It’s time, once again, to chat about our favorite reads of the previous month.
JEREMY: I read a bunch of great books in August and had a particularly hard time narrowing down the field — especially on the non-fiction side. After some hemming and hawing, my pick is Against All Odds by Alex Kershaw. You’ll hear more soon about this pare-turning WWII history.
I didn’t read many novels this month, but Virginia Evans’ The Correspondent was a pretty easy pick. I’m pretty much the last person to read it, but it deserves all the praise it’s gotten. I’m always nervous when a book gets hyped this much, but it was a great read all around. Complex characters, believable story, excellent writing, and a well-done structure.
JANE: The Poppy Fields by Nikki Erlick was Jane’s pick for the month. We both enjoyed Erlick’s debut hit, The Measure, so it was nice to see the author escape the dreaded sophomore slump. This one is about the journeys we take with grief, but Jane clarified that it’s not a sad book (like you might expect with that description).
GRAHAM (11 years old) and WILLA (8 years old): For the first time ever, the two oldest kiddos have the same pick for their monthly favorite. I don’t know how they found it, but the comic series Lumberjanes has been a hit. It’s about a group of friends in a Girl Scout-like group who fight monsters and supernatural mysteries at summer camp. Sounds fun.
BO (5.5 years old): Instead of getting his own books read to him at night, Bo likes to just tag along with what I’m reading to Willa. Just as she did last month, he’s really into Louis Sachar’s Wayside School series. This month we’re into volume two, Wayside School is Falling Down. It’s a delight for me too1
Your turn! What was your favorite August read?
I finished Homer’s The Odyssey (Emily Wilson Translation). I was surprised about the amount of emotion showed by the warrior king. Lots of weeping and joy. Maybe not such an unmanly thing to cry at sad things and laugh at happy things.
The Ox-Bow Incident by Walter van Tilburg Clark