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 today, on the 16th.)
I’ve been reading up a storm lately. I’ve spent a lot of time parked on the couch with some weird respiratory ailment, which I do not recommend—but the bright side is lots of reading time. I typically read a lot this time of year anyway, because right now I’m very much focused on vetting books for our 12th annual Summer Reading Guide, coming this May.
You won’t see those spring and summer 2023 releases featured here today, nor will you see any of the 42 titles from our recent Spring Book Preview featuring January-April releases (though it’s not too late to sign up and access that recorded event in MMD Book Club or our WSIRN patreon community). What you will find is a nice mix of old and new, fiction and non, across a variety of genres. I’ve been parked on the couch, which means my audiobook listening has taken a big hit—but you’ll see one audiobook I just loved on this list.
As always, I compiled my roundup with major assistance from my My Reading Life book journal, so it’s easy to know what I’ve been reading lately. If you’re not currently tracking your reading, I highly recommend it, no matter what method you choose.
I hope you had a good reading month—I can’t wait to hear about your recent reads in comments!
Short and sweet reviews of what I’ve been reading lately
The Intimate City: Walking New York
Astrid Parker Doesn’t Fail
As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride
The Great Believers
South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon to Understand the Soul of a Nation
Marrying the Ketchups
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.
75 comments
That one by Imani Perry looks interesting. I will have to give it a look.
I’m sharing all my best fiction and 5-star reads on my blog here. http://shannanenjoyslife.com/2023/01/16/quick-lit-next-page-please-2022-best-fiction/
I also am very interested in South to America…I truly loved Caste by Isabel Wilkerson and this looks as amazing
I tell EVERYONE to read Caste.
I pulled together a January TBR stack from just about every room in my house … titles from 1847 – 2022. Follow my progress!
http://www.lindastoll.net/2023/01/porch-74-for-dedicated-book-lovers.html
This was an interesting reading month for me! Come see which books I loved and which ones I didn’t!
https://neverenoughnovels.com/2023/01/15/january-2023-mini-book-reviews/
I need to add “South to America” to my list. Thanks, Anne!
One of my favorite novels this month is “True Biz” and a favorite nonfiction is “How to Keep House While Drowning.”
Here are 11 books I recommend:
https://lisanotes.com/books-i-recommend-december-2022/
Hello Everyone!
You are in for a treat on many levels when you read Faith Bass Darlings Last Garage Sale by Lynda Rutledge. She also wrote West with Giraffes which is equally as good.
Enjoy!
Behold! A fabulous new picture book (if you know, you know), a library find, and a book you recommended, Anne, that is now on my favorite books of all time list. Thank you for time and again pointing me to so many wonderful reads.
https://carolinestarrrose.com/quick-lit-what-ive-been-reading-lately-23/
I’ve heard so many people talking about As You Wish. I should probably rewatch The Princess Bride (because it’s been like 20 years) and then give that book a try!
Here’s what I’ve been reading: https://readeatrepeat.net/2023/01/15/books-in-progress-what-ive-been-reading-lately-january-2023/
Just finished One by One by Ruth Ware. Winter is for mysteries! https://creatingthislife.com/six-mysteries-to-keep-you-turning-pages-this-winter/
Loved this one! Listened to it on audio last year or the year before and really liked it!
The Great. Believers is one of my favorite books—I can’t wait to read her new one!
I’ve had an excellent month of reading and am experimenting with some new ways of sharing my reads: https://www.mindjoggle.com/january-2023-book-reviews/
I’m so glad you loved As You Wish and you listened on audio. It was such a fun listen! Did you go back and watch the movie again?
This month I’m sharing 2 romance novels (which I rarely read), a memoir that didn’t work for me, a nonfiction I loved, an old Christmas historical nonfiction, and a popular novel that wasn’t a favorite. I love reading in that week between Christmas and New Year’s!
https://www.sincerelystacie.com/2023/01/quick-lit-mini-reviews-of-some-recent-reads-january-2023-edition/
My reviews this month include a lot of feel-good fiction and eye-opening nonfiction: https://kendranicole.net/january-2023-quick-lit/
This month I also rounded up some bookish superlatives from the 145 books I read in 2022; I’d never made a list like this before and I had so much fun with it! https://kendranicole.net/bookish-superlatives-from-my-reading-life-in-2022/
I love The Great Believers. I’ve gifted the book to several reader friends. If you love art and are interested in life when aids raged our communities, it’s mor than a great story. I particularly liked the author’s structure.
