June Reading Wrap Up

The month of June offered a pretty terrific mix of books to read, both in new releases and me finally settling down with some “meant to reads.” I spent time with two of my favorite authors, Jonathan Tropper and Dan Chaon, plus cemented my love for Ruth Ozeki. I found three new authors and started the beautiful Americanah, which I’ll undoubtedly review in July.

Here’s my June reading list, best to worst.

My Year of Meats by Ruth Ozeki — already reviewed

We Are Called to Rise by Laura McBride – already reviewed

Among the Missing by Dan Chaon

I love best Chaon’s ability to tap into our innermost insecurities for examination. From the insecure widow looking for comfort from an inflatable torso in “Safety Man,” to a survivor wracked with unspeakable guilt in the title story. He doesn’t cross the line into magical realism but his stories retain an other-worldliness that appeals to me. It’s the stuff of deepest fears and imaginings, our dreams and nightmares, and even our everyday weaknesses. All of these stories somehow hinge on a seemingly random twist of fate.

“It’s not like it ruined my life, I was going to say, but then I didn’t. Because it occurred to me that maybe it had ruined my life, in a kind of quiet way–a little lie, probably not so vital, insidiously separating me from everyone I loved. ”

The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez — already reviewed

Prayers for the Stolen by Jennifer Clement – already reviewed

Everything Changes by Jonathan Tropper (audio)

Not his best work, but any Tropper is good reading. The story felt familiar — Zach is a 30-something Jewish guy with serious father issues who faces a life-altering crisis. Drama, humor and fist-fights follow. It’s the standard Tropper mix but I’m OK with that. Sometimes I want something familiar and not too challenging. I like that Tropper’s protagonists, for all their self-pity, are smart, acerbic and disarmingly self-aware. (Scott Brick is a great narrator for Tropper’s work.)

“Somewhere there’s a therapist alone in his office staring wistfully at the door, just waiting for a patient like you.”

China Dolls by Lisa See — already reviewed

The Last Days of California by Mary Miller

It’s a great premise — a family trapped in the car together as they drive from Alabama toward California to witness the Rapture, which is scheduled for Saturday. The narrator is a 15 year-old girl, insecure in comparison to her bombshell sister and in search of life’s meaning before it all ends. Religious fervor. Coming of age. Sexual awakening. Family drama. These are all components I love, but it never quite came together.

“Why didn’t I feel things the way others felt them? It wasn’t that I didn’t care about people. It was more like I couldn’t really believe they were real.”

Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James – already reviewed

Bark by Lorrie Moore

I really did not like this story collection despite the quality of the writing, which is often brilliant. Once again, I have finished reading Lorrie Moore and wondered why her work does not appeal to me at all. Instead of feeling engaged and satisfied and moved, I feel like I’ve just gotten off a roller coaster. I went for a crazy ride, zig-zagged and looped, but in the end I got nowhere and have a slight headache. I know Moore has passionate fans, some of whom are my good friends, but I saw none of the humor or tenderness or truth they find in her work.

“Rage had its medicinal purposes, but she was not wired to sustain it, and when it tumbled away, loneliness engulfed her, grief burning at the center in a cold blue heat.”

The Long Arm of Jane Austen

First, a confession: I don’t love Jane Austen.

There, I’ve said it. I know I will get grief (or maybe stunned silence) from all the Austen fans out there. I can appreciate that she has had an amazing literary impact, was ahead and of her time and wrote women well while still admitting I just don’t get the appeal. I love the movies based on her novels but when I sit down and try to make my way through the language and manners, I just can’t do it.

So, it’s with some surprise that I realize I’ve read not one, but two novels recently that were based entirely on Pride and Prejudice. Not as surprising, I liked, but didn’t love, both.

Longbourn by Jo Baker

It says a lot about me that I didn’t know the Austen connection when I picked up this audiobook because of it’s gorgeous cover. It seemed many of my book-loving friends had been posting about this title. As I listened, the characters sounded familiar, but I never made the connection. I most certainly would have had a deeper appreciation of the story had I realized, but these were my impressions.

A good audio for those of us missing Downton Abbey — same time period, although almost entirely the “downstairs” perspective. It just went on too long. I wanted it to end long before it did. Also, in this case I think I would have preferred Sarah’s first person perspective — the 3rd person kept too much emotional distance between me and the characters. Still, an interesting period piece.

Longbourn is out in paperback this week and would make a good addition to any beach bag.

Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James

If it weren’t for my monthly book club, I would never have chosen this title, but at least this time I knew what I was getting into. Still, not a complete winner for me.

This is a perfectly fine novel, maybe better than average for Jane Austen fans. Continuing the stories of characters made famous in Pride and Prejudice, P.D. James brings a murder to the Pemberley estate of Mr. & Mrs. Darcy.

I expected more of a who-done-it than I got. But I also didn’t expect to be as engaged as I was. I wish more of the story would have been about Elizabeth. In fact, I don’t think James ever settled on whose story this is. The focus changed often with many extraneous characters getting plot lines. It all felt a little scattered.

It almost seemed liked James was afraid of delving too deeply into Elizabeth or Jane or Lydia. Lydia, in fact, disappears for the entire second half of the book despite her husband’s central role, a fact I found very frustrating. This becomes very much a man’s story.

My Book Club wasn’t a fan of this book either. We met after I wrote my review and I found the Austen fans in the room (quite a few – no surprise) frustrated by the characterizations of their beloved characters.

Unfortunately, neither of these titles inspired me to go back and read the original work, but I can respect that Jane Austen’s influence continues to spark creativity from authors today.