If my June was marked by a reading slump, my July is marked by a reading blitz. We’re at that point in the summer where it’s profoundly unpleasant to be outside, so all I want is to lounge in the A/C and read. I turned to a stack of sequels and genre paperbacks by authors I’ve already enjoyed, hoping for some ease and comfort in knowing what I was getting into with these books. But I came out with a few surprises.

Strange Pictures

I made the mistake of reading Uketsu’s Strange Pictures after watching the acclaimed horror-comedy show Widow’s Bay. That’s a tough act to follow, and it primed for quality horror. Strange Pictures left me lacking. The final twist in the mystery was a let-down, and I found the story to be a bit misogynistic. Uketsu is not known for deeply rendered characters, let alone women. But still, it’s disappointing because Strange Houses was such a fun and unexpected read, and I was hoping to have a good time with this next book.

Either/Or

A few months ago, I wrote a rave review of The Idiot by Elif Batuman. Curiously, Batuman did something most Pulitzer finalists don’t do: She wrote a sequel. I was more than happy to return to the wacky world of Selin’s mind in Either/Or, as she navigates her sophomore year at Harvard in the late 90s. It was, more or less, what I expected and what I wanted. It was not as satisfying as The Idiot, but spending some time with Selin, now a tiny (emphasis on TINY) bit wiser, was a good time.

After Hours at Dooryard Books

Cat Sebastian is the GOAT of romance writers. I’m not sure she even belongs in the romance genre, folks. If you’ve been following this newsletter for a while, you know I’m a lit fic snob with some genre taste, and when I say that Cat Sebastian has elevated romance, believe me, it’s true. I cannot begin to sing the praises of After Hours at Dooryard Books. It IS a sweet gay love story. It’s also a historical novel that transports you to New York in the tumultuous late 60s, and it’s a just plain good book about misfits and artists making a life. If you hate romance novels, I encourage you to take a chance on this one. You may find yourself charmed and moved.

Summer is also for audiobooks. Or maybe every season is for audiobooks, but I’ve continued to consume romance novels over audio at a fast pace. I finally got around to Abby Jimenez’s work. She is up there with Emily Henry and Kate Goldbeck in terms of quality writing and story-telling. I recently finished Say You’ll Remember Me and Yours Truly. Of the two, I preferred Yours Truly, but if you’re a romance fan and haven’t checked out Jimenez’s work, you’ll probably like both.