Hi. Has your summer ramped up lately? It seems to be getting busier. I’m back from the mountains but still “on the go,” ha. It seems true that Canadians try to rush to get much into their relatively short summers … and still aren’t always successful. The longest day of the year — June 21— has already come and gone — yikes — and the midway point of 2021 will be next week so perhaps now is a good time to evaluate your reading goals and see where you are. Are you on target? hmm … I guess I could be doing a bit better, but I will see how the second half of the year goes.
This past week was good because I received my second vaccine shot here and passed the Canadian citizenship test, so I’m relieved to have those two things behind me! Apparently I will be contacted sometime about the next steps in the application process. I’m hopeful it won’t be too much longer — it’s been more than a year so far. If it all works out, I will be a dual citizen of the U.S. and Canada. I’m excited by this and studied quite a bit to know many particulars about this large and lovely country, where I’ve lived since 2010.
Also you might have noticed that I didn’t post a June Preview post of new releases at the beginning of the month like I usually do. So I thought I’d just list about six June novels now that look good to me. I haven’t gotten to these yet — have you?
- Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid (came out June 1)— this is on my Summer Reading List and involves a party in Malibu that gets out of control. Oh yeah.
- The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris (June 1) — this too is on my Summer Reading List though a couple bloggers I heard back from DNF’d it, uh-oh. It’s set in the publishing world so I think I still plan to give it a try.
- The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo (June 1) — This debut novel is getting some good praise and seems to be a fresh retelling of The Great Gatsby from a queer Asian girl’s perspective. Ohh.
- The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris (June 15) — This historical fiction debut is said to live up to the hype of being picked for Oprah’s Book Club and is about two freed black brothers in Georgia just after the end of the Civil War.
- All Together Now by Matthew Norman (June 15) — Many bloggers seem to swear by this author who’s written a few other funny, warm-hearted novels, so this new one — about one last party between friends — could be just the right thing for the beach.
- The Secret Keeper of Jaipur by Alka Joshi (June 22) — This is the sequel by the author of The Henna Artist, which I enjoyed as an audiobook in March. Will she deliver again with her lively storytelling?
And now I’ll leave you with a couple reviews of what I finished lately.
Northern Spy by Flynn Berry / Viking / 288 pages / 2021
This is a story about two sisters in Belfast, Northern Ireland …. and one of them Miriam has secretly been involved with the underground Irish Republican Army for years, and the other sister Tessa, who shockingly learns of this, narrates the story and what happens thereafter. Tessa, who works at the BBC, is a new mother to Finn and doesn’t want to get involved with her sister’s troubles … but somehow she gets roped in along the way.
The story is more of a slow-burn plot … and a lot of the meanderings seem to be the thoughts inside Tessa’s head … about her sister and her worries for her baby son and what to do. Admittedly I got a bit tired of Tessa by the end. And Miriam asks way too much of her sister … so you sort of want to shake some sense into them both along the way.
It seems to take place in the present … and made me wonder how active the IRA is nowadays. Apparently there are splinter groups and one called the New IRA that has caused some violence. But I wasn’t sure how accurate this plot was exactly, though it made me think of being in that nerve-wracking situation, so it ended up being a fairly good audiobook.
Becoming Mrs. Lewis by Patti Callahan / Thomas Nelson / 416 pages / 2018
I first came to know about the 1950s love story between poet Joy Davidman and Narnia author C.S. Lewis from the 1993 movie Shadowlands starring Anthony Hopkins and Debra Winger … which I recall being a real tear-jerker. Then after my beloved German shepherd passed away in 1995 a friend sent me C.S. Lewis’s book A Grief Observed about managing loss in the wake of a death, which left a big impression on me … so of course I had to revisit the love story between Joy Davidman and C.S. Lewis once again, which this novel is about. And I wasn’t disappointed.
