Summer Reading is Over; What I'm Excited About Reading in the Fall

Summer zipped right by, and here we are, September 1st. It's been a particularly hot and humid summer in Iowa, and I can't wait to shut the air conditioning off and enjoy sleeping with cooler nights. I've got a few short weeks left to enjoy my back deck, which became my favorite reading spot this summer. Nothing like sitting outside listening to birds chirp while relaxing and reading on the weekend. 

I've thought back on what I had on my TBR list for the summer, and what do you know? I didn't read a lot of those books. They're all still sitting on my shelves, waiting. But I read some great books, and discovered a few authors I hadn't read before: Jane Harper and Laura Madeline. I also rediscovered my love for John Bellairs, and read a fantastic thriller by Heather Gudenkauf, an Iowa author. So while the biography about Leonardo Da Vinci still gathers dust, and I missed reading Prairie Fires (Laura Ingalls Wilder), I did make a start on Circe, by Madeline Miller. It reminds me of my teen years, and my fascination with Edith Hamilton's Mythology book. 

I'm still plugging away at my piles, which don't seem to go down. Not a bad problem to have, right? But there are new releases coming out this Fall that have me chomping at the bit. I thought I'd share what I'm excited about reading  for the rest of 2018--new titles that are coming soon!

I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am about Time's Convert. The U.S. sale date is September 18 and you can bet I will be buying a copy that day. If you haven't read A Discovery of Witches, you are missing out! Read the trilogy, then read this. It's a branch off the original, dazzling, amazing novels. 

Kate Atkinson. Life After Life is one of my favorite novels. This novel returns to World War 2, and is a spy thriller. I can't wait to dive into the talented writing of Kate Atkinson. Due out in the U.S. September 25th. 

 I first read Signe Pike years ago, when she wrote a non-fiction book about fairies. I've been waiting to hear more from her, and here it is! First in a trilogy, a magical novel about a forgotten Scottish Queen: Languoreth.  It's out on Tuesday, September 4th.  I'm ready to delve into some magic. 

Kate Morton. Solid stories, historical novels that I've always enjoyed. It seems like a long time since her last novel. This one, set in England, involves murder, artists, and an archivist in modern day London discovering pieces to a 150 year old puzzle. Released in the U.S. on October 6th. 

It's going to be an awesome Fall with these talented authors. If I'm really good, and I read faithfully, I should be able to read each one as they come out. I'm saving my pennies because these are all novels I want to keep. 

What are you looking forward to reading?  Share!  I'd love to hear from you. 

Happy reading everyone! 

via GIPHY

Share: facebook - twitter - pinterest

Summer Reading is Over; What I'm Excited About Reading in the Fall

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson

I've never had the pleasure of reading a Kate Atkinson book before.  Now I know what I've been missing.  

Life After Life is her latest novel--coming out in April.  I was lucky to receive an ARC.  This novel has so much in it, I can't possibly tell it all--and anyway, it would spoil the whole story if I did.  So be prepared for lots of vagueness in this review.  It's for your own good. 

Ursula Todd is born during a snow storm in England in 1910.  And she dies.  Then she's born again, but this time survives.  This happens repeatedly during Ursula's life--or lifetimes.  And you keep going back and starting over again at a certain point in Ursula's life, where things are just a bit different--and so Ursula's life takes a different direction.  I've likened this to an adult version of Create Your Own Adventure books, and for those who have no idea what they are--the movie Sliding Doors with Gwyneth Paltrow.  Just one change in a choice or a reaction starts Ursula on a whole new life path.  

This novel is brilliant.  Ursula and her family--her father Hugh, her mother Sylvie, her siblings--especially Pamela--are just such a wonderful group of people.  Their comedic one-liners, their droll sense of humor, their obvious love for each other (except for Maurice--the eldest brother who is a complete boor) is so much a part of what makes this a book you can't put down.  Taking place over 35 years--during World War I, and during World War 2, you see the progression of the family as the children grow up, move along in life, and struggle to survive in a world that seems to have gone mad.  

And Ursula.  I'm so glad I read about her early in the year, so I can think about her character all year and enjoy her spunk, smarts, and struggle to make sense out of what her life seems to be, but may not be.  It's a dizzying swirl of what might have been and what could be.  Her life is a prime example of how each one of us impacts those around us--how our actions can turn everything around to a happy outcome or a disaster.  Happiness, bliss, or sadness and grief?  Circles, circles, circles.  Ripples in the water.  

I loved this book.  I have found another author to read!  What an incredibly smart book to create.  I can't imagine how hard it was to write this.  It's like a writing exercise where you have to re-write the same scene over and over again, but change it each time in subtle but crucial ways.   Amazing.  

One more thing:  you must be patient while reading this book.  Do not give up.  Just keep reading.  You'll get into the rhythm quickly.  Consider this a challenge for you this year.  Just read it.  Seriously.  And reading groups?  Hello.  This will keep you talking for months. 

Rating:  9/10 for sheer brilliance, wonderful characters you don't want to say good bye to, and just the right touches of comedy and seriousness.  

Available in paperback, e-book, and audio.

Share: facebook - twitter - pinterest

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson

Retro Read: Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson

I quickly became a huge fan of Kate Atkinson earlier this year when I read the amazing Life After Life. This means I have to go back and read all of her previous works, and the first stop is this wonderful quirky novel about Ruby Lennox and her family--both present and past.

Ruby's story starts with the moment she is conceived, and from there goes back and forth between Ruby's young life with a very angry mother (angry about her crappy marriage and life), a cheating father, and two older sisters to the past with her grandmother, great-grandmother, aunts and uncles.  

The story moves all over the place, but it's not hard to follow at all.  Kate Atkinson is a master at combining humor and heartache and delving into the life of a family where everyone is unhappy but still stuck together.  So much happens to Ruby's family as she's born in 1952; her parents have the most dysfunctional marriage and struggle to keep their pet shop open while living above the shop.  Generations are woven into the story--and you think "what is the point?"  Oh, but there is a point.  Bunty's behavior (Ruby's mother) is explained by her experiences as a child.  Nell, Ruby's Grandmother, has a heartbreaking childhood that in turn influences her adult life.  And Alice, Ruby's Great-Grandmother makes a crucial choice that echoes down through the generations.  

I so enjoyed this novel.  I can understand why it won the Whitbread Book of the Year award in 1995.  I am still in awe of Kate Atkinson's giant brain and incredible talent.  This novel is for those who like to read family histories with a British background; novels about dysfunctional families in the 20th century, and novels with a background of world events that, as always, become so personal and life changing at a family level.  

Rating:  8/10  for an entertaining story about Ruby--who you will love, and what makes a family.

Available in paperback and e-book.

Share: facebook - twitter - pinterest

Retro Read: Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson