Rebecca Makkai has been writing books for a while, but she didn’t come onto my radar until she published The Great Believers in 2018. I’m not quite sure why it took me so long to pick the book up, but I’m glad I did.
THE OTHER BLACK GIRL
I picked this book up after slogging through The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James hoping for something light and easy. The Other Black Girl provided the antidote I needed with its fast moving plot and quirky, contemporary style. But also the book opened my eyes to some of the social and professional struggles young Black women face, particularly in the world of publishing.
THE PLEASING HOUR
Not only does this wonderful author share my name, but she also comes from my home state of Massachusetts. I very clearly remember being in high school when The Pleasing Hour came out and suddenly my name was all over the place.
PEOPLE OF THE BOOK
As I started writing this review, I went back through the L&L archives to double check that my mom had never reviewed People of the Book, since I know it is a favorite of hers. And not only is there no review, there are no Geraldine Brooks reviews at all! Her Pulitzer Prize-winner March is an all-time favorite, so if you haven’t tried a Brooks book, now is the time. And our apologies for slacking on recommending her!
PICTURE BOOK ROUND-UP
With three girls home for the summer, our library trips have become even more frequent and we have been bringing home 10-20 new picture books each week. As we read, I’m trying to keep a running list of the books I (and the girls) really love to share with all of you, for your little ones or for great gifts!
THE LIGHT WE CARRY
I thought Michelle Obama’s first book Becoming was absolutely wonderful. (Read review here.) So, I am quite sure that when I realized she’d written another book, I would have bought it pretty quickly. I’m baffled as to why it took me until now to read it. If you haven’t yet read The Light We Carry, treat yourself and read it sometime soon.
DEAR COMMITTEE MEMBERS
This totally delightful, completely original, novel was recommended to me by my friend Jane. I am quite sure that as I detail its contents, it will sound peculiar at best. But I promise you, there is a good reason why Dear Committee Members won the Thurber Prize for American Humor.
I’M STICKING WITH YOU and I’M STICKING WITH YOU—AND THE CHICKEN TOO!
We kept these books from the library for weeks and weeks and I probably read each of them 20 times. The original book is about a squirrel and bear who are friends but get on each others’ nerves.
GROUP HUG
This was a surprise hit with excellent rhythm and a fun, repeated phrase, “Group Hug!” The girls loved chiming in and the animal illustrations are adorable.
JACK (NOT JACKIE)
My girls adore this story about a girl whose younger sister only wants to wear boys clothes and cuts her hair short, eventually asking to be called Jack, not Jackie.
BECAUSE
This gorgeous book is nothing like Willems’ famous Pigeon or Elephant and Piggie books. It follows the trail of inspiration from a classical composer to a contemporary concert to an inspired child who goes on to become a composer herself.
PATIENT H. M.
I have always found psychology fascinating and majored in developmental psych, along with theatre, in college. So diving into Patient H. M., I felt excited to learn through the study of lobotomies more about how our memories work.. I am thrilled to report, however, that this book delivers so much more. It reminds me of Hidden Valley Road (read review here) in how cleverly it weaves personal narrative with psychological history and current scientific fact.
THE PAYING GUESTS
You all know that I tend to gravitate toward historical fiction, but it feels like it’s been a while since I read a big, juicy novel like this one, and I can’t recommend it highly enough. It honestly has a bit of everything, and when I tell you I devoured it, I spent three straight hours (of a much needed mom’s night away) in bed just tearing through the book as fast as I could.
THE COVENANT OF WATER
When you genuinely loved an author’s first novel, as I did Cutting for Stone, and you wait 14 years for a second novel, expectations can run high. When I heard that Abraham Verghese had finally brought out his second novel, I immediately bought it and started to read. At 715 pages, I had no misgivings about its length because I just knew it was going to be great. Oprah had already chosen it for her bookclub! Nearly three weeks later, I limped across the finish line and am still trying to figure out why.
PRODIGAL SUMMER
I have never read a book by Barbara Kingsolver that I didn’t love, and Prodigal Summer is no exception. Published in 2000, somehow, I hadn’t read this one and was keen to explore whether early Kingsolver novels were as gorgeous as her recent books. Prodigal Summer has an almost ineffable aura about it that I hope I can adequately describe.
TOMORROW AND TOMORROW AND TOMORROW
was intrigued and a bit skeptical when people kept reporting that they loved Gabrielle Zevin’s new novel about the world of video games and gamers. Maybe that’s why I thought I should start by reading her breakthrough novel, The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry, recommended years ago by my friend Pam. I absolutely love that book and can recommend it highly to you L & L readers. After finishing Fikry, I decided to take the plunge into Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow. And I want to enthusiastically endorse this book, as well.
THE PAPER PALACE
I don’t think I have ever read a pick from Reece Witherspoon’s book club that I haven’t enjoyed, and The Paper Palace is no exception. It almost feels like a darker version of Every Summer After, which I reviewed last month (read review here). So if you like your beach reads with a bit of trauma, this one is for you.
INFINITE COUNTRY
With immigration at the southern U.S. border a hot topic in the news once again, it can be refreshing to read a fictional account of an immigration experience by someone who has actually lived it. Colombian-American writer Patircia Engel has created a memorable and unique story that has stayed with me for weeks after reading it.
THE MARRIAGE PORTRAIT
If I didn’t have three little kids with all kinds of crazy desires like food, baths, naps, etc, I would definitely have finished this book in just one or two sittings.
TRUST
Even before Hernan Diaz won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for Trust, I knew I needed to read this book. My husband, Rufus, had read it before me and couldn’t stop talking about it. He was anxious for me to read it too so that we could discuss it. A request of this kind doesn’t come along often, so my interest was really piqued.