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. I’m sharing Quick Lit today and you’ll see our regular Links I Love post tomorrow, on the 15th.)
I can barely believe we’re nearly halfway through September! I feel like August Quick Lit just happened, but perhaps that’s because I shared this audiobook round-up of 18 recent listens in the interim?
I’ve read so many great books this past month to share short and sweet book reviews for: backlist titles I’ve been meaning to get to for some time (like Ann Leary’s The Foundling), new summer releases that weren’t in the Summer Reading Guide (like Henry Hoke’s Open Throat and Hilary Leichter’s Terrace Story), books that just landed on my radar (like Tiffany Clarke Harrison’s Blue Hour). I’ve noticed interesting patterns in my reading, like I keep stumbling upon survival stories, and slim novels that pack serious punch. It’s been a great month.
I’ve read PILES of books publishing between August 29 and year’s end for our upcoming Fall Book Preview, happening tonight! Those are mostly omitted from Quick Lit, but I couldn’t resist Angie Kim’s Happiness Falls to give you a taste of what Fall Book Preview holds. (If you’re a member of one of our communities or have an a la carte ticket, you’ll get your Fall Book Preview PDF booklet at noon EDT, and our live event is at 8:30pm EDT. The replay will be out tomorrow; if you’re not yet signed up you can do so now or get your ticket for replay access afterwards. Visit this page for all Fall Book Preview info.)
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 September Quick Lit
Open Throat
The Foundling
Terrace Story
Happiness Falls
Blue Hour
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.
52 comments
I keep hearing about Happiness Falls. I really need to get on that!
Here’s my list from August. I went a little wild for memoirs.
http://www.allthebooksihaventread.com/blog-1/2023/9/10/show-us-your-books-september-2023
What an emotional bunch this month, Anne!
My best books lately have been middle-grade novels. I loved a novel in verse called “I Am Kavi” which is set in Sri Lanka during the war in the ‘90s, and the young narrator is caught between two worlds when she gets into a ritzy school and leaves her rural area for the capital. I also loved “Brother’s Keeper” which follows a North Korean family that must decide whether to stay or flee when civil war breaks out in ‘49. It was so well done.
I also read Fourth Wing, which had its strengths, but was overall not my cup of tea.
https://bookdevotions.com/book-reviews-august-2023/
Loved I am Kavi
It was SO nostalgic of the ’90s. I loved her relationship with her mother. It was so elegantly done.
Starting Tom Lake today!
Loved it! But I like everything Ann Pachett writes.
Tried so hard for Happiness Falls but could not get invested. DNF at 20%. loved Meryl Streep narration of Tom Lake. Ann Patchett’s first novel, “The Patron Saint of Liars” remains one of my favorites of hers.
You’re not alone! I finished Happiness Falls, but I can honestly say that I almost DNF’ed it because I absolutely could not stand the main character Mia. I think I would’ve liked this one better if it hadn’t been narrated from Mia’s first person perspective…
I just read Patron Saint of Liars and enjoyed it tremendously! Such a rich story and the characters were compelling! Loved everything about it
In this month’s BOOKBAG
* the Homegoing of a beloved devotional writer
* 2 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ novels
* a handful of intriguing essays
* a charming glimpse into a day in the gentle life of a rural bookseller
* scads of e-book deals too good to pass up
http://www.lindastoll.net/2023/09/her-overflowing-bookbag-porch-109.html
Happiness Falls is next on my list! Here’s what I read last month—two 5-star print reads! https://www.mindjoggle.com/august-2023-book-reviews/
I have not read any of the books on your list this month. I always find such great books on your quick list lists. In the last few weeks, I have read some great books, especially nonfiction. I read two true crime books that were great. I also read a nonfiction book called American Sirens about CPR and a group of black men who became America’s first paramedics. It is a great book that hasn’t gotten the attention it deserves. https://fromourbookshelf.com/august-reading-2023/
I agree that American Sirens is an important book.
What I’m reading right now:
In the car, a CD audiobook of Alex Kershaw’s “Avenue of Spies;”
In Hoopla, Hannah Wunsch’s “The Autumn Ghost,” about polio;
And in hardcover, John Banville’s novel “April in Spain.”
