Get cozy and stay cool with these book recommendations
This month is a veritable potpourri. A nice mix of subjects and intensity. In no particular order:
“The Guest” by Emma Cline. A young woman loses her Hamptons Sugar Daddy with a selfish mistake and is left to grift for herself to stay in the folds of society. Cline’s excellent writing makes it hard to turn away from this unappealing protagonist.
“Madame Restell” by Jennifer Wright. Provides an accounting of the fight for women’s rights in the late 1800s-1900s.
“Chain-Gang All-Stars” by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah. A scathing tale of a dystopian future where for-profit companies run the prisons and hold gladiator style fights for prisoner teams with ESPN-like coverage. Fight to the death and earn your freedom. Not for everyone, but raises some important questions about our values.
“City of Dreams” by Don Winslow. One of my favorite authors, this is the second installment about Rhode Island organized crime. Can Danny Ryan go straight after doing the fed a favor? His meticulous research lends profound authenticity to his work. If you haven’t read Winslow’s Cartel Trilogy you are missing out!
“Babes in the Woods” by Margaret Atwood. A superb short story collection by one of our greatest writers. Several stories follow a married couple through the years. One titled “My Evil Mother” is particularly good.
“Yellowface” by R.F. Kuang. So much to unpack in this tale – plagiarism, cultural appropriation, diversity, social media. This book begs for a good discussion. I still haven’t worked through all my opinions on this one, and I dare say, I disagree with the author on a few things. Toss this into the ring for your next book club!
“The Kind Worth Saving” by Peter Swanson. His murder mysteries are so easy to read and yet so unsettling. Everyday citizens do very bad things.
“Drowning” by T.J. Newman. Yes, the writer who brought us “Falling,” now has a plane dropping into the ocean. I picked up some survival tips I hope I never need.
“Sea Change” by Gina Chung. A quirky charmer. An octopus and a researcher in a research aquarium. Somewhat reminiscent of “Remarkably Bright Creatures” by Shelby Van Pelt, but with a different story line.
“Paper Names” by Susie Luo. Chinese immigrant family and their struggle to make a better life for their daughter.
“You Are Here” by Karin Lin-Greenberg. The lives of people who work at a mall that is going to shut down intersect. This struck me as more of a YA novel, but it is a good vehicle to bring out issues of tolerance, empathy, understanding, and acceptance.
“The Wingmen” by Adam Lazarus. Available to the public on Aug. 22 features the story of the remarkable friendship between John Glenn and Ted Williams. Who knew! It began in the Korean War when both were USMC pilots. A fun read.