Granted it’s a long biographical kind of story from Joy’s narration … and it goes on at length about her life in New York and how her first marriage turns bad and how she starts up a correspondence with lay theologian C.S. Lewis in Oxford, England, whom she thinks might be of help with her faith and her marriage. Later she meets the famous author, who’s called Jack and is about 54 years old while she is 37. He’s never been married and isn’t looking to be. Though she eventually moves with her two sons to England, and Jack and her continue for quite a long time to have a close platonic friendship, though Joy begins to want more after she divorces her first husband. That seems to be the angst of the plot … will they ever become more? Or will it be too late for them both?
I listened to the novel as an audiobook and followed it closely as their lives went around and around and I realized how much they depended on each other creatively and as close friends. He taught at Oxford and then at Cambridge while writing his books, and she continued to write fiction and poems as well. In the end I was quite captured by the portrayal of the two. Theirs was a love story in the 1950s so improbable and great, yet it became a reality despite all the many obstacles. Though it gets a bit exasperating waiting for Mr. Lewis to get onboard. He’s a bit immune to romantic love until finally he realizes Joy might not be there forever.
The story seems to hit on the right emotions of their lives together, as well as some of their written works. And the author’s enthusiasm for them — and getting right what happened — shines through. Granted you probably need to be a bit interested in C.S. Lewis or Joy Davidman beforehand to really enjoy this novelization, but I thought it was quite good. Joy shows a great deal of courage along the way and was a gifted writer in her own right. My only slight criticism is that the novel could’ve been edited shorter.
As a footnote: there’s also an interesting seven-episode podcast at the end of the audiobook that interviews scholars and others, such as Joy’s son and Jack’s stepson who is still alive, that explores more about their faith, lives, and written works. You can find that free podcast separately wherever you get podcasts as Becoming Mrs. Lewis.
That’s all for now. What about you — have you read these and if so, what did you think?
Hopefully you’ll like Malibu Rising more than I did! 😉
Uh-oh – thanks Melissa for the fair warning. I don’t think I’ve seen much feedback on that novel … so I will be more cautious about trying it. Cheers.
Books set in Northern Ireland, especially inside Belfast itself, always intrigue me because I can’t imagine living under so much constant tension and anxiety. I visited Belfast in 1991 as a tourist and still have vivid memories of all the security tactics being used in the city to keep people at least relatively safe. While I was there, a female pharmacist was assassinated because she had dared deliver medicines to the “wrong side.” I remember that and having to change busses every second block so that security teams could climb aboard to check for explosives that may have been left on board. Needless to say, I only lasted a few days there.
Sam: Gosh that’s quite a remembrance. I can only imagine. I hope it’s improved much since then. Thx for relating that …. I have not traveled there yet … but this novel surely taps into a lot of that anxiety and danger. It gave me a good idea of the tensions. Cheers.
Congratulations on being one step closer to having your dual citizenship! I have dual UK/US, which was much more exciting and useful before Brexit.
I have Northern Spy on my TBR shelf, but now wonder if it will work for me. I also have The Henna Artist waiting for me to read it, but I think it will need to wait for the Fall.
Have a great week!
Hey thanks Helen. Interesting to hear about your dual citizenship. Argh about Brexit. Did you grow up in the UK?
See what you think of Northern Spy — it might be a quick one. It’s pretty short. The Henna Artist surprised me with the author’s enjoyable storytelling. Have a great week!
It’s wonderful news that you have gotten your second vaccine and that you passed your citizenship test. Congratulations, Susan! My grandfather was an immigrant from Italy, and my nephew is working on getting Italian citizenship for himself as well as for his mom and me.
I’m looking forward to reading The Other Black Girl and Malibu Rising this summer. I hope to get to them in August, after Paris in July.
We here along the Gulf Coast of Texas apparently have most of your summer; ours begins in your spring, and lingers far into fall. Luckily it never gets unbearably hot. Our hottest days are in the low 90s F and we always have a nice breeze off the Gulf.
Hi Deb, That’s nice to hear your days aren’t in the 100s! And you have a breeze. Summer sounds bearable 🙂 … I’ll keep an eye out for what you think of those two June novels … I heard one person tell me she didn’t like them, argh! So I’m a little bit cautious now.
