A short bit about how I usually read: I’m almost exclusively reading books that were either just recently published or they are soon to be published. A lot of people recommend books to me and I always say, “I’ll put it on my list!” But I don’t tell them that my “list” is full of books that I’ll one day read when I’m not in charge of staying on top of the newest releases for my community of dedicated readers.

That being said, it’s been kinda stressing me out that I can’t read older books. It’s been a little bit sucking the joy out of reading for me if I’m being honest. Which is a bummer because I’ve found a way to monetize almost every hobby I’ve ever head (welcome to life as a millennial) thereby removing all the fun. And I am determined not to let that happen to reading. Because I love reading, damnit.

ANYWAY all that to say–this month I allowed myself to only read backlist titles that have been on my “list”.

Reminder, any purchase from links in this post go to help support our bookstore!

---

The Couple at No. 9 by Claire Douglas

Download the audiobook here.
Order the paperback here.

My friend Shulah has been recommending this book for ages. And everyone who has read it has been blown away by it. So I finally decided to see what the hype was all about. And in my opinion, it holds up. I love a British thriller.

So this book starts with Saffron Cutler who’s just trying to do some renovations on her kitchen when, lo and behold, two human bodies are found by the construction crew in her backyard. Forensics show that these bodies were likely buried about 50 years ago when Saffron’s grandmother was the owner of the property. Saffron is determined to find out what really happened because she can’t believe that her sweet grandmother could have had anything to do with it.

I won’t go into it any more but y’all it does not go to the places you think it’s going to.

Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

Download the audiobook here.
Order the paperback here.

Another British thriller with a very typical premise: a girl goes missing.

What I liked about this story was that it’s told from the perspective of the missing girl’s mother. We catch up with Laurel a decade after her golden child, Ellie, vanished on her way to the library one morning. Laurel is finally ready to start putting her life back together after her life had been on pause for so long.

The perspective shifts back and forth between Laurel, Ellie, and Ellie’s abductor and Lisa Jewell leans heavily on her notorious storytelling abilities throughout this novel. It’s masterfully told–that much can not be denied. That being said, I wouldn’t recommend this book to just anyone. I spend a lot of time in the realm of thrillers and true-crime documentaries but this book went to some places that were too dark even for me. I definitely recommend checking out the content warnings on StoryGraph before deciding to read this one. StoryGraph is an excellent resource for a lot of reasons but specifically for content warnings if there’s anything you’d like to avoid in your reading.

Not Like the Movies by Kerry Winfrey

Buy the paperback here.
Download the audiobook here.

After two relatively dark murder mysteries, I needed something that would be nothing but absolutely delightful! And I’d been holding this book on my shelf for exactly this moment. I read Waiting for Tom Hanks last year and thought it was so sweet and hilarious and focuses on my favorite romance trope: a normal falling in love with a famous movie star (I don’t know where this came from for me).

This book follows the BFF sidekick from Tom Hanks as she, essentially, discovers that she’s in love with her boss. It’s just witty banter and pies and cute outfits. And, okay, yes there is conflict but it didn’t overwhelm the story. Which I loved and needed.

Also, if you’re the kind of person who likes romance books but aren’t really big on detailed sex scenes, Kerry Winfrey’s books take sort of a fade-to-black approach to the nitty gritty of it all. Still very hot! Just not explicit.

---

Yeah! Just three books this month! But with the holidays coming up I’m cranking the reading out. I’ve already finished a book for October (and I have complicated feelings about it).

We started August really strong on the reading front! And then by the end of the month I got a little burned out. So I’m currently taking some time off of reading and, instead, committing all my spare time to Master Chef and Claim to Fame. I’m a game show girlie (are these game shows???).

Anyway, here’s what I read this month! They were all excellent.
Reminder: any purchases from these links go to support our bookstore!

Everyone Here is Lying by Shari Lapena
Download the audiobook here.
Buy the hardcover copy in-store at Twice Told Tales or online here.

I plowed through this book in two days. I was hooked from the premise of this book. Now, sometimes the jacket copy sounds incredible but the actual book falls flat. And I hate that! (I, personally, felt that way about Big Swiss but I may be in the minority on that one.) Anywayzzzz this one didn’t disappoint at all. This book had several really good plot twists.

