You Should Read
More than just a book review, my book blog offers notes and context, as well as close reading and creative writing possibilities. If you’re looking for a summary and spoilers, look elsewhere.
But if you want to learn how to be an attentive reader and how to a use a mentor text to improve your own writing, check out my You Should Read posts!
You Should Read THE APARTMENT by Ana Menéndez
The sun-washed color palette on the book’s spine cheered me, and when the flap mentioned “a Cuban concert pianist,” I stopped reading and put it in my bag immediately. I recently discovered the music of Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona and am learning two of his piano pieces. I needed to know more about this Cuban pianist; I needed to read this book.
You Should Read DAMNATION SPRING by Ash Davidson
Davidson’s book is a reminder for us to keep an eye out for the forgotten bears of our own age.
You Should Read WEST WITH GIRAFFES by Lynda Rutledge
Lynda Rutledge’s novel shows us how animals teach us to recognize each other despite our differences.
You Should Read PENITENCE by Kristin Koval
I read to find that tiny spark of sameness in a totally made-up character. Kristin Koval’s Penitence, which probes the limits of forgiveness, offers just that spark.
You Should Read BEAR by Julia Phillips
What happens when you are not believed by your sister, the person who, if Bear and Little Women are to be believed, is the person closest to you in the world?
You Should Read HESTIA STRIKES A MATCH by Christine Grillo
If you’d told me a week ago that the novel to get me through my post-election disappointment would be a rom-com set in a current-day, dystopian America in the midst of a civil war, I wouldn’t have believed you.
You Should Read MARY COIN by Marisa Silver
Whose story does a picture tell? Is it a snapshot in time of the subject? Evidence of its creator’s unique perspective? A reflection of the viewer’s background knowledge? A challenge to a social narrative?
You Should Read THE BONESETTER’S DAUGHTER by Amy Tan
LuLing’s withholding encourages Ruth to become self-sufficient, but it also unintentionally stunts Ruth’s ability to connect with others and accept love.
You Should Read DEAR EDNA SLOANE by Amy Shearn
Shearn’s unconventional epistolary format allows her to chase gossip across the internet. She tells the story not only through instant messages, text messages, and emails but also through forums and threads posted on cleverly named social media sites, like readit.com, Facefriends, and ImmediaPix.
You Should Read WHEN THE EMPEROR WAS DIVINE by Julie Otsuka
Not all books are as inviting as When the Emperor was Divine; not all writers are as welcoming Julie Otsuka.
You Should Read JAMES by Percival Everett
Teaching Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was as much fun as getting my kids to clean their rooms, which is why I'm so thrilled about James.
You Should Read SANDWICH by Catherine Newman
We mumble-sang along with Darius and danced like glorious fools, and now I cannot get the opening lyrics of “Time” out of my head: “Time why you punish me / Like a wave bashing into the shore / You wash away my dreams.” The song could be a soundtrack to Catherine Newman’s splendid new novel Sandwich, too.
You Should Read THIS STRANGE EVENTFUL HISTORY by Claire Messud
Messud’s novel explores what we can and cannot know about our family members and the ways in which families both shape and challenge our expectations of ourselves, of our futures, of how we want to love and be loved, to know and be known, to remember and be remembered.
You Should Read 2 A.M. AT THE CAT’S PAJAMAS by Marie-Helene Bertino
But it’s not just Madeleine who’s got the moves in 2 A.M. at the Cat’s Pajamas. Marie-Helene Bertino’s entire novel shimmies. It romps. At times, it even levitates.
You Should Read THE STREET by Ann Petry
Not all challenges hold an equal potential for growth, and challenge is not synonymous with virtue. That’s something I’ve known intellectually but haven’t felt, even in this superficial and miniscule way, until I read about Lutie Johnson.
You Should Read THE HOUSE IS ON FIRE by Rachel Beanland
Rachel Beanland’s characters fully inhabit their specific historical moment. Rather than using Trivial Pursuit-style historical facts and tidbits to drive their actions, Beanland allows their own personal desires to motivate them. The setting, rather than being a plot device, becomes what it should be: a backdrop.
You Should Read MEXICAN GOTHIC
But don’t worry: If you can’t recreate the atmosphere of High Place, the deteriorating mansion lording over a Mexican mountain town, you will still enjoy Mexican Gothic.
You Should Read PEW
This book has been on my radar since 2020, but I only read it recently. Just as I waited to read Pew, I also waited to write this post. The book brought to mind a strange experience from college.
You Should Read THE LOST CITY OF Z
By then, I was deep into David Grann’s The Lost City of Z, and I needed to know if Grann would uncover the fate of Percy Fawcett or, even better, Fawcett’s fabled city of Z.
You Should Read THE GREAT GATSBY
Each year of my teaching career, springtime brings heavy snows, standardized tests, and The Great Gatsby.