Welcome to Quick Lit, where we share short and sweet reviews of what we’ve been reading lately on the 15th of the month. (Or, when the 15th falls on a weekend, near the 15th of the month. Since the 15th falls on a Tuesday and that’s What Should I Read Next day we’re running the August edition on Monday.)
My reading life has been all over the place this summer! Since the last time we gathered to share our short and sweet reviews of recent reads, I’ve finished books I began in Europe, gotten over jet lag, accompanied a child to college orientation, hosted two sets of visitors from out of town, and read a slew of books for our upcoming Fall Book Preview on September 14. There have been days when I’ve read 300 pages and days when I’ve read just five.
I typically read more backlist in the summer than is reflected here: most of my recent reads have been quite new, but Brandon Sanderson’s Skyward and Weike Wang’s Joan Is Okay are recent backlist selections.
Coincidentally, I read two memoirs about marriages in crisis this month for an accidental book flight: Elizabeth Crane’s This Story Will Change and Harrison Scott Key’s How to Stay Married. The experience of reading two ostensibly similar stories almost back-to-back was interesting.
And for reasons I can’t quite put my finger on (though I have my theories), I’ve also been reading A TON on audio. As you’ll see, more than half of my short book reviews are for audiobooks! I’m thinking it’s time for a summer round-up dedicated to summer audiobook listens, because I’ve racked up so many good ones! Perhaps soon?
As always, I’m tracking my reading in the My Reading Life book journal, which makes it easy to see and share what I’ve been reading lately.
I hope you find something that looks intriguing for your TBR on this list (and in these comments!), and I look forward to browsing your recent reads below. Thanks in advance for sharing your short and sweet book reviews with us here!
Welcome to August Quick Lit
Tom Lake
This Story Will Change: After the Happily Ever After
Just Another Missing Person
An Astronomer In Love
Joan Is Okay
How to Stay Married: The Most Insane Love Story Ever Told
Skyward
The Connellys of County Down
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 took the top photo at London’s Daunt Books. I shared more pics of Daunt Books and more bookstores we visited on our trip on my Instagram.
52 comments
I’m thinking about 3 memoirs that celebrate resilience …
http://www.lindastoll.net/2023/08/porch-104-3-memoirs-that-celebrate.html
I’ve heard so many good things about Tom Lake and I can’t wait to get to the audio.
Here’s what I’ve been reading this summer:
http://www.allthebooksihaventread.com/blog-1/2023/8/11/what-i-read-on-my-summer-vacation
I am listening to Tom Lake being read by Meryl Streep. It is glorious! Her voice enriches this beautiful story. So great!
i agree! I just finished it and loved it.
I agree! It’s a lovely book!
I’m reading Tom Lake now and loving it! I also loved Joan is Okay—such a unique voice.
Here’s what I areas last month: https://www.mindjoggle.com/july-2023-book-reviews/
Tom Lake and How to Stay Married are on my list to read soon. I’ve heard so many good things! Here is my list of books I’ve been enjoying this summer: https://brittanydahl.com/blog/to-be-read-summer-edition/
I re-read a book from high school English (this time with my book club), listened to Cloud Cuckoo Land, and read a lovely picture book biography.
https://carolinestarrrose.com/quick-lit-what-ive-been-reading-lately-27/
My recent reads, mostly in August:
They Disappeared, by Rick Mofina (terrific police/terrorism thriller on Hoopla);
Good Night, Irene, by Luis Alberto Urrea, historical fiction about US Red Cross women in WWII;
The Winners, novel by Fredrik Backman;
The Light of Days: the untold story of women resistance fighters in Hitler’s ghettos, nonfiction by Judy Batalion;
Lady Susan, by Jane Austen (CD audiobook);
Homegrown, by Jeffry Toobin, NYT (nonfiction about the roots of domestic extremism).
I am currently reading The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese. It’s a big read coming in at 700+ pages – I’m at the half way point and wish I didn’t have to work so I could just read all day!!!
I’m halfway through Tom Lake now and understand why you wanted to revisit it; it’s mesmerizing! I have Just Another Missing Person from the library, queued up for my next read.
I had a fantastic reading month that included two books that were on the 2023 Minimalist Summer Reading (I liked one, and the other is my favorite book I’ve read all year!). I also read a lot of fascinating nonfiction on spiritual disciplines, family life, homeschooling, and gender roles, plus a book that is probably the most important (and best-researched) book I’ve read this year, on redeeming masculinity from its “toxic” label.
https://kendranicole.net/quick-lit-august-2023/
I could see adding a few books to my TBR. Check out what I was reading
https://myviewofthehoneypot.blogspot.com/2023/08/what-i-read-august.html
Loved Joan Is Okay
Loved The Last Thing He Told Me.
