July Reading Recap

In which I lean all the way into my reading mood

July was a very good month in my reading life. I recovered from the chaos of moving, picked up a solid mix of buzzier and lesser known titles, and fell in love with a few books that I suspect will find their way onto my favorites of the year list. Even the titles that didn’t quite work for me are ones that I might recommend to other readers or that I might have clicked with more in a different reading mood.

I spent most of the month wanting to read either romance or British fiction published at least forty years ago. (I made one exception for British fiction set many decades ago and I’m very glad I did.) I’m a big believer in embracing where you are in your reading life and I know that all reading moods come and go. Was this hyper-specific mood very much what I needed in July? Yes. Am I hoping to branch out a little more in August and see what hooks me? Also yes. I have a few buzzy recent literary fiction releases and a handful of mysteries that I can’t wait to dive into, along with even more historical romance.

But this is about what I read in July, so without any further ado, let’s get to it:

Favorites of the month

Forever Your Rogue by Erin Langston

A gorgeous, deeply satisfying historical romance about a determined young widow and the irrepressible rogue she recruits into a fake engagement. I loved these main characters and their chemistry, and Nate's character transformation made him one of my new all-time favorite reformed rogues. Seeing him fall for Cora and her family, seeing him grow up, seeing him choose to try...it's so beautifully rendered. Langston has a distinctive, assured voice and writes wonderfully. There were so many sentences that made me pause and give a happy little sigh. It's swoony, it's funny, it's emotional...it gave me that 'clasp my hand to my heart while reading and squeal' sensation. Plus there's notes about her research at the end! A gold star historical romance. (Open door, high steam.)

The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn

A beautifully written, gripping, sweeping historical fiction novel set on the Devon coast and in occupied France that I got utterly lost in. I loved the central trio of Cristabel, Digby, and Flossie and how Quinn portrays all the delicate shadings and complexities of their sibling relationship. All the background characters feel rich and developed and even characters like feckless stepmother Rosalind get sympathy and complexity. This is a World War II novel but it's far from your typical one and I'd recommend it even to readers who don't pick up much historical fiction. I just felt completely enveloped by this book in the best way. It feels like a classic already. 

We Could Be So Good by Cat Sebastian

This friends-to-lovers romance set at a New York City newspaper is unbearably tender and I loved it. It's clear-eyed about the dangers that the queer community faced in the 1950's but it's also so soft and hopeful and warm. The friends to lovers is perfectly done, full of humor and heart, and the ways that Andy and Nick care for each other melted my heart. This is a gentle, character-driven romance but the characters and the world are so richly developed that the stakes feel very real. There's something so achingly vulnerable about the prose here, paired with a fierce determination on the part of the characters to forge a life that makes them happy, and the combination is pure magic. (Open door, moderate steam.)

The Fortnight in September by R.C. Sherriff

I loved this quiet, kind story of an English family's annual holiday at the seaside so much. It's a balm for the soul that's simple on the surface but perfectly captures the small anxieties, joys, and triumphs of a vacation. This is a book that celebrates small pleasures and ordinary people and does so beautifully, yet never comes across as overly sentimental or syrupy. It's just sincere and lovely, as I felt so keenly for each member of the Stevens family. Summer seeps off every page. I love an interwar novel and am so delighted to have discovered this one, courtesy of Sara’s Paperback Summer Reading Guide.

Really liked

Don’t Look at Me Like That by Diana Athill

I picked up this slim novel about a young woman’s coming of age and affair with a friend’s husband on an enthusiastic recommendation from a bookseller in London and I’m so glad I did. There's a clarity and precision to the writing, and its sharp and striking sentences, that really appealed to me. There's also a powerful sense of 1950's London, grimy bedsits and all. I don't think I necessarily always liked Meg but I would also love to have a conversation with her? She feels so fully realized and compelling in a short span of pages. I would love to see this be more widely read, especially because of how modern and unflinching it feels. I think if you’re a fan of Sally Rooney or other contemporary chroniclers of the lives and loves of complicated women, you might really enjoy this.

