Drowning in books
Too many books, too lazy to write about them.
As much as I love being out of a reading slump, the rate at which I’ve been reading is really lighting a fire under my ass to keep up with this newsletter. So I’m kicking off a new month with some more recent reads in an effort to catch up with myself. Will I one day remember to write these reviews upon finishing a book and not a month later? That’s a secret I’ll never tell……..(probably not).
Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe
Margo’s always been on her own, but when an affair with her professor leaves her pregnant, she faces the reality of raising the child by herself. Enter: her estranged father, an ex-pro wrestler. Throw in an OnlyFans account, a surprising romance, and a tender father-daughter relationship, and you’ve got this book. A delight of an audiobook, made even more delightful with narration by the one and only Elle Fanning. It was funny, warm, and approached multiple complex situations with surprising empathy and tenderness.
Good for people who like: Sloane Crosley, sex-positivity, feel-good novels
There Is No Ethan by Anna Akbari
The true story of three women’s online relationship with a man who turns out to not quite be who he says he is (understatement of the century). WOW this was a wild ride. Another audiobook version and highly recommend that format only because you won’t want to stop listening while you do pretty much everything else throughout the day. Not going to lie, it was hard to understand how these intelligent women (not girls: women!!!) fell for such a loser, but I was riveted nonetheless. Seriously, if you read this lmk so we can talk about the ending 👀.
Good for people who like: books that will fill you with rage, true crime/mysteries, “Catfish” the show (obvi)
Piglet by Lottie Hazell
Piglet (not her real name, just a fucked up nickname from her weird family) almost has the “perfect” life: a promotion at work, a handsome husband, and a house to host dinner parties in. But her fiancé’s betrayal just days before their wedding brings it all crashing down. This was high on my TBR, mostly because of the drool-inducing cover if I’m being honest. I actually expected this to be more unhinged than it was, but while Piglet spirals in a very ~unique~ way it all somehow still feels relatable. Plus, the descriptions of food are just *chef’s kiss*.
Good for people who like: food writing, unhinged female characters, Big Swiss by Jen Beagin
Beach Read by Emily Henry
Gus and January were college rivals who grew up into published authors of very different genres. So when they coincidentally end up in the same town for the summer, they make a bet to take on the other’s stories. This was a reread from years ago and it was mostly a test from my book club to see if I could bump my least favorite Emily Henry romance into a higher slot. Spoiler: it didn’t work. But I did like it a lot more the second time around and appreciated the side plots a lot more. But Book Lovers is still #1 in my heart, sorry!!!
Good for people who like: beach read romances (literally), books about writers, books about grief
Empty Theatre by Jac Jemc
When I say this book took me four months to finish…I’m not exaggerating. And while that makes it sound horrible, it honestly wasn’t. It’s just a big, dense book that leans much more into the historical than the fiction of historical fiction. While the characters (real people?) were interesting, the biographic writing style and sheer amount of detail made it hard to actually connect/care about them. I think I would have preferred it either be more fictionalized and story-driven *or* read more like a historical non-fic. But it made for a good before-bed book 😴.
Good for people who like: historical biographies, getting a 5 in AP Euro, When We Lost Our Heads by Heather O’Neill (but less fun)
Aaaaand that’s it for now — although I’ve still got some books from last month to dump on you, so will hopefully be back soon. Plus! My book club’s annual Emily Henry trip is coming up soon (we’re reading Funny Story in Michigan) so will of course do a recap for you. Until then <3
xoxo,
Kirby