Admired Hamnet.
Loved Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane. Planning to read more by her.
I’ve been reading the Skyward series with my teen and tween, and I highly recommend that you also read the novellas (our library has them in one book called Skyward Flight) after you read book 3. There’s a lot of development for side characters and the rest of the universe that you don’t want to miss!
I recently finished Dani Shapiro’s INHERITANCE, a memoir about family secrets . Well written and especially relevant with the current interest in family history and DNA testing. She has also written several novels and I just ordered 2 of them from my nearby public library.
I love her podcast! She interviews people about their family secrets.
Go back to Dani’s older novels, before she wrote Devotion. They’re amazing!
I’ve also been listening to more on audio this summer too. It’s great having that option!
Here are 8 books I recommend (5 nonfiction and 3 fiction–finally including Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow).
https://lisanotes.com/books-i-recommend-july-2023/
I am more scattered than ever this Summer. It may have started with Covid in July, when it felt like, despite having a wonderfully large bunch of TBR library books on hand, I could not focus. So frustrating.
I was reading The Hotel At The Corner of Bitter & Sweet for book club & am ashamed to say, I did not finish before meeting. I had mixed the previous meeting bc of Covid, so felt ashamed not to have completed a book I had for a month!
Our current selection is The Widows of Malabar Hill and it is okay, but although I am determined to read it, I am not that “into it.”
I just have a whole slew of titles that are not working for me: Summer Sisters & The Drowning Woman among them.
I have a few that I have started and may continue: Small Mercies & Memorial Drive.
I’ve got all the Richard Russo’s Somebody’s Fool trilogy.
Tried Abby Jimenez.
Nothing is doing much for me at the moment & I was on such a roll earlier in the Sunmer!!
Here are books #37-55 of 2023. https://thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com/2023/08/reading-update.html
So much variety in my reading, including travel-related reading for a trip to Italy, which made for a great month!
https://avikinginla.com/2023/08/what-ive-been-reading-lately-july-2023/
For me, How to Stay Married is one of the biggest surprises of this year. I devoured Key’s previous two offerings which were laugh-out-loud, David Sedaris-like funny. This one has the humor and gut-wrenching poignancy.
My husband says How to Stay Married might be his favorite book of the year! I’, about 3/4 of the way through and agree that it is a very good book.
Please share your audiobook reviews. I’m interested. Thanks
I just got Tom Lake to read. I have never read an Ann Patchett book, but Tom Lake sounds so good that I could not resist getting it to read. It is always so fun to see what you have been reading! I had two recent nonfiction reads that I really enjoyed. https://fromourbookshelf.com/july-reading-2023/
Oh wow, so many great books on your list this month! Just Another Missing Person sounds great and I’ve also been hearing good things about The Connellys of County Down (which first grabbed my attention because of the gorgeous cover). I’ve been wanting to try Brandon Sanderson for a while because I know he’s a sci-fi legend, but I haven’t been sure where to start. Maybe Skyward is just what I’ve been looking for! I can get in on the front end of a brand-new series.
Here’s what I’ve been reading:
https://readeatrepeat.net/2023/08/14/books-in-progress-what-ive-been-reading-lately-august-2023/
I just added two of your books to my holds at the library. My reading and listening has also been all over the place this summer. Here are a few books that are standouts:
The Many Lives of Mama Love by, Lara Love Hardin
Do Tell by, Lyndsay Lynch
Love and Saffron by, Kim Fay
Only the Beautiful by, Susan Meissner
Walking With Sam by, Andrew McCarthy and….
Divine Rivals by, Rebecca Ross
Ooohh I LOVED Joan is Okay on audio last year and am so glad you did too!! You’ve convinced me to read Tom Lake and maybe some of the others too.
I’ve read two five star books in the past month:
1) Falling Back in Love with Being Human by Kai-Cheng Thom. This is excellent on audio. It’s a book of poems/letters about hard things. It’s about accepting the humanity in everyone even when that’s extremely hard and it’s full of really thoughtful self-care prompts. There are some poems that connected more than others for me but the ones I loved I REALLY loved. I will likely pick up a hard copy so I can revisit those poems as well as the prompts periodically.
2) For Today I Am a Boy by Kim Fu. I loved Fu’s writing and want to read more by her now. This is a coming of age story about a transgender man. I loved how this book really gets at the intersection of gender identity, race, class, and age/generation. I was lucky to see the author read from some of her more recent work in July at the Saskatchewan Festival of Words.
My July wrap up… https://readingladies.com/2023/07/31/july-2023-reading-wrap-up-julyreadingwrapup-booktwitter-bookworm-amreading-bookblogger/
On the one hand, I’d love to listen Meryl Streep narrate Ann Patchett, but the comments about the ending are making me nervous. I hated the ending of State of Wonder and do not want to repeat that reading experience. Any thoughts from someone who has read both? Thanks. (I guess I should add that Ann Patchett is hit and miss for me. Loved The Dutch House and her latest essays, really liked her earlier book of essays and Bel Canto, but, as stated above hated State of Wonder.)
Can’t wait to read Tom Lake! Here’s what I’ve been reading 😊 https://www.instagram.com/p/Cv0WDPYydZn/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
I loved The Red Notebook and The President’s Hat by Laurain so I’m putting An Astronomer in Love on my TBR immediately.
I read Tom Lake last week, it came at the right time in my reading life! I had just finished Family Lore (which I didn’t like and somehow managed to finish), and so Tom Lake was the perfect antidote. Now I’m finally reading (and loving) Demon Copperhead. Not sure what I’ll read next…so many titles on my TBR!!!
I had the exact same experience — I had read Family Lore and wasn’t too keen on it (I had really wanted to like the book since I love Acevedo’s other books), so I was feeling a little down, then read Tom Lake right after and loved it so much (not too mention it cheered me right back up).
As for the Tom Lake ending — I was actually ok with it…I kind of liked the ending better than The Dutch House ending (though I loved everything else about that book). Love Ann Patchett and would like to go back and read everything she’s written at some point.
Hi!
I’ve read Boys Don‘t Cry by Malorie Blackman and Old Herbaceous by Reginald Arkell.
The first novel is about a teenager navigating fatherhood and homophobia towards his brother. The second novel is about the life of a gardener in an English village.
I got the Connellys of County Down a bit early though BOTM. I Loved this story. It was so fun to hear from all the characters perspectives and learn not only about there independent experiences/ struggles as well as how all there stories are intertwined as part of a very loyal family unit. I especially enjoy Tara experience. It always fun as the reader to enter the world of a character you have nothing in common with and learn about there story. This was my first by this author although I have her debut on Kindle and it will be on my fall TBR.
I’m looking forward to reading Connellys of County Down as well as the new Gillian McAllister! Recent reads include:
* The One Hundred Years of Lenin and Margot by Marianne Cronin (4 stars) – I enjoyed this sweet story of an unusual friendship between 83 year old Margot and 17 year old Lenin, who meet in a hospital. It reminded me a bit of the book One in a Million Boy by Monica Wood.
* This Must be the Place by Maggie O’Farrell (4.5 stars) – It took me a while to get interested in this book, and the out-of-sync timelines were a bit confusing at first. But the story and the characters grew on me, and the ending was superb!
* The Reading List by (audiobook) Sarah Nisha Adams (5 stars) – This was fantastic on audio! Great story about the power of sharing books with those we love… This was also something that Anne and her guest, Annie, talked about on a recent WSIRN episode. I’m inspired to make my list of lifetime favorites…
* No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister (5 stars) – I picked this up based on Anne’s recommendation in the Summer Reading Guide, and I loved the premise of this book – that no two people will read the same book. This will be one of my 2023 favorites.
* Weyward by Emilia Hart (4 stars) – very atmospheric book with hints of magic and lots of birds and insects… I think that the author may not think very highly of men, as virtually every male character in the story was either cruel or simply weak.
Currently reading The Postcard by Anne Berest and Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan. Happy Reading
I have been on a Brandon Sanderson kick since last summer but I haven’t yet read the Skyward series, so I’m happy to see that you enjoyed it. I’ll probably read it as soon as I can track down a copy.
I recently listened to “The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi” based on your recommendation in the Summer Reading Guide, and it was SO GOOD. Probably one of my favorite books of the year so far, and the narration was just fabulous. Really helped put me into the setting. After finishing that I wanted more so I moved on to Chakraborty’s Daevabad trilogy, since it was available at the library right away. I’m halfway through The City of Brass and I am really enjoying it!
July was a great reading month…August? Not so much! The Connellys of County Down is on my shelf waiting for me. And I plan to pick up a copy of Tom Lake ASAP (I was waiting to see if it would be in my Shelf Subscription box from Bookshelf Thomasville.)
FAVORITES
* Banyan Moon by Thao Thai was my favorite.
* Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult & Jennifer Finney Boylan was our book club pick and I loved the conversations this one produced.
FUN SUMMER READS
* Same Time Next Summer by Annabel Monaghan
* Last Summer at the Golden Hotel by Elyssa Friedland
* The Celebrants by Steven Rowley
BACKLIST READS
* Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman
* The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
* Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
Meryl Streep! I bought it immediately. What a combo — Patchett and Streep, who could ask for more?
I am a recent audio book experimenter and thought it was OK, was handy during dialysis in that it left me hands free but I had just finished The Violin Conspiracy by Slocum in Audible and finished it in 2 days could not stop listening- very high quality so I was up for this suggestion.
I’m currently listening to Tom Lake right now and loving it, too! Both of those marriage books sound super interesting. Here’s a book I really loved this summer. Some day when your grandchildren ask you what the pandemic was like, you can just hand them this book: https://forthejoyofbooks.com/books/lucy-by-the-sea/
Such an interesting accidental book flight!
I read one excellent sequel and one excellent memoir this month and otherwise wasn’t super impressed: https://cocoonofbooks.blogspot.com/2023/08/what-ive-been-reading-lately-quick-lit.html
I just downloaded Tom Lake on Audible.
Thanks for the recommendation. Currently listening to “Hello Beautiful “ narrated by Maura Tierney and it’s wonderful! I love her as an actress and she is great in this format also.
I very much enjoyed all the comments so now have increased my TBR list (which was already ridiculous). This month I’ve finished “Hello Beautiful” by Napolitano and “When the Moon Turns Blue” by Pamela Terry–both wonderful! I also read “Lady Tan’s Circle of Women” which was interesting enough and “The Last Bookshop in London”, a sweet love story that really gave me a view of how stressful the blitz must have been. Now I’m reading “The Covenant of Water” and it is excellent, may end up on my best of the year list.
I want to read FIVE of the books on your list; I’ve already read Joan is Okay (it was good) but I just want to SAY that I saw Ann Patchett on her Tom Lake tour last week in Blue Hill, Maine, and she is so charming!!! Such a good storyteller and so funny! I feel so privileged! If you like any of Ann’s books, check out her tour schedule on her website and do yourself a favor if you live anywhere near! But unfortunately, and I may regret this, I did not shell out $30 for a signed copy, so I am STILL looking for Tom Lake on Cloud Library. I want to listen to Meryl read it.
I’m catching up with Cutting for Stone (good, but it took me a while to get into it), The Midcoast (not my favorite, but authentic), Pineapple Street (fun for the descriptions of Brooklyn Heights, which I know as a visitor to the Watchtower buildings there), We All Want Impossible Things (very good, surprisingly good hospice reading), A Tale for the Time Being (another long one and much deeper than I expected, in a good way), The Foundling (not so much the writing, but the revelations were incredible), Drowning (even BETTER than Falling!) and The God of Animals (wow—brutal, but compelling! I was not expecting this.)
I have 7 books to share this month, including a bunch of well-written contemporary romance novels that I adored!
https://neverenoughnovels.com/2023/08/14/august-2023-mini-book-review/
Omigosh yes yes yes about Tom Lake. Ann Patchett is simply masterful. The closer I got to the end the sadder I became because I knew I would be finishing it and moving on to something else. But I too stumbled over that plot choice at the end. Still struggling to fit it into the rest of the story and I find myself wishing I could edit that bit out even now that I’m done and have indeed moved onto something else…
With 2 back-to-back vacations and getting our daughter ready to head to college, I’ve only read or listened to 3 books in the last month. I had a range of 2 stars to 5 stars. Tom Lake and The Connellys are both on my list.
Your Table is Ready on audio 2 stars
The Lazy Genius Kitchen 4 stars
Lessons in Chemistry 5 stars – WOW such a great read!
You can read more details in my post!
https://www.sincerelystacie.com/2023/08/quick-lit-mini-reviews-of-some-recent-reads-august-2023-edition/
Anne, I am SO glad that you picked up Skyward too! My husband and I ending up loving it, finishing it shortly after we recorded together. We have made it through book 2 and are still loving it. We just have to get through book 3 in the next couple months before the fourth comes out!
Due to LIFE, I did a June & July reading recap together, not my best months quantity wise but did mostly really enjoy what I read! Lots of books perfect for summer.
June & July reading recap
I am reading The Sun House, by David James Duncan, I’ve only read 10 chapters and …wow! It’s my new favourite book. Beautiful. I usually devour books (can’t wait to see what will happen), but this one is one to savour.
I’ve got Antoine Laurain’s Astronomer, but it will have to wait.
I also very much enjoyed a completely different one you mentioned, the Road to Roswell by Connie Willis. Great fun!