Short and sweet book reviews of what I've been reading lately
Welcome to Quick Lit, where I share short and sweet reviews of what I’ve been reading lately on (or around) the 15th of the month, and invite you to do the same.
This month’s post is a little unconventional (compared to how we typically do things around here) for two reasons: our site is being cranky this week (just the book stuff, and just on our back end—as a reader, you shouldn’t be affected, thank goodness!), and I’m traveling to attend a funeral. But I still wanted to share a quick peek at what I’ve been reading lately.
Nonfiction
I read several excellent nonfiction reads this month: one memoir, one biography, and one forthcoming narrative work that I’m not sure exactly how to categorize but I LOVED it and can’t wait to tell you about it … eventually. (I imagine it will be a Spring Book Preview spotlight title!)
The memoir is Ina Garten’s much-anticipated Be Ready When the Luck Happens, which was certainly on my radar but wasn’t necessarily a priority read. But then I found myself in need of a new audiobook on October 1, the memoir’s actual release day. I downloaded the audiobook on a whim and couldn’t stop listening to Ina narrate her own story. I listened to much of it in the car on a rather stressful solo road trip, and found Ina to be the perfect traveling companion: chatty, engaging, and soothing all at once. Maybe you should take my words with a grain of salt because I’m by no means a superfan: I have a few Ina Garten cookbooks, I’ve had good luck with her recipes, I’ve seen a few snippets of her tv show while vacationing someplace with all the channels. I’m not a student of Everything Ina—but golly I loved this memoir.
I also listened to the audiobook of Keith O’Brien’s biography Charlie Hustle: The Rise and Fall of Pete Rose, and the Last Glory Days of Baseball, narrated by Ellen O’Dair. What uncanny timing, to read this lauded biography just before Pete Rose died on September 30, which reignited conversations about whether his longtime ban from baseball should be lifted so as to clear the way for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. I grew up in Louisville, Kentucky in a baseball-loving family, not even 90 minutes away from the Cincinnati Reds’ stadium. I’m not much of a fan these days, but I was interested in learning more about the man, the city, and the baseball culture that loomed so large in my childhood. And while it was interesting, to have so many blanks filled in that completely escaped me as a child, it was also very, very sad.
Fiction
Thanks to WSIRN alum Keren Form, I enjoyed a book off my (and it looks like practically everyone else’s) beaten path, Eric Silberstein’s The Insecure Mind of Sergei Kraev. What a fascinating and timely read! This story from translation management system pioneer turned debut novelist Silberstein begins with a global disaster concerning a certain olfactory interface algorithm in the year 2120. We then go back in time twenty years and trace the events that led to all of humanity’s neural implants short-circuiting on the ill-fated day that came to be known as 4-17. In the world of the story, the overwhelming majority of human live with neural implants: imagine the capabilities of a late-model iPhone installed directly into your brain. Those who control the information streaming through your implant control the world, and the way Silberstein plays with this conceit provides much of the book’s appeal. This is a nice combination of contemplative and plotty, a good pick for fans of Blake Crouch and Helen Phillips’s Hum.
Since our trip to Germany earlier this year, I’ve been seeking out more German novels, both in the original German and in translation. When I spied a reader recommendation of the family saga This House Is Mine by Dörte Hansen in the blog comments I pounced. The story takes place in the ritzy neighborhood of Ottensen in Hamburg and an old farmhouse in Altes Land outside the city. The farmhouse has been in the family for generations, and while it’s not haunted, exactly, it does seem to shoulder the weight of numerous past tragedies that transpired within its walls. While I appreciated the distinctly German vibe of this debut, I found myself thinking often of what Kirkus said in its review: that this book “was a surprise bestseller in Germany but will probably find a cooler reception here.” I read the edition translated by Anne Stokes; heaps of content warnings apply.
It’s my longstanding custom to read every Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club selection twice; this month and for that reason I had the pleasure of revisiting Dayswork by Chris Bachelder and Jennifer Habel. I finished my reread just hours before we hosting Chris and Jennifer in Book Club which was an utter delight: they read to us from the book, which wasn’t an experience I knew I needed but now will never forget. This is a slim, genre-bending little book, co-written by a husband and wife writing team, about a husband and wife trapped at home with their children in the early days of the pandemic while the wife researches Herman Melville. They discuss the historical tidbits she digs up, Moby Dick commentary from other writers, the troubles with Zoom school, and their own relationship and the pressures creativity sometimes puts on it. This is a slice-of-life story, a book about books, literary criticism, and history lesson all rolled into one, with more besides, and all in the form of a poem. I can’t wait to read what they write next.
