Quick Lit June 2018 Archives

On Turpentine Lane

by Elinor Lipman

This was my first Elinor Lipman book, but it won't be my last. Light and breezy in tone, but substantial beneath the surface. The story revolves around a thirty-two year-old woman named Frank, who's dealing with A LOT right now: a flaky fiancé, an incompetent boss, a new fixer-upper with a disturbing past, a father who's having a midlife crisis. But her office-mate pal is helping her through, and it's a fun and funny journey.

The Book of Essie

by Meghan MacLean Weir

I made a conscious decision not to read this book: I didn't think a novel about a Christian reality tv star sounded like the right book for me. But then I recorded a podcast episode with bookstore owner Annie Jones, and she said she wanted me to read it so we could talk about it, and since I was visiting Annie's store .... I read it. And it GREATLY exceeded my expectations. Seventeen-year-old Esther Anne Hicks is the youngest daughter of an Evangelical family that stars in their own reality show called Six for Hicks. When her appearance-conscious mother discovers Essie is pregnant, it's not a parenting issue. Instead, it's all about the optics. But Essie is determined to finally take control of her own life and find a way out of her high-profile world. For me, this was a perfect beach read.

The Black Widow (Gabriel Allon Series Book 16)

by Daniel Silva

From the publisher: "Gabriel Allon, the art restorer, spy, and assassin described as the most compelling fictional creation 'since Ian Fleming put down his martini and invented James Bond' (Rocky Mountain News), is poised to become the chief of Israel's secret intelligence service. But on the eve of his promotion, events conspire to lure him into the field for one final operation. ISIS has detonated a massive bomb in the Marais district of Paris, and a desperate French government wants Gabriel to eliminate the man responsible before he can strike again."

The Lola Quartet

by Emily St. John Mandel

Now that the Summer Reading Guide is out, I'm thoroughly enjoying reading some backlist titles that have been on my TBR for ages, like this 2012 book from the author of Station Eleven. This is the kind of book I love: a compulsively readable literary mystery, featuring stylish prose plus a plot that keeps you turning the page to find out what happens next. I was so impressed by the way Mandel unfolded the story piece by piece, introducing us to a seventeen-year-old girl in hiding (with piles of cash duct-taped to the underside of her baby's stroller), and slowly revealing how she ended up there—and how the members of the old high school musical group the Lola Quartet are connected to her disappearance. Set in muggy South Florida, the story is dripping with atmosphere and has a noir feel. This week, I tried something new on What Should I Read Next? and shared a short podcast episode focused on One Great Book. That book is The Lola Quartet, and you can listen to me tell you all about it—and how to know if it's the right book for you—right here.

I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness

by Austin Channing Brown

Austin Channing Brown is one of my favorite follows: I appreciate her perspective so much and have been eager to get her words into my hands in book-length format. The book opens with a story from the library, but it's not a warm and fuzzy one. Austin reveals that her parents named her Austin so that future employers would believe she was a white man, thus opening doors that would typically be closed to a black woman. She writes extensively about how white, middle-class Christians, though well-intentioned, perpetuate racial tensions—and provides guidance on what genuinely effective perspectives and behaviors could actually look like. A great read, important and timely.

Quick Lit June 2018

On Turpentine Lane

The Book of Essie

The Black Widow (Gabriel Allon Series Book 16)

The Lola Quartet

I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness

Buckle Up!

summer reading starts May 16th