My second installment of Recent Reads is here, just in time for the long weekend! If you missed the first one, you can find it here (plus other recs here and here). I cannot believe that I read 14 books in the past two months! To be fair, we were on vacation last week (where I read 5) but I mentioned in this post that our new bedtime routine is the real catalyst for my voracious reading! And, I gotta say, with all the things going on in our lives and in the world, reading has provided a really healthy escape when I need one the most.
This round up is filled with a variety of books and genres – lots of drama, romance and historical fiction. A good amount of World War II historical fiction and stories that take place in NYC. I also read quite a few oldies and some newbies too! I also added four books to my all time favorites list (Mary Jane, City of Girls, All The Light We Cannot See and Evvie Drake Starts Over) and had my first DNF maybe ever (Hour of the Witch). Overall, it was a wonderful two months of reads and I hope these summaries help you find your next favorite, too!
A big thank you to Printfresh for these colorful orange jammies that remind me of my favorite place on earth – Sanibel Island, Florida! I grew up going there every spring, and will always remember sharing fresh oranges and orange juice with my fam. Printfresh is one of three pajama brands I wear – I love that they are woman owned-and-run, support artisans in India, use all organic materials, are size inclusive and create fun and whimsical designs that fit, wash and wear well. Each pair just gets better with time! I’m a longtime supporter of Printfresh – you can search the blog for more info! – so as always, feel free to use PURELY_NORA for 15% off your purchase sitewide!
Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau
This is one of my absolute favorite reads of the year! I simply could not put it down. I haven’t read a coming-of-age novel so emotionally and intellectually stimulating in awhile.
The book takes place in 1970s Baltimore, and focuses on a shy, book-loving, choir-going, musical-listening 14 year old girl named Mary Jane. Her days and weeks are always the same – go to school, cook with her mom, go to the store with her mom, clean with her mom, listen to show tunes with her mom, eat at the country club with her parents, etc. And, because it’s what she knows, it’s what she accepts…until one summer. The summer she becomes the babysitter for the Cones, a family that her mother describes as “respectable” because the dad is a doctor.
What Mary Jane’s mother doesn’t know, is that the doctor is a psychiatrist who works out of his house. His wife doesn’t cook or clean. And their five year old daughter, Izzy, is gregarious, carefree, and wise-beyond-her-years. She loves everyone and questions everything. The Cones are progressive, open-minded, messy and entirely fabulous. And that summer, one of Dr. Cone’s patients (a rock star no less!) and his wife come to the Cones to detox from things Mary Jane has never even heard of. So, while Mary Jane’s home life is still the same, her days at the Cones open her eyes to sex, love, rock-and-roll, drugs, therapy and the bigger, greater world outside of her conservative, country club sphere in Baltimore. As summer continues and ultimately comes to an end, Mary Jane must decide what type of life she wants to return to and who she wants to be.
The characters are fabulous. Their development is raw and real and sometimes uncomfortable. And, despite taking place during a different time period, I really connected with Mary Jane. I think many women will. So many of the larger societal messages we receive from such a young age are still very much the same: be small, be polite, do what you’re told, don’t question things. Essentially: be perfect. When we start questioning things, when we insist on being guided by our own intuition instead of the demands of others, the world gets so much better and brighter. It was also really fun to be back in the head of a curious fourteen year old, which Blau does ever so effortlessly!
The Invisible Husband of Frick Island by Colleen Oakley
An entertaining and emotional read. This one came up from the library just as I finished Mary Jane, so I jumped right in. The story is about two people who unexpectedly meet and their stories intertwine.
Piper Parrish lives on a small, quirky and remote island in the Chesapeake Bay – Frick Island. Piper is not a native, but she’s lived on Frick Island for most of her life. It’s where she grew up and where she met her husband, Tom. But Tom is dead – his crabbing boat capsized and his body was never found. Much to the tight knit community’s surprise, Piper carries on as if nothing has happened. She still walks “Tom” to the docks. Cooks him dinner. Talks to him. And the town goes right along with it.
Anders Caldwell is a young aspiring journalist, at a small paper, writing small stories. His apartment is grubby, the podcast he started in college hit a boom but then quickly fizzled out. When Anders covers the Frick Island annual cake walk for the paper, he also ends up meeting Piper…and “Tom”. Fascinated, Anders returns to the Island in the guise of researching global warming. In actuality, he thinks Piper’s story (and the mystery surrounding all things Piper and Tom) is the boom his struggling podcast needs.
