i love reading in the springtime

Well, I love reading all year round. But you knew that. And anyway, it’s a more exciting title than “May books.”

May, of course, marks the end of school (the end of grading and class planning!), and the beginning of summer – of air-conditioning season, of mosquito bites and bare feet and fresh strawberries and evenings lying under the ceiling fan. (At least, in Texas we’re already melting.) It also heralds the arrival of some super-fun books. So, what I’ve been reading this month:

Love Will Keep Us Together, Anne Dayton & May Vanderbilt
It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of Anne and May and their witty, thoughtful, well-written books. This is the last in the Miracle Girls series, covering the girls’ senior year. Riley, a popular cheerleader with a big heart, narrates this one. The authors address some tough issues – life after high school, making your own decisions instead of pleasing your parents, and dealing with autism (Riley has an autistic brother). But they tackle the hard stuff with sensitivity and compassion – and there are lots of those oh-my-goodness-I-remember-how-that-felt moments. Great summer reading (particularly as it’s set in a beach town).

The Middle Place, Kelly Corrigan
I’d heard about Corrigan’s memoir but hadn’t read it – and then I found it for a bargain price on Amazon. And I loved it. She’s hilariously and sometimes heartbreakingly honest; she notices the little details that matter; and she loves her kids, her parents and her husband deeply. She’s got another book out called Lift, which I haven’t read – but I do love this video (“I Dare You”) of her speaking to women and recommend that you watch it. Right now.

The Creative Habit, Twyla Tharp
Amelia recommended this book after our time together in New York, and I bought it and tore through it. Tharp’s style is no-nonsense but compassionate; she shares what has worked for her over four decades of dancing, choreographing and leading dance troupes. (I was particularly fascinated by her account of working with Billy Joel to make the musical Movin’ Out, based on his work. My husband and I love Billy Joel, and Jeremiah sang the title song as a solo in Sing Song several years ago.)

Anyway, Tharp acknowledges that the creative life can be difficult; that it goes in cycles; that sometimes inspiration just will not strike; that some projects flop. But she also believes in hard work and discipline and being open to new ideas, and just a bit of magic. I will be returning to this book and her creative exercises over and over again.

Dreaming in Hindi: Coming Awake in Another Language, Katherine Russell Rich
I bought this book partly for the cover, which is gorgeous, and the subtitle, which is fascinating. Rich chronicles her struggle to learn Hindi and build relationships in Udaipur, India, where she goes for a language-immersion program. She’s intrigued by what physically happens in our brains when we’re learning a new language, so there’s a lot of research mixed in with her personal experiences. Sometimes the book is confusing – which helps the reader feel what she felt, I am sure. There are some beautiful moments, and some hilarious ones, mixed in with the confusion. Recommended if you’re interested in language-learning or India. (And yes, she does really dream in Hindi sometimes.)

Reading Lolita in Tehran, Azar Nafisi
I reread this for my book club, and found it just as fascinating the second time. Nafisi taught at three different universities in Iran before being expelled because she refused to wear the veil; she now lives and works in the U.S. The book is split into four sections, each focusing on a certain book: Nabokov’s Lolita, Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, James’ Daisy Miller and Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. (The setting is sometimes the university, sometimes a private class in Nafisi’s home.) There are lots of characters, and lots of jumping back and forth in time, but this book says important things about reading, literacy, freedom, women’s rights and imagination. I love it and would read it a third time.

Lunch in Paris: A Love Story with Recipes, Elizabeth Bard
Oh, I loved this one. I just grabbed it at the bookstore one day, and then took a while to start it – but once I did, I was hooked. I love food memoirs, though I’m no gourmand, and I love the food in Paris – so I could taste some of the dishes Bard wrote about, and follow her to the street markets (especially Rue Mouffetard) in my mind. Her writing is vivid and lyrical, and some of the recipes sound delectable (and actually doable). I’ve got a whole post on cookbook-memoirs coming up – but for now, let me just say I adored this one. Tres delicieux! (And on a related note: if you haven’t watched Julie and Julia, go watch it NOW. Perfect for satisfying those food-and-Paris cravings.)

The Baby-Sitters Club: The Summer Before, Ann M. Martin
Who else loved The Baby-Sitters Club? Anyone? I read TONS of the paperback, pastel-covered series by Ann M. Martin – I loved following the adventures of Kristy, Claudia, Mary Anne and Stacey (and later Dawn, Mallory, Jessi, Shannon and Logan). I never loved baby-sitting as much as they did, but oh how I loved the stories of their friendship. So I was THRILLED to learn that the author – after so many years – was releasing a prequel!

The Summer Before did not disappoint. It’s fun, honest and reacquaints readers with the characters we’ve loved since elementary school. The girls take turns narrating the book, so we get to see everyone’s perspectives – and there are some cool moments of foreshadowing, if you’ve read the series before. So fun.

The Recipe Club, Andrea Israel & Nancy Garfinkel
I blew through this in one night – it’s the story of two friends who trade letters, and recipes, through their childhood and teenage years, then don’t speak for 26 years. The book begins with them contacting each other again as adults, then flashes back to their letters (they dubbed themselves “The Recipe Club”) and jumps back to the present at the end. Heartbreaking, funny, honest and compelling – and a lot of the recipes look delicious.

Back with more books next month, of course…but I’m always looking for good recs. What are you reading this summer?

Advertisement