This week’s Top Ten Tuesdaylooks at the new books coming in late summer.
My top pick
I’ve pre-ordered this one! I never do that. I hope it lives up to my expectations. July 7, 2020.
Royal fiction is always a draw for me, but too often I can’t enjoy it due to the silly mistakes. I’ve already DNF-ed one new royal novel I got from Net Galley this summer. We’ll see how this goes with a wider cast of characters. The Women Before Wallis: A Novel… by Bryn Turnbull. July 21. 2020.
All The Devils Are Hereby Louise Penny is book #16 in the Cheif Inspector Gamache series. Coming September 1, 2020. I listen to this series, I’ve never read one in print or on Kindle.
How to Raise an Elephantby Alexander McCall Smith. No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency book # 21. I also only listen to this series. Lisette Lecat is the superb narrator.
Daughters of Yaltaby Catherine Grace Katz is expected out on September 28, 2020. I will likely buy this one.
Anxious People: A Novel by Fredrik Backman, comes out on September 8, 2020. He is a must-read for me these days. I’ve only tossed back his book, My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She’s Sorry. I’ve loved the others.
I’ve read about a Black inner-city polo team, so when I saw this book I knew I’d want to read it. A Most Beautiful Thingby Arshay Cooper is available TODAY.
I’m also participating in the 20 Books of Summer Challenge. Click here to see my list. I didn’t do a list of ten this week–I did groups of “maybe” titles. FYI, yes one is on a major bookclub’s TBR for this month. I do not officially belong to ANY book club, but I look at their choices to find books that interest me.
The Big Three–the ones I’m most anxious to read!
The Ones Not On My 20 Books Challenge That I’m Interested In Reading
The Ones I’ve Been Meaning To Read For Too Long–at least one of these
Something Lost on My Kindle
Something Lost on a Shelf in My Home Library
Something Toward My Reading Around the World
Project
Another Award Winner
Another Persephone Title
More of…..Hemingway, Barbara Pym, Muriel Spark, or…?
I’m one of those who does not care how many books are on my TBR. Goodreads has revolutionized my reading! (Well, that and the internet that lets me know about way more books than I’ll ever have time to read). I occasionally go through my TBR on Goodreads and purge titles and apparently I’ve done too good a job at it, because this was hard!
This one sounds perfect for today! Social Distancers would be the update to the title, obviously. The Distancers: An American Memoirby Lee Sandlin.
I suppose I added this since it is a college-friends story, but it sounds darker for such stories than I would normally pick. What Happened to Sophie Wilder: A Novel by Christopher R. Beha.
Do editors know any other words for “economically disadvantaged” lives (ala being “poor”) than “hardscrabble?”. It crops up yet again in the description of this novel because all of Appalachia is “hardscrabble” according to anyone in Manhattan. Not sure why I liked the sound of this one now. The Funeral Dress: A Novelby Susan Gregg Gilmore.
1963 Mississippi? Country music dream? Maybe the Segregation storyline was what grabbed me? Hmmmmm. Whistling Past the Graveyard by Susan Crandall.
Reading Around the World? Otherwise, not a clue why this one is on my TBR. My Name is Redby Oram Pamuk.
I might have put this one on my TBR to be my annual summer professional book. Not sure. Winning Without Losing by Martin Bjergegaard.
Truly no idea why this one caught my eye. Maybe it was in some book club or magazine? The kind of magazine you read at the dentist (well, USED TO READ at the dentist). The Daylight Marriage: A Novel by Heidi Pitlor.
Another one I might have read about at the dentist. What We Saw by Aaron Hartlzer.
Maybe Book #2 was free on Kindle and I thought I’d actually read it and would want to read book #1? Occasionally I do like a sweet romance, but…. The Preacher’s Lady by Lori Copeland.
Maybe a blog I like reviewed it? This was from before I started putting where I find a book in the “Review” field on Goodreads. I like dogs, but I’m not sure why I would single Rin Tin Tin out for a spot on my TBR. Rin Tin Tin: The Life and the Legendby Susan Orlean.
Have you read or reviewed any of these books? Leave me a comment or a link to your review.
