Happy Monday, friends! I am pleased to report that my LASIK procedure went splendidly – no complications at all! I will have a full report on Wednesday, but just wanted to share that good news. Yay! Now, let’s dive into some recent reads:
America’s First Daughter by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie (★★★★☆)
This book is a chonker at 580 pages, and it took me over two weeks to read it. Normally, I don’t love reading such a long book but there was just something about settling in to read a fictionalized retelling of a president’s daughter’s life that appealed to me. This book is about Martha Jefferson Randolph, Thomas Jefferson’s eldest daughter. The book kicks off in May of 1782 when Martha is 9 years old and they have to flee their home at Monticello during the Revolutionary War. From there, we follow Martha throughout her life and heavens, is it a brutal one. She grieves the loss of her mother just months after leaving Monticello in 1782, spends her most formative years in France with her father who has been appointed as Minister to France, gets married young and has ELEVEN BABIES, and deals with so much abuse and neglect from her husband. And then, we can’t forget, she witnesses her father having a love affair with Sally Hemings—an enslaved girl who is the same age as her.
I can’t imagine all the research and interviews that went into crafting this book. It is so well-researched and nuanced. It’s a hard thing, writing about a white woman who believed in abolition but also enslaved people of her own. It’s a hard thing to read, but I think the authors did an excellent job of creating a nuanced picture of a complicated woman’s life. If you’re up for a nearly 600-page book about a historical figure, this one is definitely worth your while. (library paperback, 2016)
Drowning by T.J. Newman (★★★★★)
T.J. Newman is such an electric writer. I will read everything she writes forevermore. This novel is about a commercial plane that crashes into the ocean and the amazing rescue effort that takes place. T.J. Newman has a way of creating characters that are so easy to root for and crafting a propulsive plot that keeps me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. This novel was an adventure and the way she writes reminds me a lot of Andy Weir—this novel had a lot of technical elements that went over my head, but that was okay because I could understand the heart of the novel and the rescue attempt that was happening. If you have flight anxiety, her novels are probably not for you, but I find them to be incredibly written. I’m ready for this book and her previous novel, Falling, to be movies! (library hardcover, 2023)
Business or Pleasure by Rachel Lynn Solomon (★★★★☆)
Chandler Cohen has just had the worst sex of her life with a man she met at a bookstore bar… only to find out that he’s her next ghostwriting client. Finn Walsh is an actor who starred in the cult favorite werewolf teen drama, The Nocturnals, and is now ready to write a book about his experience. Over the next few months, the two of them will be traveling together to various comic-cons around the country and working together to write this book. And when Finn finds out that their night together was very unsatisfying to Chandler, he’s horrified and wants to do better. So they strike up a deal: When they’re not writing or at cons together, Chandler will teach him the art of true satisfaction.
This book was steamy, steamy and I loved it. I really enjoyed how sex-positive this book was and how open the two of them were with each other, both in the bedroom and out of it. The book also touched on mental health, including OCD, which I found really well done. At times, the writing felt a little elementary (a lot of telling, not showing) but all in all, a book I really enjoyed. (library e-book, 2023)
What are you reading?
I’m happy to know that your surgery went without incident. That’s wonderful news. I’m not reading much this month. Too pretty outside for me to focus on the written page, I guess.
Thanks! So pleased with how quick and easy the procedure was.
So glad LASIK went well!! Congrats.
I loved Drowning and Falling. Both very well written thrillers (but definitely not the right book for someone afraid of flying!!)
Thank you!
I love the way TJ Newman writes – can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!
I’m so glad that LASIK went smoothly! Can’t wait to hear all about it! It must be so weird to wake up and be able to actually see!!! Yay!!
I loved Drowning and Falling, too. Dang she can write thrilling books. And I like that they are a different kind of thriller.
I just finished “Talking at Night” which is a debut literary fiction novel set in England. It was so beautifully written. I hated the choices one of the characters made but still gave it 5 stars because of the writing and the story, overall. Now I am reading “I Could Live Here Forever” which I probably shouldn’t have read right after Talking at Night since it’s kind of similar as it’s about an unhealthy relationship. But it’s a compelling read although I want to yell at the protagonist because she is making a terrible decision to date this recovered (?) heroin addict. That’s not a spoiler – it’s revealed early on.
I am so impressed with TJ Newman – the books were both so well-written and completely different from each other. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!
Woo hoo for a fast recovery! Just keep using eyedrops even if you think you don’t need them until your doc says it’s OK to slow down.
I’m squeamish about flying so I don’t think that I could read Newman even though I’m hearing such great things. Business or Pleasure sounds fun.
I wouldn’t recommend any of TJ Newman’s books to people with a fear of flying! It is not going to alleviate those fears AT ALL. I am curious how I’ll feel about flying after reading them, haha.
I”m so happy to see you loved Drowning! I really enjoyed Falling, and have been curious about Drowning. Really cool that she was a flight attendant. Write what you know I guess! It pays off, it’s really realistic.
I don’t know if I enjoyed Drowning or Falling more! They are both so well-written and DIFFERENT. She’s not a one-trick pony, that’s for sure.
Sold! I added Business or Pleasure to my Libby list. In 26 I’ll check back in with you. (I’m kidding, of course. In 26 weeks I’ll have forgotten entirely who recommended it to me, so I think you in advance.)
HAHA. I hope you like it! And if you end up hating it, I’ll pretend I never read the book. 😉
Yay for LASIK!
Falling was so good that I think I will look into Drowning. What a fun writer. Thanks for the recommendation!
Yes! I hope you enjoy Drowning as much as Falling. She is such an incredible writer!
I’m so glad your surgery went well, that is wonderful news!
The book about Jefferson’s daughter sounds really interesting. The fact that Jefferson knew how evil slavery was, and still owned slaves…horrible. Did they mention that Sally Hemings was 1/2 sister to Jefferson’s wife? So she was his daughter’s aunt, though they were the same age. I’m curious as to how the ‘love affair’ was depicted, since of course it wasn’t a love affair that you or I would recognize. She had zero power in that relationship. I may need to give this one a read, because clearly I have a lot of thoughts. 🙂
Yes, they reference the fact that he was essentially in a relationship with his wife’s sister. There was a lot of nuance given to that relationship (and how his daughter felt about it), but I’d be curious to hear your thoughts about it.
Yeah for a successful LASIk surgery.
I. haven’t heard of any of your books. But it looks like they were really fun to read.
Thank you! I’m glad it was easy and quick. 🙂
These all sound good, although I hesitate to read Drowning or Falling because that type of book makes me incredibly anxious. But everyone LOVES them, so maybe I should give them a try.
If you get nervous about flying, I probably wouldn’t recommend them to you, but they are really propulsive thrillers. I really enjoyed them!
I actually just put Drowning and Falling on hold, as Elisabeth also recommended them, so I am even happier that you also liked them (and it seems so does everyone in the comments!) I read America’s First Daughter a while back and I do remember liking the educational element while still not getting bored with the story (sometimes non-fiction is so dry, so I like it when it is jazzed up a bit and made into fiction).
Yay for your Lasik going well! That is very exciting and it great news!
I’m excited for you to read Drowning and Falling! They were both such incredibly written books. I loved them!
I love a good fictionalized version of true events. It makes it so much easier to digest the historical details!
OOo I need to add Business or Pleasure to my Libby. I have been reading the worst books lately and something steamy sounds nice. Ha.
Oh no! I’m sorry you’ve been in a rut with books. I hope you enjoy Business or Pleasure! It was interesting and VERY steamy.