Happy Labor Day weekend to everyone. Ugh, is it already the end of summer? I admit summer here was a bit of a bust this year as July and August were chock full of smoke and gray days from wildfires west of us, but now that September is here it’s turned beautiful and blue. So perhaps fall is the ticket. It’s cooled down in the mornings and there is already a bit of crispness in the air. We are headed to the mountains for a few days this week and will be loving the hikes and bike rides around Banff. It should be gorgeous.
How did everyone do on their summer reading lists? I finished 8 of 12 novels on my list, while also reading for PW and my book club. So I guess I did all right and still plan to get to the other books in time. But now it seems fall book lists are upon us. Fall reads usually go a bit deeper and longer than those frivolous summer beach reads, right? They tend to be more literary. We will see. I have not picked up a fall novel yet, but I’m on hold for many at the library. I wonder what will be the big fall novel this year? Will it be Amor Towles’s novel The Lincoln Highway (due out Oct. 5), or will it be one from September, or will it be something else? Hmm. I guess time will tell. And now I’ll leave you with a few reviews of what I finished lately.
Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy /Flatiron /272 pages /2021
Synopsis: This novel is what I would call a bit of an eco-thriller set in the Scottish Highlands … about Inti Flynn whose project with her team of wolf biologists is to reintroduce 14 wolves back into the wild there without upsetting the local sheep and landowners too much.
She lives with her twin sister Aggie who has gone through some type of trauma and has gone mute. While Inti has something called “mirror-touch synesthesia” in which she feels the pain of other people/animals when she sees them being afflicted. The plot involves a mystery when a local villager is killed and Inti is afraid the community will think the wolves did it, so she tries to solve it on her own. Meanwhile she gets involved with the chief of police in town.
My Thoughts: I liked various parts of the story — the idea of “re-wilding” to save areas of the world that have been affected by climate change and about the wolves themselves and their packs, which are stunning animals. The murder mystery parts too had its moments of drawing me in … as did the Scottish Highlands setting … though the plot is sort of entwined too with her sister’s trauma, which comes to light in due time. Towards the end it gets a bit crazy and there are some elements that seem to stretch one’s believability. Some of it seemed a bit over-the-top, like a thriller can get. I think I wanted less of that and more of a deeper burn of what comes to pass. Still it’s a fast read and it has an interesting subject matter in the wolves, I wasn’t as into the trauma angle in this one and I liked the author’s previous novel Migrations better.
When the Stars Go Dark by Paula McLain / Ballantine / 384 pages / 2021
I listened to this novel as an audiobook read by the talented Marin Ireland. The story has considerable talk of trauma in it and sex abuse to minors – so just a warning about that. It’s also a slow burn of a mystery (not a thriller) about a detective (Anna Hart), who after suffering a loss from a tragic accident, returns to her childhood town of Mendocino, Calif., to recuperate, and then happens to get involved in a missing girl case, teaming with her childhood friend Will, now the chief of police.
It’s set in 1993, around the time (the real) Polly Klaas went missing and that case runs parallel to their case of the missing Cameron Curtis, age 15. The narrative alternates between the missing girl case and the detective Anna’s past, growing up with her foster parents and things that happened with a missing friend Jenny.
I was a bit stunned by the amount of trauma in the novel, but I eventually persevered and it turned into a worthwhile mystery. I liked how the detective Anna is able to perceive people — witnesses and suspects — so well. She seems to have great intuition about their lives and intentions. As well as I liked how she gets a dog (Cricket) who is a great companion to her during the case along with Will. There’s a lot of talk in this book between the cops trying to figure out the clues and the case … so it is not a quick mystery. Some of it you could figure out — but still Paula McLain writes with some nice touches and observations, which made it a decent audio listen even though it doesn’t have a lot of plot twists.
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata / Grove Press / 176 pages / 2018
Keiko lives for her job at a convenience store in Toyko. She’s never felt “normal” or fit in exactly with society but has excelled on her shifts at the store. At age 36, after 18 years there, people around her worry she’ll never get married and get a “real” job. So she makes a sham arrangement with a former co-worker that appeases them and begins to look for another job … but it throws off her feeling of herself … and well-being… so she takes matter into her own hands.
I know this slim novel makes good points about spoofing societal norms … and gender roles, which I thought was good, but I couldn’t get overly excited about the story. Also her former co-worker, who Keiko gets together with, is quite harsh and repugnant in what he says to her … so giving him a platform or big role was tough. I also wondered if Keiko was on the autism spectrum, but that angle is not addressed by her family or those around her, which puzzled me a bit. Are we meant to wonder if she is, or is that not relevant?
That’s all for now. Have you read any of these? And if so, what did you think?
Glad the smoke is less up there right now and that you can get out and enjoy the outdoors a bit. Gorgeous photos!
The Wolves book looks pretty good. I’ve heard when the stars go out is really dark so I’m not sure if I’ll be up for that one right now. Great reviews as always!
Glad you had a great summer of reading! I look forward to your fall books! I’m planning on more horror and mysteries!