Here in Southeast Ohio, we’ve had a very cold May. It’s finally beginning to get to normal late Spring temperatures. The pool opened on schedule in spite of COVID-19. The beach at the Lake is open, too. People are desperate for Summer! I’m being careful. I’ll settle for books with a summer vibe for now.
These are not ranking in any order.
The title makes me think this book is set in July! Campaigning features in it too and that always seems like a summer thing (though it isn’t only a summer thing).
Here’s my review from my old blog, October 28, 2014:
I missed the part of the review that said this was for Middle School or early High School, but no matter–it is excellent. It captures the mood of hope that infused the Freedom Summer volunteers as well as the creepy fear that engulfed the state of Mississippi and the entire old south in general in the early 1960s. This is the type book that would get a class of disdainful history students to sit up and take notice. I cannot say enough to recommend this book to its age group–or to adults who don’t know where to start in understanding this frightening time in our history. The Freedom Summer Murders by Don Mitchell. (Nonfiction)
This place was in the news recently as the spot where you are most likely to catch COVID-19 iirc. I’ve always liked Bill Geist’s pieces on CBS. This one is ok. Not great, but OK. Lake of the Ozarksby Bill Geist.
I suppose its the mention of Grand Isle–a resort, that makes me think this book is set in the summer. To be honest, I no longer remember what time of year it was set in–or if that is even mentioned! I read it in the Fall of 1980. The Awakeningby Kate Chopin.
Most Americans of my age or older know that the battle of Gettysburg was fought in the Civil War over July 1 to July 3, 1863. I don’t think they teach the Civil War anymore. My children go everything from the ancient Egyptians thru 9/11 in ONE school year. Trust me–these are the dates. The movie, Gettysburg with Martin Sheen, is almost as fabulous as this book. But they show them all in those heavy wool frock coat-uniforms or the enlisted men in blue wool (my family fought for the north). I just think how hellishly hot that was! And the smoke, the heat, the stench–ugh. Gettysburg is a summer word to me. The Killer Angels by Michael Sahara.
Barefoot at the Lakeby Bruce Fogle, is one of the best summer books ever. As wonderful a childhood memoir as you could hope to find. You can read my review here.
A hot summer in a small town is enlivened for a young girl when the chain gang comes to town. Her descriptions of the hot days–make sure you have a cold drink handy, ok? As Hot As It Was You Ought To Thank Me by Nanci Kincaid.
A nonfiction choice is Alex Kotlowitz’s American Summer: Love and Death in Chicagowhich is, sadly, already appropriate reading for this summer. (Note: I hate the new paperback cover. It is far too generic). Koltowitz is the author of the classic look at urban life There Are No Children Herewhich Oprah Winfrey turned into a movie. Read my review here.
The story of a family’s trip in the South with their “colored” maid in 1954. You can read my full review here.
Hermie–who wouldn’t love him, right? The war is on, he’s a bit too young, his Dad wants his stupid Time magazine–and then…THERE SHE IS! Cue the music! (If you’re my age you know that music. One of the tenderest coming of age books ever. A dear friend cites this as one of her favorite books. I remember it as the movie of the summer (at least in my mind it was in the summer) one year when I was in Middle School. The book is better than the movie, of course, but both are worth it. The Summer of 42by Herman Raucher. (No, I don’t like movie tie-in covers. I make an exception here because this was the cover of my copy all those years ago).
Bonus Book
When I think of summer, this is THE summer book to end all summer books. I was taken to the beach in Chicago on Lake Michigan when I was the perfect age for this book. The memory of the beach trip is gone–except for the smell of the dead fish that washed up on the beach. But, I’ve never stopped loving Harry! My kids and I read all his books often.
This week’s topic is Opening Lines *(Best, favorite, funny, unique, shocking, gripping, lines that grabbed you immediately, etc.).
The first three ARE in order #1 favorite, #2, and #3. The others are not.
#2–#10 are from some of my very favorite books and I’m not apologizing for using them yet again.
“It was as it had been at the same hour of morning, three years ago; behind the roofs and angles of the factory the sea foamed like boiling milk in the flashing sunlight.”
The most memorable, and possibly one of the worst, lines from anything I had to read in college.
