Monthly rundown vol. 7

mysteries, professional chefs, drowning mermaids, and a little bit of love

Vol. 7

Hi y’all! 

July has been full and fun, with a road trip to visit family a couple of states away, and a week at church camp. I was away from home for about two weeks, but somehow it felt like longer. Maybe the effect of being in three different states in two weeks. I tried to soak up as much friends and family time as I could, and definitely didn’t sleep as much as I should have (that’s what summer camp is all about though, isn’t it?). 

As you might expect, I didn’t get many new words written on my current work in progress, but I did a little middle-of-the-story editing, and reworked a chapter that had been bugging me. Here’s a little insight into my writing process: I’ve found through much trial and error, that I’m not much of a plotter. I do some pre-writing planning to varying degrees depending on the story, but not a detailed outline or anything. Once I’ve got a general idea, I just start writing. I also like to edit as I go. The easiest way for me to get back into writing mode is to edit the most recent thing I wrote (the previous scene or chapter); and in the past five years, I’ve discovered that about halfway through a novel, I need to stop and evaluate what’s going on: map out the timeline, sort out major plot holes, correct inconsistencies. This helps me see what needs to come next a little more clearly.

Anyway, after that little peek behind the curtain, how about some reviews?

The Beautiful Mystery, by Louise Penny. I’m still slowly reading my way through the Inspector Gamache novels, and this one set in a remote monastery didn’t disappoint. 

The Heart Rehab Experiment, by Starla Dekruyf. I met Ms. Dekruyf at the Copperfield’s Bookstore Local Author Fair this past spring, and picked up a copy of her most recent romantic comedy. The Heart Rehab Experiment was fun and fast-paced, and like the best rom-coms, had depth and emotional resonance to balance out the froth. The plot itself wasn’t my favorite because there was a lot of deliberate miscommunication and secret-keeping, and I thought the “big secret” fell a little flat. However, that’s definitely an “it’s not you, it’s me” preference (I’d definitely read another of Ms. Dekruyf’s books). I enjoyed the character development, and was rooting for everyone to get their happily ever after in the end. (content note: I’d say it’s a PG13 romance)

The Book of Speculation, by Erika Swyer. This book was one hundred percent my jam. Simon, a recently out-of-work librarian lives alone in his family’s crumbling home and is sent a strange antique book that’s somehow connected to his mother’s family, a long line of circus performers. The strange book is a mystery that quickly becomes an obsession and a race against the clock. The story jumps between the 1700s and the present, and the unfolding of the story in this way is well done, letting the reader connect all the dots along with Simon. The writing was beautiful and lyrical, and I loved all of the characters, from the main character Simon to each minor character (especially, for some reason, Simon’s sister Enola’s boyfriend, a circus performer who can light up lightbulbs with just his own body). The author also does a great job of drawing you in and building the tension so that you feel Simon’s frantic urgency and sense of impending dread. 

Exiles, by Jane Harper. Exiles is another of Harper’s Aaron Falk mysteries, and I enjoyed it immensely (more than The Survivors, her most recent standalone novel). The story unfolded in a slow and steady fashion, and was as much about the relationships and character development as it was about the genuinely puzzling mystery. As always, Harper excels at creating a vivid setting and strong sense of place for her story, immersing you in the environment. 

The Bear season 2 (TV, Hulu). The intense emotions and ramped up tension in this show might be stressful at times, but it is some of the best television storytelling I’ve seen in a long time. I loved season 1 and season 2 was just as good, if not better. Nuance, character work, complicated relationships, complicated emotions. Intense emotions. Family we’re born into, family we choose. What it means to pour into someone, to believe in them, to try to help them be their best. (side note: there are a lot, and I mean A LOT of f-words in this show).

That’s it from me this time. I hope everyone is staying cool and getting in lots of good reading time!