Read in July 2023

 

Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld: I'm not a huge romance reader, but I really enjoyed how this one broke out of the genre a little bit. It was a fun listen while I worked on my quilt last month.

Close To Home by Robert Dugoni: The Tracy Crosswhite series continues to be one of my favorites, however I liked this particular book less than the others. While most of the others involve investigations of either new or cold cases, this one had a straightforward crime with an obvious perpetrator. The majority of the book is about the Navy legal system which I didn't find interesting. The author is a lawyer so it's no surprise that a legal thriller would come up eventually. I will definitely continue on and hope that we get a good mystery in the next book in the series.

The Longest Race: Inside the Secret World of Abuse, Doping, and Deception on Nike's Elite Running Team by Kara Goucher with Mary Pilon: I think we know as a society now how dangerous these elite athletic clubs can be. Although thankfully no one in this story is underage, it's disgusting what the head coach of this running team got away with. Reading about the inside of elite running and how brand deals and payouts work was fascinating. I recommend this one even if you're not into running or sports.

Unsettled Ground by Claire Fuller: After finding Claire Fuller last year, I'm reading through all of her books. I can't put my finger on why they are so good; there is an underlying level of creepiness, combined with exceptionally human characters. She also tends to write about people who are on the fringes of society, which is especially true in this book. After the mother of adult twins dies, she leaves them in a precarious situation in which they struggle to make enough money to live on and keep position of their home. This was such a heartbreaking, but also life-affirming read.

An American in Provence: Art, Life, and Photography by Jamie Beck: I bought this book for myself as a birthday present, lured in by the beautiful photographs. It does contain a lot of text though; which is mostly all in teeny tiny font. I kept putting off reading this because I could barely see the words! Also: this woman is over-the-top annoying. Did you know that all you need to do to really live your life is to move to France, eat organic local food, and stroll through fields taking pictures of yourself, sometimes topless? But, make sure to be wealthy, name drop a lot, fly all over the world taking photos for luxury brands, and be disillusioned with the expensive real estate that you personally own. Oddly, she doesn't even mention until halfway through the book that's she's married at the time she decides to move to France solo. Eventually she has a baby which is the perfect time to talk about how French health and childcare is so much cheaper and better. WE KNOW. I felt like she was rubbing these things in the faces of Americans who already realize our healthcare system sucks, and personally judging those of us (which means, basically all Americans) who can't just get up and move to another country in protest. Oh, and about those gorgeous photos: they are all heavily photoshopped, which she freely admits to in the book. (Apparently you can buy prints of them.)

A Month in the Country by J.L. Carr: I wish I could remember where I got this recommendation from! This short book, published in 1980, is about a WWI veteran who arrives in a small English village to restore the frescoes in its church. Over the course of the summer, he uncovers a stunning work of art while forming relationships with some of the town's residents. It's a quiet book with a strong sense of place and time, perfect to read in the summer.

The Best Strangers in the World: Stories from a Life Spent Listening by Ari Shapiro: I read a lot of memoirs, and the bulk of them have to do with some kind of trauma or terrible situation. So, it was refreshing to read about someone whose life just kind of, worked out. Being gay and Jewish comes with its challenges, but Ari Shapiro has had a pretty charmed life. He writes about it in such a way that you're just happy for him. 

The Dogs of Riga by Henning Mankell: I hadn't read a Wallander book in a really long time, so I decided to listen to this one. It was published in 1992, which was a completely different time, both in terms of technology and politics. Much of the book takes place in Latvia, which had only just become independent from the Soviet Union. There wasn't too much investigating in this book, but rather things just happen to Wallander. I actually like the TV series with Kenneth Branagh better than the books.

I'm realizing that my Summer TBR was too ambitious, not in the total number of books, but in thinking that I would be able to stick to a list! The new books at the library are just way too tempting. There will be a handful of books left over by the time we hit September, and I still plan on reading them, just not within a dictated time frame. 

Creating a TBR for the year, however, has been successful. I'll update on that at the end of the year and will definitely be making some lists for 2024!