What Shannon Read: January/February 2024

I read 21 books in January and February and 12 of them were Jennifer Weiner books. As I was off work and feeling low, I needed easy-to-read comfort fiction in January and so took great comfort in my Jennifer Weiner deep dive. I read a book every two days for a while, sometimes one per day.

The only books that brought me out of my little tailspin were some very good historical fiction novels. I also read some speculative fiction for my book club and one good mystery/thriller that I found recommended on Tiktok (“booktok” is a super handy place to get recommendations).

Here’s a wrap-up.

Some notes:

Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson

Rich people. They have feelings too. I usually have trouble caring about them, but I somehow got sucked into this story anyway.

It is the story of three sisters and their families, a clan of one-percenters living in Manhattan. Each sister has chosen a different path in life and the book examines their choices while illuminating differences between the haves and have-nots in society.

The book is well-written and the story is self-aware, which made reading about rich people interesting rather than just tolerable.

Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel

I love Emily St. John Mandel’s writing. This is the second book of her speculative fiction I’ve read, the first being Station Eleven.

It’s essentially a story of time travel and the fascinating ways in which humans try to regulate this new ability to move between timelines. All through the eyes of compelling characters with their own lives and challenges. Eventually, and very satisfyingly, these lives converge. Highly recommend.

The Queen’s Fortune by Allison Pataki

This was a fun dip into the French revolutionary era. It is the story of Desiree Clary, who, as a young woman, falls in love with Napolean Bonaparte. She is courted by him for a couple of years and, in the meantime, her sister marries Napolean’s brother. Much drama ensues, especially once Bonaparte’s military campaigns gather steam.

I enjoyed the characters and Allison Pataki’s ability to bring the world of revolutionary France to life.

The School of Mirrors by Eva Stachniak

Speaking of France, I was also fascinated by The School of Mirrors. This is the story of Veronique, a teenager living in poverty near Versailles. When she is discovered by a scout, Veronique is whisked off to a secret villa in Versailles and becomes part of an operation overseen by Madame Pompadour, the famous mistrees of King Louis XV.

Told they are to serve the needs of a Polish count related to the queen, the girls at the villa have no idea that they are actually serving the king. There is much intrigue in the house, especially when Veronique becomes one of the king’s favorites.

I won’t give away the entire plot, but suffice to say, it’s juicy, tragic, and, in the end, hopeful.

Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell

I don’t know why I avoided this novel for so long. It’s the little-known story behind the genesis of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. O’Farrel’s writing is incomparable and I can’t sing the praises of this novel highly enough. Here’s a synopsis if you’re interested.

The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell

Another stunning historical fiction novel from O’Farrell. I’m obsessed with this book! I don’t know much about Rennaisance Italy and it was a joy to be taken there by O’Farrell through her main character Lucrezia, the third daughter of a duke who must marry her dead sister’s betrothed.

What follows is a game of cat and mouse between husband and wife, danger and suspicion present in every interaction. It was sad and wonderful and it sucked me right into the story of Lucrezia’s life.

And very quickly:

I thought City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert was excellent on setting, but I found it slightly boring. Not sure why, honestly.
What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall was a fun and twisty small-town mystery/thriller. Definitely recommend it.
My favorite books in the Jennifer Weiner deep-dive were The Breakaway and Mrs. Everything (the lone historical fiction novel because of course).

If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading! I head back to work in March, so it should be a slower reading month and easier for me to keep up with the blogging.

I now leave you with a cute picture of Artemis.

Happy Reading!

What Shannon Read, What We Read: Monthly Recap

Annual Reading Wrap-up: 2023

Happy New Year! I bet that, as the clock struck midnight, you were thinking to yourself, well, now that the year is over, I’d better check in with Shannon to see how many books she read in 2023.

And you’re in luck! After drunkenly swigging champagne at midnight, and ok, a recovery day in between, I have put together a post of nerdy book stats. What a way to start the year! Let’s go.

Reading Wrap-up with Nerdy Book Stats

Total books read: 63 (Wildly, that’s 44 fewer books than last year.)
Fiction: 44
Nonfiction: 19
Female authors: 47
Male Authors: 16
Nonbinary: 0 (I have a poor track record here.)
Non-white authors: 5 (Yikes. Will do better in 2024.)
E-books: 22
Audiobooks: 35 (These numbers won’t add up to the total because I sometimes switched from ebook to audiobook and back, etc.)
Re-reads: 12

Most-Read Genres

No real surprises here, to be honest.