I read another wonderful book this month that we’ll soon be reading together in MMD Book Club, but I won’t share it here until we announce it to our Book Clubbers later this month. Stay tuned!
What have YOU been reading lately? Tell us about your recent reads—or share the link to a blog or instagram post about them—in comments.
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I especially love your nonfiction recommendations–that’s my favorite genre. But I do love a great novel too! I finally read “The Covenant of Water” this month. So good! And so long, but worth it. Here are all 6 books I recommend from October.
https://lisanotes.com/books-i-recommend-october-2024/
Hi! In this month’s BOOKBAG –
* A spiritual memoir written for a specific purpose.
* A guidebook for a woman’s unique planning and pivoting needs.
* A blockbuster of a novel that I hesitated to pick up.
https://lindastoll.substack.com/p/porch-154-october-bookbag
I’m getting caught up with sharing reviews after taking some time off to have my fourth baby. This month I’m sharing a few mysteries (one that was meh, one I liked a lot, and one I LOVED), a romance that was sadly a disappointment, two middle grade novels I enjoyed with my kids, and a couple of nonfiction books (one on managing tech, the other on human sexuality) that I would love to hand to every parent.
https://kendranicole.net/quick-lit-september-2024/
After a summer packed to the brim with reading, September with its return to school schedules and fall activities was much slower paced. I did, however, return to my yearlong reading challenges with intention which was satisfying.
Coincidentally, all three books this month took place in the 1980s! Read more here: https://avikinginla.com/2024/10/what-ive-been-reading-lately-september-2024/
Adrienne Hudson says:
Hello all!
My recent reads are:
* The Five-Star Stranger by Kat Tang (3.5 stars) – this was a quick read and an interesting commentary on the importance of and difficulty in maintaining real relationships in this day and age where we can literally rent a person to play a needed role in our lives.
* There are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak (5+ stars) – this book is so beautifully written with a captivating, but sad story. Powerful!
* Forever, Interrupted by Taylor Jenkins Reid (audiobook, 4.5 stars) – this book explores grief and rebuilding of a life after losing a spouse, but without being maudlin or overly sentimental.
* Tom Lake by Ann Patchett (4 stars) – I started this months ago on audio, but I simply could not stand Meryl Streep’s narration, so I switched to a print copy. I think I may be the only person with this problem, so don’t hate me. Meryl’s narration just sounded so snooty to me…
Currently reading How to Read a Book by Monica Wood and ThebFiery Cross (Outlander #5) by Diana Gabaldon.
Happy Reading!
Sandra J Gust says:
Last evening I finished the new Daniel Silva novel A Death in Cornwall. I liked it, and it was a fast read.
Nicola Jesse says:
Into Cozy right now. Excellent locale, characters, story development-The Murders in Great Dibbling by Katrina Bivald. Another locale-Provence & French Connection connection-The Twelve Suspects of Christmas by Ana T Drew. Quiet Reads & all tied up at the end.
Ann says:
Currently reading Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger for book club. I have always meant to read him. Prior to that finished The Cliffs by J Courtney Sullivan. Honestly, she had me with the old abandoned, haunted house; but, I enjoyed all the various topics she managed to blend in. Also read repeat author Elizabeth Strout’s Tell Me Everything. I was down with Covid, and it was such a comfort to read those familiar characters. I have a daughter & grandchildren in Germany. We were there in August. I visited for the first time on a school trip when I was 14 and thought it was such a beautiful country. So, I always laugh and say I manifested my grandsons! I swear the youngest looks like a little Hummel figurine. I enjoyed a book translated from German: Last House Before the Mountain by Monika Helfer is an Austrian novel that was translated into English by Gillian Davidson. The book is about a family’s struggles during World War I, and is based on some of Helfer’s own family history.
Sue Schmitz says:
My husband and I just got home from a trip t Newport RI. I just finished listening to “Homicide at Rough Point” by Peter Lance which explored the Doris Duke – Eduardo Tirella incident (murder?) that took place at her home in Newport. Wanting more stories of the rich and famous who built those “summer cottages” in Newport , I’m listening to “Astor” by Anderson Cooper. Next up is “Vanderbilt, the Rise and Fall of an American Dynesty” by Anderson Cooper.
