It is hot across the United States (and much of the world) as I write. That coincides with a “hot” quarter in book sales. According to Bookriot print book sales were up by 3 million, mostly because of strong sales in the adult sector. Perhaps we are buying books because it is too hot to do much else than read. Looking over the top ten bestsellers, it is dominated by familiar authors–Kristin Hannah, Stephen King, Sarah J. Maas, Erik Larson, and James Patterson. And I helped. I reviewed Kristen Hannah’s The Women this week–it’s one of my best of the year to this point and have Erik Larson’s The Demon of Unrest on my TBR pile.
I’d love to hear from you about what you think are the “hot” new books worth reading.
Five Articles Worth Reading
A book I continue to hear about is Katherine Newman’s Sandwich, a novel about mid-life, set in Cape Cod during a family vacation. “Sandwich by Catherine Newman review – emotional crisis and comedy in Cape Cod” offers a good review of the book from The Guardian.
Author Lily Yu sat down with Karen Swallow Prior for an interview exploring faith, the craft of writing, and the pursuit of truth for this Christianity Today article: “A Writer’s Creative Calling Isn’t Found in the Middle of a Crowd.”
How often do you think about the voice in your head when you read. “Subvocalization: Why Do We Have A Voice In Our Heads When We Read?” explores the whys of subvocalization and whether that is a good or bad thing.
Thursday, I interviewed two authors, Doug Strong, and A.G. Miller, of Awakening to Justice, a book about three forgotten abolitionists. I reviewed the book recently. I also posted this Lit Hub article, “On the Forgotten Voices of the Abolition Movement,” in which J. D. Dickey recommends five books recovering lost stories of American abolitionists. June 19 marked Juneteenth, A federal holiday in the U.S. celebrating Emancipation. The work of abolition and emancipation continues, and these accounts can be inspiring.
Many of us know the work of Chinua Achebe, the Nigerian author, from his novel, Things Fall Apart. The Paris Review just posted a 1994 interview with him, “Chinua Achebe, The Art of Fiction No. 139.” These interviews are only unlocked for a short time, so check it out while you can!
Quote of the Week
Booker Prize-winning author Ian McEwan was born on June 21, 1947. He expressed something I hope may be said of all our communities:
“I want to live in a place where strangers rush to help someone in distress.”
Miscellaneous Musings
On Friday, I reviewed Reversing Entropy, an amazing collection of poems written by Luci Shaw. What is so amazing is that she was 95 at the time of the writing of this work, which suggests she might know a thing or two about reversing entropy. She reminds me of Mary Oliver in her attentiveness to the natural world and her ability to see what often escapes our notice. For her, creativity is an important part of forestalling entropy.
I’ve started reading Surviving the Islamic State, written by a good friend, Austin J. Knuppe. He explores the strategies ordinary people employed to survive the Islamic State’s occupation of significant parts of Iraq. It reminds me of those living under such conditions in Gaza and Ukraine and other war-torn parts of the world
I try to read a baseball book every summer. With the passing of Willie Mays, who I remember from my youth, I learned from a friend of a great book on his life. It looks like it is out of print, so I’m going to look for the best used copy I can find. The title is Willie Mays: The Life, The Legend, by James S. Hirsch. He was an amazing all-around player–speed, power, defense–he had it all. I look forward to remembering.
Well, that’s a wrap! Stay cool.