A winning read from a popular author, book beliefs, ways to organize your books
Plus, must listens of the week + LINKS
Something I’ve been thinking about lately- and will most likely expand on in a longer newsletter- is my book beliefs. Specifically, what do I believe to be true about the books I’ve read, plan to read, or decide not to read? What are the book beliefs that guide my reading life or cause me to pause and think oh I have to read that book or I wish this was different? One belief I landed on this week is that I think a well written prologue and epilogue is gold! I will never tire of reading both and when it comes to an epilogue (and another belief), the longer the better. Another book belief- authors should retire the word “skittered” in all its forms from their writing. This word just bugs me and I have no rational reason why. It’s in just about every book I pick up and once you see it you can’t stop seeing it and for that I’m sorry:)
A belief I’ve just recently come to accept is that I will never read all the books I want to read - and that’s freeing, but also kind of sad because there are truly so many books I’d like to read. On a similar note, I believe that making a huge, infinite tbr (to be read) list of books I’ll probably never read brings me joy and makes me feel comforted because I know I’ll never be without the next title that could end up being THE BOOK that rocks my world. I’m just getting started, so I think I will write an entire post devoted to this topic, but I’ll leave you today with one final book belief- we do not have to finish every book we start, in fact not finishing books (dnfing) has been the single best thing I’ve done for the quality of my reading life over the years.
Recent Reads
Ordinary Time by Cathy Rentzenbrink
Ann is a reluctant Vicar's wife. She tries her best but her husband only has eyes for God, and her son is asking questions she struggles to answer. It may only be a matter of time before she makes the headlines of the local gazette: Vicar's wife gets giggles in church. Vicar's wife refuses to bake scones. Vicar's wife does not care about other people.
When her brother needs her help, Ann travels from Cornwall up to London. There she meets Jamie, and a new world unexpectedly opens up. Ann knows what the older women of the parish would say - she's made her bed and now she has to lie in it. But once she has been led into temptation, it may prove impossible to resist….
I loved this premise and the possibly of scandal it evoked. I was hoping for something similar to The Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall, but unfortunately that’s not what I got. This story, narrated by Ann, was interesting at times and kept me reading to find out what would happen- would she speak up for herself, would she walk out the door never to return to her family again, would she immerse herself in a scandalous love affair and if so, what would be the outcome. I’m pulled in by these types of stories and questions, but in this case I thought the story didn’t live up to the compelling nature of those questions. I didn’t find Ann herself to be all that interesting which made it hard as she was narrating. I also felt that the story lent itself to taking risks and in my opinion the author played it safe. I felt bored for almost the entire second half, so overall this ended up being a disappointment for me
My Name Is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout - audio 🎧
My first Elizabeth Strout and I’m happy to say I loved it! Really all you need to know is that this is about Lucy Barton who’s recovering slowly (in the hospital) from what should have been a simple operation. Her mother, to whom she hasn't spoken for many years, comes to see her. Things are said and left unsaid and it’s one of those quiet stories that says so much even thought not much happens. I found myself riveted to the conversations between Lucy and her mom, all the while wondering what happened in their past to sever their relationship - and would it be put back together or has that bridge been burned?? I will say, I think the audio elevated this story so much, the narrator was fantastic and made both Lucy and her mom come alive. So glad I finally read this, and I’ll be continuing on with more Elizabeth Strout!
Surprise reads - I’ve been reading a couple secret books for my end of the month audio bonus for paid subscribers….one releases in October and is absolutely a 5 star read for me, the other I’m still reading, but it’s looking good. Be sure to upgrade to paid if you’d like these exclusive recommendations, access to the full archive, and more.
Listened
Podcast episodes I enjoyed this week
Moody & Atmospheric Fall 2024 Book Releases with Backlist Pairings on The Novel Pairings Podcast
Behind the Scenes of Amazon’s Best Books Lists with Al Woodworth on Sarah’s Bookshelves Live
Bitesize: Do This Every Morning to Reduce Stress and Anxiety on Feel Better Live More Podcast
Links
10 of the best films coming out soon (Katie Couric Media)
Introducing the LitHub Podcast (LitHub)
Books That Break Your Heart (Book Riot)
10 Easy Homemade Chili Recipes (Real Simple)
15 Ways to Organize Your Books (Clutter.com)
The Minimalist’s Guide to Simple Housework (Zen Habits)
Shelf Life: Elizabeth Strout (Elle)
For the Love of Hobbies: 10 Books to Invite Your Passions (Fodors)
I am thrilled that you loved Lucy Barton. 😊
I have been leaning toward focusing on the books that I’m going to find enjoyable to read this fall. I’ve been picking out some tomes lately, but it is making me happy. So I give up thinking about quantity and really focus on giving myself the best Quality reading life I can. And yes, I like you have dnf’d books and I don’t feel bad. Sometimes I’ll try them again and they work. Other times they still are not right for me.
I am completely on the same page as you when it comes to DNFing! I am so much more adventurous in my reading now that I do not hesitate to drop books that are not working for me. It has helped me branch out and find a lot of gems that I otherwise would have missed.