Welcome to Quick Lit, where we share short and sweet reviews of what we’ve been reading lately on the 15th of the month.
I’ve had a great reading month! April and May are unusual reading months for me: because of our Summer Reading Guide editorial timing, I read an overwhelming number of new releases between April 1 and May 5—quite different from my usual balanced cadence of backlist and brand new. (I’m not complaining, but it’s important for me to notice what’s different about the reading season I’m in.) As you’ll see, I did sneak in one old book in today’s edition.
Our on-ramp to summer reading makes this a really fun edition of Quick Lit, and one many of you look forward to, because I’m sharing several new releases I loved and adored but read too late to even consider including in the Summer Reading Guide.
Our 2022 guide drops on May 23—or May 19, for our Modern Mrs Darcy Book Clubbers and What Should I Read Next patrons. If you’re not part of either or both communities, I hope you’ll consider joining before our Thursday seasonal kick-off book party we call Unboxing. Now is a great time to come on in, and not just because your membership includes your Unboxing ticket and expanded Summer Reading Guide. We’re going to have a blast, at Unboxing and all season long.
Click here to get more info and join MMD Book Club
Click here to get more info and join our What Should I Read Next patreon
(Not sure which community is right for you? We answer that frequently asked question here.)
Without further adieu, here’s a peek at the books I’ve been reading lately, none of which are in the Summer Reading Guide. I can’t wait to hear about your recent reads in comments.
Short and sweet reviews of what I’ve been reading lately
The Big Thirst: The Secret Life and Turbulent Future of Water
Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance
The Golden Couple
Fault Lines
This Time Tomorrow
Confessions of an Alleged Good Girl
What have YOU been reading lately? Tell us about your recent reads—or share the link to a blog or instagram post about them—in comments.
P.S. I snapped that top photo on a recent trip to Main Street Books Davidson, which felt appropriate for today’s edition. Last I heard they had signed bookplates for my books: shop their site right here.
69 comments
I had a terrific reading month, with more 5 and 4.5 star reads than ever before!! Come see what I’m recommending: https://neverenoughnovels.com/2022/05/14/april-2022-mini-book-reviews/
I had several fantastic reads this past month, as well as a new release by an author I love that didn’t quite meet expectations: https://cocoonofbooks.blogspot.com/2022/05/what-ive-been-reading-lately-quick-lit.html
I guess it could be weird to write about books as I sit with my Mom in her last days, but life and death and reading co-mingle, don’t they. She was an avid reader in her day and I think this post would make her smile.
* I’ve already chosen two of my 2022 Top Reads. Sometimes you just know.
* My E-Book Deals page is overflowing with bargains … and Kate Morton’s The Lake House is one of them.
http://www.lindastoll.net/2022/05/porch-42-co-mingling-life-books.html
In the middle of The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams and loving it. Great book for word geeks (guilty) but so much more! Also listening to Middlemarch by George Eliot. The (Juliet Stephenson) is wonderful but this book is a slow burn, really good though.
So sorry about your Mom.
Reading can be a great comfort.
My mother too taught me the love of going to the library & enjoying a good book.
We used to bug the heck out of her when we were kids and not allow her to read peacefully; but she really gave us a gift by showing us her love of reading.
Have you read the Gilead series? Beautiful books.
I had a busy reading month and read two of my favorites of 2022 so far: https://www.mindjoggle.com/may-2022-book-reviews/
Try The Dolphin House by Audrey Schulman
This month I’m reviewing an assortment of (mostly) great books including the amazing third novel from my favorite author (which was fantastic despite an ending I didn’t love), a 5-star classic mystery, a much-needed nonfiction reread, some sweet middle grade fiction, a spunky historical novel, a feel-good father/son story, and an unusual mother/daughter story that I didn’t love.
https://kendranicole.net/quick-lit-may-2022/
The book on water sounds fascinating, and very timely, esp. for people who live in my area. Where I live out west, we have been in a severe drought for years now, and water is something that comes up in every city council meeting and is really prohibiting growth in my county because we just don’t have enough of it to go around, even for the population already here. Definitely looking into that one!
