Weekly Reads & More
A shot of reading adrenaline, books I bought for Independent Bookstore Day + links you'll love
Hi reading friends,
I hope you’ve been having a weekend that fills you up in some way. I mentioned in Friday’s Thread that I hit a reading bump in the road over the past week (not a slump per se just a significant slowww down in my reading rhythm), but I think I’ve moved past it, mostly by immersing myself in the joy of book possibilities, especially yesterday in celebration of Independent Bookstore Day.
My intention was to visit Storyline Bookshop, one of my local indie bookstores here in Columbus and, although my print bookshelves are overflowing with unread books I’ve bought, my plan as I told my husband was to buy at least one book to support the store—by the way, this store is owned by
, has been opened less than a year and is, in my opinion, THE BEST curated indie store in Columbus! My husband (who’s not a reader) was on board and we set out for an afternoon lunch at a local favorite restaurant which just so happens to be next to one of our beautiful libraries. After lunch, I had to pop in. There’s something so joyful about walking into a library and immediately being surrounded by books and the possibility of riveting stories! I feel it every time and this weekend it was a much needed boost, just the shot of reading adrenaline I needed after a week spent floundering in online book research.Although I love a long and leisurely library browse, since I was just popping in with my husband, I gave myself only ten minutes to do a quick scope of the new releases and staff picks just to see what covers and titles caught my eye. This type of browsing is me allowing myself to not overthink book choices and to allow whimsey to take over. I didn’t even stop to read the synopses, I picked three books based on: the title, the cover, an author whose debut I loved. This is the joy of the library! I left feeling excited about the anticipation of trying these books. And if they don’t work, I’m out nothing.
Here’s the three books I grabbed….
Imposter Syndrome by Joseph Knox - I loved his debut Sirens
The Pages of the Sea by Anne Hawk - The cover is pretty and I’ve never heard of it!
The In-Between Bookstore by Edward Underhill - The title caught my eye (this gives me woo vibes— have people recently died, but not crossed over and are now at a bookstore? I need to know. Also, I’ve never heard of this
Next it was on to Storyline Bookshop and I was thrilled to see how crowded it was! It was almost impossible to browse due to the number of people there, but since I’ve been in such a nonfiction mood and those are the types of books I tend to enjoy reading slowly in print so I can highlight, I took my time exploring the nonfiction new releases and settled on local Columbus author Maggie Smith’s new book Dear Writer: Pep Talks and Practical Advice For the Creative Life and a memoir I hadn’t heard of before—It Goes So Fast: The Year of No Do Overs by Mary Louise Kelly. While waiting in line to buy these we enjoyed checking out the store’s extensive rare collectable books collection. Can I just say, wow to the signed first editions of one of the Harry Potter books (price tag $4000), The Goldfinch ($1300), Fourth Wing ($1600)!
What a great book filled day, I felt my reading rhythm being rejuvenated:) I would love to hear if you bought any books for Independent Bookstore Day!
Recent Read
The Briar Club by Kate Quinn. I had tried this book at least 3 other times and couldn't get into it, but this time, once I allowed myself about an hour of straight listening I was all in. Set in the 1950's, the story begins with a dead body at Briar House, a women's boarding house where all of the women -and at least one man- come under suspicion. The story then goes back 4 years earlier and each of the women gets a section that will lead up to present day. I loved this format and I loved getting to spend so much time with each lady--they were all interesting characters and I literally could not get enough of the secret love affair one of them was having with a gangster. I also really enjoyed reading about this time period in the US. My only criticism is that there are recipes in each section and those were annoying to listen to and broke up the flow of the story--I think having them in their own section at the end would've been better for the audio experience. In the end, I didn't have the “who’s dead” and “whodunit” figured out. I loved it and do recommend the audio, one of my very favorite narrators, Saskia Maarleveld narrated and she’s great with voices, tones, and pacing
Links I Loved
Suleika Jaouad is Journaling Her Way Through Cancer for the Third Time (NYT Gift Link)
I’ve read eight of the LA Time’s 30 Best Fiction Books of the Last 30 Years (LA Times)
And here’s the LA Times’ picks for the Best Nonfiction Books of the Past 30 Years (Bookshop.org)
The Great Spring 2025 Book Preview (The Millions)
There Are Too Many Books; Or, Publishing Shouldn’t Be All About Quantity (LitHub)
What To Stream In May (Seattle Times)
Book I’m Anticipating
The Bombshell by Darrow Farr - May 27 from Pamela Dorman Books
Corsica, 1993. As a sun-drenched Mediterranean summer heads into full swing, beautiful and brash seventeen-year-old Séverine Guimard is counting down the days until graduation. The pampered French American daughter of a politician, Séverine knows she’s destined for bigger things.
That is, until one night, Séverine is snatched off her bike by a militant trio fighting for Corsican independence and held for a large ransom. When the men fumble negotiating her release, the four become unlikely housemates deep in the island’s remote interior. Eager to gain the upper hand, Séverine sets out to charm her captors, and soon the handsome, intellectual leader, Bruno, the gentle university student, Tittu, and even the gruff, unflappable Petru grow to enjoy the company of their headstrong hostage.
As Séverine is exposed to the group’s politics, they ignite something unexpected within her, and their ideas begin to take root. With her flair for the spotlight and newfound beliefs, Séverine becomes the face of a radical movement for a global TV audience. What follows is a summer of passion and terror, careening toward an inevitable, explosive conclusion, as Séverine steps into the biggest role of her life
From the Archives
Any thoughts on today’s newsletter? Did you read, listen, buy, or watch anything notable this week?
Have a great Sunday📚
- Renee
Oh how i wish i had been able to participate in Independent Book Store Days. But i am here to bring a book to your attention. I have come across this title in several book groups on different posts. today, it popped up in a post for the best book you have read this year so far. Last week, it popped up in a post asking for your top feel good emotional book. It also popped up last week in a post asking for the five star read that you have read that is not listed in all the book groups. In other words, and under the radar gem. It is called The Song Of The Blue Bottle Tree. I have never heard of this book and it has the “woo” factor. I may be late to this party but I am so excited about this book and cannot wait to read it. t
I love Janine and a visit to Storyline is definitely on my bookish bucket list!