Summer Reads (so far)
I forgot my book today, so lets talk about what I've been reading.
I’ve got 6 more books to read until I reach my 2024 goal of 20 books this year. I’ll admit thus far I haven’t found a lot of 5 star reads, but I have picked up a few solid summer reads and thought it was time to discuss them a bit.
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
[4/5 Stars] This classic has been on my TBR for a long time and while its one I know a lot of people read in high school, it managed to miss me. I am familiar with Cisneros poetry and have a lot of respect for how impactful her voice has been in literature, especially as a Chicana. The House on Mango Street tells the story of Esperanza Cordero, a 12 year old girl growing up in the Hispanic quarter in Chicago. It is written in vignettes and while it does reflect Esperanza’s experiences, it also reflects those of her neighbors as well. Cisneros does a wonderful job depicting Hispanic neighborhoods and the people within them. As I was reading the story I could picture my grandparents neighborhood and many of the characters reminded me of people in my own life. While I did love the story, the only complain I had was Cisneros takes the approach of abandoning quotation marks, a writing approach I personally don’t prefer. Personally I found the lack of punctuation made the text confusing at times, however, overall it was a great read and one I’m glad is checked off my TBR!
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
[4.5/5 Stars] I began researching Amy Tan for a discussion board post and remembered how my mom has long said The Joy Luck Club is one of her favorite stories. As I researched the story I found myself intrigued by it and gave the audiobook a go (also my first audiobook of the year!). The book follows four Chinese immigrant families who formed the club “The Joy Luck Club” where they would play mahjong and feast. The narrators of the book alternate between the mothers of the family who immigrated from China and their American born daughters. The stories transcend generations and continents and give perspective as to why people must leave their home country and how difficult it can be. Tan is undoubtedly one of literatures strongest voices and The Joy Luck Club did an amazing job giving voice to immigrants and their children’s unique experiences. While at times I found the narrative confusing, I still loved this story and it’s definitely been my favorite read this summer.
Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
[5/5 Stars] I recently took a writing workshop where the host asked us to read Charlotte’s Web, I’d never read it before so at 24, I finally got the experience. I listened to the book on audio and loved it, White has a wonderful way with imagery and giving animals personality. The book tells the story of a small pig named Wilbur who befriends a spider named Charlotte. When Wilbur’s life is in danger Charlotte begins writing about Wilbur on her web and convinces the town these words are messages from the heavens of Wilbur’s greatness. As the story progresses Charlotte accompanies Wilbur on his adventures and continues to protect him. This will undoubtedly be a book I keep in my classrooms as it does a great job of demonstrating how friendships can overcome differences and has a beautiful theme of respecting nature and all creatures. The book pulled on my heart strings, made me smile, and helped me gain another perspective on life, which made it my first 5 star read of the summer.
Lore Olympus Vol 2 & 3 by Rachel Smythe
[4/5 Stars] Over spring I read the first volume of Lore Olympus and decided to jump back into it over summer. It’s one of Jake’s favorite graphic novels, so we’ve been reading it together and I love the story. Lore Olympus retells Greek mythology with a bit of a modern twist. In the story Olympus is a modern city and the gods live modern lives doing things such as working for corporate and going to school. While the story thus far is heavily centered around Hades and Persephone’s love story, I’ve found that all the gods and goddesses thus far are have very multidimensional personalities and Smythe does a wonderful job of incorporating other lore from Greek mythology. I’m in love with how Smythe humanizes the Gods, giving them flaws, feelings, and giving them space to make mistakes. I’ve found it’s very easy to see yourself in the characters and the art in it is breathtaking as well. It’s currently sitting at 4 stars for me just because I feel I’m not far enough in the story to give it 5 yet!
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
[2.5/5 Stars] Again, another classic that somehow managed to miss me in high school. Gatsby had been on my TBR for awhile and was a book I saved to read in the summer to create the perfect vibes. Written by Fitzgerald in 1925 The Great Gatsby depicts America’s jazz age and tells the story of the over the top millionaire, Gatsby, and his pursuit of love from Daisy Buchannan. The story is narrated by Nick Carraway, a humble man from the West looking to get into the bond business and ends up getting wrapped into the elaborate life Gatsby, Daisy, and their cohort. When I think of the 1920s, like most people I think of everything over the top, and Gatsby definitely fulfills this image. With countless over the top parties, gut wrenching longing, and so much illegal booze, plot wise Gatsby ended up being exactly what I expected. However, aside from that I’ll say the story fell a bit flat for me, I felt like some characters (especially Daisy) lacked depth. She was supposed to be one of the main characters, yet I felt no connection to her and was often annoyed by her. Overall, it felt like a classic case of a man not knowing how to write women.
Since writing this I’ve completed another book, A Touch of Moonlight by Yaffa Santos, another amazing read, but I’ll save that write up for another post. I hope summer is treating everyone well and you’re soaking up the last days of it before we slow down and shift into Autumn. Let me know if you’ve read any of these books and what your opinions of them are and what you’ve been reading!
Much love!
Madelyne