There’s a lot here that was unexpected for me. Themes of identity, loss and how we define ourselves come through at first. But there’s a thread of mystery, intrigue, mental health, resistance to change and compassion that make this a very human, relatable story.
The Cellist by Daniel Silva
If you’ve read any of my book reviews you know I am a longtime Daniel Silva fan and have read all of his books multiple times. I live for his Gabriel Allon spy novels and find them both highly entertaining, suspenseful, educational and relevant.
Despite being fiction, this book takes place in the current geopolitical climate – Europe and America in late 2020. COVID is rampant, the US election is underway and shit gets really real between Israel, the US and of course, Russia. I always have a hard time separating fact from fiction with Silva’s stories. Like, I’m convinced much of this book is real – and while some if it definitely is, the story is not. But you’ll have to read it to understand what I’m saying!
I think this is one of my favorite Gabriel Allon novels because it’s so timely. All of my favorite characters are in it, and several oldies are re-introduced. Every time I read Silva’s latest book, I’m worried it will be Allon’s last, but it looks like he may have one more mission in him.
The Castaways by Elin Hilderbrand
I read this book in a day. Well, technically I started it on Saturday night and finished it on Sunday night, so I read it in 24 hours. It was a pretty standard beach read – dramatic, romantic, with touches of discomfort, suspense and cheesiness. It’s about four couple friends who are Nantucket natives and their relationships with themselves and each other. Tragedy strikes for two of them, and everything kind of unravels… with everyone.
I think Hildenbrand is a good writer and I like her style. I did predict a few of the plot twists, but didn’t mind that. If cheating, drug abuse and secrets make you uncomfortable, this is not the book for you. Personally, I very much took it for what it was and enjoyed the ride!
Hour of the Witch by Chris Bohjalian *DNF
Oh, Hour of the Witch. I wanted to like you – I wanted to LOVE you! I’ve never read a Bohjalian book (I know people rave about the show version of The Flight Attendant), probably because thrillers aren’t really my thing. But I love historical fiction and thought this would be a fun read for me. I was wrong. While I think this book has potential, the style of writing is not for me. The book takes place in Boston in 1662, so the city is BRAND new, very British and extremely Puritan. The dialogue is (appropriately, I might add) written in the style of the time – think lots of “thee” and “thou” and confusing religious references and rationalizations.
The main character, Mary, is likable – she’s very modern for her time and I found myself rooting for her immediately – but in Puritan times that basically means she’s a witch. Puritan men were such hypocritical ass clowns. She’s also “barren” and people were rude about that then. Another reason she was “witchy” – ugh! Anyway, I got about 25% of the way through and had to stop. I think if I was in a different mental and emotional place I may have finished it…but I wasn’t, so I didn’t.
City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert
I LOVED LOVED LOVED this book. I absolutely loved it. After my first DNF in years, I wanted to read something that would really pull me in. I’ve always loved Elizabeth Gilbert’s writing style but hadn’t read anything by her in awhile, let alone her works of fiction. The fact that this one takes place mainly in NYC really sealed the deal for me (and it was available at the library).
Ninety five year old Vivian is writing to another woman, Angela, in response to Angela’s question “what were you to my father”. It’s interesting, because we don’t know who Angela is, or who her father is, but the premise of the book is that Vivian is answering Angela’s question by essentially telling her her life story starting when she was a teenager in 1940. Having been kicked out of Vassar, she is sent to live with her eccentric Aunt Peg who runs a ramshackle theater in New York City. She writes: A person only gets to move to New York City for the first time in her life once, Angela, and it’s a pretty big deal.
Oh how I feel this at my core! I loved that Vivian’s is the only voice we hear, and that she shares – in her quirky and brutally honest way – her own perspective on what happened then and how she understands things now. We benefit from her hindsight and wisdom. This is a coming of age story, but also a love story, although not in the way you’d think. I adored the flawed, chaotic, brutal characters. I loved the dynamic and gritty New York City of the 1940s, and experiencing the changes both the city and the characters go through during and after the war. Gosh I just loved all of it, every single bit. This is a re-read for me for SURE. I will remember fondly for a long time.