I listened to Everything Sad Is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri on audio, and it was SO good! A little hard to follow at first, but everything came together beautifully!
I also loved a debut middle-grade novel The Star That Always Stays by Anna Rose Johnson, which is perfect for anyone who loves Anne of Green Gables, Little Women, the Penderwicks, etc. I already have a list of preteen girls who I want to give this book to.
Here’s everything else I’ve been reading: https://bookdevotions.com/book-reviews-january-2023/
Anne of Green Gables, Little Women, and The Penderwicks? Sign me up! I just added it to my to-read list (because THAT’S not long enough). Now to get it for my middle school library…
Wow it’s obviously been a pretty great reading month because I have 5! 5-star reads and another 4-star one that I want to mention!
Small Island by Andrea Levy – historical fiction & so good, though it was definitely a slow burn for me.
Radical Compassion by Tara Brach – also a slow read, as I tried to really absorb and incorporate this in to my life over several months
Book Lovers by Emily Henry – Best rom com I’ve read in a long time
Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe – a true crime story about The Troubles in Northern Ireland. Absolutely fascinating and tragic social history. Very well-researched and well-written.
Run Towards the Danger by Sarah Polley – loved these autobiographical essays. So well-written and interesting! Sad and funny and everything in between!
Oh I forgot! The four star read I mentioned was Which Side Are You On? By Ryan Lee Wong. This is a fascinating debut about intercultural and intergenerational learning and solidarity among racial justice activists. I wanted a bit more from the story and the characters but it was super thought provoking and I’m eager to read more from the author!
P.P.S. The Great Believers has been on my TBR for ages and my shelf for a year. I really need to get on it! Thanks for the nudge!
Check out this episode of NPR’s Fresh Air.
It’s about South to America!
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2SoBhFz6Fggtk9IPpO1cMw?si=AiVx3P8VSImyRx6Rwnesag&utm_source=copy-link
As a huge fan of The Princess Bride, I loved As You Wish. I’m not sure whether you read on paper or listened to the book, but I would highly recommend listening to anyone picking it up. It is narrated by Cary, but the cameos from Rob Reiner, Billy Crystal, and others involved in the movie make it a fun listen.
Currently I am reading:
Brother by Ania Ahlborn as part of the Spooky Babes Book Club on Fable. This is a horror book set in West Virginia and a family of serial killers. I am also reading The 6:20 Man by David Baldacci about a man who left the Army and is now engulfed in financial intrigue on Wall Street. I just started the ARC of Unnatural History by Jonathan Kellerman. Just got started but already pulled into it. This is #38 of his Alex Delaware series which I started reading as a teenager. I just finished the audio of The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan and I thoroughly enjoyed the story.
I just read Chronicles of a Radical Hag by Lorna Landvik and enjoyed it soo much! It is a light read in many respects, but it also touches on grief, friendship and love in profound ways. It was perfect for me at this time.
I loved The Great Believers! I could not believe I hadn’t heard about it sooner. The depiction of the AIDS crisis and Chicago was so spot on. It had been a long time since a book made me cry.
Have you considered the possibility of long covid? Exploring treatment for long covid symptoms may help steer you in a good direction. I hope you feel better fully and soon.
I hear you on the long COVID! My husband and I both had COVID in September despite all the time masked and the immunizations. It was awful, but we were able to get Paxlovid, which meant no impending hospitalizations or extreme treatments, and we are grateful. My cough still wakes my hubby every night and exhaustion just sneaks right up when it’s least expected.
Just finished The Cloisters by Katy Hays. Excellent story with incredible writing.
Currently reading Anna Karenina
Books read this month:
• A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny
• Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers
• The Mystery of the Moss-Covered Mansion (Nancy Drew)
• The Woman They Could Not Silence by Kate Moore
• Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear
Here are the first four books I finished this year: https://thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com/2023/01/reading-update.html
The Great Believers was so good!