So the book opens with William is cheating on his wife. OR he was cheating on his wife but his lover/ neighbor just broke up with him. So instead of going back to work, he heads home to clear his mind a little bit. The house should be empty. But it’s not empty. His daughter, Avery, is home early for some reason and he’s annoyed. After a brief, tense conversation he heads back to work.
Sometime later, William’s wife calls him frantic. Avery is missing.
William isn’t the only one on his street who’s hiding a lie. As witnesses come forward with information that may or may not be true, the whole neighborhood becomes increasingly unhinged.

This book does deal with the subject of a missing child so I definitely recommend checking out the content warnings tab on the StoryGraph page.

My Name is Iris by Brando Skyhorse
Download the audiobook here.
Order the hardcover here.

This is one of those books that stayed with me for a long time after finishing it. It gave me so much to chew on and it wasn’t until I had a conversation with a friend before I decided I loved this book. I would recommend My Name is Iris to anyone who was super intrigued by the plot of Celeste Ng’s latest, Our Missing Hearts.

In a near-future California, Iris is starting over. After a surprisingly amiable divorce, she’s striking out on her own and excited to join her new neighborhood with the gossipy neighbors, neighborhood watch, and the rules that the homeowners association put in place. Iris is good at following the rules. It’s how she’s survived her whole life thus far as the daughter of Mexican immigrants. Her personal motto might as well be, “if you never do anything wrong, you’ll never get in trouble.” Some of her Mexican family and friends accuse her of denying her heritage but Iris doesn’t see it that way. It’s just that sometimes you have to go along to get along.

A new government system is going into practice which requires every American to wear a band. This is a handy device that will not only serve as identification, but holds your bank information (you can pay for your groceries or utilities just by tapping the band! How convenient!), your school enrollment information, your medical history, your criminal history, etc.
When Iris goes to register for her band she discovers that she’s ineligible. And this simple bit of government red tape starts the process of unraveling her whole worldview.

None of this is True by Lisa Jewell
Download the audiobook here.
Order the hardcover copy here.

This is my very first Lisa Jewell book! So many of my customers have raved about her for years so when I got access to an early release copy, I thought I’d give it a shot. And holy moly! This book was good. It’s giving Single White Female? A movie that I have never ever seen but I’ve seen it referenced enough in pop culture to have an idea about the vibes. And now I kinda really want to go watch it.

Alix crosses paths with a woman named Josie when they run into one another in the bathroom where they’re both celebrating their 45th birthdays! What luck!
All I’ll say is that after that, they run into one another a few more times. What are the odds???

There were so many satisfying plot twists in this book (and maybe one or two that felt a little clunky if I’m being honest but I still loved it) and I’m still not confident that I know exactly what happened in the end (but if I’m being honest I’m not sure if it’s because I’m just confused or if the author wanted us to feel that way). Either way–I’m into it!

On Our Best Behavior: The Seven Deadly Sins and The Price Women Pay to be Good by Elise Loehnen
Download the audiobook here.
Order the hardcover here.

Non-fiction: who is she??? I heard about this book from Nora McInerney who recommended it in her IG stories one day. I was really intrigued and bought it right away. And then I read it immediately which never happens.

I really liked the structure of this book–an exploration of each of the seven deadly sins and the way that these “sins” function in our greater society and the way that almost all of them have a double standard for men than for women. It wasn’t a man-bashing book but more of an exploration of how people who were raised to follow the rules of womanhood can break free from these structures and, in turn, live more freely.

As someone who is deeply triggered by the concept of laziness, I found the chapter on sloth to be particularly enjoyable. Here’s a pic I took of the last page from that chapter:

And after that I took a break from reading for a minute. But I’m excited about what’s new so I’ll start up again ASAP.

Was July, like, extra long? I got so much reading done! I feel so excited about it. But also I was 1/2 way into two different books at the beginning of the month. So that explains some of it, I guess. I just noticed that almost all the books I read this month had covers in shades of red/ yellows/ oranges. I love noticing the similarities in what I’ve been reading.

Shall we? Oh. Don’t forget, shopping from any links in this post helps to support my store Twice Told Tales in McPherson KS.

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Order the book here.
Download the audiobook here.

I’m as shocked as anyone that this was the first time that I’d ever read this book. As someone who’s as well-versed in True Crime as I am, and someone who loves Kansas as much as I do… it doesn’t make sense that this was my first time. But I kept telling myself that as soon as someone donates it to the store, I’d take it home and read it.