As for the citizenship … I really admire your nephew for working towards Italian … Getting citizenship is quite a process! Thanks for your congrats … I must tell you it’s a fantastic feeling to get over the Test hurdle … I studied quite hard! Do you know the Italian language? I’d like to learn it … beautiful country …
I studied it before we visited there. I speak Spanish fairly well and I know some French. I’d like to learn more Italian.
You sound good with languages. I took German for many years but now I’d have to brush up on it. Italian would be fun to know.
That photo is beautiful, I can only imagine how it looked it person.
Congratulations on passing your citizenship test!
I just got back from my vacation and resting before going back to work tomorrow morning. I love my job but I’d rather be on vacation 🙂
I hope you have a great week!
Thanks Vicki. Passing my Canadian Test was a big deal! I’m so pleased to move beyond that now. I’ll stop by your site to see where you went on vacation. It sounds like it went well! We enjoyed our time in the mountains … being there in person before some of these glacier peaks is quite stunning. Enjoy your week too.
Speeding through June, indeed. I know it’s a cliche, but where does the time go?
I finished reading The Other Black Girl a couple of weeks ago and my review will be up soon, probably tomorrow. Spoiler alert: I mostly liked it.
Congratulations on your soon-to-be dual citizenship. I just read a Robertson Davies book so I am in a Canadian frame of mind at the moment.
Hey Dorothy! you are reading lots. I definitely will look for your reviews of the Davies book and The Other Black Girl. I’m glad you liked it well enough. I’m very pleased about passing the Canadian Test! It took quite a lot of time b/c I wasn’t sure over the past 8 months when I’d be tested … so I felt I always had to be ready, argh. I have many Canadian classics I still need to read … like from Robertson Davies and Margaret Laurence … I will set them on my horizon. Have a great week.
Congrats! on passing the Canadian citizen test. I love your updates on what you are up to and your bike travels. Have a lovely summer. Is it roasting hot in BC, too? My Sunday post
Hey Anne – thanks so much! It was a big deal for me getting the Test over with! Now I don’t have to worry so much! It is roasting here in Alberta … and likely roasting in BC too … there’s a week-long heatwave that has all Canadians melting, ha. We had a good bike ride today … but we went really early to beat the heat! Thx I’ll stop by your site soon.
Reviews of “The Other Black Girl” make it sound very readable and interesting. I like your book list!
Congratulations on passing the test — I hope the border opens soon.
best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Thanks Mae. Will the border ever open?! We are hoping to drive from here to Idaho in Sept. so we need the border to open. If people keep getting vaccinated, we hope it will open. It’s been a long time.
I’ve seen a little mix on The Other Black Girl but still will go for it …. Cheers.
I’m scared to evaluate my reading goals. I think I’m 8 books behind where I want to be. Maybe now is a perfect time to read short books. Congrats on your vaccine and test!
Thanks AJ. Now no more studying for “the Test.” I’m done. Woohoo.
Perhaps some short Japanese Lit would catch you up (or me for that matter) … someone told me to read Convenience Store Woman …. it’s 176 pages! Cheers.
Northern Spy is on my wish list. I wondered, too, how active the IRA is today. Hope you enjoy your upcoming summer reads!
Diana @ Book of Secrets
Hi Diana, thanks for stopping by. I’ll check out your site. Yeah the timeframe of the story in Northern Spy sort of confused me b/c I wasn’t sure if it was a bit in the past with the IRA or now … but from all I could tell it’s set in fairly recent times. Hmm. And here I thought most of that was in the past!
I hope things speed up for you to get your citizenship. I’m sure it will be helpful. Becoming Mrs. Lewis sounds appealing to me and I might look up Shadowlands which I have not seen – but I do like Debra Winger and of course Anthony Hopkins.
Hi Judee — yeah Shadowlands is a movie worth checking out. I haven’t seen it in decades so I don’t know how it will hold up …. but I’d like to watch it again. From what I recall – it’s a sad love story. I will see if I can find it …. Have a great week.
That is great news about having those two items behind you. I bet it feels good. When I accomplish anything these days I feel good.
Northern Spy was very different for me but I enjoyed it. I thought it was an odd Reese pick.