This week’s topic is hard! Historical fiction is a vast genre–there are fictional biographical novels, fictional novels, fictional stories with real people made into fictional characters! Where to start!
1. When the author captures my version of a real person. When they sound like they do in my head or act the way they move or behave in my mind.
2. When a book takes me to the mood of the times as expressed in its music.
3. When I can feel, and smell, and almost taste the surroundings.
4. When reading about a romance makes me feel in love!
5. When it makes me hear the people–not only the words they chose but the cadence of their days and the lilt, rhythm, and rhythm of their lives as well as of their speech.
6. When I feel as swept up in the events unfolding or overtaking the characters as they do.
7. When I worry about a character as though he or she was real or still alive after I’ve read the book.
8. When it makes me imagine my own life in that time.
9. When it makes me wish I knew a character in real life.
10. When you experience something in real life and it calls up a character’s response to a similar situation, whether good or bad.
I loved listening to my Mom read aloud to me! So did my older brother. Mom read aloud to us even in high school if we wanted her to. I loved that. I became a reader a little late–I read, but having the joy of Mom reading big books made the ones I could manage seem insignificant. In Middle School, after meeting a local author and with the encouragement of a teacher who saw my interests and didn’t just shove “good” books at me, but tailored the selections to my interests, I became a reader. Then I discovered the Civil War, Bruce Catton and GWTW. The rest is history (pun intended). Harry Potter? If Mom had read it aloud to my big brother I’d have loved it–otherwise probably not. I’d have needed his “approval.”
Having raised my kids and followed books avidly, I have easily identified over the years a variety of titles I know I would have loved. Like many an other parent, I picked tons of books for my kids that I would have loved as a child.
I’ve enjoyed reading these even as an adult! They were MADE for me! Dear Americanand My Name is America. Yes, I’d have loved the Royal Diaries series, too.
Dolls involved with history might have got my attention! I did play Barbies with friends tons so don’t worry. I also played with a friend’s Little People “world”–we spent whole Saturdays living in Little People land. lol. But these books, regardless of the dolls, would have held my attention. I don’t know about the newer ones though.
I well-remember the debut of Garfield in the comics—he was from my hometown! Grumpy Cat would have also been beloved by my childhood self. I would also have been crazy about LOL Cats, too.
This book would have been beloved! It is an amazing book for ALL ages. Anastasia’s Album.
This whole series would have kept me quiet for years. DK Eyewitness Books
We had horses until I was seven. I’d have imagined myself as the rider in this book.
I have posted these books SO. MANY. TIMES. but I love them. I think I’d have loved them as a kid too! My Mom understood most British things from her own reading so she’d have helped with anything I didn’t understand. The Casson Familyseries by Hilary McKay.
These two series I’ve also posted to death. I wish I’d known of Elizabeth Enright’s books back then–they were certainly around. I also wish there’d been a late 60s/70s version of The Penderwicks.
Where WAS this when I was about 11?? I wore out my brother’s Beatles sheet music book. I even learned to transpose so I could play the songs on a clarinet or bass clarinet. I played them for hours. This would have been PERFECT! Lennon McCartney Lyrics Coloring Book.
I’ve blogged about the books I’ve read since blogging began. I’ve used many books over and over in Top Ten Tuesday or similar posts. So, here goes!
I read this, age 28, in Peace Corps. I don’t think I was ready for Spark then, for I can remember nothing about it. I clearly remember the other books by her that I’ve read. In spite of that, my note indicates that I enjoyed it at the time. A Far Cry From Kensington by Muriel Spark.
I have no desire to remember much about Benjy and the rest of the characters in The Sound and the Fury. I listened to it because I hadn’t read any Faulkner except for some excerpts in high school English. I do recall realizing though that he understood a lot about mental illness. Sound and the Furyby William Faulkner.
My rating indicates I liked this one, but I cannot remember why. In fact, I had to read the blurb on Amazon to see what it was about. I’ve lost some of the content of my old blog, so I cannot re-read my review. Handle With Care: A Novelby Jodi Picolt.
Haven Kimmel was an overnight sensation with a Girl Named Zippy, and the sequel, She Got Up Off The Couch–both of which I loved. I didn’t dislike this quirky novel or its odd characters, it just lacked the spark and fast flow of her earlier books. The Used World: A Novel by Haven Kimmel.