Now, it may sound sick to some that I’ll say I was utterly enchanted by a book that centers around the decimation of a family. But the way Truman Capote writes is just so damn good (and yes, yes, I’ve heard all about how Harper Lee may have done some of the writing–she’s great too!). I feel like he captured the essence of western Kansas so succinctly and accurately. I’m sure some of the real people who were portrayed here may take issue with his descriptions–even I know he was telling the truth.

I feel like Capote looked on the Clutter family with kind and generous eyes. I usually never cry when I read books but as I read about what happened to this family, he approached the topic with whatever the opposite of brutal honesty is. It was a brutal thing that happened but it was presented with such delicacy that caused me to tear up. I found myself gasping or saying “oh no, oh dear” out loud to myself.
I also feel like he presented the perpetrators in an honest light. There was a lot to dislike about these men and also there was a lot of history in their own lives that brought them to this place. Some might say that sharing their backstories is an effort to draw sympathy for them but I don’t think so, personally.

As much as I liked this book, I was grateful when it was over.

Lucky Red by Claudia Cravens
Order a copy here.
Download the audiobook here.

Now we’ll move along about 60 miles to the east and 80 years in the past to Lucky Red! Another Kansas book–this one taking place at the height of Dodge City! I have never read a western and this was my first one. I was obsessed.

On a summer day, sixteen-year-old Bridget buries her father and then heads out west to see what she can find. Penniless and hungry she just happens to waltz right into Dodge City. After a while her red hair catches the attention of the manager of the only woman-owned brothel in town and they offer her a position. The idea of a place to lay her head at night sure does sound pretty good so she decides to give it a shot. And Bridget takes to it! She loves life at The Buffalo Queen and I loved reading about it. In fact I was loving reading about how much fun she was having that I forgot that often times in literature it’s customary to throw some conflict into the mix–which blindsided me, I gotta admit! An excellent author AND an excellent audiobook narrator.

A Wizard’s Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher
Download the audiobook here.
Order your copy here.

Yeah I didn’t realize till just now that I snagged the cover of the book en español. But it’s the same and I like it.

I read this for a book club so I don’t want to say much about my thoughts on it here. But I will say 3 things:
As someone who is big time intimidated by fantasy, I was utterly delighted by this one!
I never read middle grade but I should because it’s so charming!
I think that if they ever turn this into a film (which they should, this author deserves so much money), it would have a big Coraline sort of vibe to it. The claymation look would be excellent for this.

The Seven Year Slip by Ashley Poston
Download the audiobook here.
Order the book here.

This is the book that everyone in my orbit is reading right now and I get it. This book is charming as fuck.

Selling this book is so easy because all you have to say is, “there’s this quirk in her apartment where sometimes she falls 7 years in the past and she falls in love with the guy who lived there at that time.” And people are like, “I AM SOLD!”

Would I have edited this book differently? Yes I absolutely would have (it just happend to grate on one or two of my readerly pet peeves. But on the whole this book got 5 stars from me.

Firebird by Sunmi
Order the book here.

After reading Gender Queer a few months ago, I vowed to read more graphic novels. The cover of this one, 100% drew me in. There’s something about YA graphic novels that help me relate to/ remember the experience of growing up as a fat, shy, smart teenager that I never am really able to tap into with text-based YA books. I deeply felt Caroline’s experience in this book.

It’s a simple story, plot-wise but focuses so much on the inner life of the two girls (maybe girls? maybe not?) who meet during a tutoring program and build a friendship. The illustrations are really excellent–primarily black and white with memories flowing in and out in red ink. I was surprised to discover that I couldn’t find Sunmi anywhere online except for a now-defunct Twitter page. I don’t know how they got a book deal in 2023 without much online presence but I’m glad they did and I hope they write more stories like this.

Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll
Pre-Order the book here.
Pre-Order the audiobook here.

 I can’t wait to get this book into the hands of readers for no other reason than I’ll finally have someone to talk about it with!

When I quickly noticed the similarities between what was happening in this book and the true story of a certain notorious serial killer–I was nervous that this was going to be yet another one of those avenues to glamorize his story. But it’s the absolute opposite.

I found myself cheering on Pamela as she poured her heart and soul into finding justice for her sisters and she never once bought into The Defendant’s charm that captivated the rest of The United States. No one even mentioned his name in this book. He was only referred to as “The Defendant”.

This novel is what true crime wants to execute at its very best: operate as an avenue to redeem the memory and hold on to the lives lost while obliterating any charm or sensationalism surrounding the perpetrator.

