Links & Lit: The Joy of Impulse Book Buying

Hello!

I’m so happy to be back talking about books and reading with you. We had a long 4th of July holiday weekend at the lake which was so much fun but jam packed with activities. Highlights included fireworks and many competitive games of cornhole . My aunt and I were the reigning champions from last summer and I’m happy to report we won again. Fun times and good food were had by all. I hope you had an enjoyable weekend too.

Ok, let’s talk about summer reading and impulse book buying.

Two things that have been guiding my reading lately— following my curiosity and leaning hard into mood reading. One afternoon a couple weeks ago, I was at Barnes & Noble browsing the shelves which is something I often do when the cover and title of Love Story by Erich Segal caught my eye. I’m the type of bookstore browsing reader who grabs the book, reads the first page while standing at the shelf and decides by the end of the first page or two whether to keep it with me for further cafe reading (or immediately buying) or to put it back on the shelf and move on. While I do love a good love story, my preference is complicated love stories—bittersweet, tragic, messy. Spoiler alert- Love Story delivered!

The first line of Love Story sold me. It was….

I had to know everything! Who was she, what happened, and how did it all tie into a love story? I immediately bought this and proceeded to read it in one sitting. This is the story of Oliver and Jennifer and yes, it’s their love story. Also yes, it’s complicated and tragic. And I cried. And I loved it! I passed it onto my mom Saturday night and my words to her were—this isn’t great literature but it’s so good and you’ll finish it quick. She texted me last night and had finished it in a couple hours and had already started the sequel, Oliver’s Story.

Which brings me to one of my current reads…

Oliver’s Story by Erich Segal - as I said, this is the sequel to Love Story and I’m currently almost halfway. Again, the writing style is not literary by any means, but there’s something compelling and easily readable about how he writes that makes the pages fly by. I know these books were huge when they were published in the 1970s and I can see understand why. I jumped into this only knowing it was going to focus on Oliver and what happens after the end of Love Story. I didn’t read anything except the tagline—Can the love of your life appear twice in a lifetime? I can’t wait to find out! I’ll let you know what I think when I’m done:)

I’m also listening to While I Was Gone by Sue Miller. It’s very unusual for me to be reading or listening to two separate stories. I’m a one story at a time reader, but as I said I'm leaning into my mood reading and after this title had repeatedly been mentioned by readers in the Friday Threads I decided to start it on audio. It’s about Jo Becker, a midlife wife and mother with a rewarding career as a veterinarian who’s feeling a bit of disconnect with her life. When someone shows up at her practice, Jo’s secretive past gets revisited.

I have about 2 hours left in the audio (great narration) and I’m riveted. There’s a darkness to Jo’s past that’s surprising and I can’t wait to find out what happens when her past impacts her current life.

A few other books that I’ve impulsively bought lately…

Meeting New People by Daniel Lavery - the story of one woman contending with age and friendship. Fiftysomething, twice-divorced Barbara is at a crossroads. In the midst of her emotional uncertainty, she looks back on the dissolution of the nine best friendships of her life, in hopes of figuring out how to optimize finding her tenth, and hopefully last, best friend.

• I can’t remember where I heard about this but I did see others mention that it has vibes of The Correspondent by Virginia Evans which was all it took for me to immediately grab this

You Know the Sun Bothers Me by Ryan Falzon (author), Joe Gatt (translator) - Set in Malta, school’s out for summer, and for our unnamed narrator, that means three months away from his physics high school students to tinker with his ancient Fiat 131 and fret about his all-consuming obsession: Sarah, a tempestuous artist he met online. They sleep together, they text obsessively, but as July’s barbecues and boat trips segue into August’s festi, their intimate moments always reset into platonic disappointment, and she increasingly ghosts him in favour of an ever-changing group of new besties. A sensation on its home island, this book gives poignant voice to a regular guy in his early thirties, trying to get a grip on love, life and growing up

• Last summer I loved Just a Little Dinner by Cecile Tlili which was published by Foundry Editions so I thought I’d give this new release from them a try. It sounds like it could be a nice mix of humor and drama. I’ll report back:)

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The Shampoo Effect by Jenny Jackson - the buzziest of the bunch, this new release is getting rave reviews from some of my trusted sources plus who can resist that summer cover! It’s about an ambitious young woman who insinuates herself into a tight-knit social set, shaking up friendships and marriages in a small seaside town.

Current tv obsession - I’ve been loving the show Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed on Apple TV. recommended it to me when we talked about our second quarter favorite books last week on his podcast and I binged the first 7 episodes then watched the most recent. It’s soooo good! It can be a bit graphic in terms of sex and murder so heads up on that but it’s also funny and filled with tension.

Links

I love reading about other’s auto buy authors The Daily Daly

Lit Hub’s most anticipated books of 2026, Part Two Lit Hub

The most bingeworthy edge of your seat summer thrillers - Every Lie I Told and Heart of Glass are on my tbr! The Every Girl

The 17 best lip balms & glosses of all time, According to W Editors - I love the Tatcha brand so will have to get that one W Magazine

The 47 best pens for 2026 - my current favorite pen is the Paper Mate Ink Joy Gel 0.7 but I’m easily swayed into trying new ones so I may try a couple from this list

The independent press top 40 bestsellers: Fiction - I still want to read Stoner Lit Hub

The best movies & tv to stream in July

Your turn…….

• What books have you been reading and/or impulsively buying lately?

• What tv shows are you bingeing this summer?

Thanks for reading!