PJ Hall says:
I’ve been reading my own novel in preparation for a reading for about 60 people. I’m trying to pick out engaging sections without giving away too much information about ‘who done it’ (cozy murder mystery). I’ve been listening to my manuscript in Word using the text to speech feature, trying to gauge what it would sound like to the audience.
I’m thinking about planting questions with friends in the audience. I am not comfortable in front of a crowd. Picture the tin man in a rainstorm. Yup, that’s me.
Ann, you speak in front of groups all the time. Any tips you can give a ‘newbie’?
I’m terrified.
Fiona says:
I hate speaking in public, but I know that breathing is really important, and also, speak slowly. I always talk too fast! Before your talk, take three slow deep breaths, and try to breathe out more slowly than you breathe in.
PJ Hall says:
I have been guilty of getting nervous and speed talking without drawing breath. Good advice!
Anyone else have helpful tips?
Fiona says:
I’m reading The Darkness by Ragnar Jonasson, translated from Icelandic by Victoria Cribb.
Hugh McDevitt says:
Our family book club is meeting this coming Sunday. We are going to be discussing “James” by Percival Everett. In preparation for that, I reread “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” “James” is a wonderful retelling of Huck Finn from the perspective of Jim/James. A terrific read.
Mary H says:
I read Absolution by Alice McDermott and it was divine. I will be digging into her backlist.
Elizabeth W. says:
Alice McDermott is one of my favorite authors. My particular favorite, I think, is The Ninth Hour. Enjoy the journey into her backlist!
Celesta Miceli Carlson says:
Just finished Coleman Hill and loved it. Also read The Editor, true story of Judith Jones and her life as an editor for many authors including Julia Child, John Updike, and Anne Tyler. Made me get out my Mastering the art of French cooking and start trying some recipes.
Denise says:
I’ve been going down a rabbit hole reading about Space. Best read so far was The Space Barons by Christian Davenport.
I’m not a huge Ina fan, but same as you, have watched a few episodes and made a few recipes. I almost used my October credit for her memoir, but now I know I will use my November credit for Ina’s memoir.
This month, I have 8 books on my list including Henry Winkler’s memoir, another Flavia de Luce mystery, Miller’s Valley recommended to me by Anne in Patreon, a couple of books that were misses for me, and two books I just loved.
https://www.sincerelystacie.com/2024/10/quick-lit-october-2024-edition/
I highly recommend reading The Merchant’s Daughter by Rebecca Hardy. Awesome historical fiction with pirates, spies, smugglers and more!
Kathy Duffy says:
Well I finished Olympus, Texas just before the hurricane hit. Read America Adventuress about Jennie Churchill, Winston’s mother and Passion in Death during the six days I had no power. Currently reading The hundred doors of January (?) think that I got the title right on tablet and A False Sense of Well Being by Jeanne Braselton in HB.
Diana @ Bumps Along the Way says:
Read a few more romance than usual, finished 2 chapter books with my 6 year old, and a few helpful non-fiction!
September Reading Recap
TAMARA says:
This past month brought a 5 star read, The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera. A girl wakes up after 300 years in stasis on a spaceship and finds that the government has tried to erase all differentiating features of appearance for ” the good of society” as well as music, art, and literature leading this teenager to rebel the only way she knows how, by telling stories.
I also enjoyed some romance novels by Sarah Deeham, the nonfiction title Bad Blood:Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup, and The Other Side of Disappearing by Kate Clayborn.
Laurie Roberts says:
I just read Jayber Crow for the first time, as an assignment for a graduate program in spiritual formation. Holy cow! This has moved into my top ten list easily!
Diane Marie Bishop says:
Bazoomerangs is a great read about three generations of women. Starr, the grandmother who is still living like it’s 1969, her daughter Alice, a conservative Christian who does not understand what is happening to her world, and Alice’s (now) daughter, Jaye, a transgender woman grappling with the gifts and the fallout of her choices. As the author Ann Crawford says, what can possibly go right? By turns laugh-out-loud funny and thought provoking, this book has memorable characters and is both entertaining and meaningful.