---

I didn’t DNF anything this month!

OH! It’s gonna be a quick one today! I didn’t realize, until I checked my The Story Graph account, that I only finished two books this month! In my defense… I DNF’d two books also. That reading counts, too! I’ll talk about those books at the end of this post.

---

The Whispers by Ashley Audrain
Buy the hardcover copy here (or there are a few at Twice Told Tales if you’re local)
Download the audiobook here.

I’ll be honest, I felt like this was a perfectly fine and clever suburban thriller. Throughout the book you’re trying to figure out a mystery–a child is in the hospital due to a fall from a second story window. But the mystery is why? And is he going to survive? And if he does… then what? But if he doesn’t… then what? A lot of unanswered questions get answered as we learn about each of the neighbors in a cul de sac.
So while I thought it was pretty fine and run of the mill throughout the course of the story I will tell you that there’s a major plot twist in the last sentence of the epilogue that blew me away!

I will include a content warning for infertility which is a plot point that runs throughout the entirety of the book and can be quite graphic at times.

My Murder by Katie Williams
Order your hardcover copy here (or pick one up at Twice Told Tales)
Download your audiobook here.

Okay so my feelings about this book are the inverse of the last one. This one I was so excited the whole way through and then wasn’t wild about the ending (though I’m sure some people will be). That’s the kind of thing that makes for awesome book club banter in my opinion.

What I loved about this book: The premise! The main character was the victim of a serial killer and the government brought her back to life. But while they’re sure they caught her murderer, something happens that makes her wonder if they got the right guy. And she sets out to figure out who caused her murder. Very intriguing.
I also loved the way they dealt with “the future”. The author never made a big deal about new technologies or anything. She didn’t go out of her way to say what year it was or how things were different. But things were familiar enough that nothing much really needed explanation.

Here are the two books I DNF’D

These books were actually both great! I enjoyed them while I was reading them but I just wasn’t in the mood for Real Men Knit.

Alchemy of a Blackbird was great, I got the gist of what it was about. Sometimes when I’m reading ARCs, I’m just trying to see if it’s something my customers will want and I do believe that they’ll definitely like this one. The structure, time period, and subject matter are all things that they love.

I’d like to start by saying that I honestly can’t believe I’ve kept up with this book-documenting habit! I said I’d do it for as long as it was still fun for me and I’m still going. I’ve only skipped a few months when I didn’t read anything. And I’ve never felt guilt about that. Man, I love living a shame-free life.

Onto the books!! As a reminder, anything purchased from the links in this post goes to help support our bookshop in McPherson KS: Twice Told Tales.

---

You Were Always Mine by Christine Pride and Jo Piazza
Pre-Order the hardcover copy here.
Pre-Order the audiobook here.

I did not know what this book was about when I picked it up. I didn’t care! Christine Pride and Jo Piazza teamed up for their last novel, We Are Not Like Them and it blew me out of the water–determined to read anything they write together from now on. I feel like they’re joining the ranks of Jodi Picoult when it comes to fiction that really explores ethical questions in a thorough and thoughtful way. That’s why I was so thrilled when the publisher sent me a copy to read in advance.

Simply put, this is the story of a Black woman who finds an abandoned white baby, sending her on a collision course with her past, her family, and a birth mother who doesn’t want to be found. The way the authors bring immeasurable nuance to this story–it becomes challenging to assign the label of “hero” and “villain” to any one character here. It presents us with the truth of humanity, which is that there’s always so, so much more to any story.

I will say that this book is going to be a very popular choice for book clubs not only because of the ethical dilemmas presented throughout but also for the (what I predict will be a) divisive ending.

The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer
Order the hardcover copy here.
Download the audiobook here.

I started this audiobook on a whim after a long streak of “ugh… nothing is keeping my attention!” This book did but not necessarily because of a fast-paced plot or anything. I just really liked Clover from the beginning. I just understood her.

Clover has an unusual job as a death doula. She helps people to pass along from this world in a way that makes them feel held and safe. But despite the incredible grace and poise she has with her clients, she really struggles in her interpersonal life. She’s experienced her fair share of grief and being left behind, and besides that she carries immense guilt with her.

As we walk along this road with Clover, we understand where her fear of abandonment comes from and we root for her as she fumbles her way along. This one was a sleeper hit for me. I haven’t heard anyone talk about it in the book blogs but I really treasured it.

Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe
Order the paperback or hardcover copies here.

