I read seventeen books in August and leaned all the way in to summery reading in a way that felt perfect for the last lingering days of summer. What made summer reading sing for me this month was switching between genres so I was picking up titles with a wide range of tones and styles while remaining firmly ensconced in a summery setting. I fit in some place-appropriate reading while on a trip to Martha’s Vineyard, journeyed to Ancient Rome, and started a new series by a favorite historical romance author.
I also read Big Magic for a burst of motivation and inspiration around my writing retreat, which it delivered in spades. I’m not including a full review here but I really appreciated Gilbert’s emphasis on finding joy and curiosity in creative work, and meeting its challenges with stubborn gladness.
My August reading categories were:
Two international novels that aren’t by a British author: The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa, Vladivostok Circus by Elisa Shua Dusapin
Two backlist romances by authors I love: Slightly Married by Mary Balogh, Destiny’s Surrender by Beverly Jenkins
One book published at least forty years ago: This one did not happen, partially because I thought a book on my TBR was published earlier than it really was…but we’re doubling down in September!
And one book from the Booker longlist: Love Forms by Claire Adam
My September reading categories are:
Two books that are part of a series I started, thoroughly enjoyed, and haven’t finished yet
Two books published at least forty years ago
Two books I got from Aardvark Book Club
And one book from the Booker longlist
Favorite of the month
Let’s Make a Scene by Laura Wood
Thirteen years after the period drama that shot them both to stardom—and during the filming of which they clashed repeatedly—actors Cynthie Taylor and Jack Taylor-Jones are brought back together for a sequel not just to the movie, but to the relationship they faked to promote it. This contemporary romance was pure catnip for me, from the Hollywood details to the banter to the unabashed romanticism of it. Wood’s writing is sparkling and funny and wonderfully detailed, whether she’s describing a scoop of ice cream or an English manor. I felt like I was living inside this book while reading it and never wanted to leave. I loved the palpable tension between Cynthie and Jack and the squeal-worthy way they go from enemies to friends to lovers. There’s also a delightful supporting cast of characters, from Cynthie’s lifelong best friend to the cast and crew of the movie. Just a perfect treat of a late summer read. (Open door, medium steam.)
Really liked
Slightly Married by Mary Balogh (Bedwyn Saga #1)
After a battlefield promise to a dying man, Colonel Aidan Bedwyn finds himself marrying Eve Morris to prevent her from being turned out of her home. This is a classic Balogh marriage of convenience romance, featuring a duty-bound hero, a strong-willed heroine, and an emphasis on families both of blood and of choice and the things they're willing to sacrifice for each other. I loved the way that Balogh slowly peels back Aidan's stoic mask to reveal the depth of feeling simmering underneath, getting a glimpse into the dramatic yet fiercely loyal Bedwyn family, and seeing good-hearted Eve finally get her own happy ending after giving up so much for others. It's a true slow burn, unfolding at an agonizingly delicious pace, and a deeply rewarding one. (Open door, medium steam.)
The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig (The Stonewater Kingdom #1)
A Gothic-tinged romantasy about an oracle whose sister oracles begin disappearing, a heretical knight, and the quest they embark on to unravel the power that underpins their kingdom. This felt like an original and fresh entry into the current romantasy landscape, from the unique magic system and world building to the wonderfully drawn-out slow burn romance to the eerie feeling that permeates it. I enjoyed Gillig's style, particularly her knack for rich descriptions, and the entire cast of characters, from Rory and Sibyl's undeniable chemistry to the lovable gargoyle sidekick. This is probably my favorite of the buzzy romantasies of the moment and I'll definitely be picking up the sequel.
Happy Hour by Marlowe Granados
A vibey, stylish, smart, and funny novel that walks the razor-thin line between decadence and anxiety. It reminded me a bit of Eve Babitz at her eagle-eyed party girl best, albeit with a East Coast and 21st-century flair, as best friends Isa and Gala party and grift their way through a summer in New York City in search of pleasure. I was especially fascinated by the push-pull of the friendship between the two, who drive each other crazy and have each other's backs in the way only a best friend can. It's a sun-soaked trip through New York society, from artists' studios to scene-y downtown bars to Hamptons beach houses, and an excellent late-summer read.