My reading was all over the map this last month, from nonfiction to a YA romance from your summer reading guide (I think?) a couple years ago, to some old childhood favorites:
https://www.toloveandtolearn.com/2022/05/13/loving-and-learning-lately-44/
Looks like you’ve had a great reading month! And I can’t wait for the summer reading guide to release!
Here’s what I’ve been reading:
https://readeatrepeat.net/2022/05/15/books-in-progress-what-ive-been-reading-lately-may-2022/
I’ll look into The Golden Couple. I always love your recommendations, Anne!
Two favorites I read this month are both nonfiction: “The Power of Regret” and “Self-Compassion.”
A funny nonfiction I recommend is “Stupid Things I Won’t Do When I Get Old.” (Except I’m already doing some of them! lol)
All 6 books I recommend are here:
https://lisanotes.com/books-i-recommend-april-2022/
I have a couple of these books on my TBR, Fault Lines and This Time Tomorrow, but I haven’t ready any of the others yet. Some of them sound really interesting.
I went down a rabbit hole a couple of months ago and wound up writing a newsletter about author owner bookstores. There are several out there and a few of them I didn’t realize were owned by an author.
You can read about it here:
https://sonovelicious.substack.com/p/author-owned-bookstores-there-arent?s=w
My recommendations this time around are all picture books. https://carolinestarrrose.com/quick-lit-what-ive-been-reading-lately-picture-book-edition/
Fabulous! Thank you!
I’m looking forward to the Summer Reading Guide, although as usual my TBR stack is already sky high!
I recently read When We Were Birds and LOVED it and am finishing up Read Dangerously by Azar Nafisi.
Now it’s time to shift my focus to summer… https://www.karacwhite.com/post/9-reads-of-summer
I read The secrets of a Hutterite Kitchen, of a jounalists return to learn from and interview the women and communal life she knew before her parents abruptly left the colony when she was nine, then had to go back to read I am a Hutterite, the backstory of heartbreak and understanding she went through as a young girl leaving the colony.
Both of those sound great. I’m fascinated by the Hutterite culture, and I even follow some on YouTube!
My May reading:
The Hare with Amber Eyes, Edmund de Waal
Gratitude, Oliver Sacks
Men & Women: Talking Together, Deborah Tannen and Robert Bly, audiobook on Hoopla
Finding My Father: his century-long journey from WWI Warsaw and my quest to follow, Deborah Tannen
Devil in Spring, Lisa Kleypas (Ravenels Book 3)
The Spectre of War: International Communism and the Origins of World War II, Jonathan Haslam, almost finished
My Name is Lucy Barton, Elizabeth Strout
Contrary Mary, Tim Gust (juvenile fiction)
Thank you for listing books, as opposed to providing a link.
Loved Joh Green’s The Anthropocene Reviewed. Best book I’ve read in a long time. Available on Libby by Overdrive.
I am listening to that right now and loving it too! I’ve chuckled and I’ve teared up. I’ve learned about things I never pondered in depth or even thought I’d find interesting. I feel like this book would fit well with Susan Cain’s concept of “Bittersweet” (another book that’s on my TBR).
I agree! When reading on an iPhone or iPad, following all of those links is a major distraction.
I agree with Colleen about the list vs a link. So appreciated!
I second the listing of books, instead of providing the link! Thank you!:)
Yes!
I LOVE the links. When Anne’s email comes out that Quick Lit is available, I wait until I have time to sit down with my computer and go through all the comments and click through to the links. I’ve discovered some great blogs to follow through this comments section.
I agree. I love the links more than the lists. The lists don’t usually tell you what the reader liked/disliked about the books. The links usually take you to a post with at least a few sentences about each book and what the reader thought about them. I read these posts on my laptop, so I can see why someone on a phone may not like the links.