Here’s what I have been reading:
http://www.allthebooksihaventread.com/blog-1/2023/1/11/show-us-your-books-january-2023
Hope you are feeling better, Anne, although extended reading time on the couch is probably a nice side effect…
Here are my recent reads:
* The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi (4.5 stars) – I enjoyed this story set in the mid 1950’s India, although it painted a pretty dismal picture of life for women in that period, with a lack of freedom and choices. I listened to the audiobook which was wonderful.
* A Million Junes by Emily Henry (3.5 stars) – This is a backlist title from 2017 which features a romance in the style of her recent books but also has some fantasy elements which were just weird….
* The Bangalore Detectives Club by Harini Nagendra (3 stars) – This was a fun read but the plot seemed completely unrealistic to me. It’s a mystery featuring Kaveri, a newlywed who becomes a detective to solve a murder. An easy and light read…
* Run Rose Run by Dolly Parton and James Patterson (4 stars rounding up) – This was a selection for my book club, and I flew through the audiobook in a single day. Best part was Dolly Parton reading the part of a character which is clearly based on Dolly herself. This was a fun story but again, I found parts of it to be very unrealistic…. But it’s Dolly Parton so who is complaining 😊
* Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens (4 stars) – Another book club selection which I did not expect to enjoy, but did.
* A Song of Comfortable Chairs by Alexander McCall Smith (4 stars) – This is book #23 in the Number One Ladies Detective Agency series. The characters are like old friends, and this series never disappoints.
* A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny (4 stars) – I loved the back story in this book about how Armand and Jean-Luc met, but the mystery itself was a bit weird and confusing.
Current reads are Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Rayburn, The Nine by Gwen Strauss (gripping and fabulous story based on the true story of nine women in WW II), and re-read of the Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger.
Happy Reading!
As You Wish is a fantastically entertaining audiobook!
While I haven’t spent all my time in a restaurant, I knew immediately what “marrying the ketchups” was and it instantly draws me in! I may have to read it!
I started The Great Believers on January 1 and read it in just a few days. Wow! That book was so beautifully written and hit so close to home for me. The book opens in 1985 in the exact same neighborhood in Chicago where we lived when I was young, also in the mid 80s. I imagined myself being pushed in my stroller past these characters or passing Yale and Fiona at the Lincoln Park Zoo, our paths unknowingly crossing, and thought of the folks in my own found family whose lives were impacted by AIDS at this same moment in time, in this same place. There were several times I had to stop reading to cry. A truly heartbreaking yet cathartic read for me.
So far this month I’ve read The Nightingale, The Littlest Library, The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post, and just started Lovelight Farms. All have been winners in my book! Adding the Elwes and Perry books to my TBR.
In 2023, I Listened to Home Fire (a retelling of Antigone with Muslim immigrants in Britain) for book group where we had a great discussion and read Penney’s A Better Man. Half way through Devil in The Grove (nonfiction) and really enjoying it.
I LOVED Home Fire in print! So glad to hear it led to a great discussion.
I LOVED Marrying the Ketchups. Just finished it last week, and I felt like it captured that October 2016-end of 2017 time period and feeling so well. Bonus points for all of the 90s music references, and the chapter with Gretchen’s top 5 songs from the 1990s.
I didn’t finish the year quite as planned/hoped reading-wise. I did, however, complete my voyage around the world for a read-around-the-world challenge. Take a look to see what I’ve read recently and all my reads for the trip: http://www.avikinginla.com/2023/01/what-ive-been-reading-lately-reading-challenges-update-december-2022/
Oh I think I must check out Marrying the Ketchups. That sounds interesting. My short book review https://myviewofthehoneypot.blogspot.com/2023/01/what-i-read-january.html
I also LOVED Great Believers–it brought back the fear and backlash of that time period. So beautifully written, found family, art. It was one of only a handful of five star books for me this past year. One of my other 5 star books was Still Life by Sarah Winman–this would be a great MMD Book Club selection, especially if the author is available for book discussion.
I loved Still Life! I read it AND listened to it. Creasy. Has there ever been a better character? ❤️
I keep hearing about South to America. Probably need to add it to my TBR!