Thanks Heather. We should have a few great days in the mountains this week. Both Wolves and the Stars novel had a bit too much trauma for me. Now I need something happier! Your RIP reading list looked very good. Enjoy.
I still consider it summer until the 22nd. 🙂 Our summer was a bust, too. We had a lot of sunshine, but it never got very warm, although this weekend has been pretty nice and I ditched my sweatshirt while I was working in the yard. How fun for you to be so close to get out for hikes and bike rides around Banff. I hope the weather is lovely!
I did alright with my summer reading list (post to come soon!) and like you, finished 8 books and gave up on 6. That left 7 that I didn’t get to, but I’m looking forward to reading them later in the year.
Charlotte McConaghy’s latest novel isn’t calling to me, but I’m looking forward to Paula McLain’s, which I have on audio. Like you, I wasn’t overly thrilled with Convenience Store Woman. Here’s a snippet from my review: The dialogue was unrealistic and stilted and the premise of the story was unsettling and ridiculous. After a dozen or so pages, I grew bored and impatient to finish. Had it not been such a short book, I would have given up halfway through. (1/5 stars) I was definitely in the minority, but it sounds like you weren’t thrilled with it, either.
Have a lovely week, Susan!
Thanks Lesley. Yeah I had to force myself a bit to keep going on the Convenience Store Woman, though I’m glad I finished it even though I wasn’t a huge fan.
Perhaps be thankful your Cove didn’t get overheated or too smoky this summer … though more sun & warmth would’ve been nice I’m sure. Banff should be great this week. We deserve this, ha. Though I hope my husband doesn’t bike me into exhaustion. You did well on your summer list. I’m still working on mine … and seem in no hurry to pick up fall books. Enjoy your week.
I so wish we had a real autumn here in So Cal, but we don’t. It just seems to be hotter in September and October then November goes cooler. As you know, not cold, just cooler. I do miss the changing leaves and crisp air!
I haven’t read any of these three books and haven’t really moved on to “Fall” books yet (maybe because it still feels like summer), but I need to plan for some autumnal books for October.
Hi Helen: Yeah September is usually a real scorcher in SoCal. We plan another trip there around Thanksgiving … so hopefully it will cool off by then. I might not get to fall books till October either. Still working on a few summer ones. Enjoy your week.
I agree this was not the best of summers but, I am glad fall is in the wings – enjoying cooler nights already. I read 14 of my 20 summer books list so next year a less ambitious list perhaps LOL Now on to RIP. For fall books I’m looking forward to the new Amor Towles book. Also, Oh! William by Eliz Strout, The Stolen Hours, Allen Eskens and The Magician; Colm Toibin (I’m sure there are several others I’ve forgotten).
I read the Paula McLain book in a feeling down week and it was too dark for me to say I enjoyed it. I do want to try the new McConaghy book as I enjoyed Migrations. As for Convenience Store Woman, I loved it. Yes, I think she was likely on the spectrum . Her second book, Earthlings was also short and rather disturbing, but, thought it was good. In case you are curious, here’s a link to my Convenience Store review:https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/39829653-convenience-store-woman
Hope you have a good week.
Thanks Diane, I’m glad you reminded me of the Eliz Strout novel coming out. I hope that one is good; I liked her others. And I thought both the McConaghy book and McLain’s novel had a bit too much trauma for me. (I really liked Migrations.) So I guess I will take a break before getting to the Paper Palace … which I hear is more trauma. I’m done with that for awhile. Thx for the link to your review… I will look at it again. I think I got that book due to your review. Happy reading to you.
Hard to believe fall is here. It’s my favorite time of the year and I’ve missed it being in FL the last couple of years. We’ll hang around in NY a little longer this year and try to do all the “fall things” – apple picking, leaf peeping, a hike in the Adirondacks…
I think audio is definitely the way to go with Convenience Store Woman. The narration was fantastic! Not sure if I would have appreciated it in print. Maybe listen to the sample and see if the voice grabs you?
So many fall reads to look forward to! Amor Towles is near the top of the list, plus Elizabeth Strout, Ann Patchett, Colson Whitehead…
Hi JoAnn: thanks for pointing out the authors coming out with fall books. All look quite good. Though somehow I haven’t moved on to fall books just yet. Maybe I’m in denial of letting summer completely go. I’m glad you’ll be in NY a little while longer. Such a beautiful season to be there. I do think the audio version helped Convenience Store Woman … the narrator seemed to get the character. I listened to it … which I should have noted somewhere. She did a good job with the telling of it. Have a great week.
I don’t really do lists but I have had a good summer of reading and am far ahead of my goal for the year. Two that I read this summer were the McConaghy and McLain books, both of which I enjoyed though maybe not as much as I had anticipated. I have Convenience Store Woman in my reading queue but I have to work myself up to reading it. Her book, Earthlings, was a challenging read for me.
