Reading: May/June 2024

It’s summertime and all I want to do is read, read, READ! Preferably in my backyard with a cold drink at hand. I have a tower-toppling bookstack and my kindle is loaded and can’t the world just leave me behind for a few months so I can catch up?

You know the feeling, right?

While I look forward to more great summer reading, here’s a quick look back at the books I’ve read recently.

FICTION

First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.5 stars. While the timeline & aliases tripped me up now & again, I mostly followed the plot. Not 5 stars because there were a few times, one paragraph toward the end in particular, when I had to read & reread the section in order to follow the meaning. When multiple characters are mentioned, it’s necessary to make sure names & pronouns are easily understood. Otherwise, another engaging airplane read – I began reading as the plane took off & finished it while waiting for my parking shuttle.

None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I started this book just after taking my seat on a 5hr flight toward vacation. I finished it that night before falling asleep. It’s that engaging. 4 stars for 2 reasons: while it’s totally acceptable for a character/victim (i.e., human) to question their own motives & participation in an interpersonal train wreck, I think our protagonist was too hard on herself; & I didn’t like the handling of what ultimately leaves the reader with an open-ended conclusion – the missing person was mentioned too early & left too late & then without ultimate satisfaction.

Mother-Daughter Murder Night by Nina Simon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Well-developed characters, strong women, a who-done-it with all the ins & outs to keep one guessing, all set along the Northern California coast in Elkhorn Slough, a place I’ve visited often on trips to Santa Cruz & Monterey. Fun!

Other Books
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride – My rating: 3 of 5 stars

NONFICTION

All It Takes Is a Goal: The 3-Step Plan to Ditch Regret and Tap Into Your Massive Potential by Jon Acuff
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book gave me some simple, instant actionable steps to better live into my potential. It also made me feel better about myself for having figured out through experience many of the ideas he articulates. Definitely worth the time, & great as an audiobook. Read more of my thoughts on this book here.

The New Menopause: Navigating Your Path Through Hormonal Change with Purpose, Power, and Facts by Mary Claire Haver
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Get your hands on the actual book, not the audiobook. Although the book offers tons of information, it’s necessarily science-y & it would be easier to skim for the information that pertains to your symptoms. Still, recommended for all women 35-60!

Other Books
This Book Is Cheaper Than Therapy: A No-nonsense Guide to Improving Your Mental Health by Liz Kelly – My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Look Again: The Power of Noticing What Was Always There by Tali Sharot – My rating: 3 of 5 stars

NONFICTION CHRISTIAN

Live Slowly: A Gentle Invitation to Exhale by Jodi H. Grubbs
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I don’t need to be convinced that our Western capitalist society shouts at us to run faster & produce more go go GO! I anticipated that the author would already speak my language. And now that I’ve turned the last page I can say this: I thought I knew what to expect, & I discovered even deeper truth that I need. I conclude the reading of this book feeling less alone, more encouraged, with greater permission &, most importantly, HOPE for the future.

“…this shift to slow living… [is] about naming our story, identifying our capacity, practicing ordinary soul care, living face to face in deeper ways, creating the time and space to hear the still small voice, being fully present, and standing up for ourselves” (p193).

Somehow: Thoughts on Love by Anne Lamott
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I listened to Annie tell me her stories as I commuted to & from work & walked my puppy around my Bay Area neighborhood. I’ve heard her speak in person, & I’ve read most of her nonfiction books, so listening felt much like listening to an old friend catch me up on what she thinks is most important now. Truly, I laughed, received truth, & cried. And because Annie is such a writer’s writer, I now need to get my hands on the book so I can underline all the best quotes.

Ordinary Light by Tracy K. Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I picked up this book after hearing Tracy K. Smith speak at the 2024 Festival of Faith & Writing at Calvin University. Tracy is a poet, & this book is a memoir written with a poet’s sensibilities. The writing is beautiful & the story reads as an American coming-of-age novel. In the acknowledgments, the author describes it as a mother’s story for her daughter & it is, at its heart, the story of Tracy’s own relationship with her mother. As such, it hit home in poignant ways, especially as I finished it right before my second Mother’s Day without Mom.

View all my reviews