June. What a month. Normally, this is a recap of my reading, but no matter how I try to stick to the subject of books my brain refuses to cooperate. By this time next week we’ll be starting the 2,200 mile trip from Ann Arbor to Seattle. The unending list of what needs to be done before then is one of the things that has me awake at 4am. But that’s not it, I can power through mud brain.
The problem? I am incandescent with rage. So much so I’m pretty sure my hair is on fire. It’s all I want to write about, to act on. But this is a book blog so for now I’ll hold myself back. Except, in the same way the line between church and state is rapidly disappearing in this country so is my self-control. I AM ANGRY.
I’ll be taking a break from the blog for the first two weeks of July while we move and then live in a hotel awaiting our furniture to get to Seattle. Until then, here’s where my June reading led me.
The Maker of Swans by Paraic O'Donnell
Published by Tin House Books
Publication date: June 14, 2022
Bookshop, Amazon
A lonely British estate, a young girl, a theatrical man, and a dead body. These are the components in The Maker of Swans a novel about art, the muse, responsibility, and magic. Everything was there and remained well enough in place that I needed to finish the story, but by 80% it felt as if the author had lost control of the book. I appreciated the mystical attributes given to the act of creating art, but the ending got muddy.
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel: Loved this, review to follow.
Booth by Karen Joy Fowler: My review
The City Inside by Samit Basu
Published by Tordotcom
Publication date: June 7, 2022
Bookshop, Amazon
June was not the right time for The City Inside. I had to bail out. Set in Delhi at an unspecified time in the future it’s about the invasion of technology via ‘social’ means into every aspect of our lives. The only difference from now is that humans aren’t monitoring AI and algorithms control everything. I only got 10% in and was too stressed to continue. My toothbrush listening to me and relaying data back to the manufacturer AND the government?! What’s next—government tracking of women’s menstrual cycles? Oh, wait…
Daughter of Smoke & Bone by Laini Taylor: Who knew YA fantasy could be my jam? My review
Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley: Powerful, dark novel of one young girl’s efforts to survive on her own. Review to follow
A Mirror Mended (Fractured Fables, #2) by Alix E. Harrow
Published by Tordotcom
Publication date: June 14, 2022
Bookshop, Amazon
The next book in the Fractured Fables series, The Mirror Mended brings Zinnia into the world of Snow White’s “evil” stepmother. Another thought-provoking and humorous unmasking of the misogyny inherent in fairytales, but not as engaging as the first book, Spindle.
The Year of the Horses by Courtney Maum: fabulous memoir. Review to follow
Metropolis by B.A. Shapiro: My review
Trust by Hernan Diaz
Published by Riverhead Books
Publication date: May 3, 2022
Bookshop, Amazon
How to review (even quickly) a novel I’m not sure I fully understood? Trust is a gorgeous piece of literary fiction that is essentially 4 books in one. The first is an unflattering novella published in 1937 about an extraordinarily wealthy man who used his insight and mathematical genius to short the stock market and cause the crash of ’29. The second is the grandiose autobiography of the real financier written to counteract the ‘inaccuracies’ in the novella. The 3rd part is written by the woman who helped the financier write his biography. The 4th part I’ll leave a mystery, but it’s a memoir. All four parts are variations on the same slice of history and one man. Only the perspective changes.
Trust is a stunning literary achievement, the writing is exquisite, but I was left with far more questions after reading than before I began. If you want to be challenged by reading on the sticky wickets of capitalism, ethics, greed, marriage, mental health, history, and truth this is a singular piece of fiction.
How was your June reading? Want to vent? Feel free…
This post contains affiliate links which means if you click on a link and make a purchase of any kind, I get a small commission (at no cost to you).
*I received a free copy of The Maker of Swans from Tin House and A Mirror Mended from Tor in exchange for an honest review.*
Welcome back to Seattle! Hope to meet you one day – maybe at the King County Library System gala? I do a blog, All About Books, on WordPress (see below) – Nancy Pearl told me about yours. Such a pleasure to find fellow readers!
Thank you! We’re still awaiting our furniture, but I’m happy to be back- just not feeling like it’s real yet. I love hearing from other local readers and I will definitely visit your blog!
Good luck with your move!!
I’m probably more sad and angry about our country right now than I was after the 2016 election and that’s saying something.
Agreed. I know you wrote this over a month ago, but I don’t feel all that different now. Maybe numb, which is dangerous.
Thank you so much for being such a wonderful bookish friend and always stopping by to comment!