L.A. Woman by Eve Babitz

Even if this didn't quite reach the heights of Slow Days, Fast Company or Sex and Rage for me, mostly because it’s a little rambly, I still just love Eve Babitz's writing. She's endlessly funny and effortlessly cool and the way she writes about LA is knowing, loving, and filled with perfect detail after perfect detail. I especially loved the opening, where teenage Sophie is bemoaning the prospect of having to go to New Jersey for the summer, and the sections we get with Sophie and her family. Eve Babitz Summer continues and it’s my favorite thing.

Chick Magnet by Emma Barry

This romance between a chicken influencer and a veterinarian is a clever, thoughtful look at found family in a small town, the art of starting over, and our ever-shifting recovery from the pandemic that has a lot more depth than its packaging suggests. I really liked both Nic and Will and thought both of their character arcs were really well done and nuanced. (I was also delighted to read a contemporary romance where the hero's arc is just as developed as the heroine's.) The way this book talked about the pandemic and its lingering effects was something I haven’t really seen in contemporary fiction and echoed so many of the muddled thoughts and emotions I experienced during that surreal time. This felt like something fresh and different and I want more of it in contemporary romance. (Open door, moderate steam.)

The Greengage Summer by Rumer Godden

A beautifully written coming of age story, featuring a masterfully done unreliable child narrator, a bewitching world, and a sense of growing dread as the children left at a French hotel while their mother recovers from an illness become caught up in the machinations of the adults around them. I felt totally immersed in the world of post-war France and at the hotel. I could feel the summer heat wafting off the page and smell the fruit ripening on the trees. Godden expertly portrays the world through the eyes of a child who thinks she's much more grown up than she really is. Note that I would recommend not reading the author’s introduction, if you have an edition with one, because it’s quite spoiler-filled.

Something Wild & Wonderful by Anita Kelly

A tender, compassionate story about two men falling in love as they hike the Pacific Crest Trail that treats its characters and themes with so much care and thoughtfulness. Both Ben and Alexei are so well developed that I was almost thinking of them as my real-life friends by the end of the book. As a reader, you get to see both the issues that they have to overcome in order to be together and the reasons why they're perfect for each other. Seeing them work towards their happy ending is so lovely. I also enjoyed the nature descriptions and the PCT setting, particularly as someone who is way too much of a wimp to ever hike it myself. This is a book that deals with hard things but does it with such gentleness and warmth. (Open door, high steam, albeit on the lower end of high.)

True Pretenses by Rose Lerner

This grounded, nuanced romance featuring a lonely heiress and a con man trying to set her up with his brother feels unique in the historical romance world and made me want to read more of Lerner's work. The setting is carefully rendered in full detail and it's obvious that Lerner has done a lot of research on the time period. There's some fascinating details about the politics of the time that I really enjoyed reading about and even the clothing descriptions feel historically accurate. Ash and Lydia were both interesting, compelling protagonists who I felt for deeply. Their emotions are raw and tangled and real, as Lerner lets her characters exist with all their sharp edges on display. I also appreciated how there’s none of the magical problem solving that can sometimes swoop in in the last ten pages of a historical. Although there's a happy ending, it’s one tinged with the acknowledgment of all the things that can't be hand-waved away, which makes their happiness feel that much more hard-earned. (Open door, high steam.)

Business or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon

A low-angst and very fun romance between a ghostwriter and the actor whose memoir she's hired to write...after they had a disastrous one-night stand the night before. This was very nearly one of my favorites of the month and if I hadn’t had to restrain myself at four favorites, it would have been up there. I devoured this in a day. Rachel Lynn Solomon is so good at writing romance between really likable, appealing people trying their best. Finn is a soft and sweet beta hero for the ages and Chandler is the perfect mix of confident and vulnerable. I really empathized with her struggle to figure out what shape she wants her life to take. They communicate and work very well together as a couple and it's so easy to believe in their happy ending. The steamy scenes are also top-notch and I especially enjoyed the way this book talks about intimacy and uses those scenes to develop the relationship between Finn and Chandler.  (Open door, high steam.)