Gender Queer was selected as our book club discussion book in the Liberated Library–a group I host in The Empowerment Studio (an online and in-person community). A part of the Liberated Library is a virtual book club where we meet every other month to discuss a book that we’ve all read together!

This is the second Graphic Novel style book I’ve ever read in my life! The first one being almost 20 years ago when I read Craig Thompson’s Blankets. I loved it and it really lit a fire in me to read more and more Graphic Novels. Which should I read next???

I was really interested in Gender Queer because it is one of the most banned books in the US currently and I wanted to see what the big deal was. Now, I don’t want to give all of my thoughts away before we have our meeting. But I will say that I can see how if you only flipped through this book without reading it there might be some parts where you’d be shocked. And maybe it’s not appropriate reading for any child of any age and maturity level. But isn’t that true with any book? The purpose of a book isn’t to grab one or two pages and say “I get the gist.” A page exists within the context of the body of the whole book. Maia Kobabe wrote a powerful and poignant story and how anyone could walk away from eir story without empathy, compassion, and understanding is beyond me.

Quietly Hostile by Samantha Irby
Order the paperback here.
Download the audiobook here (if you dare).

Oh my god I love Samantha Irby. She’s such a delight. An honest, visceral, mildly-crotchety delight.

I… learned something about myself while listening to this audiobook and it’s that I can not listen to Sam’s works. I must read them with my eyeballs.
I can read about masturbating over a toilet seat. I could even have a conversation with you about it if that’s what you want to do. Obviously. But I absolutely can not listen to someone talk about it in my car when I’m trying to place my order with the sweet, 15 year-old, Mennonite barista who is trying to figure out what I mean by “a splash of vanilla.”

That being said, Samantha Irby’s voice is so similar to that of my friend Jess that it made me miss her and made me laugh that much harder. Now let’s take a hard right!

The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver
Download the audiobook here.
Order the paperback book here.

Here’s a fun fact about me. I haven’t felt “allowed” to read not-new books ever since my bookstore started carrying new books. Not only are they very accessible to me but I also need to be familiar with my product, you know?

But ever since I finished Demon Copperhead, I’ve been craving to read more from Barbara Kingsolver. Ugh. She just gets people! Anyway–since I started a habit of reading in the morning before work, I decided that I will let myself read “old” books at home and start knocking out some of those backlist titles I’ve been wanting to get my hands on. The books I read at work and the audiobooks I listen to throughout the day will be new releases–books for work. (I know it sounds like champagne problems but this is actually something that’s been breeding resentment for a long time, now, and I’m thrilled to have come to a solution.)

ANYWAY The Bean Trees. Wow. It’s everything I’ve ever loved about Barbara Kingsolver. I love the way she can make her characters feel so real–down to their voice! It’s also obvious that she writes her characters with love. Not to say that they do no wrong, but that when they do wrong, there’s care and acceptance without judgment.
If someone were to ask me what this book was about, I’d tell them that it’s about found family (literally). And I’m not sure what else I’d be able to muster*. It’s just so good.

*Though there is an instance of “finding” a child–almost like what happened in You Were Always Mine and I thought it was wild the way that I read two books with that same plot point this month.

The Museum of Ordinary People by Mike Gayle
Order the hardcover copy here.
Download the audiobook here.

I’ll be honest, at the time of writing this I still have 1 hour left in the audiobook but I feel okay about writing my review.

I really enjoyed this one! OH what a warmhearted book. I mean, it’s got it’s conflict points but that’s how stories are told. This one feels like it could sit on the shelf right between A Man Called Ove and The Midnight Library. The Museum of Ordinary People is a poignant novel about memory and loss, the things we leave behind, and the future we create for ourselves.

As Jess is cleaning out her mother’s house before putting it up for sale, she doesn’t take much with her but she does take an old, tattered set of encyclopedias from the 1970’s home with her. Just something to remember her childhood by. But as you can guess, there’s not a lot of use for something like that nor do they take up a small amount of space. Eventually because of life, Jess realizes she needs to get rid of them. But she can’t bear the thought of tossing them. That’s when she hears about a place… a place that holds onto things for people. It’s not a dump. It’s not a charity shop. It’s a meticulously catalogued collection of items from the lives of ordinary people…

I feel like this book will especially appeal to the used book customers of my shop. You wouldn’t be able to guess how many times a day I hear someone say, “I just couldn’t stand the thought of throwing it away, so I hope you can use it.”