July reading roundup #2

It has been a strange July: hot one minute, pouring rain the next. I’m still struggling to find a rhythm at my new job – I am enjoying it, but so much to absorb! Meanwhile, here’s what I have been reading:

A Deceptive Devotion, Iona Whishaw
Lane Winslow and Inspector Darling are finally engaged – but before they can get married, they have to solve a murder (naturally). This one involves an elderly Russian countess, a pair of hunters (and former friends), and a perhaps overeager new constable. I adore this series and this entry is so good.

A Most Clever Girl, Stephanie Marie Thornton
Double agent Elizabeth Bentley had a long career spying for the Soviet Union and then informing for the FBI. Thornton’s novel unravels her story in the form of a long conversation with Catherine Gray, a young woman who tracks Elizabeth down seeking answers about her own mother. The narrative – like Elizabeth – rambles a bit, but eventually picks up speed. To review for Shelf Awareness (out Sept. 14).

New Girl in Little Cove, Damhnait Monaghan
Reeling from her father’s death and a bad breakup, Rachel O’Brien takes a teaching position in rural Newfoundland. She’s greeted with equal parts welcome and suspicion – and this story of her first year there is completely delightful. The blurb compares it to Come From Away, which I adore, and that’s true – the island’s culture shines through. Found at the wonderful Excelsior Bay Books in Minneapolis.

Take Me Home Tonight, Morgan Matson
Best friends Kat and Stevie, both theater kids at a posh Connecticut high school, head into NYC for a night of adventure. Things quickly go wrong; the girls end up phoneless (with a Pomeranian in tow) and then get separated. But their individual escapades force both of them to reflect on their friendship and other parts of their lives. Funny and insightful.

Solo: How to Work Alone (and Not Lose Your Mind), Rebecca Seal
British journalist Seal has worked alone for years – it can be hard, and also rewarding. This warm, wise, insightful book dives into the pressures and joys of working alone. So helpful and validating as I’m working on a hybrid model after 18 months of profound isolation. I’m going to check out her podcast too.

A Scone of Contention, Lucy Burdette
Hayley Snow and her policeman husband are headed to Scotland for their honeymoon (with Hayley’s 80-something friend Miss Gloria in tow). Once they arrive, there’s plenty of family drama – and then murder – to go along with the scones. I love this cozy mystery series and it was fun to see Hayley in a different setting than her Key West home. I received an early copy; it’s out Aug. 10.

Most links (not affiliate links) are to my local faves Trident and Brookline Booksmith. Shop indie!

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July reading roundup #1

Between my new job, summer events and crazy weather, July is flying by. My brain is full as I adjust to life at ZUMIX, but when I get a chance, here’s what I have been reading:

These Unlucky Stars, Gillian McDunn
Annie has felt like the odd one out since her mom left – her dad and brother are just so predictable. But a summer where she makes some new friends, including a cranky elderly woman and her dog, changes Annie’s perspective. A sweet, realistic middle-grade novel.

Monsieur Pamplemousse and the French Solution, Michael Bond
Summoned home to Paris from a work trip, food critic Monsieur Pamplemousse and his faithful bloodhound Pommes Frites are faced with sabotage at work. This mystery was confusing at times but highly entertaining. Part of a series; I found it at Manchester by the Book.

Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted, Suleika Jaouad
After a cancer diagnosis in her early 20s, Jaouad chronicled her experience in a column for The New York Times. After entering remission, she took a cross-country road trip to connect with readers, strangers and friends. This memoir is unstinting in its portrayal of illness, loss and grief – but wow, what gorgeous writing and unflinching honesty. And finally, at the end, some hope. So good.

The Island Home, Libby Page
Lorna fled the small Scottish island where she was born as a teenager, and she’s never been back. But now she and her own teenage daughter, Ella, are returning for a family funeral. Page’s third novel is a warm, insightful, poignant look at family and community and facing up to our old fears. I ordered it from my beloved Blackwells.

