. ha! i needed this one this summer while dealing with some defiance and button-pushing from one of my children who shall remain un-named. her general philosophy is very much in line with the work of Daniel Siegel, Zen Parenting Radio, and Janet Lansbury -- that we are much more effective parents when we remain calmly in charge of our families. 5/5.
18) Calypso, by David Sedaris. oh, i just love David Sedaris. his work is so piercingly funny and bitingly honest. i read this in the days leading up to Gramps' death when i needed something darkly and self-deprecatingly funny -- not too heavy but definitely not saccharine. 5/5.
19) The Nest, by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney. a story about four adult children who have been counting on their family inheritance (referred to as "The Nest"), only to find out that it may not be there for them after all. i really wanted to like this book, but i found the characters simultaneously predictable, unlikable, and unconvincing. i still finished it just to see how it all turned out in the end, but in a world where there are books to read like A Man Called Ove, don't waste your time. 3/5.
20) Brunelleschi's Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture, by Ross King. this was so good! an incredible deep dive into the cultural, social and political milieu of Renaissance Florence. some of the architectural detail got a bit too technical for me, but i pretended i knew what it meant and carried on. 5/5.
21) And Now We Have Everything: On Motherhood Before I Was Ready, by Meaghan O'Connell. i think this should be required reading for everyone who's about to have a baby or, maybe even more importantly, for anyone whose friend is about to have a baby. it's an unapologetically honest recounting of pregnancy, delivery, and the early years of parenthood. i so relate to her first forays out of the house sans baby, feeling like an hour alone is both infinite and infinitesimal. 5/5.
22) Speak No Evil, by Uzodinma Iweala. i found myself immediately engrossed in this book about a Nigerian high school senior who is Harvard-bound, whose parents are highly educated and want him to do well while still embracing his own culture. another book with a gut-wrenching twist at the end. 5/5.
23) Heroines of Mercy Street: The Real Nurses of the Civil War, by Pamela Toler. i started reading this book last year before we moved to Italy, and discovered it in a box in our garage when we were home this summer, so i finally finished it! it's a fascinating account of how the true profession of nursing began. 5/5.
whew! i'm hoping to do a little more spiritual reading now that we're back at the NAC and i have access to the library, but for right now, here's what's on my September shelf:
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Beartown, by Fredrik Backman
Charlotte's Web, by E. B. White (read-aloud)
The Gunners, by Rebecca Kauffman
Dark Matter, by Blake Crouch
Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines, by Nic Sheff
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