Quick Lit August 2019 Archives

The Stationery Shop

by Marjan Kamali

In 1953 Tehran, a young man failed to meet his betrothed in a Tehran square. Sixty years later and half a world away, the woman, now grown old, is about to discover why. This sweeping love story spans 60 years and two continents, taking the reader between contemporary New England and 1953 Tehran, thoroughly immersing the reader in the volatile political climate of 1950s Iran. This is easily one of the best books I've read this year: listen to me recommend it on Episode 194 of What Should I Read Next ("No plot, no problem!"), and we'll be reading it in the MMD Book Club in January, where we'll pair it with A Place for Us. If you enjoyed either of these books, add the other to your TBR right now.

Chirp

The Flatshare

by Beth O'Leary

I read this entire novel in one sitting on a Sunday afternoon; it's a romantic comedy that manages to tackle serious issues while maintaining a light and breezy feel. Don't miss the backstory on how the author's personal life inspired the premise, and how she managed to write nearly every word of the 320-page novel on her own commute in and out of London. There are a few spicy scenes but this romance is mostly closed-door.

Chances Are…

by Richard Russo

My husband says this is the best thing he read last year. I thought it was fine—maybe even good—but definitely didn't LOVE it. In this short novel, three college friends come back together for the first time in years, reunited at the very place where they spent a life-changing weekend together nearly forty years before. That was the weekend that one of their friends—a friend they were all at least a little bit in love with—disappeared, and they've been thinking about her ever since. A story of male friendship, family tragedy, and how the past is never really past.

The View from Penthouse B

by Elinor Lipman

The New York Times Book Review called this "More delicious than my cup of steaming cocoa…tender, funny…The View from Penthouse B sparkles with wit." I recommended this fast and fun read to Mary Laura Philpott on Episode 195 of What Should I Read Next ("Wanted: book enthusiast at large"). Two adult sisters have grown apart, but when they each suffer their own personal and economic tragedies, necessity brings them together again, and they're soon cobbling together a new found family in a Greenwich Village penthouse.

The Home Edit: A Guide to Organizing and Realizing Your House Goals

by Clea Shearer, Joanna Teplin

Glamour magazine calls this book "a master class on how to arrange even your most unattractive belongings—and spaces—in an aesthetically pleasing and easy-to-navigate way." The Today Show said: "If you ever see an incredibly organized pantry or enviably neat closet from your favorite celebrity on Instagram, it's probably the work of Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin, co-founders of The Home Edit. These professional home organization experts live for color-coded shelves, matching baskets and labeled jars to help their A-list clients achieve organization nirvana." From the publisher: "With a serious fan club that includes Reese Witherspoon, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Mindy Kaling, here is an accessible, room-by-room guide to establishing new order in your home."

Quick Lit August 2019

The Stationery Shop

The Flatshare

Chances Are…

The View from Penthouse B

The Home Edit: A Guide to Organizing and Realizing Your House Goals

Find your next read with:

100 Book recommendations
for every mood

Quick Lit August 2019

The Stationery Shop

The Flatshare

Chances Are…

The View from Penthouse B

The Home Edit: A Guide to Organizing and Realizing Your House Goals

Find your next read with:

100 Book recommendations for every mood

100 Book recommendations
for every mood