I’m in a bit of a reading slump right now. Ideally, I like to listen to a book on Audible and read a physical book simultaneously, as well. I’m listening to The Vanishing Half (which is aaaamazing), but I can’t settle on a physical book. I’ll update once I’m out of this crisis.
Summer reading lists are a thing, I hear, though for me, nothing really changes depending on the month when it comes to how much I can read. Well, that’s not true. Sometimes I can’t read as much, but it’s not that there is a month I can suddenly read more. Still, I look forward to summer recommendations. Many authors aim to publish in the summer. I guess some people read by the pool? Anyway, this list of mine is not made up of new books but rather books I read in the past six months. Maybe you’ll find something on here that you’d like to give a shot. Let me know if you do!
I really liked this one. It’s an immigrant take on Anna Karenina, set within the Bukharian Jewish community of Queens, NY. It may not be everyone’s cup of tea (and the narrator of the audio book did bug me with some accent choices), but it’s akin to an art movie—worth it.
I had high hopes for this one. Mysticism and all. At least, that’s what I expected. But all I found were a ton of cliches and literary tropes. So perhaps this was the problem: it was marketed as a different genre. Maybe you’ll like it better.
This isn’t something I usually read but it was heartwarming. An easy read with likable, relatable characters. I read it with a book club so it made it even better.
I liked it a lot. I did expect more, given that I loved the author’s previous novel—The Silent Patient, but it was engaging and I did not see see the grand reveal coming.
I am partial to immigrant lit so I was really excited to read this book. Unfortunately, while it had a ton of fun and relatable anecdotes, it was so exhaustingly verbose, it was upsetting.
This was a collection of short stories. It took me a while to get through it but there were quite a few exquisite short stories in there. Highly recommend.
I LOVED this book. Beautifully written, and beautifully narrated. Highly, highly recommend! It’s marketed as a YA novel but I’m most definitely an adult and enjoyed it thoroughly.
Entertaining but there were a few lost opportunities to develop some potentially interesting themes in there. Easy read.
I am obsessed with the Thursday Night Murder Club series! Obsessed, I tell you! This latest installment did not disappoint! What a poignant look at these magnificent characters.
This was engaging but more than that—it was educational. I love immigrant history and this taught me a lot. Highly recommend.