Hi Ti, I liked Northern Spy but maybe I was hoping for more? Still it was okay. I’m very glad to have the Test over with it … I had it hanging over me for a year – I never knew when immigration would contact me to take it. It took quite a bit of time studying etc! Hope you are having a great week.
It’s a relief to receive that second vaccine, isn’t it! Congratulations on moving forward on dual citizenship, Susan!
Thanks so much Jen. Both the vaccine & citizenship test were big milestones to get past so I’m very relieved & pleased! Here’s to another week ….
Congratulations on the citizenship test! It really is a huge relief to have it done with, right?
My summer has been extremely busy so far. So my reading has gone nowhere. I wish I could say fun and wanting to do summery things is the cause of my life getting busy but it’s sadly work and some change in my role. So while that’s exciting, I also need to intentionally carve out fun time.
Those are some good sounding books but you are right – I have heard mixed reviews of some of them. I’d still like to give The Other Black Girl a try.
Thanks Athira — yeah the citizenship test was a Huge relief! yay! Did you have to do it too? It’s been a busy June & now there’s been a week of a heat wave which has been strange & painful (without air con). So we are waiting for it to break here. Hope your week is good …. my reading too has taken a back seat.
Congratulations on getting the 2nd dose of the vaccine and passing the citizenship test! That picture of Banff is fantastic! If I ever get to travel extensively, which I doubt, Banff is in my bucket list. 🙂 I noticed you hadn’t posted a June preview of upcoming releases, instead opting for publishing your summer reading list. It’s good to shake things up once in a while. 😛 I’m reading about a book a month this year, but three so far have been close to 600 pages. I’m amidst reading The President’s Daughter by Bill Clinton and James Patterson, and while I think it’s very good (4*), I don’t think it’s as gripping as most readers claim it to be. Before that book, I attempted reading Malibu Rising and The Shape of Darkness, both of which were released this June, but I guess I wasn’t in the right frame of mind for either. In the next month or so, I may attempt to read China by Edward Rutherfurd, which was also released earlier this year, and since I’m sort of on a roll with heavy tomes… 😛
Hey Carmen!! Always great to hear from you. Whenever you come to the Canadian Rockies (Banff, for your bucket list), try to come a bit in off-season … as July & August can be tourist swamped. So Sept or June might be best. Just my tip, ha! It seems you are reading some Long books … and the China novel does look good. I’m starting to wonder if the McLain book & Malibu Rising will be me (from your feedback) but I guess I will try them & move on if not. I’ve been too busy for much summer reading so far. & Good to hear about the Clinton/Patterson book … that seems like a good summer one. Keep me informed on your reads & movies. We finally watched Minari and The Last Vermeer … and Radioactive. … while also doing Ken Burns’s Roosevelts. Cheers.
Thanks for the travel tips; I’ll keep them in mind. The McLain book is very good, very readable but a slow burn. I told you I’m having luck with long tomes since last year. Not blogging may be helping to that end because I used to avoid long books trying to post often. China is calling my name 😛 ; not in July though, I’ll be busy with the newest Silva release. I’m still trying to juggle some movies from last year with this year’s bundle; last year was such an incredible one for small but powerful films! I have seen a whopping 145 productions from last year–counting documentaries, shorts, and concert specials; this year is already 75 and counting… I rented the Vermeer movie two or three times but failed to watch it. I’ll see it on Starz now since it’s available. I haven’t watched Radioactive either. I saw Malcolm and Marie (Netflix) two days ago and was impressed with the powerful performances of Zendaya and David Washington Jr.
Carmen: You’ve seen a lot of movies! We no longer get Netflix but still get Prime. I hope you like the China book. Let me know later. So much to read … I’m falling behind a little bit. Enjoy your 4th!
Dual citizenship will be amazing! Wish I could get that…Summer is definitely picking up speed in our house. 4th on Sunday, then a few family from out of state or going to stop by for a few days, a weekend in the mountains! It starts to add up.
The retelling of The Great Gatsby is on my list! I hope you stay cool this week!
Hey Heather. thanks. if I get the citizenship it will be great. It’s been stifling … up here. The week-long heat wave has got us in its grips – been about 97 degrees everyday … which is very strange for here, and like many, we don’t have air-con. Gulp. but our fans are going nonstop. Have you also been sweltering? It might break by the weekend. Enjoy your company for the 4th!! Can you believe we’re at July 4 already?!?
Yes, it feels like summer is in full swing, which is reflected in my non-existent reading! I was just thinking about my monthly summary for June and for the first time in over a year, it will be VERY brief. 😉 Last month, I barely finished two books and this month will be a whopping zero! I knew I would read a lot while traveling, but this is a little ridiculous. We are in our final week of travel and with the extreme temps in Northern California, we are more than ready to return to cooler temps on the Oregon coast. I just read that a part of B.C. may hit 120 degrees. Are you anywhere near Lytton? I’ve forgotten which province you live in. {Ah. Just read through the comments and see that you’re in Alberta. I knew that!}
Becoming Mrs. Lewis sounds like it has potential, although I haven’t read much by C.S. Lewis. Like you, I read A Grief Observed (after the loss of our eldest daughter many years ago) and I’ve meant to read more by him, but never have. Callahan’s novel sounds like it would be a good audiobook, so I’ll add it to my list.
Hooray for your second shot and for passing your citizenship test! I have dual citizenship, too. Born in Ottawa to a Canadian father and an American mother, but I have never tried to get a passport in Canada, so I’m not sure how “dual” I really am. I sure hope the border opens next year. We talking about an RV trip (with friends) to Alaska.
Take care, Susan. Thanks for the update and the photo of that stunning lake!
Thanks Lesley. Great to hear from you. It’s good you are rolling with the RV home. It’s scorching in Alberta, 97 degrees for 7 days without air-con, ouch! I heard BC is worse, 112 to 120!! We have our fans blazing & are looking for this heat wave to break. You’ll be pleased to get back to your coastal home!
& It’s so cool you were born in Ottawa. You should investigate getting a passport. How long did you live in Canada? I’m assuming you moved away pretty soon. And I’m so sorry about your loss. I didn’t realize that had happened. I recall CS Lewis’s book being helpful at the time. The love story he shared late in his life with Joy Davidman was interesting & good, though sad. They finally found each other etc. & then she got sick but at least they shared several good years together, it seems. The book leaves no stone unturned. ha. so I must move on. But like you my reading has been pretty non-existent. It’s Too busy in summer!! Don’t worry about it … just enjoy your travels. talk later.
We moved to Northern California (from Valleyview, Alberta) before I started school. I think it was 1966.
Thanks for your kind words about our loss. Rachel was 24 and had just graduated from Old Dominion University when she was killed in 2005. I’ve posted a few blog posts about her over the years, which you can find here.
Oh Lesley I’m so sorry – my heart goes out to you & Rod. I had no idea about this but it completely knocked the wind out of me. Such a beautiful smile & girl. What is wrong with people. I don’t understand it. Just senseless. It sent water into my eyes. I’m so sorry you went through this. I’m glad we’ve become friends thru blogs … know you two are in my thoughts. … always send you kind blessings to your special cove & RV trips …. it really saddens me this happened.
Thank you for all your kind words, Susan. I just received your email and will respond in the coming days. We are still on the road, but will be home next week. xoxo
That’s good. I hope you enjoy the end of your road trip. & take lots of pictures.
Congrats on both the vaccine and the citizenship test!
Malibu Rising is one of my book club’s July pick so I’ll be reading it here shortly. I’ve heard mixed reviews of The Other Black Girl but what I’ve heard intrigues me so I plan to read it anyway. I didn’t know The Henna Artist had a sequel coming! I actually just finished The Henna Artist which I picked up based on your review. I really liked it so thank you! I’ll have to read the sequel before I forget everything from the first book.
Thanks Rachel. Good to put behind me the Test & vaccine! A Great relief.
I know what you mean about the Henna Artist … I hope I don’t forget too much of it. The second book features Malik the boy … so we shall see what happens. You will likely get to the other two books before me …. so I will look to your reviews as to whether they are going to be good. thanks! I’ve got too much going on at the moment. Cheers.