5 books to break a reading rut
Well, as I referenced the last time I sent this very-sporadic newsletter, I have a bunch of reasons why my 2024 reading has been off to a slow start — on top of my day job, my spirited toddler, and the book I’m trying to finish before the fall, I’m growing another person so am physically incapable of staying awake past 9pm most nights.
So you’ll have to forgive me if this email is even more sporadic than I expected and my full reading list is a little shorter than usual. The good news is that you can scroll on, knowing that every single book I’ve pulled out is good enough, compelling enough, and well-written enough to keep an otherwise very sleepy reader riveted.
If you’re looking to break out of a rut, or can’t seem to finish a book, pick up one of these…
Anita de Monte Laughs Last - Xochitl Gonzalez - Anita de Monte is a Cuban artist in 70s, married to a notorious minimalist artist/asshole who overpowers her with his ego. She eventually dies under very suspicious circumstances and is intentionally written out of history. Fast forward to Raquel Toro, a Latina art history student at Brown in the late 90s, trying to find her way in the art world. The stories overlap as we bounce between the two women along with one other narrator — academia drama, intrigue, love, race, class, art, ghosts - it’s just so good. I read this in one insomniac night.
The Great Divide - Cristina Henríquez - A sweeping epic of many characters living/working/loving/maybe dying in Panama during the building of the canal. There’s not one plot so much as a dozen plots, each engrossing and engaging, with deep research and beautiful writing. I love really well done historical fiction.
Wandering Stars - Tommy Orange - If you read There There (which you should!), this is sort of a sequel, but you don’t have to have read that to understand or enjoy this book - a gorgeously done multi-generational story about a Native American family, starting with Star, a survivor of the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864 and tracing its way through his offspring and their offspring. It looks at the long-lasting consequences of trauma, addiction, identity, and violence in a heartbreaking way. Highly rec.
The Sicilian Inheritance - Jo Piazza - Sara’s marriage has fallen apart, her business is bankrupt and most immediately, her beloved great aunt has died, leaving her an all-expenses paid trip to Sicily to solve a family mystery. So off Sara goes, trying to learn the story of Serafina, the family matriarch who was supposedly murdered. (Or was she?) A mystery and a travel story and a love story and a motherhood story (and also a food story!!) all in one. A perfect beach book.
How to End A Love Story - Yulin Kuang - Warning that if stories that include suicide are not on the table for you, don’t pick this one up. But if they are, this romance (!) is so so so so good. In high school, Helen’s sister died by standing in front of a truck driven by handsome homecoming king Grant. Fast forward 13 years later, Helen is a best-selling writer with a TV adaptation coming of her YA novels; Grant is a screenwriter about to take up the #2 job on said TV adaptation. The two reconnect as they have to find ways to work together and phew things get hot, sad, funny, romantic, and healing. Loved it.
I’m in the stupid stage of pregnancy where I’m often awake from 2-4:30am and while sometimes I waste that time on TikTok, I’m trying to balance that with books, too. So let me know: What are you reading/what’s on your to-read list as the weather warms up??
Thanks for the help!
Amanda
I loved How to End a Love Story so so much! Adding a bunch of these to my holds list at the library.