I can’t say enough good things about Brian Doyle’s collection of essays, One Long River of Song. When I closed the book I sat and cried because the writing was so beautiful. It’s a book I will reread for years to come.
On a completely different note I’m halfway through The Firekeeper’s Daughter and it is also stellar.
Loved your photo of the books at Main Street Bookstore. Readers love bookstores and you frequent many more than we do, so…..how about sharing more photos as you travel….like interesting places to confirm that people read everywhere.
I had an okay reading month in April. I only read 11 books, but a couple were standouts.
Oooooohhh the new Emma Straub looks wonderful!!
Last month has been largely a bust for me as far as reading goes… Here are my recent reads:
* The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood – I’ve avoided reading this in the past, but it was a selection for my book club, so I did plow through it, and was quickly reminded why I never wanted to read it in the first place. I really, really dislike dystopian fiction, and this book is so depressing. On the plus side, the copy of the book I read was the one my daughter read in High School for her English class, and it was fun to see her notes and snarky comments in the book 🙂
* The Swimmers (audiobook) – Julie Otsuka – This was ok, but I didn’t like the structure. There was a section in the middle that went on for a sweet forever which just listed, one after another, the things Alice remembered and didn’t remember, and it was so tedious.
* One Italian Summer – Rebecca Serle – I enjoyed this one! Light and breezy, with a bit of a surprise at the end.
I’m currently reading ‘The Good Left Undone’ by Adriana Trigiani. I’ve just started this one, but am enjoying it so far.
Happy Reading!!
I had a FANTASTIC reading month with SIX 5 star reads for me this month and they were: Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus, Book Lovers by Emily Henry, The Storyteller by Dave Grohl (a must on AUDIO), Maybe you Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb, The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner and I guess I haven’t learned that Yet by Shauna Niequist. Other favorites were: Part of your World by Abby Jimenez (love all by her), Just Haven’t Met You Yet by Sophie Cousens and So Many Beginnings for MMD Book Club. I ended up giving 4 stars to The No-Show by Beth O’Leary but really didn’t get into the book until page 200…glad I stuck with it and didn’t read anything about it before hand.
There were a few other books this month as I was on vacation for a week…including a reread of the Hobbit and I read The Good, the Bad and the Dumped by Jenny Colgan as I am working to be a Jenny Colgan completist 🙂
I too am excited about the upcoming publication of the Summer Reading Guide! For the last month I read the following:
*The Reading List – Sara Nisha Adams (a book about books – how they heal and how they bring people together)
*The Survivors – Jane Harper (I am a compleatist on this author. I read “The Dry” and then read all her other books. This one is set in Tasmania)
“A Sunlit Weapon” – Jaqueline Winspear. I have read all of her Maisie Dobbs series and this was the latest entry. I loved it and mourned when I came to the end.
“The Book of Cold Cases” – Simone St. James. Not what I thought it was going to be.
“A Question of Blood” – Ian Rankin. Insp. Rebus series. Rebus at his worst.
“The Man from London” – Georges Simenon. Interesting somewhat existentialist plot
“So Many Beginnings” – Bethany C. Morrow. A “Little Women” remix. Very enjoyable, lots of excellent themes for discussion and I learned a lot about the Black experience at the end of the American Civil War.
American Chica by Mari Arana is a memoir that will grab the heart of anyone who enjoys Isabel Allende.
The Love of my Life by Rosie Walsh. I did not enjoy “Ghosted”, but this one was entertaining till the end.
Seasonal Worker a collection of short stories by Laura Lippman. I have never been able to to get into Lippman’s books, but this collection was a great read.
I have This Time Tomorrow on my TBR!
Had a pretty good and pretty varied reading month! My April recap is here!
My first 5 star in a while & finished in May was Douglas Stuart’s Young Mungo. I understand this may not be for more conservative readers, but I loved the book.
