The Hungry Bookworm
reading + eating
August is finally here and it feels like it. My part of Michigan has finally gotten the memo that it’s summer — it like soup out there. Hot and wet. Blech. But, I guess, more time to read indoors! I actually had a pretty good reading month. Six books including two that pretty much everyone should check out. (See the 4-star section.)
Sue Monk Kidd’s latest novel The Book of Longings is one that I was very much looking forward to reading. I loved The Secret Life of Bees and I also enjoyed The Invention of Wings, though not quite as much. In both of them, her writing and storytelling completely drew you in and held you through until the end. I was expecting much the same in this story, which is about Jesus’ wife, Ana. (Yes, that Jesus.)
And, aside from the writing, the subject of the novel intrigued me immensely. I adored The Red Tent, which is also a Biblical retelling, focusing on women in the Bible who are named but otherwise overlooked in the story. Obviously, in the Bible, Jesus doesn’t have a wife, so this was entirely outside of that scope. But, still I was expecting The Red Tent’s essence — a female-focused story set in Biblical times. I was left a little disappointed.
[Read more…] about The Book of Longings + Marinated Goat Cheese Spread with OlivesRita Mae Brown’s novel Rubyfruit Jungle was quite revolutionary when it was first published in the 1970s. I had never heard of it until recently when I was searching for books to include in my office’s book club poll for Pride Month reads, and certainly now, the content isn’t what I would call groundbreaking, but I can see why it was at the time.
Rubyfruit Jungle is a coming-of-age lesbian novel based somewhat on Rita Mae Brown’s own experience growing up and becoming an author. The main character, Molly, is an easygoing, independent thinker — even from a young age (we meet her around 12) — and, in many ways, her narration reminded me of Scout from To Kill a Mockingbird. She doesn’t want to become a housewife and gets scolded for playing doctor because, after all, men are the doctors. She wants nothing more than to leave her small life and become a filmmaker.
[Read more…] about Rubyfruit Jungle + Baked Strawberry DonutsI hope everyone’s having a good summer so far. We had a few really hot days here in Michigan, but mostly it’s been more pleasant than usual — the humidity, thankfully, has stayed at bay. I’ve been able to spend quite a bit of time reading outdoors, which is always nice. I have also definitely gotten into more of a reading groove and am sort of quickly coming up on my 2020 reading goal, so I’m thinking I’ll need to reevaluate it. (If you have reading goals, do you adjust them throughout the year or just leave them alone?)
Also, some big news: I’ll be celebrating 4 years of The Hungry Bookworm later this month. My site is getting an overhaul and I’m working on some other big changes that I’m really excited to share. Look out for that announcement in a couple of weeks!
Anyway, onto what I’ve read since Last Month’s Edition (and a reminder of How I Rate):
I had a great reading month in May! Recently, I considered myself lucky to finish just one book a month, so I read much more than expected — even if six of my reads were short novellas. I’m also really loving the book I’m in the middle of right now, so it seems like June may turn out great too. ☺️
I remember when Golden State was offered up as a Book of the Month selection earlier this year. I didn’t choose it, since my friend Deanna did (and we like to share books), but then I sort of forgot about it again until I saw it on my library’s new releases shelf recently. I scooped it up and asked her if she wanted to do a buddy read. Of course, she immediately said yes. It was the first buddy read experience for both of us, and honestly, it couldn’t have gone better! It also helped that the story was pretty much a page-turner from beginning to end.
Ben H. Winters’s novel takes place in a dystopian future in a California that is now separated from the rest of the country, where residents retreated when lies overtook the world as they knew it. The Golden State is its own nation where truth is valued above all else and the primary functions of society revolve around maintaining the Objectively So. Unlike in the movie The Invention of Lying, lying is definitely possible — it’s just punishable.
[Read more…] about Golden State + California Hot Dogs