As soon as you said Terrace Story was for people who loved Shark Heart I placed a hold at the library!
Right now I’m reading Godkiller by Hannah Kaner and loving it. I’m also about to start listening to The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman.
Wow these ALL sound great!
The best book I read this months is The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters, which hasn’t been getting the attention it deserves. This is a novel about family, healing, and race. It has heavy themes but also has hope. Perfect for fans of The Vanishing Half.
I entered a giveaway for The Berry Pickers on Goodreads. I thought it sounded so good!
I am so looking forward to reading Happiness Falls, my library hold can’t come through fast enough!
Surprise reading win for me this month was Tom Lake, it completely swept me away. I also loved Redhead by the Side of the Road (I’m working through Anne Tyler’s backlist, which has been a delightful project). Disappointments this month included The Connellys of County Down and Call the Canaries Home; I typically love “family drama” stories and these just didn’t work for me. I also read some fantastic nonfiction (lots of history this month) and reread my favorite middle grade novel with my kids—and they loved it too!
https://kendranicole.net/quick-lit-september-2023/
Currently reading an ARC I won on Goodreads of The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff. I was loving it, but then around page 126, it suddenly feels repetitive. Hoping the ending will make up for that.
My book club read The Widows of Malabar Hill. I did not not like it, but mystery may not be my thing.
Our next book selection will be The Lost Apothecary, which I believe had mixed reviews.
I still need to get to my copy of Tom Lake by Ann Patchett. I splurged and got a signed copy for my birthday!!
All the hype about Happiness Falls has got me interested. Will join the library wait list.
Can’t say enough about Being Henry by Henry Winkler. Publish date 10/31/23. The audio was amazing, co-narrated with wife Stacey.
I adored Tom Lake. Ann Patchett is one of my favorite authors.
Now I am reading and loving The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell.
I reread one of my favorite novels, Snow Falling on Cedars, after a 20 year hiatus. I loved it more this time and now consider it a cozy-ish book despite the themes. I also listened to The Wager by David Grann. It’s a compelling true story of an 18th century British shipwreck in Patagonia. I heard the author on Fresh Air’s podcast and was intrigued by the history. As someone recently said “everything’s worse at sea.” Fascinating lives of career sailors, ship life, desertion, and all from the letters and journals of the crew. Highly recommend!
I just saw Snow Falling on Cedars on my bookshelves this week and thought I need to re-read that one… I also liked the movie and would like to watch it again, but first, the book!
Snow Falling on Cedars is in my top 10 best books ever!
Anne, your lists of books never fail to inspire me, and I think I might tackle Happiness Falls, although I have a couple good books on the go at the moment. I finally got my hands on a copy of Painting Time (Maylis de Kerangal) which you put on my radar long ago. I am halfway through (started yesterday) and loving it. Thanks for the great work you and your team are doing for us readers.
I am adding some of these to my list!
I recently finished a couple of books that I highly recommend.
1) Fresh Water for Flowers by Valerie Perrin, I think I first heard about it here a year or so ago but it was too soon after my mother’s death and I wasn’t ready. It is a beautifully told story of grief, love, and finding where you are meant to be.
2) Afterlife by Julia Alverez, A short novel about a complicated person in a complicated family wrestling with her commitment to others when her own life is too much. it is a question I have struggled with in recent years and it was another book that was just what I needed now.
I loved both of these! My sister just gifted me a copy of Three, also by Valerie Perrin, so I’m looking forward to that. I have The Vaster Wilds and Tom Lake on hold at my library. In the meantime, I’m about to finish The Covenant of Water.
A fabulous memoir in verse about teaching, a book my husband is thrilled I finally read, and two Kwame Alexander picture books — good stuff!
https://carolinestarrrose.com/quick-lit-what-ive-been-reading-lately-28/
My reads last month were mostly 4 stars, books I really enjoyed but they just didn’t quite knock it out of the park. These included:
* Road to Roswell by Connie Willis (DNF) – I really, really wanted to like this book with its premise of a quirky road trip with an alien, but I just could not get into the story, the characters were so stereotyped, and the writing seemed to be at a much lower level than previous books I have read by Willis. A real disappointment and I gave up after about 25%.