My reading month consisted of one book I really enjoyed and several that didn’t quite meet my expectations: https://cocoonofbooks.blogspot.com/2023/01/what-ive-been-reading-lately-quick-lit.html
The audiobook version of As You Wish is wonderful with other actors contributing their recollections. I highly recommend it.
I had never read a Maeve Binchy book before a few weeks ago, and now I am obsessed! Her novels are perfect for people who enjoy Rosmunde Pilcher (think cozy, family-centric stories set in gorgeous villages). I read A Week in Winter first and adored it. I finished Tara Road over the weekend, and I’m so sad it’s finished. It was quite long at 600 pages, but I didn’t want it to end. I wanted to stay with those characters forever. These are novels are great for cold winter days 🙂
Yes, Maeve Binchy books are really “feel-good” nice! Have you listened to them at all? Big added benefit—the Irish accent!! Adds so much.
I loved The Great Believers so much. No spoilers, but the chapter of vignettes in which Yale receives some news is a masterpiece. I still think of Yale all the time.
This month, I have loved French Braid, and I’m reading Lonesome Dove along with The Big Read.
The Great Believers is one of my all time favorite reads, looking forward to her new book. After hearing so much about Inspector Gamache and Three Pines, I had to see what this series what all about, seemed a perfect winter read. Almost done with book #2 – A Fatal Grace.
I loved The Great Believers and can’t wait to read her new book out this year.
Currently reading Demon Copperhead- it’s so well written!
Recently finished Small World – solid read but didn’t knock my socks off.
Also recently finished The Light Pirate which was fantastic!
Mt first book of the new year was A Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell and I know it will land on my “best of 2023” at the end of the year. A great way to begin this reading year. I followed that by finally reading The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I then read a couple mysteries–just because–and smiled my way through Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Rayburn and #3 in the Thursday Murder Club series by Richard Osman, The Bullet That Missed. Osman has hit his stride, I think. Does this mean my TBR list is shorter? Not so much!
As you wish is great on audiobook with Cart Elwes narrating!
I’ve been meaning to read as you wish, specifically on audiobook! Here’s what I’ve been reading lately😊 https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm-ILvZvdSh/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
My condition sounds a lot like yours – like you I’d typically be listening to audiobooks but I’ve done a lot more reading lately, which I don’t mind so much but hope to be feeling better soon! I loved The Great Believers and I’m enjoying South to America, about a quarter of the way through, and like you I live in one of the areas that is profiled. I just finished, and really enjoyed, The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak and This Rebel Heart by Katherine Locke. Here’s a link to my top ten reads of 2022 – https://thebookstop.wordpress.com/2023/01/03/top-ten-books-i-read-in-2022/. Thanks for the great recommendations in 2022. Hope you feel better soon!
My December reading wrap up…
https://readingladies.com/2022/12/29/december-2022-reading-wrap-up-decemberreadingwrapup/
Currently reading The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey on your rec, Anne. I’ve been listening to you since fall of 2019 and every year you rave about this book during the winter (I live in NJ) so this year I decided to embrace our winter and read it. Just started but it’s delightful. I also started listening on audio to NK Jemison’s The World We Make. I listened to The City We Became on your rec and looooved it. So eager to hear how the duology ends
I’m reading The Snow Child also. Like it so far!
As You Wish was sooo funny — I laughed until tears came to my eyes for several parts. True, it would be significantly less funny if you weren’t a fan of the movie. But if you grew up on it (as I did), I think almost anyone would enjoy it!
My reading life slowed way down in the fall, but I’m finally starting to pick up the pace again with an easy (and buzzy) romance, a middle grade fantasy pick, and some life-changing nonfiction:
https://www.toloveandtolearn.com/2023/01/16/loving-and-learning-lately-47/
I read Marrying the Ketchups in 2022 maybe? I mostly enjoyed it!
I forgot to do a reading recap for November so here are the 42 books I read in November and December…that sounds like a lot but many were short (under 300 pages at least).