Kakigori Summer by Emily Itami
A warm, luminously written story about three far-flung sisters still struggling with their mother's death in very different ways who reunite for a summer on the Japanese coast when the youngest, a pop star, is plunged into scandal. The descriptions throughout are gorgeously vivid and I relished getting a glimpse into both Tokyo and the Japanese countryside. The sisters and their love for each other, complicated as it may sometimes be, leap off the page and Itami has an excellent eye for the rhythms and intricacies of daily family life. The story is bittersweet yet shimmers with hope and Itami’s prose balances the light and dark perfectly.
Destiny's Surrender by Beverly Jenkins (Destiny #2)
Forced to flee danger in San Francisco, Billie Wells arrives at the ranch of Andrew Yates with the son Drew didn’t know they had. The second in Jenkins’ Destiny trilogy, this rollicking adventure and passionate love story features my new favorite Jenkins heroine. Billie is smart, fierce, dynamic, snarky, and compelling from page one and I just loved her. This is a plotty, action-packed romance, full of peril and twists, and I was completely sucked into the drama. I also continue to love Alanza, the matriarch at the heart of the Yates family, and the powerful community of women that the novel portrays and that embrace and support Billie instantly. The bits of California history are woven in seamlessly and there's a rich, textured, deeply lived in feeling to the world of the book. (Open door, high steam.)
It’s a Love Story by Annabel Monaghan
A former child star finds herself having to team up with her work nemesis to get a pop star to write a song for the movie she’s desperate to make. This romance sings with summer, from boat rides to beachside lobster boils, and Monaghan’s prose has a shining clarity to it that animates the Long Island setting. I especially liked the portrayal of how Jane’s child stardom, and role as the perpetual butt of the joke on the show that spanned her adolescence, still shapes her adult sense of self. (And I think the sensitivity with which Monaghan writes about it is what makes the third-act break-up feel both painful and necessary.) My absolute favorite element, though, was Dan’s big, loving Irish family. Jane falls for the Finnegans just as much as she falls for Dan and so does the reader. (Cracked door, just barely.)
The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa
A professor of mathematics who can’t remember anything for longer than eighty minutes, his housekeeper, and the housekeeper’s young son form their own kind of family. This novel was a lovely, reflective look at memory, found family, and the beauty of mathematics. (I’m decidedly not a math person but I've never been so mesmerized by math in my life. The joy and insights these characters find in it is so well done.) I was deeply moved by the relationship between the housekeeper, her son, and the professor and the unexpected ways in which they connect. Perfect if you're looking for a slim read destined to stick with you.
Square Waves by Alexandra Romanoff
Years after the sex scandal that made her infamous, Cassidy finds herself back home, burnt out, and reconnecting in surprising ways with her high school nemesis. This was easily my favorite of the 831 Stories novellas I've read. I loved the Bay Area setting, which Romanoff renders perfectly, and how Leon feels like a very authentically Northern California type of love interest. (And a very appealing one!) I also appreciated how thoughtfully she writes about the aftermath of scandal and what it's like to be a public figure when you haven't chosen to be one. Cassidy is stubborn and driven and guilt-ridden and a deeply compelling protagonist who I was rooting for even at her most flawed. And as a bonus, this book absolutely nails both that late 20's feeling when it seems like everyone has things figured out more than you do and the relief that can come with finally letting yourself dwell in the messy. (Open door, medium steam.)
A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum: Murder in Ancient Rome by Emma Southon
A smart, thoughtful, and thoroughly engaging exploration of murder in Ancient Rome, from the gladiatorial arena to the domestic sphere to the murders of emperors. Southon has a chatty, casual style that's still backed up with extensive research and a keen knowledge of how history is shaped and told through the centuries. I found this fascinating and actually quite affecting, especially when she dives into the deaths of people overlooked by the Empire. Recommended for both history and true crime fans.
The Wedding by Dorothy West
Set on the eve of an interracial marriage much discussed by the wealthy Black community that summers on Martha’s Vineyard, this novel is a miniature family saga, a precise and nuanced portrait of a society on the verge of change, and a perfect seasonal read. I especially enjoyed the density and flow of West's prose. She writes in long, lush sentences that build and build, spanning extraordinary amounts of emotion and history in the space of a few paragraphs. The way she flips between time periods is equally impressive and the way she pulls all these characters and plot threads together in the final pages is stunning. I read this novel while I was on Martha’s Vineyard and loved the look into a piece of its history.
