Mini Issue: A Lesson Learned (Eventually)
Welcome to a special mini issue! Instead of following my usual format I decided to send this mini issue out as a cautionary tale (of sorts). Also, it turns out that Substack has a word limit on newsletters (who knew?) and if I included everything I’ve written here within a regular issue, I couldn’t have fit in all of the excellent books that I want to recommend (that you will see in the next regular issue).
Without further ado, here are the two books that prompted this special issue:
A Children’s Bible by Lydia Millet
Others are saying: A Children’s Bible follows a group of twelve eerily mature children on a forced vacation with their families at a sprawling lakeside mansion. Contemptuous of their parents, the children decide to run away when a destructive storm descends on the summer estate, embarking on a dangerous foray into the apocalyptic chaos outside.
Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam
What Others are Saying: A suspenseful and provocative novel keenly attuned to the complexities of parenthood, race, and class. Leave the World Behind explores how our closest bonds are reshaped—and unexpected new ones are forged—in moments of crisis.
And here is my tale….
I’m talking about these two books together because I had a very similar experiences with them both. I picked each of them up because they were National Book Award Finalists. There were long holds for both of them at the library, but I put my requests in and patiently waited. I didn’t read anything about either book, I just saw they had gotten a lot of positive attention and decided I would write about one of them for this newsletter.
And then I read Leave the World Behind. I got into it at first and was enjoying it just fine. It was pleasant and then creepy/atmospheric and then got darker and darker and finally I paused thinking, “wait, what kind of book is this?!” and read a summary. Shit. I had no idea it was going to be apocalyptic book! Where some mysterious, terrible, world-ending events are happening off-screen, and where children are in danger! I did not sign up for this! I thought it was a “family goes on vacation and learns about each other” kind of book! But, because I was so far in, I couldn’t stop reading. Then I couldn’t stop thinking about it for weeks. And regretting that I had read it (I have too much real stress and anxiety in my life right now. And real children to care about. I don’t have the mental bandwidth to stress about fictional worlds and children).
Luckily (!) another hold became available, so I happily leapt into A Children’s Bible to distract myself. You might be thinking, surely I learned a lesson from Leave the World Behind and read a summary of this book, right? Dear reader, I did not. I read no summaries. No lessons were learned. Look at that cover! There’s baby woodland animals on it. Surely this book will be fine. I blithely started reading the new book — it was strange and interesting and I quickly got sucked in and then it shifted to….more disastrous, world-ending, everything is terrible, and children are in peril writing! Ahh! It had happened again! But I finished the book (it really was quite good, if gutting).
The moral of all of this? Well, I won’t be reading any more books without reading a summary first. And I decided to include them both in this newsletter even though I can’t exactly say I recommend them. I don’t not recommend them. They were both well-written and interesting and timely and I can see why they were NBA finalists. But I also can’t in good conscious tell you to go out and pick them up either. It depends on your capacity for reading apocalyptic books during a global pandemic. If you like that kind of book, these are definitely solid entries in the genre.
But since I don’t feel good about only including books I can only halfheartedly recommend, I am including three lighter options! A fast-paced mystery, a romance, and an enjoyable historical fiction novel.
May I suggest….
The Passenger: A Novel by Lisa Lutz*
What Others Are Saying: If your idea of fun involves a dark, twisty noir about a woman on the lam stealing cars, dying her hair in seedy motel rooms, and constantly changing her name this is the book you need. It raises all kinds of vexing questions about who we are and who we belong to as her heroine tries to evade her shadowy past.
My Take: Ok, I can’t exactly call this book light since it’s full of murder and crime, but it is a much more enjoyable and fast read! I’d compare it to Gone Girl. It’s a sharp, compelling thriller about a woman running from the mistakes and misfortunes of her past, with many clever twists and turns along the way. It would be a great vacation or plane read (you know, if we could go anywhere!). Or a great read if you just want to be distracted by a fast-paced book.
The Queer Principles of Kit Webb by Cat Sebastian
What Others Are Saying: A stunning historical romance about a reluctantly reformed highwayman and the aristocrat who threatens to steal his heart. Kit Webb has left his criminal days behind him. But dreary days at his coffee shop have begun to make him pine for the heady rush of thievery. When a handsome yet arrogant aristocrat, Percy, Lord Holland, storms into his shop, Kit quickly realizes he may be unable to deny whatever this highborn man desires.
My Take: Hooray for historical queer romance! It’s everything you would expect it to be from the title/description/cover. A fun romp (with a surprisingly strong socialist bent I wasn’t expecting) for anyone who enjoys a well-written, steamy historical romance. (Note: I read this as an advanced copy. It will be released in June 2021, but the author has other titles, such as the delightful Two Rogues Make a Right if you want to read something by her sooner!)
Dear Mrs. Bird by A.J. Pearce*
What Others Are Saying: Emmeline Lake is doing her bit for the war effort in London, but dreams of becoming a Lady War Correspondent. Instead, she finds herself typing letters for the formidable Henrietta Bird, renowned advice columnist of Woman’s Friend magazine. Mrs. Bird is very clear: letters containing any Unpleasantness must go straight into the bin. But as Emmy reads the desperate pleas from women she begins to secretly write back to the readers who have poured out their troubles.
My Take: If you’re like me, you sometimes reach your limit on how many historical fiction set in WWII books you can read. However, I did find this one highly enjoyable. It definitely has the WWII London setting, but it’s written with humor and charm. Most of the focus is on the personal stories of women who write in to get advice from “Mrs. Bird,” and I appreciated reading more about women’s lives in wartime Britain. Ultimately, it’s an uplifting story about friendship and courage.
***Books with an * are books that I have a personal copy of that I am willing to give away. Let me know if you are interested!
Thanks for reading this short issue! Expect a full-length issue near the end of the month. In the meantime, take my advice and consider reading summaries of books so you know what you’re getting into and aren’t tricked into reading disaster novels. Sigh.
Happy reading! And, as usual, if you know anyone you think might be interested in my book musing, please share my newsletter and encourage them to subscribe!