The Road Trip, Beth O’Leary
Addie and Dylan haven’t spoken since they broke up two years ago. But when Dylan’s car collides with Addie’s on the way to a mutual friend’s wedding, they end up crammed into a Mini Cooper with Addie’s sister, Dylan’s best friend and a random guy who needed a ride. Parts of this were sweet and funny – I loved Kevin the truck driver – but many of the “past” parts were painful to read, and many of the characters are very self-absorbed.

Ways to Grow Love, Renee Watson
Ryan Hart is struggling to adjust to a very different summer. Between her mom’s pregnancy and going to church camp for the first time, there’s a lot of change – but Ryan and her friends meet the challenges with spunk and compassion. Sweet and funny.

Amari and the Night Brothers, B.B. Alston
Amari Peters has been struggling since her big brother Quinton went missing. When a summons arrives from the Bureau of Supernatural Investigations – a highly unusual summer camp that might give Amari some answers – she plunges into a world of magic and secrets. Super fun middle-grade fantasy with some sharp commentary on race and prejudice. I can’t wait to read the sequel.

Most links are to Trident, a perennial local fave. Shop indie!

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June reading roundup #3

Somehow we’re into July, and the weather has swung from the 90s two days ago to the 60s this morning. I’m finishing up week 2 at my new day job at ZUMIX here in East Boston, and trying to hang on. In between Zoom meetings and sweaty morning runs, here’s what I have been reading:

Very Sincerely Yours, Kerry Winfrey
At almost 30, Teddy Phillips is working in a vintage toy store and wondering what on earth to do with her life. A breakup propels her to make some decisions, including starting an email correspondence with Everett St. James, a local children’s TV host. I loved this warm hug of a book – I want to be friends with Teddy and her sweet, quirky roommates. Sweet and funny.

The Tumbling Turner Sisters, Juliette Fay
I enjoyed Gert Turner’s character so much in City of Flickering Light that I went back to read this novel, which tells the story of how Gert and her family got into vaudeville. Charming and compelling, though the characters sometimes felt transplanted from the 21st century.

The Amelia Six, Kristin L. Gray
Millie Ashford is a Rubik’s cube whiz, but she doesn’t have many friends and she misses her pilot mom. When Millie and five other girls are invited to spend the night at Amelia Earhart’s childhood home in Kansas, Millie makes new friends – with whom she quickly has to solve a mystery. A fun middle-grade tribute to Earhart and women in STEM.

Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants, Robin Wall Kimmerer
This book had been on my list for a while. Kimmerer is a botanist and enrolled citizen of the Potawatomi nation, and she weaves science with Indigenous stories and practices of caring for the earth. Gorgeous and thought-provoking.

A Sorrowful Sanctuary, Iona Whishaw
Lane Winslow is fishing with friends at the beach when they find an injured stranger in a rowboat. Then a local young man goes missing, and someone starts stealing antiques from various houses. Meanwhile, Lane and Inspector Darling are struggling to define their relationship. A satisfying entry in this wonderful series.

Most links are to Trident and Brookline Booksmith, my perennial local faves. Shop indie!

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June reading roundup #2

We’re in the thick of June (between heat waves), and I started a new day job this week (!!!), so am reading a bit less than usual. But here are my recent reads, which include both my favorite summer genres:

Dear Highlights: What Adults Can Learn from 75 Years of Letters and Conversations with Kids, Christine French Cully
For 75 (!) years, Highlights has been providing kids with entertaining, informative stories, quizzes and other features, including its “Dear Highlights” column where editors respond to reader mail. Longtime editor Cully collects and reflects on dozens of letters and drawings, on topics ranging from the everyday (sibling dynamics, dreams for adulthood, playground politics) to the super-tough (events like 9/11 and the COVID-19 pandemic). The letters and responses are joyful, quirky and heartening to read; it’s even more fun since I was an avid Highlights reader as a child. To review for Shelf Awareness (out Aug. 10).

Musical Chairs, Amy Poeppel
Bridget is hoping for the perfect summer in her rundown but beloved Connecticut house. But then her boyfriend dumps her over email, her grown twins descend with their dogs and quarter-life crises, the classical trio she’s a part of threatens to disintegrate, and her octogenarian father announces he’s remarrying. A joyful, zany, witty account of a chaotic family summer. I loved it. Recommended by Anne.

