What I Read On My Summer Vacation

I took a month off from posting just to give myself a break. But I’m back now and looking forward to sharing again! I’ve been having a great reading summer even if the weather hasn’t been the best for reading outside. Reading in the AC is good too.

Here are the best of the best, my 4 and 5 star reads from the July 2025. My theme seems to be books that are sad but hopeful.

The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver - My son read this for his freshman English class and I’ve been meaning to read it since. (He’s a senior now 🤷‍♀️)

I loved it. It touches on a lot of sad topics, but with a lot of hope.

The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters - Have you read this book yet? It‘s been on my list since it came out and I finally read it this weekend. It‘s so sad and happy all at the same time.

Woodworking by Emily St James - I’ll add my praise to that of other reviewers. Every time this verged on cheesy or over the top St James brought it back to the likable but flawed characters. I loved it.

A Tortoise For The Queen of Tonga by Julia Whitty - Finally got to this book of short stories after buying it for #ReadingOceania last year. Only the first story took place in Tonga, but I enjoyed all of them. They were about different things but I liked how they embraced nature and took place in unique locations.

Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor - This one started as a low pick for me- story within a story very rarely is my thing. I have a very hard time stopping myself from skimming over those parts. The ending though, if I understood it correctly, blew me away.

The Hungry Tide by Amitav Ghosh - This novel revolved around several lives in the Sundarbans - river islands on the border of India and Bangladesh. There’s a scientist studying freshwater dolphins, the prodigal nephew returning for the first time since he was sent as a punishment as a child, the young family struggling with expectations, and the hospital administrator quietly living her life as the unsung hero among those doing big things. The description of the area made me want to get in a boat and sail there right away. This is a slow start but I’m really glad I stuck with it.

The Favorites by Layne Fargo - The drama upon drama in this book made it perfect summer reading for me. I think ice skating/Olympics fans will enjoy this one.

That’s all for this month! I’m looking forward to getting back into the swing of things with you all!

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On My Nightstand July 28, 2024

Waking up late today because I stayed up way too late last night watching the Olympics. This will be my life until mid-August. I can’t get enough!

I’ve been reading a lot too, and trying to finish up my July goals. I’m behind this month since we have been on the go so much, and my concentration has been terrible when I do get a minute. Oh well. It’s a hobby not a job. (Talking to myself here.)

Quote of the week:

““Guess what that old family named the house,” he said. “Give me a minute. I’m thinking,” said Delphine, seriously. And then she said: “Manderly.””

— The God of the Woods by Liz Moore

On My Nightstand This Week:

Kindle - Vanishing Edge by Claire Kells - An impulse read- I love books set in National Parks, and have been looking for something similar to Alice Henderson’s series.

Audiobook - The Suspect by Kent Alexander and Kevin Salwen - Listened to a bunch of things before the one thing I really wanted to listen to. This week!

Print - The Alternatives by Caoilinn Hughes - For a book club. I hope it’s a good one! I have a love/hate relationship with “required reading.”

This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

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REVIEW: Fire on the Track by Roseanne Montillo

Growing up as a child under Title IX the ability to play on a sports team was a given for me. That’s why I’ve found the handful of books I’ve read this year about the early years of women’s athletics so fascinating. Fire on the Track, the story of the first three Olympics in which women were allowed to participate is no exception.

The book follows a handful of women athletes in the 20’s and 30’s, but the most prominent was Betty Robinson, the first woman to win an Olympic Gold Medal. The conditions early women athletes faced were incredible – uncomfortable running shoes, sub-par lodging and food once they got to the Olympics, and invasive exams to prove they were, indeed, women. If you ever needed a book to make you feel grateful for the women who came before us this is it.

If you read and liked Dust Bowl Girls this book is a worthwhile pairing. Likewise if you like this book I highly recommend Dust Bowl Girls!

Note: Blogging for Books provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Books about the Olympics

Last night I started reading Off Balance by Dominique Moceanu. It's not the greatest book ever written, but since it involves the 1996 Olympics I'm all about it. I caught serious Olympic fever the summer Kim Zmeskal went to Barcelona. It intensified the summer the Magnificent Seven won gold (YOU CAN DO IT!!!), and has never gone away since then. Because of this it's really surprising that the only other two books I've read about the Olympics have been Unbroken and The Boys In The Boat.

Can anyone recommend some awesome Olympics books to me?

Two books I'm thinking of checking out:

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