28 Book Reviews

Hey team. I read 28 books so far this year and there’s something redeeming about all of them.

Here’s what I think you’ll like about each of them categorized by the genres I know Lit Club picks up most.

Plot driven, set in the present, accessible writing style. These are the books to pick up to feel relaxed and entertained.

• The Ten Year Affair by Erin Somers: For sex and sociology

  • A thirty something mom has an affair with a thirty something dad after she moves upstate. Will make you question the whole white picket fence thing.

• A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham: For thrills on the bayou

  • A fun murder mystery that takes place in rural Louisiana; for fans of The Silent Patient; I genuinely didn’t see the twist coming.

• Best Woman by Rose Dommu: To laugh out loud

  • Bi, trans and Jewish heroine Julia goes home to Boca for her brother’s wedding and plenty of family drama. Smart, sweet and truly hilarious.

• Comedic Timing by Upasna Barath: To interrogate compulsive heteronormativity

  • A quick novella set in NYC where the twenty something protagonist questions her desire for men. Hello.

• The Wilderness by Angela Flournoy: To reflect on female friendship as we age

  • Four black female friends navigate two decades of adulthood; for fans of Insecure and evaluating all of your life choices.

• Found Time by Caroline Goldstein: For a sweet little love story

  • Two single parents reunite in NYC and re-fall in love in their 50s. Quick, hopeful and full of 90’s nostalgia.

  

The viral picks you’re seeing everywhere. These are the ones you’re doubting if they are worth it and I’m here to tell you why I think they actually are.

• Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke: Because it’s smarter than you think

  • I was guilty of dismissing this book for its popularity. But it indeed got me out of a reading slump and yes, I’m still thinking about the twist. Come to our pop up event in August to discuss. I’m still making sense of it.

• Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash: Because it’s actually wholesome

  • Everyone in the lit world seems to have a hot take on Madeline Cash. But ultimately this is a pretty entertaining family story that left me with a really edifying message about the world. Sweet.

• Strangers by Belle Burden: Because no matter what that New Yorker piece said, Belle was spitting facts. A fast read that I really do think every woman should have an opinion about.

• Famesick by Lena Dunham: Because Lena continues to be a voice of our generation. The bits about her fertility journey I found particularly powerful. Also inspired a delightful little Girls rewatch.

Stylistically complex and prioritizing deep thematic exploration. These books value psychological introspection over straightforward plot. Read these slowly and to feel challenged.

• There There by Tommy Orange: To explore mixed identity

  • No ethnic or racial identity is ever a monolith and by following Tommy Orange’s 12 indigenous characters we learn diverse perspectives on what it means to identify as native today. Dua approved.

• Lázár by Nelio Biedermann: To explore complicity

  • This text is about a lot of things — aristocracy, one family’s journey through the World Wars, Hungarian identity, but ultimately I think it challenges the reader to consider one’s personal responsibilities to historic atrocities. Short and compelling.

• Exit West by Mohsin Hamid: To explore the refugee experience

  • With adept use of magical realism and never getting too heavy handed, Hamid stories the experience of a refugee couple escaping a nameless city during dystopian times. The twist? They escape to new lands through magical doors. Loved this.

• What Am I a Deer by Polly Barton: To explore modern loneliness

  • Admittedly the protagonist in this is absolutely insufferable, but she experiences something true about what I think it feels to be alive right now, only really feeling whilst pining over emotionally unavailable crushes and singing in a karaoke booth. Ya — dark.

• The Natural Way of Things by Charlotte Wood: To explore female rage

  • 10 women wake up trapped in a desert and have to fight their way to survive. Its macabre, dystopian, visceral. For fans of I Who Have Never Known Men and Parable of The Sower.

• Detransition Baby by Torrey Peters: To explore gender, parenthood and chosen family

  • Brooklynite Reese finds herself flummoxed when her ex girl friend detransitions then asks her to raise the baby he’s expecting with another woman. (!) Peters said she wrote this story for divorced women and that intent def comes through.

• Waist Deep by Linea Maja Ernst: To explore modern malaise

  • Sally Rooney fans to the front. A group of European millennial friends spend a week together in a Danish summer house. Not much happens other than conversations about what it means to live an authentic life as we age. Atmospheric, moody and Vogue’s calling it the “quintessential millennial novel.” Ate it up with two spoons.

Timeless texts that transcend any given zeitgeist. Written in the language of their era, these often require a slower pace, but in return reveal perpetual truths. Love this guide on How to Read a Classic which inspired me to recommend the best way to approach each title below.

• Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston: Read on audiobook and for self discovery. Protagonist Janie discovers both herself and true love.

• Wuthering Heights by Charlotte Brontë: Read the first half, maybe skim the second. Lock back in to study Brontë lore. A warning on the way social class and all consuming love can turn toxic.

• The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison: Read and savor every word. A master class in craft and my favorite book ever written. Will sharpen your character.

• Sula by Toni Morrison: Read a chapter, reflect, then go back to it. Musings on female friendship and breaking traumatic cycles. Moral ambiguity at its best.

• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen: Read open to deviate from recent cinematic interpretations. I found this less a beguiling love story and more an unflinching social critique on romance itself. Let’s chat.

Books that are true. I gravitate most to memoirs, but will occasionally finish a whole research text if it’s a topic I’m particularly interested in. I think you’re similar.

• The Revolution Has Come by Robyn Spencer: To learn about The Black Panther Party, particularly the women’s experience. Reveals what socialism really requires.

• Just Kids by Patti Smith: For a snapshot of Smith’s 1960’s New York creative scene. Like stepping inside a black and white photograph of Hotel Chelsea.

• A Fun Home by Alison Bechdel: For a memoir that’s a graphic novel. Stunning illustrations story the author’s experience growing up with a queer and suicidal father. Dark humor at its best.

• Fame Sick & Strangers: You guys, these really are gripping and great to get out of reading slump.

FIN!

It’s weird. In my new life going Lit Club full time, it always feels like I’m not reading enough, but upon reflection…I really do love this selection of culturally curious picks.

Have you read any of these? Which ones catch your eye? Let me know what you think and can’t wait to see you soon.

Here’s to the next 6 months of reading!

With love,

Kellz