The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
After City of Girls, I desperately wanted to dive back into historical NYC. I’ve had this book on my list since it was released this June and was so excited to read it. The Personal Librarian is about Belle da Costa Greene, J. Pierpont Morgan’s personal librarian and one of the most influential – and debatably powerful – women of her time. Not only is she single handedly responsible for sourcing, purchasing and collecting works of art, manuscripts and books for Morgan’s newly built Piermont Morgan Libary, but she also becomes Morgan’s right hand and closest confidante.
But Belle has a secret – she is not actually of Portuguese descent, as she claims. Belle is Black, and no one – especially Mr. Morgan – knows it. The book takes place during the late 1800s and early 1900s, the height of the Gilded Age and ulitmately the Progressive Era – a fascinating time in New York City (and US) history. It was also an incredibly trying time for civil rights, with the passing of The Civil Rights Act of 1875 and its subsequent nullification eight years later. People were lynched for passing, and Belle truly risked it all to provide for herself and her family. The backstory on why she did it, and her family history, is truly fascinating, heart-breaking and upsetting.
This was an inspiring story, based on as many facts and historical documentation as possible. In real life, Belle, to protect herself, burned all of her personal documents prior to her death, leaving Benedict and Murray to dig deep for the facts and fill in the rest with some well informed fiction. Benedict and Murray actually wrote this book during 2020, mostly via zoom and with the backdrop of the Black Lives Matter movement. Their Author’s Notes are very moving, and also worth
The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis
This was a fun read! I wanted to stick to historical fiction and NYC, and found another book about the city and books! The storyline centers around the New York Public Library, and a series of thefts that change the lives of two generations of women, one in the early 1910s (Laura) and one in the early 1990s (Sadie). What I loved the most is that Sadie is actually Laura’s granddaughter, but alas, they never met in person before Laura’s death.
Laura’s NYC is what really sucked me in. Her husband is the library’s superintendent so they actually live inside with their two children. And while Laura loves her life (she married for love and rebelled against her society parents, after all) she also craves more. While her husband toils away on his novel and the inner workings of the library, Laura dreams of being a journalist. To seek truth, to question, to learn. Her quest to attend Columbia’s journalism school, and the wonderful female artists and activists she meets along the way, make for a drastic awakening. Davis ties in Sadie’s story beautifully, and touches on identity, family and standing up for what you truly believe in, no matter the risk.
The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles
Are you sensing my “books about books” theme? There are so many good historical fiction novels about books, reading, and libraries. After Lions touched on London during WWII (on of Laura’s plotlines), I decided to read one of the dive into WWII historical fiction. I’ve been fascinated by WWII since I was a kid, and that has carried into adulthood, so my TBR list in that category is always pretty long!
This one is based on a true story, centering around the heroic librarians who ran the American Library in Paris during World War II. It is 1939 and Odile Souchet is an ambitious, independent and curious woman who followed her dream of becoming a librarian. Odile earns her own living doing exactly what she loves, despite her parents wanting her to settle down and marry instead. When the Nazis take Paris, Odile joins the resistance in the best way she knows how – by smuggling books to subscribers, many of whom are being hunted and risk being deported.
Flash forward to 1983, to a small town in rural Montana. Lily is a lonely, quirky teen who is fascinated by her distant, quiet and elderly neighbor…Odile. A series of events leads to an unlikely friendship, one in which Lily and Odile have much more in common than either anticipated. But how did Odile get to Montana? What happened in Paris? And what is really connecting them?
I love that reading is a central theme in this one – and how books and stories really have the power to bring people together. Odile is firey and fun, and even in Montana she simply shines. And the other librarians – oh my goodness. ALL of them are based on real people and Charles did a wonderful job exploring their stories. The beautiful friendshiups in this book had me laughing and crying and everything in between. A hearwarming, tragic and timeless read.
All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doer
This is an incredibly beautiful, powerful, and devastating story. I don’t think I’ve ever read a more profound novel.
Doer’s writing is magical – he is truly an artist who uses words to carry the reader away. Even in the most horrifying, upsetting and tragic time period, he manages to tell a different type of story with dazzling metaphors and timeless, universal themes. This book focuses on two characters – a blind French girl and a German boy – who, despite their very different situations, have much more in common than we imagine.
I honestly don’t want to explain much more about the plot, because it’s so unexpected and engaging and I don’t want to risk giving anything away. I would argue that this is one of the most meaningful books of our time, one that everyone should read. At the center, it’s about goodness. About taking care of others, despite odds, differences, and tragedy. Take your time with this book and soak it in! You will not regret it.
