Hey there! It’s summer!
The heat has been blazing here in Texas, so it’s felt like summer for a while, but I know it just became official yesterday. However, I hope you’re already enjoying all those summery things so many of us look forward to.
For me, summer is about vacations, slower days, piles of books to read, escapist TV shows, and listening to great audiobooks and podcasts in the car as I bring the kiddo back and forth to all the summer things.
So I thought today, I’d share some of my favorite finds so far this month!
READ
People have varying ideas of what constitutes a “summer read”. The most classic definition is a frothy, escapist book that is often set on or near a beach and has a cover of bright, summery colors or photos of aforementioned beach. I can definitely be down with that kind of read. However, I don’t limit my summer reading to that.
For me, a summer read means a book that sweeps me away, that I can get lost in. For instance, the first read below is decidedly NOT a summer setting. However, I read almost the whole thing at a NASCAR race when I was hiding underneath the stands from the absolutely boil-your-organs heat. If I can get lost in a book while I’m that hot and while listening to the deafening sound of race cars, that is a book that is truly escapist.
I also tend to reach for “juicy” books during the summer. Over the top reads that are just a little too much but in the best way.
So here we go!
The Maidens by Alex Michaelides
About the book:
Edward Fosca is a murderer. Of this Mariana is certain. But Fosca is untouchable. A handsome and charismatic Greek tragedy professor at Cambridge University, Fosca is adored by staff and students alike―particularly by the members of a secret society of female students known as The Maidens.
Mariana Andros is a brilliant but troubled group therapist who becomes fixated on The Maidens when one member, a friend of Mariana’s niece Zoe, is found murdered in Cambridge.
Mariana, who was once herself a student at the university, quickly suspects that behind the idyllic beauty of the spires and turrets, and beneath the ancient traditions, lies something sinister. And she becomes convinced that, despite his alibi, Edward Fosca is guilty of the murder. But why would the professor target one of his students? And why does he keep returning to the rites of Persephone, the maiden, and her journey to the underworld?
When another body is found, Mariana’s obsession with proving Fosca’s guilt spirals out of control, threatening to destroy her credibility as well as her closest relationships. But Mariana is determined to stop this killer, even if it costs her everything―including her own life.
My thoughts:
This was a Book of the Month pick and pushed one of my big reader buttons—my love of a campus novel. (Want more campus novel recs? Check out this post.) I haven’t read The Silent Patient (though I own it and plan to) but the concept of this one called to me, so I picked it up first. Sometimes when it’s hot outside, there’s nothing like escaping into a some place cooler. A prestigious university in England fit the bill. There are lots of twists and turns to keep the pages flipping and enough characterization that my character-driven heart was satisfied.
Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo
About the book:
Soldier. Summoner. Saint. Orphaned and expendable, Alina Starkov is a soldier who knows she may not survive her first trek across the Shadow Fold―a swath of unnatural darkness crawling with monsters. But when her regiment is attacked, Alina unleashes dormant magic not even she knew she possessed.
Now Alina will enter a lavish world of royalty and intrigue as she trains with the Grisha, her country’s magical military elite―and falls under the spell of their notorious leader, the Darkling. He believes Alina can summon a force capable of destroying the Shadow Fold and reuniting their war-ravaged country, but only if she can master her untamed gift.
As the threat to the kingdom mounts and Alina unlocks the secrets of her past, she will make a dangerous discovery that could threaten all she loves and the very future of a nation.
Welcome to Ravka . . . a world of science and superstition where nothing is what it seems.
My thoughts:
I read Ninth House by Leigh Badugo a while back and I LOVED it. So when I realized I’d missed her popular GrishaVerse series (and that it was about to become a Netflix show), I knew I needed to remedy this immediately. I’m not always in the mood for a fantasy-type read. I tend to have a love/hate relationship with the genre. When I read a fantasy book, it either becomes one of my favorites of the year or I can’t get though it. I rarely have middling feelings about them.
However, I’m happy to report that Shadow and Bone, which is based on a Russian type mythology, totally hooked me. Really, anything that has a character named The Darkling probably had my name on it. I do love a darkly charming is he/isn’t he a villain type character. I raced through the whole trilogy and promptly bought the spinoffs. Since then, I’ve read Six of Crows (which I liked but didn’t love quite as much since it’s more of a heist-based plot) and have taken a break from the series just because I don’t like to stay in one zone for too long. I will go back though. Choose this if you want to binge a series.
Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney
About the book:
Frances is a coolheaded and darkly observant young woman, vaguely pursuing a career in writing while studying in Dublin. Her best friend is the beautiful and endlessly self-possessed Bobbi. At a local poetry performance one night, they meet a well-known photographer, and as the girls are then gradually drawn into her world, Frances is reluctantly impressed by the older woman’s sophisticated home and handsome husband, Nick. But however amusing Frances and Nick’s flirtation seems at first, it begins to give way to a strange—and then painful—intimacy.
Written with gemlike precision and marked by a sly sense of humor, Conversations with Friends is wonderfully alive to the pleasures and dangers of youth, and the messy edges of female friendship.
My thoughts:
Last year, one of my favorite reads was Normal People by Sally Rooney. It was far outside of what I normally read—her books are often labeled grim millennial literary fiction. But for some reason, it grabbed me. I watched the TV show first though, so I thought that may have been why. So I picked up Conversations with Friends with a bit of trepidation because I didn’t know if I’d still enjoy the writing as much if I hadn’t formed images of the characters first from a TV show.