I liked his debut Shuggie Bain as well, but may have loved this sophomore novel even more, which can be a rare accomplishment.
Stuart has done it again. Writing about what he knows. The tenements of Glasgow and an alcoholic mother and her relationship or lack thereof.
The main character Mungo shines in this. Much more focused on Mungo than on Shuggie.
The book caught me off guard and the ending made me cry, which says a lot since I am a seasoned 61 year old reader.
Then I began reading The Dictionary of Lost Words, Reese’s May pick.
I have gone to learn when to call it quits on a book & not lose valuable reading time. No when to hold ‘em & know when to fold ‘em.
How do Y’all decide not to continue on with a book?
This was just not the book for me. So I think I am putting it down.
I have such great reads waiting in the wings. I got a book that is shortlisted for the International Booker prize: Elena Knows by Claudia Piñeiro. Also a previous runner up: The Discomfort of Evening, by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld.
On a wait list for another shortlisted book: Heaven by Mieko Kawakami.
I think I am about to dive into Lessons on Chemistry first, since it is so wildly popular.
Cannot wait for the Summer Reading List. Hoping to travel to meet a new grand baby, so may need a good book for the plane!
My general rule on giving up on books is 50 pages. If the author hasn’t caught me in 50 pages, I’m on to the next thing. However, it isn’t a hard and fast rule — if someone forewarns me a book is a slow start but worth the wait, I’ll give it more time to percolate. Lonesome Dove was a good example of that. What I would’ve missed if I’d given that up after 50 pages!!
Thanks so much! I will keep the 50 page rule in mind!!
And believe it or not, I’ve never read Lonesome Dove.
That might be an option if I am able to make it on our upcoming trip.
A rule I recently heard for giving up on books is to use 100 pages minus your age. I’m not sure who thought of this rule, but it kind of makes sense to me because as we age, most people have a better sense of what they like and don’t like, so younger people may need a little more time with a book before deciding to keep going or give up. I second the comment that if someone says it has a slow start I will give it a little longer.
I have Fault Lines on my shelves from the library, looking forward to it! Also looking forward to the summer reading guide 🎉
Here’s what I’ve been reading lately https://www.instagram.com/p/CdWuctEvq_5/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
Thank you to the people who mentioned not liking to click on links. Couldn’t agree more – I always bypass them.
I finally got around to reading The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz and Midnight Library by Matt Haig. Both 5 star reads for me. Also loved French Braid by Anne Tyler. But she’s not for everyone. Very character driven; quirky characters; not enough plot for some. But if you’re an Anne Tyler fan, you’re a fan all the way.
I listened to Will by Will Smith. It was interesting to listen to his life story while filtering all of his recent backlash from the Oscar’s in the back of my mind. Other reads were the sci-fi/magical realism Duplex by Orson Scott Card and Someone Else’s Love Story by Joshilyn Jackson.
I read Piranesi by Susanna Clarke and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it. The story was very thoughtfully written. I didn’t feel like there was any excess information, but just enough to keep you intrigued in the mystery. I have a feeling I’ll be rereading this one again soon!
April Reading Wrap Up…
https://readingladies.com/2022/04/30/april-2022-reading-wrap-up/
I’m in the middle of Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff for my book club and how surprising to find it chock full of sex! We have some “pearl clutchers” in our club, so the discussion could be interesting…
Some great reads in various genres this past month:
-Mystery: The Darkness by Ragnar Jonasson. Nordic noir. Surprising and suspenseful.
-Memoir: An Olive Grove at the Edge of the World by Jared Gulian. An American M-M couple purchase a hobby farm in New Zealand. Funny, heartwarming, and engaging. And the carrot 🥕 cake 🍰 recipe is outstanding!
-Historial Fiction: The Glass Ocean by Beatriz Williams et al. About the sinking of the Lusitania in May, 1915. Felt like I was there.
-Currently half way into audiobook 1979 by Val Mcdermid. Mystery, centred around newspaper reporters in Glasgow in 1979. Awesome Scottish accent.
