Apparently, last week was the week of DNFs…ugh. And, I wish I’d DNF’d the one book I did finish. So, in an effort to jolt myself out of this reading slump, I picked up a September release that I’ve been anticipating all year long. I loved the author’s 2015 debut and had already heard great things about her sophomore effort from a source who has steered me right multiple times this year (Annie B. Jones of From the Front Porch podcast)!
In other news, I finally have some clarity about my back injury. It’s not actually a back injury at all! I have inflammation in both my SI joints and some tendonitis in my right abductor. All this is putting pressure on my lower back. I’m visiting yet another doctor about possibly getting a cortisone shot next week. I’m still not allowed to run or swim…but have been riding my bike and doing strength work instead.
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I finished reading…
See What I Have Done
I didn’t DNF this one, but I kind of wish I had. I quickly got bored with the story. Mini review to come.
I’m currently reading…
Little Fires Everywhere
Yep, I’m already reading a September release! I figured Ng’s sophomore effort following her runaway hit debut, Everything I Never Told You (my review), was a safe bet for jolting me out of my reading slump. I’m about 40% into this story about a family and the community of Shaker Heights and am engrossed! At first, I didn’t know what direction it would take other than “family novel” (I admittedly didn’t read the blurb very carefully), but it’s taken an interesting turn!
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I tried, but wasn’t feeling…
The Lauras
I made it through 28% of this novel before getting bored with the story. It’s a shame because the writing is good and I really liked her debut, The Shore (my review).
This Mad Men-esque novel had gotten excellent reviews and I initially loved the writing, but I couldn’t see the point of the story by 32%. There were two storylines that felt far away from each other with no signs of intersecting anytime soon.
Upcoming reading plans…
Unless one of my library holds comes in, I’m going to continue with August releases!
Shadow of the Lions
This campus coming of age story was recommended (and blurbed) by Ed Tarkington (author of Only Love Can Break Your Heart, one of my favorite books of last year). Y’all know I’m a sucker for these types of books, so I hope this works out. Fellow Virginians – I peeked at the first few pages and thought the school in the book sounded familiar (my guess was Woodberry Forest School in Orange, VA). Turns out the author is a WFS grad, so I’m guessing the school in the book is a thinly veiled WFS! Should be interesting…
I was reading…
One Year Ago: I was reading one of my favorite summer books of last year!
Two Years Ago: I was reading one of the big stinkers of 2015.
How was your reading week?
I bet Little Fires Everywhere is great!
It sucks that you didn’t like See What I Have Done. I was looking forward to that one. I hope I like it more than you did.
At least you know what’s really going on with your back now. I’ve had luck with cortisone shots before. Hope you get some relief and are able to get back to running soon.
I’m super disappointed you didn’t like See What I Have Done. I’m still going to give it a try, but my expectations are low! Shadow of the Lions sounds really interesting. I always love a good campus coming-of-age story. Based on your thoughts, I may pick that one up later.
I hope the cortisone shot helps. It is good to know what is really wrong. I haven’t read any of your stack but it is always good to see what others are reading and enjoying (or not). Come see my week here. Have a great week!
I enjoyed Celeste Ng’s previous book, so Little Fires Everywhere is definitely going on my list. Enjoy!
Thanks for sharing!
I’m always reluctant to DNF, but unless the book is a review ARC…I don’t hesitate. 50-100 pages is all I’ve got.
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Sorry you didn’t have such a great reading week, but I hope the next book will pull you out of the slump. You reminded me I wanted to read The Shore though – I was surprised to see my library didn’t have it, but I’ve recommended it and hopefully they will buy it.
What a bust of a reading week! I just started the Windfall and am hoping hard that it’s a better read for me than it was for you. I hope your reading is better this week!
How fun that you might be able to recognize places and things in Shadow of the Lions! I love when books reference places I know.
Hope your back feels better soon!
Oh, I’m sorry to hear about your back. Maybe now that they know what it is, they can come up with an effective treatment for you.
The Ng book looks good, but I need to FINALLY get around to reading “Everything I Never Told You” first…
I actually think Little Fires Everywhere could have even broader appeal than Everything!
I DNF’d a book recently–The End of the World Running Club, which I thought was a running book but ended up being a zombie apocalypse story–so not my thing. UGH
Oh no! What a terrible pump fake!
I read The Bookshop at Water’s End by Patti Callahan Henry. Great Southern fiction. Here’s my review : Every line in The Bookshop at Water’s End is soulfully written in seamlessly crafted chapters. Beginning in the emergency room of a Charleston, South Carolina hospital, this enchanting story never loses its page-turning sense of urgency, and yet it is delivered softly, as a deeply insightful, thought provoking character study on two women, whose lives are significantly entwined. Author Patti Callahan Henry knows her way around the nuances of women, and writes with uncommon fearlessness, as she tells the story of Bonny and Lainey, in their mid-forties now, who formed a life-long friendship at the age of thirteen while on family vacation in the small South Carolina coastal town of Watersend. Then and there, the wheels were set in motion of a dynamic that resonated forward with such resounding effect that even they were not aware of its repercussions. But there is no running from cause and effect, and when Bonny and Lainey have cause to return to Watersend, the threads of this story reverberate in love and longing, mystery and self-discovery, all woven together in one plausible tapestry.