It Begins in Betrayal, Iona Whishaw
Lane Winslow and Inspector Darling have finally begun a relationship. So when Darling is called to London and accused of murder, Lane promptly follows him and does her best to dig up answers. Meanwhile, Constable Ames is dealing with a murder back in King’s Cove. A great fourth entry in this wonderful series; fun to shake up the setting a bit.

Three Keys, Kelly Yang
Mia Tang and her parents are now the proud co-owners of the Calivista Motel, but ownership comes with its own problems – from cranky customers to widespread anti-immigrant sentiment. Add middle-school politics, and Mia’s got some challenges. But she’s plucky and kind, and she won’t give up. I loved this sequel to Front Desk.

Yours Cheerfully, A.J. Pearce
It’s the fall of 1941, and Emmeline Lake and her colleagues at Woman’s Friend magazine in London are Doing Their Bit to help win the war. This means providing recipes, dress patterns and sound advice, but Emmy thinks they need to do more. Her series on women working in factories opens up a few cans of worms and some surprising new friendships. Sweet, funny and Very Pluckily British; a lovely sequel to Dear Mrs Bird. To review for Shelf Awareness (out Aug. 10).

Amina’s Song, Hena Khan
After a summer vacation in Pakistan with her family, Amina is ready to start seventh grade and tell her friends all about her adventures. But she’s frustrated when her classmates seem to pay more attention to stereotypes than her experiences. A sweet, powerful sequel to Amina’s Voice.

Most links are to Trident and Brookline Booksmith, my perennial local faves. Shop indie!

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Summer reading: mysteries and middle grade.

It is officially summer in Boston. We’re not quite at the solstice yet, but we’ve survived our first official heat wave and a couple of downpours, not to mention a few perfect porch-sitting nights. Unsurprisingly, my reading inclinations are going where they always go in the summer: mysteries featuring whip-smart female sleuths, and middle-grade novels.

I love both of these genres year-round, but there’s something about sitting on the patio or in the park (I don’t get to the pool very often) with a fast-paced, twisty mystery or a story about kids discovering the world for the first time. Both genres also take me right back to my own childhood summer reading days, devouring books by Beverly Cleary and Patricia MacLachlan, and (on the mystery side) piles of Nancy Drew and Trixie Belden stories, some of them picked up in used bookstores on trips to visit my grandparents.

I still own a few of those childhood faves (maybe it’s time for a reread this summer?), but my reading is skewing toward slightly newer stories these days. I’ve discovered a few great middle-grade authors recently, like Gillian McDunn (Caterpillar Summer), Jasmine Warga (Other Words for Home), Kelly Yang (the Front Desk books), and Renee Watson (Ways to Make Sunshine). I am a huge fan of Karina Yan Glaser’s Vanderbeekers series (and the antics of her corgi puppy, Lalo, are my favorite thing on Instagram). I adore Lauren Wolk’s thoughtful novels and Lena Jones’ quirky Agatha Oddly series. And for the perfect summer-camp story, I recommend Holly Goldberg Sloan and Meg Wolitzer’s To Night Owl from Dogfish.

Regular readers may remember that I spent last summer obsessed with Sara Paretsky’s V.I. Warshawski series, set in Chicago. I loved Vic and her adventures, but got a little burnt out after more than a dozen books, so I took a break for a while. This summer, there’s a new sleuth in town for me: Lane Winslow, a British ex-intelligence agent who has moved to rural Canada after World War II for some peace and quiet. Unsurprisingly, she starts finding mysteries to solve, in the company of the local enigmatic police inspector and his cheerful young constable. I adore Lane and her supporting cast, and am already halfway through the series. Iona Whishaw’s writing is both thoughtful and compelling, and the mystery plots are fascinating.

I’ve also read a couple of fun standalone mysteries recently: SJ Bennett’s The Windsor Knot and Stephen Spotswood’s Fortune Favors the Dead. I loved the latest Maisie Dobbs and am looking forward to a new Mary Russell adventure by Laurie R. King this summer. (Clearly my taste, as ever, runs to the Anglophilic.)

What’s your summer reading looking like this year?

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May reading roundup #2

Back from a beach vacation with my family – I did not read much on the actual beach, but squeezed in a few pages at night and a lot of plane reading. Here’s the latest roundup:

The Rehearsals, Annette Christie
Megan Givens and Tom Prescott are gathering their (difficult) families on San Juan Island to tie the knot. But after a disastrous rehearsal dinner, both Megan and Tom keep waking up on the morning of that day. They’ve got to figure out two things: how to get out of the time loop, and whether they really want to be together. A warm, funny, surprisingly insightful rom-com with a Groundhog Day twist. I expected to like it, but I loved it. To review for Shelf Awareness (out July 13).

Death in a Darkening Mist, Iona Whishaw
Lane Winslow’s second adventure finds her stumbling over the dead body of a Russian at a hot spring. Her Russian language skills make her a valuable asset to the case. I love Lane and her supporting cast of characters in rural postwar British Columbia; I’m especially fond of young, good-hearted Constable Ames.

All the Little Hopes, Leah Weiss
In 1943, Lucy Brown’s family in eastern North Carolina gets a government contract to produce beeswax. They also get a new addition: Allie Bert Tucker, who arrives from the mountains to care for her pregnant aunt but ends up becoming part of the Brown clan. The girls (age 13-14) narrate their story in alternating chapters. It’s got mystery (Lucy fancies herself a Nancy Drew) and plenty of heartbreak, but it’s really a story about family and growing up. So good. To review for Shelf Awareness (out July 27).

The Windsor Knot, S.J. Bennett
After an evening of entertainment at Windsor Castle, a young pianist is found strangled in his room. MI5 suspect the Kremlin, but the Queen has other ideas, and enlists her secretary, Rozie, to help her pursue them. A smart, charming mystery featuring Her Majesty’s sleuthing skills and lots of palace intrigue. Rozie – a whip-smart British-Nigerian army veteran – is a fantastic character. More, please.

In All Good Faith, Liza Nash Taylor
Virginia, 1932: May Marshall is struggling to run her family’s market and care for two young children when tragedy strikes her husband’s family. In Boston, shy Dorrit Sykes struggles to cope after the loss of her mother, eventually heading to Washington with her father for a veterans’ march. The women’s two stories (eventually) intertwine, to fascinating effect. Richly detailed, engaging historical fiction; I loved May’s head for business and the way Dorrit eventually grows in confidence. To review for Shelf Awareness (out Aug. 10).

Caterpillar Summer, Gillian McDunn
Cat is the best at taking care of her brother, Chicken – especially since their dad died. But when they end up spending time with their estranged grandparents one summer, Cat gets to be a kid for a while. She learns to fish and digs into the reasons why her mom has been avoiding her own parents. Lovely, warm and insightful; a sensitive portrait of a biracial family that includes a neurodivergent child.

Shadow of the Batgirl, Sarah Kuhn et al.
Cassandra Cain is a trained assassin, and that’s all she knows how to be – until she breaks away from her father and his gang. With the help of a kind noodle-shop owner and a librarian named Barbara Gordon, Cass begins to step into her own powers and figure out how to use them for good. I loved this YA graphic take on Batgirl, found at Million Year Picnic.

The Bookshop of Second Chances, Jackie Fraser
In the same week, Thea Mottram loses her job and her husband tells her he’s leaving. Then her great-uncle Andrew dies and leaves her his house in Scotland, plus his extensive book collection, so Thea heads there to sort out his estate and collect herself. Soon, she begins to make friends and even (possibly) fall in love. Sweet, though sort of problematic – the main love interest and his brother had a very strange feud – but I liked Thea and her new community.

Most links are to Trident and Brookline Booksmith, my perennial local faves. Shop indie!