I’ve been breezing through The Selection series by Keira Cass. Set in the future, the prince of Illea is searching for a wife from of a group of 35 eligible commoners. Technically, it’s YA, but perfect for escape fiction that takes no brain power. It’s fun, even if you have to suspend belief a little.
I’ve also read three recently published memoirs that were each interesting in their own way: Philip Yancey’s Where the Light Fell, Bonnie Gray’s Sweet Like Jasmine and Sarah Clarkson’s This Beautiful Truth.
I included these three on a list of 14 Christian biographies and memoirs. https://purplecrayonyourworld.com/14-evocative-christian-biographies-and-memoirs/
I just finished reading Sean Palmer’s new release, Speaking by the Numbers, which examines communication through the lens of Enneagram stances. Wow, Anne, I think you will love this.
I also just read and loved Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerre. What a rich and beautiful novel.
I just finished Unlikely Animals and it was exceptional. Incredibly creative (I mean… it’s narrated in first person plural by the omniscient occupants of the town cemetery, for crying out loud), and compulsively readable. It’s got that sweet, direct sort of prose that feels very simple but is actually probably very hard. Also, despite hard themes like addiction and death/end-of-life care, it’s actually very joyful. Such a gorgeous book, everyone should read it.
I just finished reading A House in the Sky by Amanda Lindholt — loved the first part where she was traveling around the world, had a hard time staying with it after she was captured and held by Islamic Extremist in Somalia to the point that I could only read a few pages a day.
I also read The DIAMOND Eye by Kate Quinn which was really awesome about a woman librarian and marksman who during Hitler’s invasion of Russia volunteers in the army and becomes a sniper with over 300 confirmed kills and is then sent to the US as part of a propaganda tour to help get the Americans to come help with the war. Based on a real woman, this is the third Kate Quinn historical fiction I have read based on real women and they have all been fantastic.
Have y’all read Search? By Michelle Huneven. Very absorbing. Really enjoyed. Would make it a 5 star.
I’m on page 300!
I just finished Search, and really liked it; a five star read for me, too.
Managed to knock out 5 books this month! Pretty pleased.
Manhunt, by James L. Swanson
The Swallows’ Flight, by Hilary McKay
In Wartime: Stories from Ukraine, by Tim Judah
The Dog Stars, by Peter Heller
Alive in Him, by Gloria Furman
Haven’t posted all the reviews for these yet, but I do post tiny reviews (with my kids too!) at theshoreystories.com
Hey friends!
So I needed to share this with someone. I finally purchased “People we meet on vacation” by Emily Henry yesterday at a new local indie bookstore I found and it’s also been on my TBR for at least a year.
It was FANTASTIC! I sat down to read it and laughed my way through it, and finally finished the book around 4am because I couldn’t put it down! I’m beyond excited to read all of her other books (this was my first) and again just had to share!
Wow, I actually read two new books before you did, Anne! I won both Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance and Fault Lines from Goodreads giveaways! I really liked both of them very, very well, but I guess, if pushed, I would give the edge to Fault Lines….. maybe it was the Tokyo setting…I liked hearing from a Japanese housewife, getting into her head—how alike, how different? And I really liked the voice and the story in Disappearance—it kept me compulsively reading. Just finished The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox, and while it’s an important topic to get out there (enforced committals to asylums for all kinds of crazy reasons) it had that frustratingly vague ending!!! Now I’m reading The Swimmers and I’m intrigued.
Can’t wait for summer reading! About to dive into “Book Lovers” and then Kate Quinn. Here are my recent reads, including a great YA book by Eugene Yelchin
https://talesofabookworm.com/quick-lit-spring-2022-reads/
I like reading both the links and when books are listed right in the comments, but links are harder to follow if you’re reading on a tablet or phone.
