June book report
Two romances, 1 YA thriller, 1 satire, 1 serious read about the cost of incarceration. We contain multitudes!
This was a lighter reading month — I blame a combo of the end of the school year plus a bunch of books that I started and did not finish. That being said, I still have five books to share, and I hopefully have good stuff on my Kindle waiting for me in July.
This will be my only newsletter of the week — RFS is closed & childcare is open M-Th, so I’m using my “vacation” to focus on some fiction writing (and yapping a little on TV if you’re curious for my political thoughts this week.) Happy July 4th!
Down to Earth - Julia Turshen [ Amazon / Bookshop ]
Frankie’s a farmer in upstate NY; Paige is an imminently-separated mom of an eight year old son who just moved to town for the summer to figure her life out. They meet and fall for each other. Very sweet, very hot, will make you want a tomato sandwich.
Tropesick - Lauren Okie [ Amazon / Bookshop ]
Katie’s a ghostwriter for Meredith Bradford, the bestselling romance novelist of all time; Tyler is a literary fiction writer hired to partner with Katie on Meredith’s next novel. Whoops, Tyler was also the best friend of Katie’s older brother, who died of an overdose eight years ago. (And whoops round two, Tyler was also Katie’s high school love.) They end up living out the tropes that they’re writing into the novel. This is sweet, and also a tiny bit convoluted until the ending, which I admittedly didn’t really see coming. It’s longer and more ambitious (in a good way!) than the usual romance and that mostly pays off!
Lies Between Us - Jessica Goodman [ Amazon / Bookshop ]
A twisty murder-mystery in a beach town! The Gold sisters and the Silver brothers have grown up together — with some complicated romantic entanglements between them. When someone shows up dead on the beach, all those relationships get caught up in a web of lies. Jess is a friend, her books are all great summer-y reads about rich people and messy friendships.
Alan Opts Out - Courtney Maum [ Amazon / Bookshop ]
Alan’s a powerful ad executive trying to win over Big Dairy — when the farmer he’s flown in for the pitch bombs his presentation, Alan has a mental breakdown of sorts and spirals, wondering what the point of capitalism really is? Meanwhile, his wife, Vivian, is just a few dinner parties away from joining the elite women’s club in Greenwich, CT — and freaking out about one daughter who possibly speaks to animals and another who wants to put on a play.
Fun satire of wealth, capitalism, and advertising in particular, with a dash of rich women behaving badly just for kicks.
The Hill - Harriet Clark [ Amazon / Bookshop ]
Suzanna’s mother is sentenced to life in a hilltop prison after robbing a bank with fellow radicals. Suzanna promises to visit her every Saturday forever while during the week she lives with her grandparents, and then just with her grandma, who spent years in the Communist Party. The book covers Suzanna from ages 8 to 18 as she pushes and pulls against her mom, her grandma, and the worlds she’s a part of.
I read this for book club; I probably wouldn’t have finished if I didn’t need to. The beginning made me very sleepy. There are some gorgeous scenes and some convoluted ones. Not a lot happens! But it does make me interrogate the question I come back to a lot: What sacrifices are you willing to make for your beliefs? What if trying to make the world better for your kids tomorrow makes you a worse parent today?
What’d you read last month that you liked? Tell me what’s good.
Past book round-ups…
When We’re in Charge is my leadership book for millennials and gen Z trying to do things differently. Pick up a copy in any format you’d like — hardcover, e-book, or audio book (narrated by yours truly) anywhere you get books, including Amazon or Bookshop.org or literally anywhere else. If you have Spotify Premium, you can listen to for free right this very minute. It’ll be out in paperback in September.
The Land and its People & The Raven Scholar were June standouts for me!
I always look forward to this monthly round-up! A few reads I’ve enjoyed recently: Whistler by Ann Patchett, Lake Effect by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney, and The Reservation by Rebecca Kauffman. Next up is The Keeper by Tana French, and I’m also waiting with bated breath for Colton Whitehead’s Cool Machine—I guess July will be a month for finishing trilogies?