Apparently I took a break from blogging this summer. Initially it was just because I was out of town a lot in in May and June, but at some point I decided to enjoy my favorite summer activities (golf and outdoor reading top the list). I did keep up on my Goodreads reviews so today, I'll be linking you to a few of those. Since I read about 14 books this summer, I'll split my reviews up over two blog posts.
My favorite in today's blog is The Candy House by Jennifer Egan!
Book Lovers by Emily Henry: Nora is an editor whose sister takes her on a vacation with
visions of changing Nora's life. A bucket list and a frenemy fellow editor make for the predictable boy-girl antagonism. Ultimately, it didn't live up to my expectations after Beach Read. Book Lovers was just too predictable for me. A little bit meta - meaning the main characters are authors trying to escape their craft but actually living out a chick lit book.
Taste: My Life through Food by Stanley Tucci: I am not a foodie and really don't enjoy cooking but I enjoyed reading about Tucci's love of both. Starting with his food-focused, Italian family through the 2020 lockdown (x2), Tucci shares his love of all things food through childhood stories and shameless name-dropping antidotes. He is a clever wit and pokes fun at himself (and all that name-dropping) which makes you want to sit to down to a meal with him.
The Latecomer by Jean Hanff Korelitz: The Latecomer is the (somewhat) redemptive story of a dysfunctional family. Harrison, Lewyn, and Sally are IVF triplets born to unhappy parents. Each triplet falls into their own family role (smart, weird, and female – respectively) and spends much of their life trying to define themselves more fully. Read my full review on Goodreads.
The Candy House by Jennifer Egan: The Candy House revolves are Bix Bouton (think Steve Jobs or Jeff Bezos) who has built a technology firm and is so famous everyone knows him by his first name. At 40 and feeling like he needs a new challenge, he attends a discussion group of mostly Columbia University professors where he is inspired by one of the professors. Read my full review on Goodreads.
Trust by Hernan Diaz: Author Hernan Diaz has written a uniquely structured book about the 1920s and 30s New York aristocrats. The “truth” the tell themselves, the story they portray to the world and the trust they put in others to maintain their illusions. Each part of Diaz’s novel is written from a different perspective: Part 1 is a novella, Part 2 is a draft autobiography, Part 3 is a memoir and Part 4 is a diary.
Trust begins with a novel within a novel – Bonds – that takes place in the Gilded Age and the fictional story of Benjamin Rask and his wife, Helen. Rask is a master of the stock market and investments and anticipates, even profits from, the 1929 stock market crash. The author of the autobiography is Part 2 believes this novella was a thinly veiled, inaccurate story of his life and intends to set the record straight. Ultimately it is the memoir and diary that tell the whole story.
It is hard to summarize this novel without giving too much away. I enjoyed trying to figure out which perspective I could “trust” with the truth. And while some of the characters are not likeable (Benjamin and Andrew), they are complex and mysterious.
Lessons in Chemistry: Bonnie Garmus: Elizabeth Zott was a child prodigy raised in a chaotic home. She grows up to be a brilliant chemist in an age (1950s) when women are not expected or allowed to be successful at anything other than raising children and being a homemaker. But she does not fit that mold.
Besides wanting a career, her directness and solitary lifestyle don’t endear her to many. After finally finding her soul mate (although she wouldn’t use that word), he dies, and she finds herself pregnant. Eventually, she finds herself hosting a cooking show on the local TV station which makes her famous and inspires housewives across the country. But she isn’t happy and isn’t achieving her goals.
Told with hilarity and at times through the perspective of a dog (a very popular character based on my Book Club discussion), Lessons in Chemistry, is a different twist on the story of a misunderstood, professional woman trying to be her authentic self in a society not ready for her.
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