* Just Another Missing Person by Gillian McAllister (4 stars) – I really enjoyed this story which had a great plot twist, although I liked her previous novel, Wrong Place, Wrong Time much more. Maybe that is due to the time travel element in WPWT as I am a sucker for a good time travel plot line.
* The Late Mrs. Willoughby by Claudia Gray (Audiobook, 4 stars) – This is the second book in the series, and I love how it is based around characters from the Jane Austen novels.
* The Making of Another Motion Picture Masterpiece by Tom Hanks (Audiobook, 4 stars) – First of all, Hanks is a fabulous narrator! This was a fascinating in-depth look at the movie-making process, with a great cast of characters. I think the audio format made this more enjoyable and interesting than it would have been if I had read the print version, as the narrators really brought the characters to life.
* Beyond That, the Sea by Laura Spence-Ash (4 stars) – deftly done story of a young girl who is evacuated from London during the WWII blitz and sent to live with a family in Massachusetts. The story line was a bit predictable, but the characters are so well developed in the book.
* Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt (Audiobook, 5 stars) – This was a re-read for my Book Club. I read the print version last time, but I loved the audiobook version, especially the narration of the chapters by Marcellus, the octopus. Such a unique and sweet story!
Current reads include The It Girl by Ruth Ware (audiobook), and Peach Blossom Spring by Melissa Fu. Happy Reading!
Pulled myself out of a reading slump with some YA and middle-grade reads in August and it really works!
August reading recap</a
Hi Anne, I just finished The Postcard which I really loved! Reading We are the Brennans and Della & Darby, my book club for September.
Thank you, looking forward to tonight !
Donna
I’ll be watching for Happiness Falls. Thanks, Anne.
My latest recommendations are here, including Decluttering at the Speed of Life.
https://lisanotes.com/books-i-recommend-august-2023/
What a great list, they all sound good! None but The Foundling were on my radar! I have already read that and yes, it was “decidedly different”—I wouldn’t have even thought it was the same author, but it sure opened my eyes to those institutions!
I just finished “Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption” by Stephen King. I have not read ANY King novels, despite living in Maine, because I do not do horror or the supernatural, but I was dying to see how he wrote in Shawshank. All I can say was that the movie was VERY faithful to the novella, and that I could hear Morgan Freeman ALL the way through. Very, very good story.
Right now I’ve started “Flight Behavior” by Barbara Kingsolver and WOW, on the basis of only 3 chapters, I think it should have won a Pulitzer!! I think it’s even better than Ann Patchett, and Liz Strout; Barbara, are you reading this?? I don’t know why I haven’t read it before, it’s GENIUS, absolute genius. Can’t get over it. And it’s early Cli-Fi, 2012.
As usual, the end of summer and start of the new semester has me stressed, and I have turned to my usual binge reading of romance novels (all the dopamine and I can read one in a day). Just finished a string of Jane Ashford books. But I also read:
A Marriage Portrait (ARC) – which was good, with interesting motifs, but the ending was predictable by the last third of the book.
Your Black Friend and Other Strangers – a collection of punk comics that I loved
The Little Princess – a reread for me that I read aloud to my daughter and was happy to find a book where our reading tastes overlap so thoroughly (5 stars!)
Two five-star reads for me that I flew through are West with Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge and The Girls in the Stilt House by Kelly Mustian. I’ve heard nothing about them until they were picked for my book club, and I highly recommend both!
I read West with Giraffes last week and loved it!
I am thoroughly enjoying True Biz this week, as well as reading Hamnet along with the Community Reading Group. I also checked out The Sign for Home from the library yesterday, so will pick that up next for MMD Book Club.
For me sometimes great reading experiences come in bunches. The last bunch included:
The Air Raid Book Club by Annie Lyons
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
Tom Lake
Happiness Falls
The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny (yes, I’m late to that party but am slowly making my way through the series)
Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club by J. Ryan Stradal (audio reread – a comfort read)
3 books I read this month will probably make it in my top 10 reads of 2023.
