I try to read as much as I can. This means planned and compulsive book hauls from my local library along with the occasional spending spree at an independent bookshop. Thanks to a few trips down South this summer, I was able to visit some literary nooks on Southern Living’s list of The South’s Best Bookstores (BookPeople in Austin, Blue Bicycle Books in Charleston, Malaprop’s Bookstore in Asheville, The Ivy Bookshop in Towson, And Old Fox Books in Annapolis). I love being surrounded by hardcovers and paperbacks while sipping chai tea and reading (or writing) in a local bookstore. I’ll go out of my way to find an independent bookshop in whatever town or city I’m exploring.
Despite my summer of travels, online classes, and dogsitting gigs, I made plenty of time to read, and I’m happy to report that this was yet another bookish summer. I love recommending books to folks looking for a good read. In no particular order, here’s a list of some of my favorite reads from June to August.
The House with Chicken Legs by Sophie Anderson: I’ve seen this book on the recommended shelf in the Roanoke Barnes and Noble all spring, so I added it to my “Middle Grade Books to Read” list. Finally, I got my hands on it at the incredible Austin Public Library on my first day of my great Texas adventure with Abbie. The book explores the Baba Yaga myth in twelve year old Marinka, who just wants her moving house to settle down so she can find a friend. Her grandmother guides the dead to the afterlife as a Yaga, a job Marinka is not keen on being raised to do. The story is fantastical and relatable to any child in a migratory household (I wonder how families on the move would feel if they lived in a house with legs? And chicken legs, at that!) The cover art introduces readers to the whimsy of Marinka’s magical world. It’s also surprisingly heartfelt, and there’s some great themes on communal support in times of hardship. It’s a sweet story, one I’ll associate with lamplit nights reading in Abbie’s cozy spare room in Austin.
The Carrying by Ada Limón: I’ve read this twice before, but I’m putting it on this list because I bought a copy at Malaprop’s Bookstore in July when my sister and I roadtripped from Charleston, South Carolina to Asheville, North Carolina. I was introduced to Ada Limón back in undergrad. My Poetry II class read Bright Dead Things in Fall of 2016, and as much as I loved that collection, I think this one is even better. Quiet, philosophical musings like “On a Lamppost Long Ago” and “Sundown and All the Damage Down” still have yet to leave my mind. I only buy books that I love and will reread; The Carrying is one of my favorite collections of poems that I will revisit time and time again.
Be a Tree! by Maria Gianferrari, illustrated by Felicita Sala: One look at the front cover of this stunning picture book and I was hooked. Who doesn’t love trees? Italian author Maria Gianferrari and Italian illustrator Felicita Sala teamed up to explore trees all over the world, and the result is an arboreal dream. The colors are alive, the perspective shows different, dizzying aspects of trees, and the text pairs to the idea of natural harmony. Sala has a great illustrative style, check her out on Instagram! This lovely book proudly rests on my picture book shelves.
The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart: Another great roadie read; I rented this from my home library in Maryland and brought it along on my Charleston, Greenville, and Asheville roadtrip with Sarah. Coyote Sunrise is the name of our protagonist, who travels cross-country with her rolling-stone father Rodeo in an effort to escape a family tragedy in their home state of Washington. Their school-bus home, a character in itself, finds other wandering souls seeking answers on the road. Through Coyote’s eyes, we learn about grief, love, and the concept of home. This middle grade novel has a lot of heart. I love books set on the road, and this is one I’ll be reading again soon.
Merci Suárez Changes Gears by Meg Medina: Another middle grade novel, this one a Newberry winner! Merci lives in Las Casitas with her Cuban-American family in Florida, which includes her grandparents, Lolo and Abuela. Between navigating preteen complications involving a new student and a snippy classmate, Merci notices Lolo hasn’t been himself. She decides to get to the bottom of it and finds that family can be just as confusing as sixth grade. This well-written coming-of-age tale charmed me. The characters feel real and the family and school aspects of the story as well as our protagonists’s personal struggles are fairly balanced, representing Merci’s three-dimensional world. I love middle grade for its simplicity, even in intricate situations where young characters are thrown multiple curveballs.
The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner: I know you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but that’s exactly what I did when I picked this up from the adult section of my local library. Penner weaves between female characters living in two timelines, one, an unhappy wife visiting modern-day London, the other an apothecary with a secret side business in 18th century London. The cover, colored in pink and purple flowers surrounding an enchanting gold bottle of potion promised me a mystical tale. While the dialogue set in the past may not be historically accurate, this adult novel did interest me with it twists and turns. I’m picky when it comes to liking books, even more so with adult reads, but I did enjoy Penner’s debut.
Daniel Finds a Poem by Micha Archer: I interviewed Archer back in May, and I continue to fall in love with her illustrations. Her stories are just as impressionable, and in this vibrant picture book, Daniel walks around his neighborhood, asking friends what a poem is. The responses he collects stitch together into one final poem that beautifully summarizes this lyrical story. The character of Daniel is cute and curious, any young child can connect with him. If you love collage and texture, with lovely words to match, please give this picture book a read.
Newspaper Blackout by Austin Kleon: My Poetry II professor mentioned the blackout poem, but I only recently read from this form. The creator, Kleon, writes in his introduction for Blackout about his initial discovery. A frustrated short story writer down on his publication luck, Kleon took a permanent marker to a stack of newspapers, blotting out blocks of text to form short insightful groups of words. He christened them “Newspaper Blackout Poems,” featured them on his blog, and made history. The poems are short, incredibly, impossibly so, but there are many gems that even non-poetry readers will find special. Personal highlights include “In Italy,” “Cowboy Scene,” and “Captain’s Log.”
Fall is within reach, and my library list continues to grow. Happy reading, bibliophiles!