Bonny Blankenship’s life and identity is centered upon her medical profession, whose seeds were planted at thirteen by uttering a fateful wish in one magical, belief-driven moment alongside Lainey, as the two swam in the river at Watersend. That her wish came true sets the foundation for Bonnie’s side of the story, just as Lainey’s simultaneous wish materializes, in what is ultimately an outgrowth from her anguished childhood. Lainey is an acclaimed artist, whose medium involves creating visual stories by piecing them together, an act, the reader suspects, that has much to do with piecing together the unresolved mystery around the disappearance of her mother. It is this singular, cataclysmic event that shapes the future for Lainey and her older brother, Owen, whom Bonnie secretly loves. It is the fear of friendship’s betrayal and Owen’s mercurial nature that keeps Bonny’s love for Owen in arrested development. It is the longing of the heart and the reasoning of the mind that burdens her with the push and pull of love’s unrealized potential, even as her life path finds her married to another and raising a daughter named Piper.
The character, Piper Blankenship, seems to me the conscience of this story. She is nineteen, maladjusted, and written with such accurate sensitivity that I repeatedly pictured her at the heart of a great YA story. Her perspective gifts the reader with a view from the edge, and her pivotal placement in the story shows us unflinchingly who each of the adult characters are, as they try to find their footing amidst shifting tides.
The Bookshop at Water’s End is a story that never stops searching, and that many of its events are tied to Watersend’s local bookshop is brilliantly symbolic. The bookshop is an anchor in full possession of the past’s facts, and its proprietress, Mimi, plays her cards close to the vest as she faithfully waits for the players in this story to discover the clues that will allow the looming puzzle affecting them all to fall into proper place.
Three cheers for author Patti Callahan Henry. She has given us a heart-wrenching, mesmerizing story of characters beautifully flawed and made them beautifully human.
Hope you get relief for your back soon. I just got a cortisone injection myself today for hamstring tendonitis and I’m already feeling better tonight. Bummer about your DNF week, I’ve had several of those lately. Hope Shadow of the Lions works out it sounds good
Good to hear!
Better to DNF than to slog through. I still haven’t gotten a copy of Ng’s book. It’s one my most anticipated. One of these days, I hope a copy appears in my mailbox. I ad a million relatives in the Cleveland area, mostly in Shaker Heights and University Heights, so I can’t wait to read this.
I got super lucky – another blogger tipped me off when it was available for download without approval on Edelweiss for a hot minute!
And Shaker Heights is such an interesting community…never knew much about it before this book. All the rules, planning, etc…kind of fascinating!
I also DNFed The Lauras. Looking forward to the new Celeste Ng for sure!
Glad to know I’m not the only one 🙂
Hopefully the cortisone shot works!
I have had Shadow of the Lions on my TBR list for months. Annie B. Jones posted the ARC on her Insta and said she loved it.
I just finished The Sisters Chase (good!) and am really enjoying Who Thought This Was a Good Idea?
Oh YAY! Annie B. Jones is one of my latest book whisperers! She’s steered me right with a couple books I’ve loved lately and I listen to her podcast. Did not see that specific IG post, though. But, it definitely has me excited!
I listened to Who Thought This Was a Good Idea on audio and really liked it!
I’m adding Little Fires Everywhere to my wishlist. Stage one of the move is complete. We’re out of our house and now we’re trying to get it ready to put on the market. Come see what I’m reading.
Congrats! Big step! We’re moving in 3 weeks, so feel your pain 🙂
I almost added See What I Have Done to my summer book preview this year, but the early reviews were so mediocre I just couldn’t, despite the intriguing synopsis. It seems like a lot of people have been DNFing or barely slogging through that one.
Ugh – I wish I’d paid more attention to those mediocre reviews! I stuck with it b/c I was interested in the trial…and she barely covered it.
Sounds like a real bummer.
Ooh, what an exciting review copy!! I hope Ng’s book helps you break out of your reading slump 🙂
It did 🙂 And I got lucky on Edelweiss…hit it on a day when it was available for download without approval.
Ooh, Shadow of the Lions looks cool! I love that cover and I, too, am a sucker for that type of book. Fab.
Just finished it! Solid 4 stars!
Thanks for reading Shadow of the Lions and for the four-star rating! I appreciate it!
You’re very welcome and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Especially since I have a ton of friends who went to WFS. My review is coming soon!
Sorry…broken URL above:
Christopherswann.com