🎙️Two Five Star Recent Reads
Hello!
I’m trying something a bit different today. It’s been awhile since I did a podcast episode so I thought I’d jump on the mic and tell you about the two books I just finished and absolutely loved. I’m also sharing two books I just added to my tbr, one I found on my Barnes and Noble bookstore browse on Sunday (I’d never heard to it) and the other a fall release by an author we were just raving about in last week’s Friday Thread discussion.
The episode is short and sweet. I hope it’s a way for you to hear about some great books while you’re walking the dog, driving here or there, or just on the go like many of us are. If you don’t want to listen, but want the gist of what I thought you can find a brief synopsis and a couple thoughts below.
My Recent 5 Star ⭐️ Reads
Celestial Lights by Cecile Pin author of Wandering Souls which was long listed for the Women’s Prize for Fiction in 2023 - came out in March, audio narration by Dane Williams and Leah Marks is fantastic
About ambition, love, and space
January 28, 1986: Soon after launch, the Challenger shuttle falls out of the sky and into the sea. At the same time, Oliver Ines is born. Celestial Lights is his story.A portrait of a complicated man and a breathtaking tale of memory, personal choices, and the relationships that define us, Celestial Lights is an unforgettable story that questions what we owe ourselves and our loved ones when our ambitions and loyalties collide.
Do not let the space mention deter you, I’ve repeatedly said I don’t like space books (I didn’t like Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid), yet I loved this. The space details take a very large backseat to the characters and their stories. This is slower paced, but short (256 pages) and with a brilliant structure that had me anticipating where the story was going. This would make an excellent book club pick, there’s so much to discuss
Joyful, Anyway by Kate Bowler - thank you PRH Audio for the complimentary audiobook
A profound, funny, and deeply human case for joy that doesn’t depend on everything getting better. We live in a culture convinced that chasing happiness will optimize our bodies, our minds, our relationships, our lives. But in the meantime, bad news usually stays bad: illness, chronic pain, grief, and disappointment don’t obey our timelines or vision boards. We are left wondering why, if we’re doing everything right, life still feels so hard.
Joy reminds us that no matter what, life is still worth loving. For every time we ask is this it?, joy will answer: There is more.
This will be in my top reads of the year! If I could gift every single person one book this year it would be this. I will be buying a print copy asap and the amount of highlights and tabs I’ll be doing will be insane. Highly recommend the audio, Kate narrates and her wit and emotion shine.
Books I Added To My TBR This Week
The Story of Marceau Miller by Marceau Miller (translated from French by Howard Curtis)
In the beautiful and dangerous landscape of Lake Geneva, in the shadow of the Swiss Alps, renowned writer Marceau Miller is found dead. In the wake of the tragedy, his wife, Sarah, discovers a manuscript he’s left behind, entitled The Story of Marceau Miller.
With the support of close friends, Sarah struggles to hold herself together while caring for her two children and coping with the mounting questions surrounding her famous husband’s death. Was it an accident or part of some darker game? A riveting, layered exploration of memory, betrayal, and the fluid nature of truth.
I spotted this at Barnes and Noble over the weekend….never heard of it but it sounds right up my alley. Sounds very meta which if it works could really work or it could be a total bust. Also, the author is writing under a pseudonym which is interesting for a debut. It’s been translated into fourteen languages and is currently being adapted for film and TV by a major international platform.
Solace in Winter by Mary Lawson - Nov 3
Winter in the small Canadian town of Solace is a season of hibernation. But this year, the snowfall brings a series of accidental encounters that will shake up the lives '' and loves –of an old man, a student on the run and an abandoned dog
This exquisite snow globe of a novel is a refuge, a story of connection and moral complexity set in the beloved world of Mary Lawson’s bestselling, prizewinning Crow Lake, The Other Side of the Bridge, Road Ends and A Town Called Solace.
What have you been reading and loving (or not) lately?