Historical Fiction: 14 Books

I completed all 12 books for the When Are You Reading Challenge?, which I mostly finished early in the year. It was so fun picking out a book for each category.

Despite being historical-reading-based, I found that the challenge actually encouraged me to get out of my comfort zone and read more widely. If Sam hosts it again this year, I’m in.

These are some of my favorites from the year:

Memoir/Autobiography: 9 Books

Some of my favorites:

Litearary Fiction

I read very few other genres this year and mostly stuck to literary fiction. Again, some of my faves:

Nature/Outdoors/Gardening: 12

I also read heavily in this category where I’ve lumped all outdoorsy topics together. Some of these also fell into memoir and literary fiction.

I particularly enjoyed these:

New Year, New Books

My reading goals for the year include:

1- Join the When Are You Reading? Challenge if it’s hosted again.
2- Reading more diversely, with a focus on books by Black authors. I’m aiming to read at least 20.
3- I’ve set my Goodreads challenge goal at 52 books for the year. Totally attainable based on years past. But, honestly, I don’t care too much about this goal. It doesn’t matter to me whether I read 20 books or 100 in a year. The point is to enjoy and to learn from what I’m reading.

Got any reading goals for the year? I’d love to hear them!

Thanks for stopping by.

What Shannon Read, What We Read: Monthly Recap

What Shannon Read: November 2023

Welcome back!

Did you have a good Thanksgiving? I did and now I’m in full Christmas mode.

But I want to show you this amazing glass turkey I received from my mom as a birthday present. I also turned 43 this month.

**HEART EYES**

And here is a book post in which I use the word “trope” far too many times to see if I can annoy you into never reading my blog again, apparently. Sorry about that.

Let’s get into it!

What Shannon Read in November

I read seven books in November, including one re-read of The Little Stranger.

Some Notes:

The Stillwater Girls by Minka Kent

This is a gritty mystery about three sisters who grew up isolated in the woods under the care of their loving(?) mother. When the youngest sister gets sick, the two oldest sisters are left alone for a very long time. Supplies dwindle and winter is coming.

This is one of those tropes I graviate towards—I’m into anything that gives off Room vibes.

It was decently-written, had interesting characters, and didn’t get too deep. Just what I was looking for in a weird isolated-girl-becomes-fish-out-of-water-in-society mystery. Which is a thing.

Hell House by Richard Matheson

Did you love The Haunting of Hill House? Can’t get enough of the paranormal-investigators-stay-overnight-in-a-haunted-house theme? Same, same.

That’s what this one is all about. A paranormal team thrown together by a rich old man investigates a house so haunted with 1920s torture vibes that no one dares to live there. Those that have tried have died.

There was more alluding to torture and depraved sexual themes than I care for, but the haunting was excellent. If you can get past some of that dark stuff, this was a good spooky fall read.

This House is Haunted by John Boyne

Speaking of spookiness, I re-read this one because it’s apparently one of my favorite haunted house books.

It features one of my very favorite tropes—historical fiction featuring a governess that takes a job caring for weird kids in a haunted house. (Definitely a thing in literature, I assure you.)

Love the main character. Love the haunting. Love the setting. Love the weird kids.

The haunting culminates in a battle between dark and light forces and things get, um, heated, in the end. It’s very Jane Eyre meets Rebecca. 🔥🔥🔥

Someone Else’s Bucket List by Amy T. Matthews

And now for something completely different: me crying amidst a pile of wadded up tissues.

Maybe it was the jolly cover and the quirky title that made me think this book was going to be more of a lighthearted romp than it was. There is definitely fun and humor, but this is the first book that has made me ugly cry since Lessons in Chemistry.

And, duh, of course it was a tearjerker. It’s about a young woman, Jodie, whose sister Bree, a social media influencer, dies of leukemia. In her last days, Bree contracts with an airline to sponsor Jodie as she completes Bree’s bucket list on her behalf.

Fun bucket list items include recreating the orgasm scene from When Harry Met Sally and flying over Antarctica on New Year’s Eve. Oh—and falling in love.

There is grief, romance, friendship, familial love, and much fun to be had in this one. So, categorically not a lighthearted romp. Be warned.

What the Nanny Saw by Fiona Neill

I know the title is cheesy and sensationalist, but hear me out. It’s about a nanny. So two nanny books in one month for me. I can’t get enough.

This nanny is living in 2008 London, where she’s taken a job with an extremely rich family with four children—two teenagers and eight-year-old twin boys.

The parents both work in high profile jobs in the finance industry and you can guess what happens right around 2008. Shit gets turned upsidedown, but that’s not the only drama in the book.

The story includes some of my favorite nanny tropes: oblivious parents, an overbearing type-A mother, weird semi-spooky kids (the twins), sexually-tinged encounters with the dad, the nanny becoming embroiled in the family drama, and an…*inappropriate* relationship with the teenage boy of the household.

I ate it up and was sad when it was over.

The Woman in Me by Britney Spears

Oh baby, baby…..You bet I read this memoir by Queen Britney. In fact, my whole book club read it as a sort of palate cleanser after The Parable of the Sower. Reading whiplash for us.

First, the writing is obviously helped along by a ghostwriter or team of ghostwriters. It is like that of a remarkably capable teenager, which is to say, straightforward, unaffected, and peppered with profanity. This is not a criticism.

It would read like a college application essay if it weren’t about how a woman was sexualized from a young age, stalked by the media, and turned by her parents into a sexy, dancing, singing monkey-robot.

It’s lonely at the top—especially when your dad imprisons you in body, mind, and soul for years while you slowly lose your personhood and will to live.

This was dark, yo.

But I loved that the book clearly captured Britney’s voice and how that voice, still so pleading and young-sounding, continually asserts her womanhood. Brings that whole “not yet a girl, not yet a woman” thing to the fore and ties the whole book together in an overarching theme.

Bet you didn’t think I had that many deep thoughts about Britney. 😉

The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters

It’s giving Nick Carraway falls in love with Daisy and also Daisy is not very pretty and also her house is haunted. You know, those vibes.

This is about a doctor in a post-WWII English villiage who forms an attachment to the noble family of the area. The family’s estate has fallen into disrepair and soon odd things begin happening around the house. Objects go missing, weird noises are heard, the older sibling succumbs to madness. The usual.

I love the setting of this book. Give me a falling-down mansion full of ghosts and I’m happy. Sarah Waters’ incredible writing is just icing on the cake.

I shouldn’t say that. I adore Sarah Waters and am now re-reading The Paying Guests. I also decided to dive into one I haven’t read before, Affinity. Will keep you posted.

That’s it for November! Thanks for stopping by.

What Shannon Read, What We Read: Monthly Recap

What Shannon Read: October 2023

Hey, hi, how’s it going? We had a great October and in looking back in my phone photos, I realize it was kind of a whirlwind.

We celebrated my son’s and soon-to-be daughter-in law’s birthdays as well as my niece’s birthday. I hosted a sleepover party for one of my best friends. We carved pumpkins and we hosted our regular crew for Halloween night. All in all, the social scene was jammin’.

Here’s a pic of the crew that went to see the Eras movie together. Special thanks to my amazing sister-in-law who treated!

And the hits keep comin’ with Thanksgiving just around the corner, my birthday party coming up, and Christmas not far behind. Phew.

I’m trying to remember to live it all in the moment, rather than always thinking ahead to the next event.

That’s the brief life update—now on to the books!

What Shannon Read in October

I read six books in October, but Goodreads says I’m six books behind on achieving my reading goal for the year (which is 75 books). I have decided I do not care and will be reading only as many books as I please. 🙂

Here are some notes:

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

This is a modern classic I’ve been meaning to read, so when my newly formed book club chose it for this month, I dug right in.

In a few words, I’d describe it as engrossing, disturbing, and, OK, moderately hopeful in the end. All in all, this is a classic for a reason. The writing surpassed that of all the books I read this month and the story ripped my heart out and handed it back to me on a post-apocalyptic platter.

Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll

A serial killer strikes a sorority house in 1970s Tallahassee. Bet you can guess what this one is based on.

Great writing and the story was gory and troubling, as one might expect. But it’s grounded and not sensationalist, which I appreciated. It came across as literary fiction rather than murder porn. Knoll is awesome at creating 70s vibes.

Trouble: A Midlife Reckoning by Claire Dederer

There is a dearth of good memoirs about midlife out there, so I, approaching midlife, read all I can get my hands on. I started my midlife crisis early because I’m a go-getter.

In this memoir, an intelligent woman runs out of energy at midlife and is also exceedingly horny.

I sympathize with the way Dederer compares the midlife experience developmentally to that of a teenager. It’s a thought I’ve had more than once myself. Both teenage girls and midlife women go through a lot of similar stuff—figuring out who you are at a crossroad in life while dealing with physical, emotional, and mental changes that offer both limits and opportunities.

I liked that this memoir just laid out Dederer’s experiences without offering a real resolution to the whole midlife crisis thing. She doesn’t claim to have answers, just tells us how she’s coping. It’s very real in that way because, really, no one has a tidy resolution for the big feelings one deals with in this season of life.

The Girls by Emma Cline

I’m late to the party on this one. It came out to much acclaim several years ago. I was in the mood for some reading about cults, as one sometimes is, and this fit the bill. It’s the story of a young woman who falls in with what is essentially the harem of a minor 60s cult leader.

Excellent 60s vibes. I felt like I was reading in sepia. Weird thing to say, but you know what I mean?

Atomic Habits by James Clear

Cheesily titled self-help, but good science on habit formation and change. I liked the information, but I didn’t like Clear’s tone. He’s maybe a bit pompous? Or something. I just didn’t vibe with the voice at all.

Stone Cold Fox by Rachel Koller Croft

This was a super fun romp about a lady grifter, Bea, whose mother taught her how to be a con artist. She pretends to be someone she’s not and traps herself a rich man and marries him.

Meanwhile, she battles with a formidable nemesis, the man’s childhood best friend who is determined to expose and destroy our lady grifter.

I rooted for the con-woman protagonist the entire time and was pleasantly surprised by the wham-bang ending after which Bea very much deserves the description “stone cold fox.” Much fun was had by me.

That’s it for October! See you again at the end of November. 🙂

What Shannon Read, What We Read: Monthly Recap

What Shannon Read: September 2023

It’s been another busy month, in work, social activity, and reading too.

Most notably, we hit up a Notre Dame game–it was our nephew’s first! My mom and I visited my sister and brother-in-law in Indianapolis and spent a ton of time in their awesome pool. And then, Mom joined me for a work conference in D.C. and we had a blast.

Here’s the month in pictures from my phone. (6 is totally cropped off, but we were at the beloved Shake Shack. :))

Sorry to anyone reading this who knows I’m forgetting something. As I said, a busy month!

And now, the books!

What Shannon Read in September

I read five books in September, all new to me and no re-reads.

Some Notes:

My Husband by Maud Ventura

I found this one on TikTok, of course. An introspective novel, this is a French translation that centers on a woman who is obsessed with her husband and how much he does (or doesn’t) love her.

Literally obsessed. She keeps track of her every interaction with him, makes up little punishments for him when he’s inattentive (like hiding his keys or pretending not to hear him when he talks to her), and writes down every interpersonal issue in little notebooks she keeps around the house.

There is a chapter at the end written from the husband’s point-of-view and it’s a bit of a fun surprise ending. Really enjoyed this one.

Life Reimagined: The Science, Art, and Opportunity of Midlife by Barbara Bradley Hagerty

You may recognize the author of this one as it’s written by well-known NPR reporter Barbara Bradley Hagerty. As with most books about midlife (and I’m so glad there’s been a surge in these lately), the author herself hit midlife and began to have the typical doubts, concerns, misgivings, and questions that seem to come with this stage of life.

I loved the mix of memoir, storytelling, and scientific reporting in this one. Bradley Hagerty covers the gamut of relatable midlife topics, from brain health to marriage at midlife to friendship, money, health problems, and exercise.

I think my three biggest takeaways were: Keep your brain challenged to keep it healthy in later life, exercise as much as possible for both your brain and your body, and seek out what gives you a sense of purpose in life if you can. All lead to a more positive life experiece in middle age and beyond.

Now I just have to do them…

The Guest by Emma Cline

This was our first book club pick! My sister-in-law and two other friends and I started a book club in September and agreed to read this because two of us had already gotten it from the library.

The novel centers on a young woman staying with her older boyfriend in some place like the Hamptons. When she becomes a bit too dependent on him, he asks her to leave and she floats here and there, just trying to find shelter and food and avoid going back to the city, where there is an angry ex waiting for her.

This is the plot, but what I loved about this book was the languidness of the language, which contradicted with the stressful undercurrent, the constant underlying feeling that time was running out no matter where she landed.

The Copenhagen Affair by Amulya Malladi

I really have come across some great books on BookTok.

This one features main character Sanya, a successful middle-aged financial consultant and mother who has had something akin to a nervous breakdown.

To try to break her out of her broken down stupor, high-powered husband Harry decides they should move to Copenhagen where his company is about to buy another.

Sanya, who is breaking out of her people-pleasing era, switches up her identity after the big changes she’s gone through, flummoxing Harry and those who know her.

The novel is about marriage at this stage of life, about identity and how it can be changed or shaped once a past way of being no longer works, and, really, about finding a new way of being that includes something along the lines of happiness and purpose.

This novel asks a lot of good questions about life and it’s interesting to see how the characters answer them—or don’t.

Hey Hun: Sales, Sisterhood, Supremacy, and the Other Lies Behind Multilevel Marketing by Emily Lynn Paulson

Here’s another pet interest of mine—the damaging nature of MLMs. And that’s exactly what this book is about. The author tells her own story of being involved with an MLM, where she quickly rose to the top of the pyramid. The journey, among other ugly results, pushed her into alcoholism.

The author also gives a bit of a history of MLMs, discusses their place in society, and does a deep dive into how MLMs work.

I found the most interesting pieces to be Paulson’s own story and that of her friends in their particular MLM. And the books as a whole, of course, cemented my own reasoning for no longer giving my money to these organizations.

That’s it! I’m looking to take a turn for the spooky in October, so if you can recommend any ghost stories or gothic novels, I’d love to put a list together!

What Shannon Read, What We Read: Monthly Recap

What Shannon Read: August 2023

Are you nerdy enough to get “book anxiety” right before a trip? We went camping with the family crew on our weeklong vacation a couple weeks ago—and only camped for one night, mind you.

The night before, I suddenly got worried about having nothing to read at the campground, so I downloaded five Kindle books and brought a paperback with me. As you do.

Dear reader, I did not glance at my Kindle, nor turn a single page. I didn’t read at all. I was too busy hanging with the people I love, enjoying the beach and the campfire. It was bliss.

Below: A few of our crew in the water (possibly too tiny to see them), a grandson by the fire circle (unlit!), and the cooler bag I accidentally left out, which was hilariously ravaged by raccoons during the night. They unzipped the bag with their deft little fingers and ate six croissants and a Costco-sized tub of dip, among other goodies.

What a time.

Other than that, it’s been the usual late summer shenanigans: porch sitting (with cocktails), bars and restaurants with friends, and good family time. I lead a seriously charmed life, people.

I did also manage to read some books…..

What Shannon Read in August

I read six books in August, including three nonfiction and three fiction. One was a re-read.

Some Notes:

Splash: 10,000 Years of Swimming by Howard Means

I saw that Sam of Taking on a World of Words has been reading this book and was immediately intrigued. A history of swimming in stories, it covers instances of humans swimming, in oceans, rivers, lakes, and pools, from ancient history to the contemporary Olympics.

I thoroughly enjoyed each anecdote, especially the unusual feats made by famous swimmers, and the interesting tales of ancient swimmers in places like Greece and Persia.

Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica

Brain candy with a supposed-to-be-surprising-but-seemed-to-me-an-unrealistic-ending. I read the ending and went, “Oh, don’t be silly.” Still enjoyed the build up along the way though.

How Can I Help You by Laura Sims

Ok, this thriller was much better. I saw it on BookTok, where a Tokker advertised it as a slow burn and, once I learned it was set in a library, I had to pick it up.

It features one obsessive narrator with a secret identity and a dodgy past. Perfect fit for me. The second narrator is more neurotic and ends up being the hero of the story. I enjoyed reading it from the perspective of both.

I don’t want to spoil anything for you with a synopsis, so here’s the Goodreads overview, which is much more adept than anything I could think of to say about the book.

Hidden Pictures by Jason Rekulak

Another well-written thriller. I’m always on the hunt for these and was gratified to learn about Jason Rekulak. Here’s hoping he writes a few more in coming years.

This story features a nanny with a seedy past who moves in with a family that lives in a possibly haunted house (as you know, totally a favorite trope of mine).

There is a local legend that looms over the quiet, contemporary suburb in which they live. And the child for whom the woman nannies begins to draw pictures that become more and more disturbing.

Really enjoyed this one.

Great Catherine: The Life of Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia by Carrolly Erickson

I knew next to nothing about Catherine the Great, but she’s often mentioned in histories I’ve read about other monarchs and noble people of similar time periods (1762-1796). And, of course, her life and times were fascinating, as was her personality and character.

Her story, like those of many women who rose to such powerful positions throughout history, was both luminous and tragic at turns.

She lived the glamorous life of a noble, but had little autonomy or power over her own life in the early goings. She was beaten, had affairs, was highly educated, and was both loved and hated by various noble factions.

On two instances of her having given birth, her babies were taken from her to be raised by the dowager empress while Catherine languished in post-childbirth pain. Attended by only one noblewoman, sick and without comforts, Catherine wasn’t even allowed to see the babies she’d just birthed.

And, yet, she also managed a coup that overthrew her own husband, Peter III, which brought her to power. Badass.

Quite a story and I really enjoyed Carrolly Erickson’s writing.

Desert Solitaire: A Season in the Wilderness by Edward Abbey

Edward Abbey, what a dude.

I picked this up for a second time because I felt like I didn’t really give it a fair shake the first time I read it several years ago. At that time, it seemed too dense, too meditative, too plodding.

But I needed some nature writing in my life and Abbey’s season as a ranger at Arches National Park outside Moab, Utah seemed just the ticket somehow.

And I loved it. I loved hearing (via audiobook) about the vast desert landscapes, the plants, the terrain, and the animals. I laughed at Abbey’s derisive portrayals of needy tourists, even as he admits to the necessity of having park visitors, whose trampings help pay to preserve the landscapes he adores.

While obviously dated in many ways, this is a classic of nature writing and I highly recommend it.

That’s it for August! On tap for September are more thrillers and I’ve got some good nonfiction lined up.

I’m sure I’ll also be getting into the coming fall vibes as the weather changes and will be looking for fall-ish books. Let me know if you have any recommendations!

Here’s what I’m reading now.

Bye-bye for now!

What Shannon Read, What We Read: Monthly Recap

What Shannon Read: July 2023

And then it was August. Not quite sure how that happened but here we are.

We continue to make good use of the porch this season. My plants are growing out of control as they should in high summer.

Lots of drinks and food and games of Pétanque have taken place this summer. It’s been a whirlwind and I’ve had something to look forward to every week, from a D&D campaign to a full-on Barbie party this past weekend to simple, casual hangouts at someone’s house. Who could ask for more?

All this activity didn’t leave much time for reading, so I only read two books in July. Here they are!

What Shannon Read in July

Some Notes:

My Family and Other Animals by Gerald Durrell

I first saw this book when The Durrells in Corfu aired on PBS while I was employed at the local library. The book was everywhere. It’s a short memoir detailing this quirky family’s move from England to the Greek island of Corfu. It’s fairly short and there are two sequels.

I was reminded of it by Audible and chose to listen to the audiobook, which is narrated by Hugh Bonneville of Downton Abbey fame. He is a superb reader and I thoroughly enjoyed his engaging style.

The story is both heartwarming and funny, filled with the antics of all the family members and some great dialogue. Also, if you’ve seen the show, you know the setting is beautiful. That really comes across in the book. I’ll definitely be picking up the next two.

The Secrets of Hartwood Hall by Katie Lumsden

You know if there are a governess and a mansion in a book, I’m giving it a try. This book was suggested to me on Goodreads because of my love for Jane Eyre and the whole governess-in-a-spooky-mansion trope. And it was good fun.

Set in 1852, the story centers on Margaret Lennox, a widow who takes a position as governess in spooky Hartwood Hall. The house is your typical forbidding mansion which, Margaret discovers, holds some secrets. Since Margaret has her own secrets, the story builds to an illuminating peak. We meet some interesting characters along the way, including servants who have their secrets too. There may or may not also be a ghost.

Overall, a great fun read for gothic novel lovers.

Since I didn’t have much to report this month, I’ll show you what I’m reading now.

What are you reading? Got any contemporary gothic novel recomendations for me?

Have a good August!

What Shannon Read, What We Read: Monthly Recap

What Shannon Read: June 2023

We’re in the last half of July, so I figure it’s time for me to post about June…What a fun and busy summer it’s been! Full of summer parties and gardening and lots of time on the porch.

Here are my butterfly weed and gaura ‘Whirling Butterflies’ in June. They’ve both spread and grown by miles since then.

I haven’t taken many pictures of the porch gatherings and parties we’ve had so far, so I have no friendly faces to show you. Must remember to do that.

Enough prattling—on to the books!

What Shannon Read in June

I read four books in June, including two memoirs, two works of fiction, and a re-read.

Some Notes:

Jog On: How Running Saved by Life by Bella Mackie

This was my re-read and I listened to the audiobook, read by the author, while running.

I started the None to Run program, which is an app that guides you through your runs. It’s like the better-known Couch to 5K app, but it starts out a bit slower, which I like.

The book is a favorite running memoir of mine. Mackie talks about her journey as a runner while reflecting on the changes in her life, most prominently the break-up of her marriage.

I find the book insightful, encouraging, and a definitely a good companion while on my own running journey.

The Lost Wife by Susanna Moore

I’m always on the lookout for well-written historical fiction and this fit the bill. It’s in the sub-genre of early American fiction and centers on interactions between white settlers and Native Americans in 1855 Minnesota.

The Goodreads brief:

“In the summer of 1855, Sarah Brinton abandons her husband and child to make the long and difficult journey to Minnesota, where she will meet a childhood friend. Arriving at a small frontier post on the edge of the prairie, she discovers that her friend has died of cholera. Without work or money or friends, she quickly finds a husband who will become the resident physician at an Indian agency on the Yellow Medicine River. “

Here’s the full Goodreads synopsis if you’re interested.

I thought the writing was solid, the story compelling, and the perspective of the story, while written from a white person’s point-of-view, fair to the Native American characters. That’s something I always look for in a book like this.

Overall worth a read if you like to read about this time period.

Society of Shame by Jane Roper

I like reading fictional books that feature social media and its effects on people’s lives.

From Goodreads:

“Kathleen Held’s life is turned upside down when she arrives home to find her house on fire and her husband on the front lawn in his underwear. But the scandal that emerges is not that Bill, who’s running for Senate, is having a painfully clichéd affair with one of his young staffers: it’s that the eyewitness photographing the scene accidentally captures a period stain on the back of Kathleen’s pants.“

I don’t want to give away much of the plot, but will say that the stain on Kathleen’s pants leads to most of the drama in the story, including the beginning of a social movement and an invitation to a secret society.

It’s a fun book to read because of those elements and I enjoyed the more serious treatment of Kathleen’s relationship with her daughter.

Red Sauce Brown Sauce: A British Breakfast Oddessy by Felicity Cloake

I really enjoyed Felicity Cloake’s first memoir One More Croissant for the Road, in which she writes of her travels around France by bicycle. So I picked up this next memoir, in which she cycles around England seeking out the perfect breakfast—and the right accompanying sauces.

Apparently choosing between ketchup and brown sauce is a thing in England—I really knew nothing about it.

I really liked reading about Cloake’s cycling, travelling, and eating and will continue to read whatever she writes because she is such a real and affable writer.

While you’re here, do you have any food-related travel memoirs to recommend? Do tell!

That’s it for this month! See you in August!

What Shannon Read, What We Read: Monthly Recap

What Shannon Read: May 2023

Happy June! It’s one of my favorite months of the year because it means sunshine, flowers, and lots of porch time.

I like to take a vodka/soda out on the porch in the evenings and sit there like an old lady surveying my tiny kingdom. Sometimes I take a book, but mostly I sit there and space out, enjoying the birdsong and greeting passers-by.

Highly recommend this method of relaxation if you have a porch/patio/deck.

Here is my favorite flower that is currently blooming in my garden: coreopsis ‘nana’, aka “tickseed.”

My phone camera is awful, sorry.

And, one more—some free marigolds I obtained with purchase at an antique mall over the weekend.

I guess I’m into yellow right now.

Anyway, let’s get to the May books!

What Shannon Read in May

I read four books in May and the themes and settings varied widely.

Some Notes:

Rules of Civility

This was a re-read for me. I read it when it first came out and loved it. And earlier this month, I was in the mood for some fiction that I knew would draw me in. Also, I wanted glamor. I definitely got it with Rules of Civility.

Set in 1930s Manhattan, this is the story of Katey Kontent (what a great name), who, along with her good friend and roommate Eve, meets young and handsome banker Tinker Gray at a jazz bar on New Year’s Eve.

The three form a fast friendship until tragedy strikes. I won’t give the big event away, but suffice it to say that the incident changes everything in the threesome’s relationship.

The novel is an exploration of these relationships as well as the story of a pretty uniquely confident woman navigating the worlds of friendship, dating, and work, among other arenas. I loved the character of Katey and enjoyed seeing what she would get up to next—and how she would handle what came her way.

The setting of 1930s New York was super fun too.

Into the Wilderness

This had been on my TBR for a while and I finally got around to it. It’s a good option if you’re interested in some late 18th-century American history set in the west. I’m just going to say I truly enjoyed it and leave the Goodreads synopsis right here:

It is December of 1792. Elizabeth Middleton leaves her comfortable English estate to join her family in a remote New York mountain village. It is a place unlike any she has ever experienced. And she meets a man unlike any she has ever encountered – a white man dressed like a Native American, Nathanial Booner, known to the Mohawk people as Between-Two-Lives. Determined to provide schooling for all the children of the village, she soon finds herself locked in conflict with the local slave owners as well as her own family.
Interweaving the fate of the Mohawk Nation with the destiny of two lovers, Sara Donati’s compelling novel creates a complex, profound, passionate portrait of an emerging America.

How to Sell a Haunted House

I definitely thought this was going to be a ghosty book—I love ghosty books. But, to my surprise, there weren’t any ghosts haunting this house. I don’t want to give anything away, so I’ll just say there are some creepy dolls involved.

I know. I didn’t think I would like it either. But the writing was so good and the main character so relatable that I got sucked into the story.

Essentially, a woman’s parents die in a car accident and she returns home to work out the cleaning and selling of their house along with her estranged brother. Ok, tragic, but fairly relatable, right?

The creep factor enters as we learn more about the history of the family. The mother was a passionate puppeteer and the house is filled with her handmade puppets and dolls. As the story progresses, we learn just how “involved” these puppets and dolls were in the life of the family. Weirdly involved. And one in particular stole the spotlight.

It sounds so cheesy, but I really enjoyed the romp.

An Immense World

Finally, I read An Immense World, which is generally about the senses (smell, touch, hearing, balance, echo-location) that animals use to navigate the world.

This was a fascinating look into what it’s like to be some of the animals—as far as a human can tell—using one’s senses, so different from a human’s, to find food, shelter, and maintain relationships.

And that’s it for May!

I am so close to finishing the When Are You Reading? Challenge, but I can’t seem to land on a book set in the 1910s that interests me at all. I’ve been through so many. Let me know if you have any recommendations!

Happy June!

What Shannon Read, What We Read: Monthly Recap

What Shannon Read: April 2023

Happy May!

April was a bit of a time. We had some warm weather, some awfully cold weather, some flowers, and I was off of work the whole month, which gave me a welcome breather from the frenetic pace there.

Here are some of the tulips on our little plot. They give me hope that warmer days are just around the corner.

Most recently, we celebrated our grandon Ames’ first birthday! What a little king. I can hardly believe he’s a year old now!

That’s it from the homefront. On to April’s books!

What Shannon Read in April

I read seven books in April and went on a bit of an Elizabeth von Arnim bender. I love reading her books in the spring.

Some Notes:

The Enchanted April, Father, Vera, and Love:

I think von Arnim must be one of my favorite authors. Every spring, I come back to reading The Enchanted April, Elizabeth and Her German Garden (read last month), and Love.

I did re-read and enjoy those this year, but I then realized how large her catalog is and delved in head first. I liked Father the best and Vera was good, but not my favorite.

I then saw that von Arnim’s collected works were available for a pittance via Kindle, so I’ll be reading more of her in May.

Aside from the writing and good stories, one reason I love von Arnim’s books so much is that she focuses on women and their roles in relationships and society, especially when those roles are unexpected and fly against the sort of standard patriarchal assignations.

The Day Job:

Mark Wallington wrote a book called 500 Mile Walkies, which I first heard about when reading The Salt Path by Raynor Winn. I couldn’t find a reasonably priced copy of that book, so I pivoted to The Day Job, which is all about Wallington’s work as a jobbing gardener around London.

I truly enjoyed his storytelling and meeting all the characters he comes across in his work. Do recommend, especially if you’re interested in gardening and fellow gardeners.

Bookworm:

I was worried that this book was going to be “cute,” but it definitely wasn’t. In fact, it had definite thriller vibes. It is about a woman who is unhappily married to a controlling man who doesn’t see her for who she truly is—and who doesn’t allow her to be herself at all, really.

Victoria, an avid bookworm, regularly visits her favorite café to read and ends up falling in love with a man she meets there.

There is intrigue as she begins a relationship with the new man and also begins to defy her controlling husband. I found the plot surprisingly suspenseful.

Here’s the Goodreads blurb if you’re interested.

Note: This is the book I chose for the “2000-present” category of the 12-book When Are You Reading? Challenge. Just one more book to go for that challenge!

How to Catch a Mole:

Mark Hamer is a wonderful nature writer. I thoroughly enjoyed his descriptions of the English countryside where, in this book, he works as a mole catcher. What a job to have. I didn’t even know it was a job.

There are some kind of gory bits involving the moles he catches, but those are few. The rest is an interesting history of the animal and the work of mole-catching, plus much about the nature that surrounds him.

That’s it for April! May has started out rainy and cold, but I’m looking forward to some upcoming warmth.

Happy reading!