Quick Lit December 2022 Archives

Everything Sad Is Untrue: (a true story)

by Daniel Nayeri

I opted to listen after a wide variety of readers with wildly disparate tastes all gushed about this book, specifically recommending the audiobook. Our narrator for this epic is a 12-year-old Iranian-born named Khosrou, who now lives in Oklahoma and is known as Daniel, and the tales he spins are drawn from his rich family history, ancient Persian folklore, and sometimes from the extraordinary and ordinary moments of his middle school life. "Every story is the sound of a storyteller begging to stay alive," Daniel tells us, perhaps explaining why he puts his whole heart and soul into the tales he weaves for his audience. This is a beautiful, heartbreaking, hilarious book, and while the books are by no means readalikes, I thought often of Trevor Noah's Born a Crime while I was listening.

The Reading List: A Novel

by Sara Nisha Adams

Our Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club members selected this as our December 2022 read. A story of how books intersect with our lives in unexpected ways, and occasionally lead to unexpected friendships, as well. Thanks to a handwritten list of books found between the pages of To Kill a Mockingbird, teen library worker Aleisha connects with Mukesh, a widower who wants a better relationship with his avid reader granddaughter. Aleisha shares the list she found, and the two lonely readers find solace in reading and discussing each title. Deeply moving, sad and sweet, this literary tale serves as a reminder of the power of books to heal, empower, and connect us to one another. Content warnings apply.

A Very Merry Bromance (Bromance Book Club 5)

by Lyssa Kay Adams

I'm a longtime fan of the Bromance Book Club series, and this new holiday romp sure goes down easy. The fifth book in the series is once again set in Nashville, this time centering country music superstar Colton Wheeler (whose job is "to make other people happy. Even if it killed him") and immigration attorney Gretchen Winthrop (who, being from the wealthy Winthrop family, "carried the toxic gene of chaos and greed that infected everyone who came in contact with them"). I loved the country music setting, and being from Kentucky, where bourbon is king, reading about the sordid dealings of a Tennessee whiskey family was a whole lot of fun. You don't have to read this entire series in order, but you may enjoy the added context (who are these guys and how did they come to form a romance book club?) that comes with reading at least the first before starting this one.

We Are the Brennans

by Tracey Lange

Five years ago, Sunday Brennan left her small New York hometown, abandoning her parents, three brothers, and devoted fiancé with no explanation. In the present, after a wildly uncharacteristic episode of binge drinking lands her in the hospital, her brother convinces her to come home for a little while to recuperate and help with the Irish American family's struggling bar. Not everyone is thrilled to see the prodigal daughter, and her reappearance eventually causes all kinds of long-held family secrets to finally come pouring out. I loved this for its portrayal of complex family dynamics (especially among the four siblings), its sweet tale of young love, the ever-interesting setting of the bar, and its hopeful—but not tidy—resolution.

Chirp

Four Letters of Love: A Novel

by Niall Williams

While this story isn't terribly old, it feels decidedly old-fashioned. The story unspools slowly; the plot is anchored by four life-changing letters written decades apart. First we meet 12-year-old Nicholas Coughlan, whose father soon announces he's received a calling from God to quit his job and become a painter, with tragic and unforeseen consequences. In another part of Ireland, young Isabel Gore is a poet's daughter, whose life is upended when her beloved and talented brother suffers a terrible seizure that make his planned future impossible. We know the two are destined to connect, and Williams methodically (perhaps miraculously?) weaves their paths together. One of my favorite books of 2021 was Shirley Hazzard's The Transit of Venus; the tone of Williams's story reminded me very much of Hazzard's.

Our Book of Awesome: A Celebration of the Small Joys That Bring Us Together

by Neil Pasricha

From the publisher: "Welcome to Our Book of Awesome, a celebration of the small joys that bring us together. In a world that is often overwhelming, it’s time to return to the simple things, the AWESOME things, all around us...if only we take a moment to see them. Carrying the ice cube tray from the sink to the freezer without spilling. Finally unsubscribing from that annoying email you’ve been getting forever. Seeing your parents dance. Adding a gift note to yourself on your online order. Sending a private message during the video conference and then seeing your coworker look down and silently smirk. When your kids don’t hear you opening a bag of potato chips. When the hand sanitizer isn’t that extra slippery kind that never dries. Texting your husband to do something when he’s upstairs and you’re downstairs. When the cake plops flawlessly out of the pan. Read it to be reminded of the endless AWESOME things that give laughter and happiness to our beautiful and brief lives."

Quick Lit December 2022