July was a quiet month, with no travel, and the heat kept me indoors more than usual. Normally I can be outside for any amount of time in the summer, and I love reading in full sunlight. Maybe it’s hotter than normal or maybe it’s my age (or both), but my heat tolerance isn’t what it used to be! We went to a U.S. women’s soccer game in mid-July, right before the team left for Paris, and it was about 105 degrees. Even in the shade I was a puddle of sweat for hours (and sadly, the game wasn’t great either).
I’ve been putting a lot more time lately into writing posts, and I’ve been thinking about other kinds of writing as well. I signed up as a reviewer on BookSirens, though not sure I’ll stay on it, and I was asked about reviewing for Reedsy, but I don’t think that’s a good use of my time. If you’ve used either of these sites as a reviewer, please let me know what you think.
Here’s what I read in July:
- The Road to Roswell by Connie Willis (audio)
- In this Ravishing World by Nina Schuyler
- Ordinary Human Failings by Megan Nolan (audio)
- The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon (audio)
- Gravity Lost by L.M. Sagas
- Tik-Tok of Oz by L. Frank Baum
- Sandwich by Catherine Newman (audio)
- Passing by Nella Larsen
My favorite reads:
It was a great month for reading, so it’s hard to pick out anything specific. Sandwich has been getting a lot of acclaim recently, and deservedly so. Even though it’s a book that’s focused on motherhood and pregnancy, things I haven’t experienced myself, I completely related to the main character, who reminded me of my sisters. Passing was a short read but a very thought-provoking one. The Road to Roswell was a fun summer read and one I’ll post about soon, and I’ve already written about how much I was moved by Ordinary Human Failings.
Perhaps my favorite read this month was Ariel Lawhon’s The Frozen River. I was engrossed in this book set in the 1780’s based on a true-life midwife in Maine. I loved Lawhon’s Code Name Helene, so I was so happy that this book gave me the same feeling — I love Lawhon’s attention to detail, deep historical research, and fantastic characters (both male and female). Just as with Code Name Helene, I learned a ton about a brave, smart woman who I’d never have heard of otherwise. While Lawhon notes that this book is more fictionalized than many of her book, it’s still based very much on history and Martha’s actual journal.
Disappointing or DNFs:
Nothing was disappointing, but I decided not to finish Navola by Paulo Bacigalupi. It’s a fantasy novel set in a world very similar to Renaissance Italy, and the tone and setting just wasn’t working for me. I also started Sisters of Belfast, and I’m not sure I’ll finish it. I don’t love the story so far. I know from the reviews it will focus on the abuse of girls in an Irish orphanage in the 1940s. But at the moment it just seems to be about two sisters who fall out over a boy they both like. I may go back to it, as I feel like I’m selling it short. But it’s summer and my brain just doesn’t want that right now.
On the blog:
I reviewed In This Ravishing World, Repacking for Greece, Ordinary Human Failings, Gravity Lost, and Tik-Tok of Oz. I also wrote about the New York Times’ Best Books of the 21st Century, for Top Ten Tuesday the top debut novels I’ve read recently, a summary of the first half of the year in the Mid-Year Book Tag, and July’s Spell the Month in Books.
Books for challenges:
- Backlist Reader: Passing
- Nature/Environment: In This Ravishing World
- The 52 Book Club: In This Ravishing World (an omniscient narrator), Ordinary Human Failings (published by Hachette)
- 15 Books of Summer: Read 14, Reviewed 10
What I’m reading now:
I’ve been having a hard time choosing what to read next. I’m listening to Done and Dusted by Lyla Sage, but I’ve started about four different books and I’m not sure yet what I’m in the mood for.
What’s coming up:
I have two ARCs to read in August, The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djeli Clark, and There are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafak. We’ll also be reading Scarecrow of Oz for Ozathon 2024. And I only need to read 1 more book from my 15 Books of Summer list, but I need to review 5.
Added to my TBR:
This month I added a few authors I haven’t yet read, based on the NYT list and the recently announced Booker longlist: Rachel Kushner, Alice Munro, and Richard Powers.
Things that made me happy this month:
I’m enjoying watching the Olympics, though as always I wish there was more evening coverage of sports other than gymnastics and swimming. I’ve been struck, though, by how much the treatment of women’s gymnastics has changed. Instead of being treated as cute little girls dependent on their coaches, these are now women who make their own decisions, prioritize their own health, and support each other. A lot has been made of how much older the competitors are now, and age is now talked about as a strength rather than a weakness. Maybe some of this also has to do with the idea that women athletes in general are taken more seriously, as we’ve seen with soccer, basketball and rugby.
In August we’re taking a weekend to go to Asheville, NC, which is fairly close (a long drive or a very short plane ride). Summer is going by quickly! Hope you’re staying cool and reading something good.
