July Reading Recap
Happy August, book lovers! The dog days of summer might be coming to a close, but there are still plenty of fun summer reads to be had. Why not pick up a book from this month’s Reading Recap and head out to your local park to soak up the sun?
In other bookish news, the literary award season is upon us! The Booker Prize announced its longlist, and there are quite a few great picks. I just so happened to have read two from the list. Check out which one I loved and which one I didn’t. Until next time. Happy reading!
Longlisted for the 2025 Booker Prize
Quick Synopsis: A summer stroll with her father along the beach turns into a disaster when hours later, Louise is found alive, washed up on the shore holding her father’s flashlight. Her father is nowhere to be seen.
Weak/Strong Points: I couldn’t get into Choi’s other book, Trust Exercise, and in rare form, I put it down and couldn’t bring myself to ever pick it back up. Just like Trust Exercise, Flashlight is very well loved, and I’m afraid I’m the outlier. (Trust Exercise won the National Book Award in 2019.) My biggest issue with this was the pacing. It was 464 pages, and I felt every single one of those long, long pages. While the writing was okay, it was very character-driven, which wasn’t great since I didn’t really connect to any of the characters. The third act took the story somewhere that I wasn’t expecting, but at that point, sadly, it was too late. It wasn’t enough to make me start to care about these characters or what they were going through. The details felt muddy and bogged down at times, making for a long, dry, boring story.
The one strong point I would say is that I learned a little about China, Japan, South Korea, and North Korea’s relationship after WWII. Choi said this was exploring an alternate reality for her family with this story, her dad being Korean and her mother being American, much like her own family. Just like Louisa, she too returned to Japan and felt out of place.
She also said she intended this story to be a short novel, but that once she began to write it, it started to spiral into something longer. Which is too bad because I think this story would have been brilliant if it weren’t for the extra 200 pages of deadweight. Well, and maybe some character work.
I don’t think Choi’s books are for me. Maybe you’ll like it.
Writing Style: 2/5
Characters: 2/5
Plot: 3.5/5
Flow/Pacing: 2/5
Overall Rating: 2.5/5
Not Recommend
For Fans of: Bug Hollow by Michelle Huneven, Among Friends by Hal Ebbott, and So Far Gone by Jess Walter
Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers by Caroline Fraser
Quick Synopsis: How the toxic landscape of the Pacific Northwest bred a clan of psychopaths and serial killers
Weak/Strong Points: This is a tricky book to write about. While overall I liked it well enough, there were too many things that I really did not care for.
The format felt convoluted. It was part memoir, part historical, and part environmental journalism. This could have been done with more editing to fine-tune the book's main point. There were loads of unnecessary things thrown in. For example, I didn't care for Fraser's connections to her personal experiences during these times. I could have done without reading her poem that she submitted with her college application. Or the Star Trek convention she attended and who she met there. These personal stories never quite connected back to Bundy and his peers. She also talked quite a bit about bridges collapsing during that time. Again, without relating it back to the story, it felt jarring and unnecessary.
I learned a lot about the smelting industry and unleaded gas. However, unlike with learning about Japan, China, North Korea, and South Korea's relationship in Flashlight, the smelting industry and unleaded gas are not topics I was interested in learning about. I get where the author was going. She was trying to draw a conclusion that a lot of these infamous serial killers grew up next to a smelt plant and were inhaling poisonous gases that had side effects that could have formed them into killers; however, many more people also grew up next to smelt factories who didn't become killers. To me, it was a little far-fetched.
All that being said, I think the research on serial killers' lives was well done enough that if you're interested in that, I would recommend it. Just bear through the weird childhood stories and the smelting industry facts, and it's a good story. If she could have stuck to writing about the notorious serial killers during that time, I think she would have nailed it.
Not my first choice for books in this genre
Writing Style: 3/5
Plot: 4/5
Flow/Pacing: 3/5
Overall Rating: 3/5
Not Recommend
For Fans of: Murder in the Dollhouse by Rich Cohen, Bad Company by Megan Greenwell, and Fox by Joyce Carol Oates
We Solve Murders by Richard Osman
Quick Synopsis: A bodyguard and her retired cop father-in-law team up to solve a string of murders
Strong/Weak Points: Coming off of two rather dull books, I was excited to read something different. Mysteries aren’t usually the genre I gravitate towards, but it was this month’s book club book. And I really was happy for the palate cleanser. It was a fun, easy, and a fast-paced read. I always marvel at mystery books because I can’t imagine how hard it must be to write one. Where do you start? At the end, and work your way to the beginning? Whatever the template is, Osman did a wonderful job. I honestly did not see the killer coming.
