The end of summer is nearing, and this month I tried to fit in as many books with sun-warmed atmospheres and settings as possible before I start going full autumn mode.
To fit with this theme, I read several books set in southern states. Sister Creatures by Laura Venita Green and Meet Me in the Garden by Nina Lacour both take place partially in Louisiana. I listened to Meet Me in the Garden on audio, and I absolutely loved the narrator of this book. She carried so much emotion in her voice, and imbued each character with their own attributes and personalities. I loved the historical setting as well, and this story tugged at my heartstrings and brought tears to my eyes so many times.
Sister Creatures is probably my favorite book I read this month. Something about the slow summer setting, the glimpses into the lives of the women we follow from the same small town of Pinecreek, Louisiana, and the atmospheric writing has really stuck with me. It’s a book that doesn’t have a huge plot, but it still feels like so much happens. It’s so captivating in its exploration of these women, their relationships, and the ways that their lives turn out after all beginning in the same place. It feels expansive, intimate, and honest. The characters all really felt like real people to me. It felt like I was being let in on something, glancing into real people’s lives through a window or open door.
Another slice of life book I read this month that gave me a feeling of glimpsing into someone’s hidden moments was Grand Rapids by Natasha Stagg. This book felt like a gut punch so many times while I was reading it. We follow a fifteen year old girl who recently moved to Grand Rapids with her mother from another town in Michigan. Her mother is very ill, and passes away shortly after the move. Tess moves in with her aunt and her family, where she struggles with her grief and with the pain of growing up. It was so melancholic and painful in its portrayal of a shaky youth, and it left me feeling aching and empty.
I also read my first romance book this month, Beach Read by Emily Henry. I haven’t had much interest in the romance genre, but my sister kept telling me that out of all the romance books out there, I was likely to enjoy this one. It’s set on a beach town in Lake Michigan, where my sister and I spent time every summer after moving from there to New York in 2008. There’s a part of me that always aches for those beaches, and those times of life, and so I appreciated their appearance in this book. The story of the main character also really got to me, and made me very emotional. I was so pleasantly surprised by this one!
Cicada Summer by Erica McKeen was thought provoking and dreamlike, though I didn’t love it as much as her debut, Tear. It explores grief, and the ways in which people care for each other. I loved how there was basically another book within the book, with short stories written by the main character’s mother interspersed between her own story. I also continued Uketsu’s series of puzzle-like horror mysteries with Strange Houses, which was a quick and entertaining read. I read my fourth T. Kingfisher book, A House With Good Bones, which ended up being one of my favorites so far by this author. It was eerie, with T. Kingfisher’s signature humor, and so, so weird towards the end. Lastly, I read Reliquary by Hannah Whitten. This is her horror debut, as she typically writes fantasy. I didn’t end up loving this as much as I was hoping, but the deep sea horror elements were quite entertaining and it was quite a fast paced read.
With August now over, I’m very much looking forward to another month of reading, with hopefully a lot of horror as we get closer to October!