Hi Dorothy, I guess all three of these novels might not have been as enjoyable as I was hoping. The McConaghy and McLain books were all right but much trauma and the Convenience Store Woman I had to push myself a bit to keep going. Migrations was so strong … but perhaps McConaghy was trying to do too many elements in this novel. Hmm. I was glad to hear your thoughts on these. Cheers.
Definitely still feels like summer here with highs in the upper nineties every day still. And that means the Gulf waters are warm and any little depression can turn into a major hurricane, so I’m really looking forward to Fall weather.
I enjoyed Convenience Story Woman for the most part, and I assumed she was somewhere on the spectrum, but the next novel of Murata’s was so horrifying and disturbing that I doubt I’ll be reading her again. “Repulsive” may be a better word to describe it, actually.
Hi Sam, good to know about Murata’s next book … I will skip. It took me a bit of pushing to keep with this one. I guess we’ll get glimpses of summer through Oct. It seems very hot where you are … I’m not sure what state you are in. I hope there are no more big hurricanes. Ugh so much destruction, especially with Ida. take care there.
Thanks for visiting and commenting on my last blog post. 🙂
I’ve been curious with “When the Stars Go Dark” so I’m glad to hear your thoughts about it. “Convenience Store Woman” sounds interesting too so I may want to check it out.
Hi Melody, yeah the McLain novel was quite “dark.” I wonder a bit if she will write another novel with this detective Anna Hart. The character is quite perceptive and that was interesting. Thx for stopping by. & happy reading & September to you.
I never plan reading specifically for summer, though I make a list at the start of the year, which shapeshifts a lot before year’s end. I think we are on the same page with McLain’s novel. I told you it was dark and a very slow burn. Once There Were Wolves has been on my radar, I guess because of the atmospheric cover because I didn’t have an idea what it was about. I’m not ready for more trauma in my reading. Still reading Cuckoo Land, which has slowed down a bit, or maybe it’s me that I’m tired lately.
Hi Carmen, thanks for the word. Yeah I agree … I need a break from trauma too … both McLain and McConaghy were trauma plots … and I had once considered The Paper Palace but I hear that one is trauma too … so I will skip for the time being. I will wait to hear what you think of Cuckoo Land. Right now I’ve just started The Plot … and hope it moves quickly. The McLain novel seemed to have a few pluses & minuses about it … though I sort of liked the detective Anna Hart and wonder if she’ll be back. Enjoy your September.
I enjoyed reading your thoughts on Convenience Store Woman. I actually wondered the same about whether Keiko was maybe on the spectrum but it never is mentioned in the book or in interviews with the author. I took it to mean that it was up to us what we wanted to make of it. But the more I thought of it, I accepted that it didn’t matter. When I know of a label, I may have responded differently, but not knowing it meant I assume that the person may need help but not really judge the person differently. I don’t think I am making sense. It just felt good to read about a neurodivergent character without having to explain the character’s neurodivergence. That said, I didn’t love the book either – it didn’t seem to have much going on.
It’s getting cooler here as well. I feel like Summer just flew by and I completely missed it.
Hi Athira … I appreciate your thoughts about the Convenience Store Woman. It’s a bit of an odd novel … but I liked how it spoofed expectations etc. Still there wasn’t a lot going on – as you said – so I had to push myself to continue with it. The whole spectrum issue perhaps doesn’t matter, though kept me wondering. Have a great week.
It’s actually gotten a little cooler here over the last couple of days. I hope fall is coming. It has been such a long tedious summer.
I decided to pass on Once There Were Wolves for now. I just can’t seem to get into it. That’s been a problem for me lately. But I’d rather find something that clicks with me rather than forcing myself to read on.
I have high hopes for the new Amor Towles book. I’m also looking forward to the new Ruth Ozeki book and the Anthony Doerr book.
Hi Deb, yes I’m looking forward to Towles’s new novel too. I enjoyed Ruth Ozeki’s last novel so I might check it out though it sounds a bit different and is 560 pages long. Hmm. We will see.
I hope fall gets to you there. I think it’s okay to wait on the Wolves novel — parts of it I liked and other parts not as much. I’m on the wait list for the Lauren Groff novel. I’d like to hear her talk with Inprint though we are planning to be at a cabin in the woods then – so don’t think we will have reception. Enjoy your week.
I enjoyed When the Stars Go Dark but it WAS quite dark. It was like book 3 in a series of books that happened to include sexual abuse in some way so I was wanting to be done with the trauma but I thought the story unfolded quite nicely.
It is starting to feel like fall here. A little cool in the morning and getting dark sooner.
Hi Ti — glad it’s an ounce cooler there. I know Redlands got a thunderstorm and actually got a little rain?! The Stars Go Dark was a bit too much trauma …. but somehow I made it through. Detective Anna Hart was interesting enough. Hope all is well with your daughter and that she is not sick any longer. Have a good weekend.
The girls seem were ready for walks and they are beautiful. Hope covid will be vanished soon. Have a safe trip to South Ca.
Thanks much babypose. I guess you meant this comment for my Nov. 14 post. Not sure how it got here, but I appreciate what you said & thanks for stopping by.