I can’t rip it apart too much because, of course, these books are going to be cheesy and unrealistic, but isn’t that what makes them fun? Sure, the characters were all silly and a lot like each other. They all had the same sense of humor, which drove me a little crazy. (One of my biggest pet peeves is when author don’t develop their characters well enough for the reader to differentiate between them.) They were all very clever and witty. Sure, it was unrealistic that they had a private jet at their disposal. But if you can lean into the goof and let yourself enjoy it, it’s a comfy read. I’m not sure that I’ll be preordering the next one in the series, but hey, it was enjoyable enough. It’s even getting made into a series. I’m sure the series will be just as goofy and lighthearted as the book. Isn’t that what we all need in our lives right now, a little fun?
Look past the cheesiness and you’ll enjoy it.
Writing Style: 3/5
Characters: 3/5
Plot: 4/5
Flow/Pacing: 4/5
Overall Rating: 3.5/5
Recommend
For Fans of: The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny, Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz, and Death at the Sign of the Rook by Kate Atkinson
Longlisted for the 2025 Booker Prize
Quick Synopsis: A story about a snail scientist living in her mobile lab, trying to breed snail endlings. Two sisters hatch a plan to kidnap a group of western bachelors who are in Ukraine looking for wives and convince the scientist to let them use her mobile lab to do so.
Strong Points: As stated in the synopsis, this story is about a snail scientist breeding snail endlings and Ukraine’s matchmaking industry, both of which I learned a lot about. I naively didn't think Ukrainian matchmaking was much of a thing anymore. However, I was sorely mistaken. Google "Ukrainian matchmaking" and see just how many agencies appear. I don’t think I’ve ever come across a storyline that pairs two completely different topics in such an effective way.
Reva has a pretty cool backstory. She's a Ukrainian opera script writer, and this is her first novel. She gained inspiration for this book when her sister was seated next to an American man on the plane, and the man said he would love a Ukrainian wife because American women are too aggressive and ambitious. Reva set her story around that very thing – Western bachelors traveling to Ukraine in search of a wife. To add another layer to the story, she added in a Russian invasion taking place in Ukraine. While deep in the trenches of writing, her fiction turned into reality - the Russian invasion took place in Ukraine. She didn't feel it was right to continue writing about this when her family back in Ukraine was having to flee and her homeland was being destroyed. So, she decided to fold herself into the novel and head to Ukraine, where she could write about what was going on and, in turn, add herself to the narrative. I don’t want to ruin this book, but I will say it features one of the most interesting metafiction structures I've encountered, starting as fiction and then shifting into a nonfiction twist.
I also loved the way she was able to intertwine extinction and survival from a species perspective using the snails, and a human perspective by utilizing the invasion. Both things that are too real. Almost too real to grapple with. While the book is heavy, Reva throws in the perfect amount of comedic relief to make it readable.
Weak Points: The pacing was a little funky in the first act, but by the second act, it hit its stride.
Calling all book lovers, please read this one so we can talk about it!
Writing Style: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Plot: 4.5/5
Flow/Pacing: 3/5
Overall Rating: 4/5
Recommend
For Fans of: The Book of Records by Madeleine Thien, The Satisfaction Café by Kathy Wang, and Flashlight by Susan Choi
Bring the House Down by Charlotte Runcie
Quick Synopsis: A privileged theater critic, Alex, leaves a scathing one-star review for a one-woman play during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. He then proceeds to sleep with that struggling actress, Hayley, without disclosing who he is or that he may have just ended her short-lived career.
Strong Points: This is the equivalent of a bad reality TV show or a bag of potato chips, so utterly bingeable. I really couldn’t put it down. The story is so fast-paced, and the writing is witty yet thoughtful.
Runcie doesn’t punch the reader in the face with the Me Too movement, but instead explores the grey area. It’s more of a “death by a thousand cuts” situation vs. something outwardly Harvey Weinstein-ish. Alex is an asshole, there is no denying that, but he didn’t do anything wrong inadvertently. He didn’t sleep with her to cause any harm, and it was consensual. You can also see it from Hayley’s perspective where privileged people like Alex don’t think their actions have consequences while not thinking twice about destroying others’ lives. And by using Sophie, Alex’s coworker, as the narrator, the reader sees two sides of the story play out.
Weak Points: I didn’t care too much about Sophie’s life with her new baby, and the distance she’s been feeling between her and her partner since the baby’s birth. Booooring! Those parts pulled me out of the story. Her partner was annoying and suffocating, and the baby, well, was just a baby. The working mom storyline has been done to death.
Pick this one up for your next rainy-day afternoon read.
Writing Style: 4/5
Characters: 3.5/5
Plot: 4/5
Flow/Pacing: 4/5
Overall Rating: 4/5
Recommend
For Fans of: Finding Grace by Loretta Rothschild, Vera, or Faith by Gary Shteyngart, and The Compound by Aisling Rawle
Question 7 by Richard Flanagan
Quick Synopsis: An exploration of the ripple effects of historical events that ensured the author's birth.