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May reading roundup #1

We’re halfway through May (!) and the lilacs, cherry blossoms and tulips are glorious lately. So are the books. Here’s what I have been reading:

The Great Belonging: How Loneliness Leads Us to Each Other, Charlotte Donlon
I struggle with loneliness, especially (but not only) since my divorce. Donlon writes thoughtfully about her own experiences with loneliness and mental illness (they are not the same but can sometimes be linked). I liked her honest, compassionate approach. Recommended on Instagram by Devi.

The Rose Code, Kate Quinn
During World War II, the codebreakers of Bletchley Park played a vital but little-known role in stopping Hitler’s advance. This propulsive novel follows three women – a whip-smart socialite, an East End girl determined to better herself, and a shy but brilliant puzzle-lover – who spend their war years at BP, and are torn apart by mutual betrayal. They come back together in 1947 to crack one last code. Quinn is a genius at compelling historical fiction featuring badass women. I loved it.

Of Bears and Ballots: An Alaskan Adventure in Small-Town Politics, Heather Lende
I love Lende’s wise, practical memoirs about living (and writing obituaries) in tiny Haines, Alaska. This, her fourth, tells the story of her decision to run for the local assembly in the wake of Trump’s election, and the triumphs and struggles of her three-year term. Thoughtful, funny and thought-provoking, and a reminder that we can all pitch in (though it will rarely be easy), wherever we are.

The Color of Life: A Journey Toward Love and Racial Justice, Cara Meredith
Like me, Meredith is a white Christian woman who grew up surrounded by “colorblind” rhetoric, which did not give her a good foundation for conversations about race. Also like me, her world changed – both overnight and little by little – when she fell in love with a Black man. This memoir charts her wrestling with her own privilege, her first years of mothering biracial sons, and her complicated relationship with her father-in-law, James Meredith. Her writing style is quippy at times, but I saw myself so often in her experiences.

The Consequences of Fear, Jacqueline Winspear
October 1941: Maisie Dobbs is juggling top-secret government work with family obligations when a messenger boy tells her he’s witnessed a murder. Determined to keep the boy and his family safe, Maisie is shocked when her intelligence work brings her face-to-face with the killer. I adore this series and this 16th entry was complex and satisfying; Maisie’s personal life has also taken some interesting turns lately. So good.

A Quantum Life: My Unlikely Journey from the Street to the Stars, Hakeem Oluseyi and Joshua Horwitz
Growing up poor and Black in Mississippi, James Plummer Jr. knew he loved science, but he never thought he’d become a renowned astrophysicist. But that’s where he is today, and his memoir tells that story: his peripatetic childhood, his contradictory persona of “gangsta nerd,” the addiction to crack cocaine that almost pulled him all the way down. Honest, vulnerable storytelling and lots of great science. Hard to read at times, but compelling. To review for Shelf Awareness (out June 15).

The Kitchen Front, Jennifer Ryan
As World War II drags on, along with rationing, the BBC holds a contest to find a female presenter for a popular cooking show. Four very different women, each with their own reasons for competing, decide to enter. A really fun story of wartime cooking and female friendship (shades of Downton Abbey/Home Fires).

Jane of Lantern Hill, L.M. Montgomery
I pick up this book nearly every spring when the world starts blooming – or when it’s rainy and raw and I need a little hope. I adore kind, practical Jane and I love watching her blossom on PEI and build a relationship with her dad and her new community. So good.

Most links are to Trident and Brookline Booksmith, my perennial local faves. Shop indie!

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Poetry Friday: Lucille Clifton

Let there be new flowering

Let there be new flowering
in the fields let the fields
turn mellow for the men
let the men keep tender
through the time let the time
be wrested from the war
let the war be won
let love be
at the end

I read this poem on Natalie Jabbar’s excellent poetry blog the day after the Derek Chauvin verdict (which was also the day I got my first vaccine). It made me straight-up cry. Let love be at the end.

April is National Poetry Month, and I have been sharing poetry – with an emphasis on women of color – here on Fridays this month, as I do every year. 

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April reading roundup #2

Hi friends. April is nearly over, and I’m back from a stint of dog-sitting in Cambridge (down the street from my beloved Darwin’s, so of course I treated myself – see above).

