Yay Summer! I’m looking forward to reading some fantastic books, I’ve seen so many interesting looking everywhere and I’ve got a pile of library books beside my couch… but of course I’m always on the hunt for new recommendations!
Best Fiction of the Month: The Immortalists
 Aside from the obvious bias that a knitter wrote this book and it’s been alllllllll over my Instagram feed, it’s a really, really good novel. Four young siblings see a fortune teller who tells each of them the date that they will die. The book focuses on each of the four siblings as they move towards their fates, leaving the characters (and the readers)to wonder – are their death dates fixed because they can’t avoid their fate, or because they are choosing to make the predictions a reality? An excellent cast of supporting characters help keep the book from becoming mired in the self-absorption of the main characters. The only drawback is that the book finished with my least favourite character, but it definitely couldn’t have ended with any of the others. Worth checking out, and supporting a fellow knitter/writer!
Best Nonfiction: Let It Out: A Journey Through Journaling
Aside from the cover image (makes it look like chick lit, don’t you think?), this book is a really in depth tool on helping anyone sort through literally anything in their life – good, bad, or blah. Full of genuinely interesting journaling prompts for things like productivity, getting organized, stretching your creativity, focusing on joy, writing your way out of compare & despair, making any situation fun, texts from yourself, making any job more enjoyable…. there are 55 different journaling prompts divided into different categories to tackle just about any trouble spot you might be having. If you would like to journal more, this is definitely for you.
Currently re-reading: Coming Through Slaughter
I’m pretty sure this is the 4th Michael Ondaatje book I’ve recommended since January, but I can’t help it – I’m obsessed. I haven’t read Coming Through Slaughter in probably about 15 years, but it is stunning. A novella told in fragments about a brilliant jazz musician, it’s half poetry, half fiction, wholly beautiful.
The One I’m Recommending to Just About Everyone: Big Magic
If you struggle with creativity in your life, or feel like you are going through a creative slump, this book is a lifesaver. I especially recommend the audiobook version- anytime I feel my creativity flagging, I find a lot of wisdom in this book. I often listen to it in the morning while I’m getting ready, it’s a wonderful way to set the tone for the day. Encouraging without any of the cheerleading ‘you can do it!’ vibes – it’s authentic and positive and encourages you to find your own thing that sparks you, whatever that spark may be.
Crafty Book I’m Loving: The Curse of the Boyfriend Sweater
I wasn’t sure what to expect from this book, but I was rewarded with introspective, beautiful essays on all aspects of the knitting life. Okun struggles with anxiety and mental health challenges and wasn’t afraid to lay them bare, expertely weaving them into how her craft supports and helps, how it soothes, and why we knit the things we knit. The book isn’t laugh-out-loud funny; instead it is thoughtful, lyrical essays on the knitting life.
What have you read lately that you are loving? Anything interesting, thought provoking, or just wonderfully entertaining? Share in the comments!
In addition to being a knitting addict, I’m an author and I wouldn’t ordinarily be promo-y but – the fourth of July weekend is pretty perfect for a book titled THE FIFTH OF JULY. Just sayin’. 🙂
We just read The Immortalists for our book club and I was SO glad that the other siblings deaths weren’t as predictable as Simon’s. Right now I’m reading (about 75% done) The Gates of Evangeline by Hester Young and I’m really enjoying it. After young mom Charlie’s son dies, she starts to have vivid dreams of other children in danger. She goes on a writing assignment to a southern estate, Evangeline, where a young boy went missing years ago. The case was never solved but Charlie thinks she may be able to figure out the mystery.
I loved The Immortalists too. My favorite book of last year was The Hearts Invisible Furies by John Boyne (who wrote The Boy in the Striped Pajamas). He’s now my new favorite author and I’m glad he has several books I can work through. I’m pacing myself. 🙂
I read “Big Little Liars”, but haven’t seen the TV series. It was engaging from the beginning and had a really satisfying end.
I just finished “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”. Few books have moved me, educated me, grown me, and lingered with me like this one. I wish all my fellow Americans would read it as adults. The impact it could have on how we treat each other could change the world.
I have to recommend Creative Quest by Questlove over Big Magic. The book is terrific: real research on creativity of all sorts with Questlove’s personal stories to help you tap into your creativity. But if you get the audiobook, Questlove has scored it with original new music. He is authentic and smart and kind and so much more than you imagine. I’m leaving for a little vacation tomorrow and I also have Bad Blood by James Carreyrou packed. It’s about Theranos/Elizabeth Holmes and how she fooled investors out of billions of dollars. And Trevor Noah’s Born a Crime, which I can’t wait to read. I’ve got some pretty good knitting projects packed, too, so the trip should be a nice mix of being active and having some down time for knitting and reading.
Honestly, I haven’t been reading anything lately. I feel like if I read, I’m cheating on my knitting. However, I also have my novel rolling around in my head and that needs some work but if I work on that, I’m not reading or knitting. What I really need is some sort of schedule but that just stifles everything. ::sigh:: Little Man and I just finished Tales of a 4th Grade Nothing. We’ll start Superfudge soon enough. Then maybe Otherwise Known As Shelia the Great or Fudge-a-Mania. But for me….I need to finish Amy Schumer’s book and then I’ll probably read Harry Potter again.
Thanks for reminding that I have the audio version of Big Magic, not started yet. It will be on my list after the summer vacation. It might be just what I need to get out of my knitting rut. I mostly read magazines these days, and #QAnon posts.
Thank you for your recommendations. I just finished A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. It is about an aristocrat in early 1900’s – 1950 century Russia who was not exterminated as most aristocrats were, but instead is banished to live his live in an upscale Moscow Hotel. If he leaves, he’ll be shot. His life is enriched by the staff and regular hotel visitors he comes to know and two very special young girls who become like his daughters. Historical, sweet, poetic.
I was thinking of getting Big Magic since I’ve heard Elizabeth Gilbert’s TED’s talk about the elusive creative genius – such an inspiration!
Our Book Club just discussed Reservoir 13–set in Britain and describing a village and a number of villagers for thirteen years following the disappearance of a 13 year old girl. Some might think that not much happens, but that’s the point. Incidents from the villagers’ lives are described over the course of the 13 years, and the reader gets a complete picture, despite the sometimes cryptic descriptions. The wild life and nature become characters in the story as well. I highly recommend for someone who enjoys good writing and being floated (not swept) along by it.