It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
I decided to end my historical fiction streak because we went on vacation and honestly, I needed a little pick me up. I’d never read anything by Colleen Hoover, and had put this book on hold with the NYPL. After 8 weeks, it came available right as we arrived at the beach! Perfect timing.
Lily grew up in a small town in Maine, and the one thing that kept her grounded was an unexpected relationship: her first love, Atlas. Years later, Lily is thriving in Boston, and (also unexpectedly) stumbles upon a too-good-to-be-true neurosurgeon named Ryle who is beautiful, brilliant and a little cocky. But he’s also sensitive, smart and incredibly into Lily, despite his rule of “no relationships”. When Lily becomes his exception, Atlas reappears, and what unravels is shocking, beautiful, painful and poignant.
I gotta say, this isn’t necessarily a feel good book. The themes are tough and potentially triggering (the central theme being emotional and physical abuse). But, the story is Hoover’s, as it is based on her mother’s relationship with her father. I read this book in a day (on vacation, so I had time) and the twists, turns and emotional tugs had me until the very end.
Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes
Oh my heart. First of all, I could not put this down. I read it in a day. It’s about a young woman, Evvie (like Chevy) who is recently widowed. After a year of hardly leaving her house, everyone, even her best friend Andy, thinks she is still grieving. And in a way she is… but not in the way that they assume.
Meanwhile, Andy’s best friend, Dean Tenney, was a star MLB pitcher who developed “the yips”. He literally cannot pitch. He doesn’t know why, but he knows he needs to escape from NYC for a bit and get some time and space. So of course he ends up in Evvie’s sleepy Maine town, staying in her guest house. They have two rules: no talking about her baseball or her dead husband.
Naturally, rules are made to be broken, and a heartwarming, engaging and beautifully detailed story unfolds. This story is about friendship, love, self discovery and second chances. Most importantly, it is beautifully written. I would say 80% of the book is dialogue and Holmes writes the most fun, witty and charming banter I’ve ever encountered. I was so sad to finish this!
Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn
A funny and fresh read that warmed my heart! I have to admit, the book grew on me – I found some of the early parts frustrating, but the characters developed and grew and it was a treat to be a part of. This is a romantic comedy about a sought after hand letterer, Meg Mackworth, who does custom wedding invitations and planners for NYC’s elite. She sees fonts, signs and symbols everywhere, and it’s a part of what makes her so good at what she’s does.
Despite her rising fame, Meg is also struggling with some unresolved feelings from her past. Feeligs that cause her to leave a somewhat unwelcome message hidden in a couple’s wedding program. When she’s caught (by the would-be groom, Reid, no less!), she’s forced to confront her habit, her current creative rut, and even her past. What transpires between Meg and Reid, a methodical, numbers-focused Wall Street quant, is a connection, turned friendship, turned much more.
I will say, this story is WHIMSICAL. Fonts and writing and signs play a big part, and you have to be willing to use your imagination and give in to the creativity of Clayborn’s words. The characters are fun and sometimes frustrating, but there is definitely emotional depth that I really appreciated. The *romance* scenes are good, too. And Reid! What a character. His development was by far my favorite. Overall, Meg and Reid’s search for meaning, signs, understanding and truth is a touching, charming and atypical tale that had me smiling the entire time.
Barefoot by Elin Hildebrand
A classic beach read but with some tough topics (TW: cancer, chemo, infidelity, infertility, suicide). Three women head to Nantucket for the summer, all with their own baggage. Vicki is trying to come to terms with a serious illness, and is looking for a summer respite with her two young children in tow. Her sister, Brenda, just got fired from a prestigious university for sleeping with a student. Lastly, there’s Vicki’s friend, Melanie, who just found out that after 7 failed IVF attempts she is (finally!) pregnant, but her husband has been sleeping with his co-worker. Everyone is a mess. So when they hire Josh, a 22 year old Nantucket native and college student, to be the summer nanny, it makes for QUITE a memorable summer in ways nobody – least of all, Josh – expected.
I like Hildebrand’s books, but since I’ve never been to Nantucket I don’t find that aspect as sentimental or meaningful. I like her characters though, and was fairly satisfied with this ending. The heavy cancer theme, though well written, was tough. And while some of the characters drove me NUTS in the beginning, I love that as they grew, they grew on me too.
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