Good People by Patmeena Sabit (★★★★☆)
Print • Owned (Book of the Month) • Contemporary Fiction • 2026
Short synopsis: After a shocking tragedy shatters the carefully crafted image of a wealthy refugee family living the American dream, dark secrets emerge that force the public to question whether their success was built on a lie.
This is a super buzzy book that’s been making the rounds on blogs and bookish podcasts. I was excited to snag it as one of my Book of the Month selections! It’s a fast-moving novel that unfolds through a variety of perspectives, including family friends, acquaintances, bystanders, and journalists eager to capitalize on a sensational tragedy. The most interesting thing about this book is that we never hear directly from the family at the heart of the story. Instead, we learn about the family through the opinions and observations of everyone around them. I’m fascinated by this narrative choice because it creates a sense of distance while also highlighting how differently people can view the same person or situation. I can’t say I loved this book as much as other people (I struggle with ambiguous endings), but I appreciated what the author was trying to do. It’s a thought-provoking look at perception, reputation, and the stories we tell ourselves about the people we think we know.
The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Vol. 5 by Beth Brower (★★★★★)
Audiobook • Hoopla • Historical Fiction • 2021
Short synopsis: Emma M. Lion offers up her Unselected Journals, however self-incriminating they may be, which comprise a series of novella-length volumes. Armed with wit and a sideways amusement, Emma documents the curious realities of her life at Lapis Lazuli House.
Oh, my dear sweet Emma M. Lion. I love following her adventures in St. Crispian! In this series of journal entries, it seems like Emma is truly coming to terms with her grief and finding a path forward in a new life that includes new friends, new dreams, and new hopes. I adore Emma’s relationship with Young Hawkes, the vicar, and their sweet friendship. (Okay, I went down a Google rabbit hole trying to remember his title, and there are definitely a lot of people who think Emma and Hawkes are endgame. I am… stunned.) Anyway, I am both trying to go slowly and savor these books while also not wanting to listen to any other kind of audiobook because the narrator is so damn good. Maybe I’ll restart the series once I finish it until Beth Brower gives us a new book. Hm.
Laundry Love: Finding Joy in a Common Chore by Patric Richardson (★★★★☆)
Print • Owned (Amazon) • Nonfiction • 2021
Short synopsis: Patric Richardson, aka the “Laundry Evangelist,” reveals his revolutionary methods for cleaning clothes—and making laundry loads more fun.
I imagine this book could be revolutionary for people with large families or anyone who seems to need to do laundry every day. That is not my life, as I’m only doing laundry for myself. Once every two weeks, I do a load of clothes, a load of towels, and a load of sheets. Done and done!
So, there was a lot about this book that didn’t apply to me (I completely skipped over the chapter on ironing), but there were enough useful takeaways to make it worthwhile. For example, I loved the list of laundry supplies Patric recommends, and I definitely want to switch from Tide pods I use to using soap flakes/washing soda. I’m also planning to follow his advice to wash everything on warm and pick up some wool dryer balls to see if they help shorten drying times. The standout chapter, though, is the one on stains. Patric includes an extensive glossary of different stain types and the best ways to remove them. I also appreciated his chapter on caring for “dry clean only” clothing. (He’s very adamant that virtually nothing we wear or use actually needs to be dry cleaned.) What comes through most, though, is Patric’s genuine passion for textiles. He loves fabric. He loves caring for fabric. There’s something delightful about someone finding a niche passion that’s both fascinating and genuinely useful to the rest of us. Three stars for the advice I can use, five stars for his enthusiasm.
What are you reading?
I’m STILL in the queue for Good People, and Laundry Love – which has been on my TBR forever, but you mentioning it bumped it up for me – is in at the library, so I will go and pick it up today or tomorrow! Yay! I am reading Yesteryear and I just finished Lake Effect. I feel like you’ve read both?
I read and loved both Yesteryear and Lake Effect. 5 stars for both!
As someone who does two loads of laundry a day, Laundry Love is right up my alley. Thanks for the recommendation. Off to request it from the library.
I’m not sure about Good People- might be too sad for me.
I hope Laundry Love is super helpful for you!
Good People was definitely sad, so I totally understand not being in the right headspace for it.