I shouldn’t have worried. I can’t exactly pinpoint WHY Rooney’s writing works for me, but it does. As a writer, I tend to write very open, talk-about-their-feelings kinds of characters. (I think this comes from my former therapist background.) So, a book like this where everyone is SO EMOTIONALLY REPRESSED should drive me nuts. And on one level, it does. I want to shake them and tell them, “Just tell people how you feel, dammit!” But but but, I can’t stop reading lol.
This book is grim and literary and there isn’t a ton of plot. (I’m really selling it, eh?) But it’s deeply character-driven, and I’m a junkie for characterization. So…your mileage may vary if you don’t read much lit fic, but I’ll definitely be picking up Rooney’s next novel because her books seem to scratch some itch I didn’t know I had.
I Feel Bad About My Neck by Nora Ephron
About the book:
With her disarming, intimate, completely accessible voice, and dry sense of humor, Nora Ephron shares with us her ups and downs in I Feel Bad About My Neck, a candid, hilarious look at women who are getting older and dealing with the tribulations of maintenance, menopause, empty nests, and life itself.
Ephron chronicles her life as an obsessed cook, passionate city dweller, and hapless parent. But mostly she speaks frankly and uproariously about life as a woman of a certain age. Utterly courageous, uproariously funny, and unexpectedly moving in its truth telling, I Feel Bad About My Neck is a scrumptious, irresistible treat of a book, full of truths, laugh out loud moments that will appeal to readers of all ages.
My thoughts:
Do I really have to sell you on Nora Ephron? Probably not. If you’re looking for something to make you laugh but that also has some poignant and thought-provoking parts, this is for you. Ephron writes in a way that makes it feel like you’re having drinks will a really wry and entertaining friend. I raced through this one and highlighted a lot of passages. The sections toward the end made me a little sad, knowing she’s not with us anymore, but I’m so glad I read it. Just her thoughts on raising adolescents made me feel better because I’m in the thick of that phase of parenting right now, lol.
WATCH
When it comes to TV watching, I have shows I watch with my whole family, ones I watch just with the kiddo (age 13), ones I watch just with the hubs, and ones I watch alone. I’m looking for different criteria in each category, but here are a few that I’m loving right now.
Show I’m Watching with the Fam
The Good Place (Netflix)
I had watched some of this series on my own when it first came out but then I lost track of it. However, when I was looking for a new show to watch with the whole family, it came up as a suggestion. I’m so glad I went back to it! All three of us are fully enjoying it and truly do laugh aloud. It’s so freaking clever.
The basic premise is that Eleanor (Kristen Bell) has died and finds herself in The Good Place (aka heaven) but it isn’t what she’d thought it be and she realizes quickly that she’s not supposed to be there…because she was actually a really crappy person on earth. But she can’t let anyone find out because then she’ll be sent to the bad place. Antics ensue.
Please don’t look for spoilers—just dive in and enjoy. Also note that even though I’m listing this as a family watch, I wouldn’t recommend it for younger kids. They can’t curse in the good place (it changes curse words to substitutes—go fork yourself) but there are some sexual jokes and situations.
Shows I Watch Solo
Cruel Summer (Hulu)
Admission: I love a soapy, over-the-top or overly angsty teen or college show. I grew up on Dawson’s Creek and Felicity and My So-Called Life. I don’t care that I’m in my 40s, these kinds of shows are still like candy to me. So, when I saw that Cruel Summer was going to be about high school students, a kidnapped teen, and that it was set in the 90s, I was all in.
The premise is unique—each episode covers the same day on each of three different years. So you see parts of the story from the year before/when the kidnapping took place, the year while the girl was missing, and the year of aftermath. The triple timeline really keeps you guessing and there are lots of twists along the way. I finished it this week and thoroughly enjoyed the ride. And fun bonus, it was taped nearby, so I recognized a lot of the locations.
Shadow & Bone (Netflix)
As I mentioned above, I loved the books, so I definitely was interested in the show. I’m only a few episodes in, but so far, they seem to be doing a good job translating the book to screen. I will note, however, that though it’s called Shadow and Bone, they also weaved in the Six of Crows book. So, if you’re someone who wants to read the books before the show, you’ll need to read Shadow & Bone and Six of Crows not to be spoiled.
Elite (Netflix)
I am brand new to this one, so I can’t necessarily recommend it yet, but I’ve watched two episodes so far and I’m intrigued. Warning, this is a show from Spain, so you either have to pick dubbed dialogue or read subtitles. I tried the dubbed, but it sounded weird to me. I’m liking the subtitles better.
As I mentioned above, I love a campus novel, so hearing that this show was set at an elite high school where three not-so-elite outsiders have gotten scholarships pushed my campus novel button. Mean girls, entitled boys, too much money and hormones and not enough parental supervision? Yes, please. If that’s your thing, maybe check it out. I will note that this is about teens but NOT a teen show. There is nudity/sex.
What I’m Watching with the Teen
Big Bang Theory
I missed this show the first time around, but the kiddo and I are enjoying the heck out of working our way through these. I love a show that is both clever and makes you genuinely laugh out loud. And it can be kind of tough to find something that both me and the thirteen year old can enjoy together, so this is perfect.
LISTEN
Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey
I’m not all the way through this, but it’s been so entertaining so far. I love listening to a memoir as an audiobook because I think it just adds so much to hear a person tell their own story. And Matthew is a storyteller. He’s that guy you’d buy a beer, and he’d just weave tales about “this one time.” His stories are funny and entertaining. He intersperses “bumper sticker” lessons and some poetry. He laughs at his own stories. It’s just a fun ride.
Whew! That was a lot. I hope you found something to add to your summer! Happy reading and watching and listening, y’all. :)
What’s been your favorite read, watch, or listen so far this summer season?