1. I Know Who You Are: How an Amateur DNA Sleuth Unmasked the Golden State Killer… by Barbara Rae-Venter. Fascinating read on how genealogy is used to solve cold cases. This book took me down a rabbit hole of podcasts and reading on the subject.
2. The Last Ranger: A Novel by Peter Heller. Not his best but Heller can sure describe nature better than most writers.
3. Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld. This one was a surprise, my favorite read this year. Was about to return to the library because of limited time, didn’t think it was my kind of read, but extended my check out another week, and read while I was camping at my favorite lake spot. Enjoyed so much that I plan on buying a copy so I can be one of my yearly rereads. Who can argue with a character whose favorite band is the Indigo Girls. I even had to download her favorite song, Dairy Queen.
LOVED Romantic Comedy!
What I’ve been reading lately-
Run Towards the Danger by Sarah Polley.
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garry’s
The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich
The Boys by Katie Hafner
(All excellent)
Miss Benson’s Beetle by Rachel Joyce
French Braid by Anne Tyler
The Music of Bees by Eileen Garvin
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
(All interesting/fun/enjoyable)
And two fun mysteries-
Zero Days by Ruth Ware
Exiles by Jane Harper
Here’s what I’ve been reading lately! Sadly, I did not feel the same about Happiness Falls, I was clearly in the minority. Oh well, different strokes for different folks.😁
https://www.instagram.com/p/CxJJfQqPJaW/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Septembers list is full of great romance novels plus a thriller I couldn’t put down!
https://neverenoughnovels.com/2023/09/15/september-2023-mini-book-reviews/
It really does feel like August Quick Lit just happened! Here’s what I’ve been reading lately (hint: mostly I’ve been getting ready to read on vacation):
https://readeatrepeat.net/2023/09/15/books-in-progress-september-2023/
A big reading month for me! The desire to complete the summer book bingo happening at work and to read books for Women in Translation Month resulted in a wide range of literature which made for a great reading month. https://avikinginla.com/2023/09/what-ive-been-reading-lately-witmonth-august-2023/
Happiness Falls is intriguing me. I haven’t had as much reading time this month with moving our daughter to college, fun-filled weekends, and lots of subbing at school. I read three books with one being a 5 star and one being a bit of a let down. Two of them were audiobooks.
https://www.sincerelystacie.com/2023/09/quick-lit-september-2023-edition/
August reading wrap up 📚
https://readingladies.com/2023/08/31/august-2023-reading-wrap-up-augustreadingwrapup-booktwitter-bookworm-amreading-bookblogger/
Just want to make sure I understand for future months: So Quick Lit is on the 15th if it’s a Monday, Wednesday, or Thursday, and otherwise it’s a different day?
Here’s what I’ve read this past month: https://cocoonofbooks.blogspot.com/2023/09/what-ive-been-reading-lately-quick-lit.html
I listened to so many audio books in August. I listened to all of the Lunar Chronicles series with my favorite being #3 Cress. Other favorites were Remarkably Bright Creatures,Argo, and Sex and Vanity.
Oh, I want to read Happiness Falls. I need to add that to my TBR. My own reading has picked up. https://myviewofthehoneypot.blogspot.com/2023/09/what-i-read-september.html
One of the most incredible books I’ve read lately but one that has gotten NO buzz was one I found offhand on the new releases shelf of my library: The History of a Difficult Child by Mihret Sibhat.
The story is set in Ethiopia during the Ethiopian Revolution. The family was once a family of landlords who were subsequently unsettled by the communist takeover. Using the highly amusing voice of a young child who is very precocious but who doesn’t understand everything going on, it tells the story of upheaval and survival but it does it with SO MUCH HUMOR and heart. I absolutely adored it. I really hope more people pick it up.
With school starting back up, a lot of my reads this last month were read-alouds with my first grader. Personal reads were longer so there were only two.
A True Home, by Kallie George 4/5
The Velveteen Rabbit, by Margery Williams 5/5
Iona Iverson’s Rules for Commuting, by Clare Pooley 3/5
The Bookbinder, by Pip Williams 4/5
Winnie-the-Pooh, by A.A. Milne 5/5
Check out our website for tiny reviews and story summaries:
https://theshoreystories.com