It’s too hot to do anything but read

Three things I love about summer: sandals, peaches, vacation. Three things I don’t love about summer: bugs, yard work, and the heat. I just don’t enjoy days when the real feel is in the triple digits, when a walk down the driveway to get the mail requires a shower afterwards.

What to do when it’s so hot? Read, of course. Indoors, wearing a sweatshirt because the A/C is too high, of course.

I’ve finished thirty-one books since my last post in March, reading twenty and listening to eleven. Ten of those books were four-star reads, and I’m reviewing eight of those here.

Non-fiction

Punch Me Up to the Gods by Brian Broome

Broome’s book tells his story of growing up as a gay, Black man in small town Ohio, and it is unlike any memoir I’ve ever read. From his “be a man” father and his exhausted, disillusioned mother, to the relentless bullies and bigots in the schoolyard, to the alcohol and drug-hazed young adulthood as an out gay man, Broome shares an unflinchingly honest and tough account of his reality. His writing is superb, full of self-awareness and laced with just enough humor to avoid becoming a pity party. 

Broome frames the memoir with his present day bus ride through town, as he observes a young Black man and his toddler son. It’s an effective literary device, alternating between this little boy with a wide open future and the boy turned man that Broome has become. I couldn’t help but reflect on how far we’ve come as a country in terms of embracing all people, and how far we have to go.

Thank you to Bookish First for an ARC of this memoir.

Historical Fiction

The Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson

In the decades before the Civil War, seventeen-year-old enslaved Pheby Brown has been promised her freedom by her enslaver (who is also her father). Instead, she is sold and sent to Devil’s Half-Acre, an infamous jail where enslaved humans are broken and sold. The jail’s owner decides Pheby is to be his “wife” and the mistress of the jail, and the young woman does what she must to survive so that she may one day gain her freedom.

Inspired by the life of Mary Lumpkin, this novel is tough to read in terms of its brutal depiction of the reality of slavery, but it is also tough to put down. I wasn’t expecting to rate it as highly as I did, but The Yellow Wife was a solid four-star read. It’s also an excellent book club pick and made for a meaningful discussion at my March meeting, when we were not yet all vaccinated and still bundling up to meet outside!

The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel

I marvel at how books about the Holocaust can be both horrifying and hopeful, heartbreaking and uplifting. Harmel tells a fictionalized account of a real life story of survival – that of thousands of Jews fleeing their homes and hiding in the forests of Eastern Europe to escape the death and destruction of German occupation. With a bit of mysticism and a remarkable young woman at its center, this novel is tenderly written and a remarkable testament to humanity’s ability to survive and thrive in the midst of evil. 

I have read many, many historical fiction novels from the WWII time period, but I knew nothing about the communities that survived in the forests. This is a compelling read.

Thank you to Net Galley for an ARC of this novel.

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn

This is another WWII novel based on real people and events, but it couldn’t be more different than Forest of Vanishing Stars. The plot alternates between two timelines. In 1940, three young women take jobs at Bletchley Park, where the brightest minds in England work to break German military codes. In 1947, one of these women is in an asylum, betrayed by a co-worker years ago. The three must reunite to crack the Rose Code, and expose the traitor.

This hefty novel takes a bit to get into, but I think it is worth it. If you liked Quinn’s The Alice Network and appreciate strong female protagonists, give this one a try. And then plan on deep-diving Google to learn more about code breakers and Bletchley Park; it’s fascinating!

The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys (audio)

Recommended highly by a trusted friend and available to borrow immediately from the library, this novel was an engrossing listen. In 1957, Spain remains under General Franco’s dictatorship. Wealthy Americans enjoy the sun and culture of the capitol city. American photographer Daniel meets Spanish hotel maid Ana, whose family, like many in Spain, still struggle under the fascist regime that keeps them fearful and silent. As the two get to know one another and Daniel’s photography exposes the true Spain, both are faced with difficult decisions that could upend their lives. 

Part mystery, part romance, and an amazing amount of history I knew nothing about, The Fountains of Silence is a surprising gem of a book. 

Kinda fantasy-ish

Reincarnation Blues by Michael Poore (audio)

Sometimes I stumble upon a gem of a book, not recommended by any friend or critic. I downloaded this audio book knowing nothing about it, and it was worth it. It’s a bit quirky, kinda deep, and surprisingly funny. It’s also a bit hard to explain, but I’ll give it a shot.

Milo has been reincarnated almost 10,000 times, in search of the life that will earn him immortality. Told through some of Milo’s many lives, the novel visits civilizations both ancient and future, each a mini-story in itself.

Not a fabulous teaser, I know. But if you are willing to give it a shot, this is ultimately a lovely listen with a fabulous narrator. 

Science-fiction

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

I loved Weir’s novel The Martian (the movie with Matt Damon was a decent adaption, too). So I was excited to read his next novel…

Ryland Grace wakes up in a spaceship, with no memory and two mummified bodies in the room with him. What could go wrong? Lots, obviously, but Weir takes the reader on another fascinating, surprising, and suspenseful ride through outer space. Grace is a witty, likable narrator, and once the action gets going, the book moves swiftly. Alternating between flashbacks as Grace regains his memory and the present time events, Weir creates a world that is fascinating and a little too close to the real world for comfort. Could this be our future? If it is, I hope we have a pair like Grace and his new friends on our side.

My only complaint about this novel is that there were times when the science became overly technical, and honestly a bit boring for this liberal arts major. But I skimmed those parts, and Weir seemed to correct himself quickly, making the jargon palatable and understandable for any reader.

Just a great summer read

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid (audio)

I’m a fan of this author, and her newest novel did not disappoint. It’s an easy read with the perfect blend of drama and intrigue.

The action all takes place over the course of an August day in 1983, when the four Riva siblings through their annual bash. Nina, Jay, Hud, and Kit all have their own secrets, even as they are revered by the world as the children of mega superstar singer Mick Riva. Mick’s a not so-subtle mashup of real life idols like Elvis and Jagger, and the present day action is peppered with flashbacks of Mick’s marriage and rise to fame.

By the day’s end, the Riva mansion will be in flames, and you’ll know everything. This book is a terrific summer read!

*****

My other two four-star reads are The Pull of Stars by Emma Donahue and It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover. Plenty of my three-star reads are great picks as well; feel free to let me know if you want any more suggestions, or check out my Goodreads profile.

I hope you can find at least one book to enjoy during the second half of the summer…stay cool and happy reading!