Strong Points: It’s a hard book to really sum up, so I will tell you all of the things I loved about it and why I found it profound. I’m not a massive fan of these types of formats for books, where the line is blurred between memoir and a wandering story exploring history, science, and fiction, but this is so masterfully done that it has made me change my mind.
However, I have always been a massive fan of chain events and seeing their butterfly effects, and that’s precisely what is being explored through this book. Because of the affair between H.G. Wells and Rebecaa West, there was The War of the Worlds. Because The War of the Worlds was written, there was the horrific atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (with many, many events in between that unravel – I don’t want to spoil the whole story). Because of that horrific event, the author was born. He mixes these historical events in with his parents’ upbringing and the history of Tasmania, where he’s from. All of these random occurrences are strung together to make a cohesive book.
But I’m also pretty sure I could have read a 500-page book of Flanagan rambling on and on, and I would have loved it. His writing is so beautiful and rich. It makes you want to slow down and read each sentence several times because they are so clean and well-thought-out. His reflections on life had me underlining passages and looking at things from different perspectives.
My favorite line from the book that is echoed throughout is, “Experience is but a moment. Making sense of that moment is a life.”
Weak Points: Nothing
It’s a book that really moved me and one that I will take with me for the rest of my life. I acknowledge that it might not be for everyone, but it certainly was one for me.
Writing Style: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Plot: 5/5
Flow/Pacing: 5/5
Overall Rating: 5/5
Highly Recommend
For Fans of: Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood, Dusk by Robbie Arnott, Orbital by Samantha Harvey
Desi Arnaz: The Man Who Invented Television by Todd Purdum
Quick Synopsis: How one man changed the history of television forever
Strong Points: There are a ton of Lucile Ball biographies out in the market, but seeing a gap in Desi Arnaz literature, Purdum gives Arnaz some of his well-deserved glory. I have read a few Lucile Ball biographies and was stoked to get my hands on this one after listening to an episode of NPR’s Fresh Air with the author. I didn’t realize just how much Arnaz changed the course of the entertainment industry. He introduced live audience tapings for television, which brought television to LA. He popularized using three cameras when shooting to gain different perspectives. And, during a time where no real movie star would touch television, he popularized it and added its prestige. We also have Arnaz and Ball’s production company, Desilu, to thank for our beloved Star Trek and Mission Impossible franchises.
While he did so much to change pop culture as we know it, he lived a rather tragic life. Purdum tells Arnaz’s story with tremendous help from his daughter, Lucie, giving the reader an inside look at Lucie’s childhood and what Arnaz’s homelife was like. That was one of my favorite parts of the book, how intimate it was. The reader gets to look behind the curtain of the mental toll and suffering Arnaz was going through during the most successful years of his life.
It was also paced well enough to keep my interest. There wasn’t much fluff or moments where the story slowed.
Weak Points: Nothing of note
A fun read
Writing Style: 4/5
Plot: 4/5
Flow/Pacing: 4/5
Overall Rating: 4/5
Recommend
For Fans of: Uptown Girl by Christie Brinkley, JFK by J. Randy Taraborrelli, Gandolfini by Jason Bailey
A Marriage at Sea: A True Story of Love, Obsession, and Shipwreck by Sophie Elmhirst
Quick Synopsis: When their boat is struck by an injured whale, Maurice and Maralyn must survive in the deep Pacific Ocean on a small raft.
Strong Points: I’m a sucker for a shipwreck book. There’s something absolutely terrifying about having to survive. After watching Castaway a few weekends ago, my husband and I were talking about how long we would try to survive on an island. I said I don’t think I could survive very long on an island where I would have to build a shelter, make a fire, and scavenge for food. Now imagine having to survive on a tiny raft in the middle of the ocean without the possibility of fire, little to no shelter, and no way to scavenge for nuts and leaves. Now that is a feat!
Elmhirst clearly did loads of research, but it wasn’t regurgitated facts and journal entries; instead, it read a lot like fiction. She captured Maurice and Maralyn’s personalities so well that it felt like I really got to know them, as if they were fictional characters that Elmhirst had created herself.
Weak Points: The last act of the book was a little slower. I don’t want to give too much away, but the pacing felt off and the story felt a little disjointed. But the first two acts were intense and exciting to read. It’s a short read, coming in under 300 pages, so the last act didn’t drag on for incredibly long.
One of the most exciting shipwreck books that I have read.
Side Note: It’s also called Maurice and Maralyn in the UK, and it has been out since January. Seeing it in a bookstore here, I had it on my TBR and was very confused when Marriage at Sea was published, thinking it was a blatant rip-off of Maurice and Maralyn. Nope, they are the same book with a different title and publication dates.
Writing Style: 4/5
Plot: 4/5
Flow/Pacing: 3.5/5
Overall Rating: 4/5
Recommend
For Fans of: Culpability by Bruce Holsinger, So Far Gone by Jess Walter, and Bug Hollow by Michelle Huneven
"There is nothing like seeing a place for the last time to erase its imperfections." -A Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhirst
