I've been escaping into good books even more than usual. Naturally this makes me very happy. Here are four that I've read and loved lately:
Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt is a novel about a teenager with a sick uncle. I was worried that this book would be exactly NOT what I want to be reading right now, but it was actually really beautiful, with several themes of family dysfunction that were hard and interesting. It's a simple story on the surface that went about three layers deep with each character (and those are my favorite kinds of novels).
Rules of Civility by Amor Towles (plus the companion novella Eve in Hollywood) is an entertaining love story set in 1930's New York City, and I bought into that world whole hog. This was an easy, fun read that kept my attention and left me wanting more of these people and this story.
Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty is probably my second favorite Moriarty novel (after What Alice Forgot) and maybe even my very favorite. I just love her characters, and the women in Big Little Lies felt like my friends, even the deplorable ones. I flew through this in just two days and even though I guessed the ending pretty far in advance, I still loved the way it unfolded and there were still several suprises along the way. Such a fun read (great for an airplane or wanting to pass the time quickly).
The Wife by Meg Wolitzer is something I picked up when it was cheap on the kindle. I wasn't enamoured with The Interestings (though all of my friends and my book club was), but I thought I might connect with the premise of The Wife and Wolitzer's strong writing, and I was right. The story and dynamics of a marriage with a famous writer husband and his housewife wife was very interesting (and somehow both depressing and invigorating at the same time).
What have you read that was great lately?
PS - Books are one of my favorite things I talk about. In my right sidebar you can see what I'm reading, and on my book page you can get an even longer list. In my monthly Secret Posts, I review a book there that I haven't posted about elsewhere.