Like Haven Kimmel, Jeannette Walls became a phenomenon with her unflinchingly honest memoir The Glass Castle. Her first novel, The Silver Star, was good–just not great the way Glass Castle was. Both Haven Kimmell and Jeannette Walls suffered from my version of Harry Potter fan’s too-high expectations of Casual Vacancy and hated it because it wasn’t HP. I supposed that’s especially true of my take on Silver Star. If I had not read the memoirs first, I’m sure I’d have liked it more. Unfair, but true. The Silver Star: A Novel by Jeannette Walls.
It’s rare that my Mom gets a book recommendation for me wrong. This was one of the very few. She usually knows instantly if I’ll like a book or not. This book was so “African”-cliche riddled I had to force myself to finish it. I didn’t like main characters, either. I wasn’t that wild about the other book of hers that I read either–Stars Are Fire. Still, I admire her because she started out as a teacher and now sells millions of books. A Change in Altitudeby Anita Shreve.
I love the cover of this book still! I read it when it came out and loved it, but I can’t remember the story. The Whistling Seasonby Ivan Doig.
Of this book I mostly recall waiting for it to be good, or interesting, or –something. Finally an utterly p.c. section came up and I knew why critics loved this dull book. The Cat’s Table by Michael Ondaatje.
This book wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t interesting. The Bird Sistersby Rebecca Rassmussen
I loved David Sedaris since the debut of Elf in Santaland on NPR decades ago. I loved his family memories of tattooed Barbies and his Mom putting out her cigarette on her dinner plate because she planned, cooked, and cleaned up the damned meal. But this book was just…stupid? It didn’t do it for me. Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris.
To save time you have your library card barcode and number tattooed on your wrist.
You remember the librarians’ pet’s birthdays with homemade treats to try to get to the top of the waiting list fastest.
You only get a movie reference if it was also in the book.
You can only name actors if they wrote a good memoir.
You judge politicians by how fast their campaign books go to 99 cents on Kindle.
You remember where you were on 9/11 [or other big dates] by what you were reading.
You considered naming your kids for the characters in your favorite book, but husband/partner wanted his favorite book so your kids got stuck with Brandon and Joan–the only two names not in anyone’s favorite books.
You have or have had a pet named Gandolf, Rhett, Bronte or Austen.
You have both paper and e-Commonplace books for recording the great quotes you find.
You schedule vacations around book release dates, literary festivals, library tours, and author events.
Bonus
You wanted to be a librarian until you learned about data mining, coding, cataloging, and restroom duty–you thought it would be reading all day.
If you are of a certain age, your desk features a Nancy Pearl action figure and signed copies of Book Lust.
You named you RV/Camper/House/Vacation Home “Howard’s End”
You only agree to watch a movie or tv if you a) have a book hangover or b) the movie has lots of bookshelves so you can shelf-watch instead.
You label people with the names of characters sharing the same traits: “What a Melanie–never complains about anything.”
You make your kids trick or treat as obscure literary characters.
You have a room in your home decorated with memorabilia of a favorite book or author.
You have a “Do Not Invite” list of people who love the books you hate.
You have a favorite staffer at Elliott Bay Books and at least two other Indy Bookstores you’ve never visited.
You’d grab your author-signed books and first editions, then worry about anything else in a fire.
Bonus 2
You’ve considered starting a service to recommend herbal teas or exotic, fair trade coffees to go with books.
You’ve considered starting a service to recommend wines to go with books.
You’ve considered starting a service to recommend dark chocolates to go with books.
You’ve considered starting a service to recommend books as therapy.
You’ve considered starting a service to curate a newborn’s library.
You’ve considered starting a service to recommend bespoke shelving artisans.
You’ve considered starting a service to produce waterproof books for the tub or pool for grown-ups.
You’ve considered starting a service to recommend menus to book clubs.
You’ve considered starting a service to recommend banning age-appropriate or grade-level labels.
You’ve considered starting a service to produce quilts made of cloth photos of favorite book covers and to recommend the quotes to go with each cover.
