What I Read in July

Book wise, July was a bit of a slow start for me. The last week of June I was on vacation and think I burnt myself out with reading. It took me a while to get into something again, and my reading had a bit of an uptick towards the end of the month!

Blew me out of the water; loved! (5 stars)

Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid: Five grand slams for TJR's latest. Her absolute best since One True Loves (dare I say)? Carrie Soto is a character I didn't know I wanted so badly to read. She's bold, unapologetic, and ambitious. It's so refreshing to read about a character whose career/ambition is her main relationship vs. a man.

The Measure by Nikki Erlick: I loved this beautiful, The Leftovers esque story. One day, everyone receives a box with a string in it that depicts the length of their life. The book follows a series of people and how they react to and choose to deal with this info. I really loved this story and the characters - and much of it was a reflection of what's going on today.

Trust by Hernan Diaz: This was the first Booker Prize nominated book I read after deciding I wanted to read the longlist and WOW it feels like every other book may be a disappointment because this one was so good. It's comprised of 'four books' within a book (reminded me of To Paradise in that way) and every book makes you re-think what you know and question whether what you're being told is the truth. This is literary fiction at its best.

The Trees by Percival Everett: This book was sooooo good. It would make an excellent book club pick and one I'd love to see Jordan Peele adapt to screen. The Trees is about a small Mississippi town where seemingly random, brutal murders are taking place where at the crime scene a white man (or men) and a Black man are left dead usually with the Black man holding the severed testicles of the other victims. Two state agents are sent out to investigate in this small racist town and soon the murders start expanding beyond the town

This book is a wonderful blend of buddy cop, murder mystery, dark humour and historical fiction. Read it!

I liked it! (4 stars)

Every Summer After by Carley Fortune: A cute, nostalgic, second chance love story. I loved the Canadian and Northern references - it felt so familiar! I was a bit annoyed at the 'twist' or main conflict, but glad that they were able to resolve it quickly (I hate a drawn-out conflict). If you liked this and are digging the Northern Ontario setting, I recommend The Lake on Amazon Prime.

Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout: I love Lucy! This is the third installment of the Lucy Barton series. I liked that this book focused on her daughters and her relationship with them. I also loved the appearances/mentions of other characters from Strout's books - it felt like a gift to the reader.

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett: I finally picked up another Patchett and the audio for this one is glorious (it's narrated by Tom Hanks)! This is a great multi-generational family drama; one narrated by Danny recounting the decades-long story of his family, in particular his sister Maeve. The setting was exquisite and I loved the descriptions of the house and art. It was so good and makes me want to read more Patchett asap!

It was good (3 stars)

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig: The Midnight Library was a good, quick read to get through after a big slump. It follows Nora after she attempts suicide and ends up in a library-like purgatory where she has access to an infinite number of books that show her every other life she could have lived if she had made a different choice at any point in her life. I love the distinctness of British books, the dialogue, and the charm. This one didn't hit me in the feels as much as I would have wanted it to but it was an enjoyable, quick read (albeit heavy at some points)!

The Displacements by Bruce Holsinger: The Displacements follows a privileged family from Miami that is displaced because of the world's first category 6 hurricane. The story follows Daphne and her three kids as for the first time in their lives, they figure out what it's like to have nothing but each other. This book is ultimately a futuristic and cautious tale of what our future looks like. This is a literary/climate fiction book with a family drama at the core and while I enjoyed reading it, I didn't love it.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin: This is *the* book of the summer and unfortunately was just not my jam. I liked the concept of the book (two childhood friends create video games together) but it was too long for me (found it hard to pick up at some points) and the characters weren't super lovable. I can see why people loved this book but it just wasn't for me.

The Prisoner by B.A. Paris: I was in a bit of a slump so I reached for B.A. Paris! While this wasn't my favourite of hers, it was hard to put down. A woman is kidnapped and then it flashes back to the past in the lead-up to her kidnapping. I had to suspend some disbelief a bit more than I would like to for my psychological thrillers, and the ending was a bit rushed for me.

Summer by Ali Smith: This was the final installment in Smith's seasonal quartet (and now I have her 'Companion Piece' to read as well)! I love how Smith uses her characters to draw parallels from big historical moments (WW2, internment camps) and the present (immigration, COVID, Brexit). I think Winter is still my favourite out of the series (with Spring a close second) and Summer is a fitting conclusion. If you like literary fiction with pretty prose I would recommend starting with Autumn and working your way through the seasonal quartet!

Unimpressed (2 stars)

Vacationland by Meg Mitchell Moore: I judged this one by its cover and thought it was a thriller but it was a family drama. I can only just describe this book as 'fine' - Louisa goes up to her parent's house in Maine every summer and this year she goes up without her husband, but with her kids, determined to finish her book, while dealing with her dad who has Alzheimer's and a mysterious new girl in town.