I feel like I’ve been gorging on books lately, but when I looked back, I found I haven’t actually finished many this month. I’m still in the middle of EIGHT! Two on CD in my car, one on my iPhone, one paperback novel, one giant reference on book publishing, and three on my Kindle. This is mostly the fault of the library, which seemed to release all of my held books (whether physical or virtual) at once. So the first three books listed here are ones I’ve actually finished; the last two are ones I’m almost, almost done with, and I’ll give you some brief impressions of those I’m still in the middle of. (See the Books I’m Reading page for a regular update.)

I Remember Nothing, Nora Ephron

Ephron’s last memoir reads like a meandering chat over coffee, running the gamut from funny “modern life” anecdotes, to fascinating stories from her early adulthood, to lists of things she loves and hates. She strikes a particular chord between sad and funny in one of her final lists, of “things she won’t miss” when she’s dead.

Recommended for people who like show business, memoir, and a well-placed acerbic wit. (See also: Dick Van Dyke’s memoir.)

 

 

Think Like A Freak, Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner

The Freakonomics guys are back with a third book, but if you loved the first two, don’t expect this one to read the same way. While Freakonomics and SuperFreakonomics showed us the numbers and incentives behind everything from prostitution to sumo wrestling, Think Like A Freak distills the principles of Freakonomics with the intent of turning us all into Freak-thinkers. I particularly enjoyed the chapter, “Think Like A Child,” which encourages Freaks to explore with curiosity and intense passion, and to play whenever possible.

While it was thought-provoking, I didn’t enjoy this book as much as the first two (I really love those twist-ending stories with the hidden motivating factors) and it was also a bit short…and a bit pricey, even for Kindle.

The One and Only, Emily Giffin

Shea is more than a football fan. As the best friend of the daughter of Coach Carr, a legend of Texas college ball, Shea lives, breathes and talks football. At 32, she still works at the stadium, dates a former player, and plans her life around games. She’s also hiding a secret- a huge crush on the Coach. When Coach’s wife passes away, Shea’s best friend asks Shea to help look after her dad. Shea feels conflicted between her friendship and her crush, but when she finds out Coach is interested in her, too… well, I won’t give away the rest.

This is a classic May-December story, with an almost incestuous family twist, and a heavy dose of football love. I found it to be a major page-turner; despite my slight distaste for the central relationship, and my general aversion to football, it is very well-written, and all the characters redeem themselves. My one issue was that it ended very abruptly, and the removal of a particular barrier to the relationship isn’t fully explained.

Twenties Girl, Sophie Kinsella

Lara’s life isn’t going very smoothly. Her boyfriend broke up with her, but she refuses to believe it’s over; her new business partner has taken an extended vacation, and she’s left running a business she hardly understands. Then Lara attends the funeral of her unknown Great-Aunt Sadie, and just as the rites are being performed, Sadie appears to Lara as the ghost of her younger 1920s self. Sadie demands that Lara track down a special necklace that has gone missing; she needs it in order to “rest in peace.” Sadie’s dominating presence pushes Lara to do things she’d never imagined, both for Sadie and for herself.

I’ve read this book before, but as I’m getting nearer to the end this time, I’m remembering less and less. I think I got tired of it the first time, and skimmed toward the end. I can understand why, because it’s really much too long for the genre. It’s lighthearted and fun, and Lara shows astonishing growth as a character, but it just takes forever to get to the finish line. I love Kinsella, and I like this book, but it’s not one of her best.

Maine by J. Courtney Sullivan

Four women are members of a large, Irish-Catholic clan with many secrets, strong personalities, buried anger and sorrow… and a family beach house in Maine. The novel shifts perspectives, from Alice (the matriarch) to Kathleen (the oldest daughter) to Ann Marie (the “perfect” daughter-in-law) to Maggie (the granddaughter). The book reminds me a bit of L.M. Montgomery’s A Tangled Web, with a dash of riveting historical fiction, in flashback to a brutal Boston club fire in the 1940s.

I found this book just as much a page-turner as The Engagements. A fantastic summer read (although less beach-oriented than an Elin Hilderbrand book; it’s more character than location-driven). My only complaint was that with such a large family, so many of the characters were necessarily made peripheral- and I wanted to learn more about each of them! The book isn’t set up for sequel, but if it was, I would love to read more about this tied-up, yet mixed-up, family.

I’m also picking at…

Habit Stacking by S.J. Scott, essentially a list of small “life hacks” (I hate this term, but it’s appropriate) to help you get healthier, happier and more organized. Each habit takes 5 minutes or less, but he suggests you create a block of time to accomplish a “stack” of them every day. It’s an interesting concept, but I don’t see myself actually “stacking” habits… I feel like making a series of habits that takes over half an hour will make them seem more arduous, not less.

Divergent by Veronica Roth. I’ll let you know what I think about this one next month. Right now, I’m about 50% in, and I have a feeling this is one of those crazy bestsellers, like Fifty Shades of Grey, that I really, really don’t get the appeal of.

The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published by Arielle Eckstut and David Henry Sterry. So chock-full of information that I’m getting overwhelmed every time I read it, but I’m powering through, because it’s already gotten me to change my approach to finding an agent and pitching my book.

That’s a lot of reading- but it is summer! Enjoy, and feel free to leave me recommendations below!