I started the new year by finishing reading Persuasion by Jane Austen. I thought I had read every Austen book but somehow I missed this one. Our family was surprised with the news on New Year’s Day that my #2 son had been working on writing a book (In Other Worlds: Volume 1; by Dalton Scott) and had self-published it on Amazon. Wow! To say we were all surprised would be an understatement. Well except for two of his brothers, whom he had been using to bounce things off of. So, even though that wasn’t my chosen genre, that was my second finish of 2023. Had to read it, right. After that, I was back to a favorite era – WWII. I read The Rose Code by Kate Quinn and now I am reading Between You and Me by Susan Wiggs. This is usually a heavy reading time of year for me too but I am sorry to hear you have been ill Anne. Wishing you speedy recovery.
P.S. : Ooops, forgot to say that I have added Marrying the Ketchups and, even though I am from New York, The Intimate City: Walking New York to my TBR list. I am sure I will learn things I never knew about my own city.
I loved The Great Believers, too! Also just finished Lessons in Chemistry, by Bonnie Garmus, and though the essence of the book was set a few years before me, it still resonated loudly and clearly. Highly recommend it!
I loved As You Wish since The Princess Bride is a long time family favorite.
This month I breezed through Amy Lynn Green’s historical fiction, The Blackout Book Club. The book is set in WWII on the coast of Maine. I loved the plot points that took me by surprise and an enjoyable cast of characters.
I was blown away by Why We Sleep by Matthew Walker, which I stumbled across working on a list of self care books on my blog.
The list includes some new to me books plus books I keep recommending.
https://purplecrayonyourworld.com/best-self-care-books/
Great list of self-care books! Atomic Habits and The Lazy Genius Way have both been very helpful in the last year!
The audiobook for “As You Wish” is excellent!
Read all the Lucy Barton books by Elizabeth Strout; probably enjoyed “Lucy by the Sea” the best. Also read John Boyne “All the Broken Places”, which meant that I had to read “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas “. And just finished Maggie O’Farrell’s “The Marriage Portrait “. Big reading month.
Just finished Rebel with a Clause by Ellen Jovian! A delightful book on all things grammar.
Also read Joanna Gaines latest book, The Stories We Tell. It was more about lessons learned than about her story- I would have preferred more stories. Still, I enjoy her writing.
I want to read ALL of these! You always have great recs. The Intimate City: Walk Through New York is probably going to be my favorite. I live and breathe NY since I was born raised and currently reside in the NYC. My mom and I used to go on walking tours all the time. Alot of my Christmas traditions come from things we did on walking tours. One of the books I’m currently reading, Trust by Hernan Diaz,is about old Wall Street finance and a family’s wealth surrounding it. I’m also reading The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas. If you enjoyed Mexican Gothic,then you’ll love this!
I HIGHLY recommend listening to As You Wish. Cary Elwes is as charming as you hope he would be, and there are interviews with other cast members. It is one of my favorite audio books ever. And I think The Princess Bride is one of the best book to movie adaptations.
I LOVED As You Wish! Such a fun reading experience!
Here are my top ten books of 2022
https://elle-alice.blogspot.com/2023/01/10-favorite-books-of-2022.html
Thanks to the latest Quick Lit and my recent nonfiction reads, I’m destined to read South to America. It wasn’t on my radar but when you associated it with How the Word is Passed and The Warmth of Other Suns, it moved to the top of my nonfiction TBRs. Thank you. I just finished How Lucky by Will Leitch and adored it. I’m not much of a literary risk taker and was pleased I went outside of my normal picks for this one. Characters who care for one another are wonderful humans who you’re pleased found each other. It’s a page-turner. Trigger warning – abduction.
Just started Marrying the Ketchups. As someone born and raised in Oak Park I’m amused by its sudden prominence in family sagas!
Alan Rickman’s diaries Madly Deeply, among other fiction – https://frommycarolinahome.com/2023/01/08/book-reviews-and-going-down-a-rabbit-hole/
I’ve had The Great Believers on my Kindle for about a year now . I think it’s time for me to read it. I’ve gravitated to it many times but something always gets in the way.
I just finished reading Book Lovers by Emily Henry. Highly recommend! I am definitely interested to check out these books, especially the one about the South. My daughter goes to school in Alabama and we just moved to Texas, which is not traditionally Southern, but has a lot of the same culture.
They way you stated things were amazing and create eagerness to read.