Reading The Book Woman’s Daughter (sequel to The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, tho it can stand alone) and it hooked me. Also reading and enjoying The Narrowboat Summer by Anne Youngson (Meet Me at the Museum was her first), sort of a fresh start story. Finished the Secret, Book, and Scone Society and like it enough to start the second in the series, The Whispered Word.
Thank you, Anne for content warnings. That helps so much. There are just some things…
I read mostly Christian books and I’m currently reading a suspense (Fatal Code by Natalie Walters), a collection of classic authors’ short stories, The Path to Peace by Ann Swindell, and a fascinating audio book on the history of processed food, Salt Sugar Fat by Michael Moss.
Put up a video on them here:
https://m.youtube.com/shorts/kjIgJI_6qmg
I am super excited about the Summer Reading Guide while also knowing my TBR will blow up. I haven’t read any of Emma Straub’s books and I also don’t typically read time travel, but you’ve made me want to read this one.
I’ve had a good run of 5 books that I’ve read and loved lately. It includes fiction, historical fiction, and a memoir published the year I was born and my dad’s favorite that I finally read.
https://www.sincerelystacie.com/2022/05/quick-lit-mini-reviews-of-some-recent-reads-may-2022-edition/
Earlier this year I was reading lots of so-so books. Happy that the past month or so things have turned around. Some recent books I really enjoyed:
Lost and Found in Paris by Lian Dolan (from the Satellite Sisters podcast)
A Little Hope by Ethan Joella (my pick for book club that we all liked even more after our discussion about it)
French Braid – the new one from Anne Tyler
Love & Saffron by Kim Fay (for those who love food writing or Epistolary books)
True Biz by Sara Novic (I really enjoyed how this book integrated sign language, I am not sure how I felt about the ending)
Amor Towles is a favorite of mine and The Lincoln Highway didn’t disappoint—loved it. I too dislike the links that show up in comments—I will always skip over them.
Hello
I finished The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman, audio book. I heard the recommendation on one of the podcasts about “cozy murder mysteries.” I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed the characters, their humor and wit. I found myself laughing as I drove to work. I particularly like reading British authors on audio as the it gives the book so much more life and meaning. I really enjoyed the older crowd, even though I am younger. I am presently reading “The Kitchen House” as our local library is having a book club meeting on this book. I have been wanting so badly to be part of a book club to talk with people about books. I wish I hadnt read some reviews about the book, but I am keeping an open mind about it. I am so looking forward to the unboxing of the summer reading guide. Thank you all for your excellent reading suggestions.
I’ve read more audiobooks in April and May than physical books. With the nicer weather, my walks are longer, and more time spent outside in nature.
Some of April and May reads:
The Maid by Nita Prose
Run Rose Run by Dolly Parton and James Patterson
The Husbands by Chandler Baker
The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes
Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke
You’ll Grow Out of It by Jessi Klein
A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers (enthusiastic 5 stars)
One Two Three by Laurie Frankel
Birds of California by Katie Cotugno
Book Lovers by Emily Henry (LOVED!!!)
Enough Already by Valerie Bertinelli
Midlife Sucks by Jen Mann (the right book at the right time!)
I’m so looking forward to the summer reading guide. Weather here has been colder than normal so I am embracing hot weather reads.
Here’s what I read in April. http://www.allthebooksihaventread.com/blog-1/2022/5/10/show-us-your-books-may-2022
Books 11-18 of this year: https://thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com/2022/05/reading-update.html
I just finished The Count of Monte Cristo and it was so long, but also completely fabulous. I already want to reread it.
I read the latest Louise Penny novel, an Isabel Allende saga, and a few others in April. I’m definitely looking forward to summer reading but my spring reading has been pretty epic this year.
https://www.bluebirdbooks.org/2022/05/what-i-read-april-2022.html
I loved all the books I read this month! Come read my reviews of 4 very different books and let me know if you’ve read any of these!
https://pennanenpens.blogspot.com/2022/05/book-review-summer-reading-ideas.html