Liked with minor quibbles
Time Loops & Meet Cutes by Jackie Lau
A charming lightly speculative romance about a burnt-out woman stuck in a time loop and the handsome brewery owner she keeps running into. I especially liked the Toronto setting, Noelle's growing friendship with the other woman she's trapped in the time loop with, and her evolving relationship with her family, her work, and how she thinks about consequences. Her relationship with Cam is extremely cute and they have a delightful sense of playfulness and ease from the start. My only quibble is that although it's dual POV, we get to know Noelle much better and I did find myself wishing for more insight into Cam and what keeps on drawing him to Noelle over and over. However, I’d definitely read more from Lau and recommend picking this one up if the premise has you intrigued. (Open door, medium steam.)
Liked, didn’t love
Love Forms by Claire Adam
In 1980’s Trinidad, a teenage girl is taken across the sea to Venezuela in secret, gives birth to a daughter, and gives her up, only to be haunted by the choice forty years later. This is a quiet, reflective story about motherhood, grief, the complexities of family, and learning to live with your past self and choices. Adam captures Dawn’s yearning and complicated relationship with her family in thoughtful detail and builds tension in a subtly heartbreaking way. The prose style is very straightforward and conversational, especially when Dawn recounts the intertwined histories of Trinidad and Venezuela, which I found interesting but a little dry. It very much reads like a novel written for a non-Caribbean audience, holding the reader’s hand along the way, and I think I wouldn’t have minded being dropped in the deep end.
Not my preferred brand of literary fiction but could be yours?
Vladivostok Circus by Elisa Shua Dusapin
A young costume designer journeys to a circus at the far edges of Russia to create costumes for a Russian bar trio about to attempt a daring feat at a winter festival. Dusapin deftly explores creativity, collaboration, and liminal spaces as she portrays both a young woman caught in a transitional moment and the temporary closeness between a small group thrust into close quarters for a short period of time. Her stripped-back style means that this is a novel very comfortable with letting the reader fill in the gaps and read meaning into quiet moments and I tend to prefer literary fiction that reads a little denser. When I finished this one, I felt a bit like a human shrug emoji, although our Fiction Matters book club discussion did help me appreciate it more. Recommended for “no plot, all vibes” readers.
Disappointed and I’m sad about it
Zomromcom by Olivia Dade
Soapmaker Edie teams up with her neighbor Max, who’s secretly a centuries-old vampire, to help avert a zombie outbreak and possible world-wide turmoil. Where this succeeded more for me was as a showcase for Dade's gleefully bonkers sense of humor, especially with Edie's snappy, quippy narration. Where this fell short for me was the overstuffed world building and the fact that Max and Edie's romance exclusively faces external obstacles. Max is smitten with Edie before the book even begins and so I felt like I never got to savor them falling for each other. If you like a romance that's focused on the couple as a team overcoming everything that comes their way, you might enjoy this. If, like me, you prefer a romance where there's a heavier focus on the characters' inner struggles and the emotional growth they have to go through, you might struggle a bit too. (Open door, high steam.)
Alas, this heroine’s first love is creepy
Summer Sisters by Judy Blume
When wealthy, reckless Caitlin Somers invites sensible, quiet Victoria Leonard to spend the summer with her family on Martha's Vineyard, Vix is drawn into a world of previously unimagined wealth and into an intense friendship with Caitlin that will both change her life and break her heart. This was first published in the 90's and I don't think it's aged incredibly well. A hefty chunk of the book is dedicated to Vix's first love Bru and I just could not get over the fundamental ickiness of their age gap--she's seventeen, he's twenty-one, and they first meet when she's still in middle school. What I did like was reading about all the Martha's Vineyard settings while I was visiting and how effectively Blume captures both the bone-deep loyalty and the bone-deep betrayals of a messy, long-standing female friendship.
Let me know your favorite reads of August in the comments!
Currently reading: Earl Crush by Alexandra Vasti, which is just delightful. I’ve been in a historical romance mood lately and Vasti’s writing is pleasingly sparkly.
Recommendations, miscellany, and little bits of joy:
Doing an end-of-summer closet clean-out! I got rid of a bunch of clothes I no longer wear, rediscovered some pieces, and can now pull things out of my closet without wrestling with the hangers.
We had a really lovely Labor Day weekend going to a jazz show at a local bar, having dinner with friends on their roof, and taking a walk through Green Wood Cemetery.
The new Sabrina Carpenter album, which had me cackling, humming along, and generally having a very good time.
I'm so glad you read The Wedding in the perfect setting! I was very impressed too at how West pulls it all together in so few pages. Kagikori Summer is one I just got from the library and no one else seems to know about it so I was excited to see not only that you read it but that you liked it. Sounds like a fantastic month and for the vineyard I hope you got donuts ❣