Three great books this month plus a forgotten one.
Sipsworth by Simon Van Booy is delightful and hopeful. Eighty-something Helen Cartwright is ready to die. She's lost everyone closest to her and feels that she's outlived her usefulness. But an unexpected visitor changes everything; through an unlikely relationship, Helen finds purpose and connection. The relationship brings unexpected challenges and as a result, she forms other relationships and an amazing revelation of Helen's life. Short, simple and sweet. I read somewhere that if A Man Called Ove and Ratatouille had a book baby this would be it.
Everyone is Lying to You by Jo Piazza is juicy as it pulls back the covers on our current influencer culture. Lizzie and Bex are former college roommates and best friends who haven't spoken in years. Lizzie is now a journalist and Bex, now known as Rebecca, is a popular "tradwife" influencer. Out of the blue Rebecca invites Lizzie to a conference and offers her a big scoop. Things take a turn however when Bex's husband ends up murdered on the first night of the conference. Probably not the scoop Lizzie was expecting. The book alternates storylines between Lizzie and Rebecca and delves into the backstory of why these friends lost touch after college. A very fun read.
The audio version of Tom Lake by Ann Patchett is read by Meryl Streep and I can't imagine that I would have loved it as much as I did if I'd read the hard copy. I would pay to listen to her read my grocery list. I thought Tom Lake was a person - turns out it's a fictional place in Michigan. Meryl narrates the story of Lara, now in midlife and sheltering in place at the onset of COVID, of her path to acting and summer stock at Tom Lake, 15 minutes of fame and of settling on a cherry farm with a loving husband and three lively, dramatic daughters. Patchett expertly peels back layers of life's twists and turns - like "Sliding Doors" where life would be so different if you'd arrived for the train 15 minutes later. Lara (formerly Laura) spent a glorious, free, pre-adult life one summer. As well as lives before and after. We all have. There are reveals, deeply tender moments and satisfying closures. I especially loved piecing together who each of Lara's girls were named after.
I listened to another in August that I forgot about - The Answer is No by Fredrik Backman. Lucas lives a solitary life in an apartment building until a crime is committed. The apartment board is going to get to the bottom of it and Lucas becomes central to the case. Lucas is likely on the spectrum or at least an extreme introvert and his processing lend to some of the funniest moments (looking at you Pad Thai). I love how honest and quirky Backman's characters are. I hated the narration, but the characters and story kept me listening.
Finally, I am hosting a book club gathering this week. A friend started the club at the beginning of the year, and I wasn't able to make a single one until last month. Unfortunately, I hadn't read the book, but she was gracious enough to let me come anyway. I ended up recommending the next book, Margo's Got Money Troubles, and offering to host. In a nod to Margo's penchant for orange food and Arby's, I'm serving roast beef and cheddar sliders and Harvest Cheddar Sun Chips. IYKYK about the orange meal.
