- Americanah, by Chimimanda Ngozi Adichie: I loved We Should All Be Feminists and Half of a Yellow Sun, so it's been no surprise to find myself loving Americanah just as much--if not more. I'm not quite finished this one yet, but expect gushing to come.
- Summer Sisters, by Judy Blume: As one who'd never read any of Judy Blume's book, Summer Sisters was the perfect foray into her adult fiction. I wrote about my thoughts in the Summer of #BlumeALong wrap-up.
- A Man Called Ove, by Fredrik Backman: YOU GUYS THIS BOOK IS SO GOOD. Seriously, though. The perfect balance of humor and heart (think The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, and/or Where'd You Go, Bernadette).
- Bittersweet, by Miranda Beverly Whittemore: After finishing the last of Tana French's books on audio, I was searching for some new moody, atmospheric mystery to fill that void. Bittersweet fit the bill (with a summer lakeside backdrop that was perfect for summer reading).
- The Winter People, by Jennifer McMahon: Another one to fill the Tana-French-shaped hole in my reading life: a little bit creepy, a little bit supernatural, a lot bit excellent.
And a sneak peek at some of the forthcoming releases I read this month (full reviews on most to come as we get closer to publication date):
I also wrote about two July releases over on Shelf Awareness this month: Newport by Jill Morrow (a 1920s-era ghostly mystery set in the beautiful town of Newport, RI) and At Hawthorn Time by Melissa Harrison (a quiet novel about interconnected lives in a small town in the English countryside).
Here and elsewhere, my favorite things on the internet in the last month:
- With the help of Twitter, a round-up of feminist, bad-ass romance books and writers for those interesting in exploring the genre. (Bonus: NPR just published a list of 100 swoon-worthy romances to further expand your TBR.)
- I'm 100% guilty of using permission words in my communications all. the. time; this article in Business Insider gives great insight into why that can be damaging.
- I talked about ten recently read and recommended diverse books, and would love to know what you'd add to the list.
- Calling all Star Wars fans: have you seen these behind-the-scenes stills of the original Star Wars cast?
- This bitter "Fuck That" take on guided meditation videos is laugh-out-loud wonderful.
- This piece in the New Yorker on Ta-Nehisi Coates, Jesmyn Ward, and a generation waking up is truly, truly excellent.
- Over on Martha Stewart Weddings, I pulled together a list of ten+ classics (and classics-in-the-making) to add to your reading list this summer.
- Eric Smith (author, literary agent, and generally fun to follow on Twitter) wrote this month about the six-month anniversary of publishing his first YA book AND getting a puppy. It's a lovely piece.
- This awesome cookbook about "sweet, savory, and sometimes boozy cupcakes" came out this month: I've got a Rosemary Parmesan Cupcake recipe to share, and Leah at Books Speak Volumes has the Margarita Cupcakes with Tequila Lime Buttercream on her blog.
- A whole bunch of us wrapped up the Summer of #BlumeALong earlier this month (though I, for one, plan to keep reading more of Blume's backlist!). You can see everyone's thoughts on Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret and Summer Sisters in the linkups.
What were the best things you read this month, in print or online or elsewhere?
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