I really liked Good People, and thought that not hearing from any of the principals was a great choice. We got to see what this kind of situation does to a community without having an answer as to what happened.
I read Laundry Love a few years ago, and I loved his enthusiasm. I am not confident enough to take his words on dry cleaning to heart. There are specific rules around it, and they scare me. I did gussy up my laundry area a tiny bit (no paint or chandeliers or anything) and I bought laundry balls. I haven’t noticed that they make any difference at all, aside from being loud. We use Tide powder, which is SO MUCH cheaper than the pods, and better for the environment. And we only use about 1 – 2 TBSP per load, as advised by the folks that sold us our washing machine. (It’s a front load, not sure if that makes a difference.)
Well, dang. I had really hoped wool balls would help with my drying time. My dryer is NOT efficient, and it’s quite annoying. I am definitely going to switch to laundry powder once I use up all my Tide pods!
I keep hearing good things about Good People. I appreciate the heads up about an “ambiguous” ending. That usually doesn’t bother me. I will read this book at some point!
Laundry Love. There’s an ENTIRE CHAPTER on ironing??? I don’t even know where my iron is. I draw the line, and if we walk around looking like crap, then so be it. I could picture thumbing through this book and getting ideas, though. I don’t normally buy clothes that need to be dry cleaned, but that information would be helpful.
It’s a very practical book! I really enjoyed it, even though there were chapters that didn’t apply to me at all. I don’t even own an iron and I am surely not going to invest in one!
I recently finished Good People over the weekend. I really appreciated it and think it would be an excellent book club book. I’d love to chat with you about it/see who you think was at fault. It got a bit drawn out at the end – like how many different voices do we need to hear from when they are saying the same things? But I still really liked it!
Now I am reading “Into the Blue” which I have mixed feelings about. I think it’s entirely too long and there is a sci fi/space opera aspect to it that is boring to me. But I otherwise am enjoying it. If I was the editor, I would cut a good 100-150 pages, though.
Yes, the ending of Good People did feel a bit drawn out! I’ll text you so we can chat about the ending. I’m still in a kerfuffle over it!
I have Emma M. Lion in my audio library, and I can’t wait to listen to it! Laundry Love sounds very interesting. For some reason, I’m washing more towels than I ever have before. What is going on? Why am I using so many towels?
Oh, I am so excited for you to start Emma M. Lion. Be warned: the first book is really just an introduction to the characters and setting. It really picks up in book 2!
You have enough clothing to go TWO WEEKS without doing laundry? I am living my life wrong, I think.
You are not living your life wrong! I just work from home and I’m not taking a dog on a walk multiple times a day, so I can rewear a LOT of my clothes, even in the summertime.
I feel like I should’ve read the laundry book back in the day when the kids were all living with us. The crop top blouse I wore to ND is dry clean only and I’m tempted to clean it myself. Hmm. I will probably never wear it again, but would happily hand it down to Mini or Curly.
I’ve not read any of these books. Good People sounds really good. I’ve not heard of it. I’m currently reading Lake Effect, and enjoying it.
I really loved Lake Effect! I hope you do, too!
I thought it was interesting we never hear from the family in Good People too! I would totally read a book 2 that was all their perspective and what really happened! And what you said about being fascinated by the narrative and how it highlights how people view things differently is what I really thought was clever about it too. You said it so well!
I legit think Steven would like that laundry book. It sounds fascinating!
I just want to know what really happened! I know that’s not the point, but I am just too nosy for ambigious endings, lol.
So… super random, and not a book, but have you heard of the “laundry spa day” on reddit? It’s basically a method for soaking clothes and sheets etc, getting rid of yellow stains. It’s now got a cult following online, and not kidding, it’s life-changing. And somehow really, really bloody satisfying to see how gross the water gets.
Short version is you need washing powder with lipase in it, and then some vinegar and ammonia etc. Link here: https://www.reddit.com/r/laundry/comments/1mqh7zd/a_spa_day_a_trip_to_rehab_getting_your_laundry/
And now back to adding things to my TBR list *grin
I have not heard about this! Amazing. I both want to try this and feel very scared to find out what it might show me. Thanks for sharing!