Here’s what I have been reading:

The 24-Hour Cafe, Libby Page
I adore Page’s debut novel, Mornings with Rosemary, and finally ordered this one from my beloved Blackwell’s in Oxford because it’s not out in the U.S. It follows Hannah and Mona, flatmates and friends who work at the titular cafe and are each facing career crossroads (Hannah is a singer, Mona a dancer). It’s lovely and bittersweet – Page really digs into the complexities of female friendship – and I loved glimpsing the lives of their colleagues and customers, too.

God Spare the Girls, Kelsey McKinney
Pastor’s daughter Caroline Nolan has always lived in the shadow of her adored big sister, Abigail. But she’s starting to question both her faith and the rules of the community she grew up in. When the sisters find out their father has had an affair–weeks before Abigail’s wedding–they retreat to their grandmother’s ranch. McKinney is a fellow transplanted Texan and she writes so well about summer heat and tangled church politics. To review for Shelf Awareness (out June 22).

A Woman of Intelligence, Karin Tanabe
Katharina “Rina” Edgeworth speaks four languages, has a graduate degree from Columbia – and is bored stiff with her life as a Manhattan society wife. When she’s recruited by the FBI to work as an informant, she says yes so she can find a purpose again. An interesting, complicated novel in McCarthy-era New York; Rina’s inner journey is stronger than the external plot. To review for Shelf Awareness (out July 20).

How to Love the World: Poems of Gratitude and Hope, ed. James Crews
I found this lovely anthology at the beginning of April and have savored its entries about delights, gratitude, family, the natural world and other loveliness. Poignant and lovely. (I wanted more poems from poets of color, but know I need to seek them out on my own.)

Made in China: A Memoir of Love and Labor, Anna Qu
As a teenager, Qu was forced to work in her family’s Manhattan sweatshop, and treated as a maid at home. She eventually calls child services on her mother, and as an adult, tries to piece together the fragments of her growing-up years. This was powerful at times but felt really disjointed; parts of the narrative seemed to be missing. I received an ARC from the publisher; it’s out Aug. 11.

All Things Bright and Beautiful, James Herriot
This second volume of Herriot’s memoirs picks up when he’s a newlywed and hitting his stride in veterinary practice. I love the familiar characters – Siegfried, Tristan, Helen – and the local folk they encounter. Charming and gentle.

You Have a Match, Emma Lord
Abby sent away for a DNA test in solidarity with her best friend, Leo, who’s searching for info about his birth family. But Abby’s the one who ends up with a surprise sister – Instagram sensation Savannah. They all head to summer camp and shenanigans ensue: tree-climbing, kitchen duty, family secrets and first love. This was my post-vaccine impulse buy at Target and I regret nothing. So much fun.

A Killer in King’s Cove, Iona Whishaw
After World War II, former intelligence agent Lane Winslow has moved to rural British Columbia for some peace and quiet. She’s just getting to know her neighbors when a stranger comes to town and ends up dead – and she’s a suspect. I loved this smart first entry in a series and will definitely read more.

Blue Horses, Mary Oliver
This was one of the only Oliver collections I hadn’t read. I loved spending a few mornings with late-life Mary and her keen, unsentimental eye. She writes so well about nature: its beauty, its darkness, its details.

Most links are to Trident and Brookline Booksmith, my perennial local faves. Shop indie!

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Poetry Friday: Marilyn Nelson

Generous Listening

A conversation can be a contest,
or a game of catch with invisible balloons.
They bounce between us, growing and shrinking,
sometimes floating like cloud medicine balls,
and sometimes bowling at us like round anvils.
You toss a phrase and understanding blooms
like an anemone of colored lights.
My mind fireworks with unasked questions.
Who is this miracle speaking to me?
And who is this miracle listening?
What amazingness are we creating?
Out of gray matter a star spark of thought
leaps between synapses into the air,
and pours through gray matter, into my heart:
how can I not listen generously?

I found this poem via On Being’s poetry archive; I’ve heard Nelson on their podcast before. It seems to me – in a year marked by isolation and loss – that we especially need generous listening right now.

April is National Poetry Month, and I am sharing poetry here on Fridays this month, as I do every year. 

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