Will They or Won’t They by Ava Wilder

If you’ve ever found yourself yearning for an enemies to lovers romance where they actually feel like enemies, this is the read for you. The drama, the angst, the delicious tension between Shane and Lilah…Wilder unravels the slow burn perfectly. I totally bought both into Shane and Lilah's initial loathing and the relationship they forge by the end. I also really enjoyed all the behind the scenes details of the paranormal TV show they star on, which gave me all the flashbacks to the golden era of the CW supernatural drama. If you want a romance with emotional weight and explosive chemistry, I would recommend both this and Wilder's debut. (Open door, high steam.)

Liked, with minor quibbles (but would still recommend)

When in Rome by Sarah Adams

A very cute, quick read about a pop star looking to run away from her life and a small-town baker that features charming main characters, a quaint small town, and a whole lot of cozy. I especially enjoyed some of the secondary characters, particularly Will's sisters. I wouldn't say I was blown away by this, especially as it never quite hit the depth of feeling that I find in my favorite romances, but it was a fun read with some snappy back-and-forth between the hero and heroine. (Closed door.)

Much Ado About Nada by Uzma Jalaluddin

This Persuasion-inspired romance feels very successful as women's fiction but a little bit less successful as a romance. The focus is very much on Nada and her character development, which makes for an incredibly satisfying arc as she comes into her own and learns to move forward. However, all of Baz's character growth happens off the page and he's a quite opaque character as a result. The flashbacks to their past relationship are lovely but for a Persuasion retelling, I wanted just a tiny bit more romance in the present. I did quite like the portrayal of life in the Toronto Muslin community, Nada’s relationships with her friends and family, and how Jalaluddin reimagines some of the iconic Persuasion moments. (Closed door.)

Banyan Moon by Thao Thai

A family saga about three generations of Vietnamese-American women, the huge house in Florida that keeps drawing them back, and the secrets they keep from and for each other. There's a really strong sense of place, especially in the descriptions of the Banyan House, and the author deftly captures the community of this small Florida town. Her writing has a nice flow to it that keeps the story rolling along and there were phrases and imagery that I wanted to underline as I was reading. However, I did feel like the pacing got a little sluggish in the middle and have a feeling that I may be burnt out on intergenerational family sagas for a little while? But I do want to pick up whatever she writes next and think this could make a great book club pick.

A case of mismatched expectations

Hotel du Lac by Anita Brookner

This Booker winner from the 1980’s follows a writer sent off to an old-fashioned hotel after her life begins to resemble the plot of her romantic novels. I feel like my experience with this book was a case of slightly misleading cover copy. I was expecting a love story and this is...not really that? I think I was hoping for something dreamy and lush and got a much sharper, more melancholy book instead. The writing is rich and layered and Brookner is obviously an adept observer of the human condition, enough so that I'd be interested in picking up another of her books, hopefully with a better sense of what I’m getting into.

A complicated reread

Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Marquez is undoubtedly a master storyteller. The writing in this book is astonishing on a sentence level, every sentence demanding your full attention, and the level of craft on display is pretty remarkable, especially when it comes to crafting a subtle satire and quietly unreliable narrator. But even if we’re not meant to read this as a love story, the way this book deals with consent and assault was upsetting and the male main character, Florentino Ariza, has rocketed to the top of my all time least favorite characters list. (It got to the point where I didn’t want to spend one more page with him.) I can’t say that I always enjoyed reading this one but I did enjoy the thought-provoking, fantastic discussion the FictionMatters book club had about it.

Let me know your favorite read of July in the comments!

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Currently reading: You Were Made to Be Mine by Julie Anne Long. I just finished a super buzzy romance I was only medium on so I reached for one of my most trusted authors and so far she’s delivering.

What’s bringing me joy lately:

• Last weekend’s trip to the Queens Night Market. It’s a cornucopia of deliciousness and possibly the best deal in NYC.

• The Billy Wilder festival at Film Forum. My boyfriend and I went to see his Cold War comedy One Two Three and had an excellent time. (I cackled. Repeatedly.)

• The marvelously weird new album from Carly Rae Jepsen, The Loveliest Time. I discovered that this was out on Monday and gasped in delight in my living room. She gives us so much and I’m eternally grateful for it.