Still searching for summer reading inspiration, but now that the library is circulating its collection again I think I can find it!
Gingerbread
Helen Oyeyemi
I’ve loved Helen Oyeyemi’s previous books but unfortunately this one didn’t click with me. It’s a fantastical, abstract piece about a female refugee from a country no one can seem to locate on a map. She’s telling her daughter the story of her journey to their current home. I normally don’t mind a meandering plot or avant garde style but for some reason I just couldn’t get engrossed in this one.
Unmentionable: The Victoria Lady’s Guide to Sex, Marriage, and Manners
Therese O’Neill
This was a fun read telling all the dirty secrets of Victorian female life and answering burning questions like what did women back then do about their periods? I didn’t love the tone, the narrator was speaking to us from a Victorian standpoint in a way that was supposed to be humorous but didn’t always work. But the information was really fascinating and it was a nice mental getaway from our current challenges.
Artemisia Gentileschi
Mary Garrard
Artemisia Gentileschi was perhaps the most famous pre-modern female artist anywhere and she’s been a personal favorite of mine forever. I knew some details about her life (for example she was raped and went through a horrible courtroom trial afterwards), but it was fascinating to get into the nitty gritty. I’ve also been craving a good deep-dive art historical text and this did just the trick.
On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker
A’Lelia Bundles
After watching the Netflix series about Madam C.J. Walker, which I really enjoyed, I thought I’d read the book that informed and inspired it to get the factual scoop. It’s really beautifully written thanks to A’Lelia Bundles’s career as a journalist. And though it should be taken with a grain of salt because Bundles is a descendent of Walker, it felt as impartial as possible under those circumstances. If you enjoyed the series and are dying for some more information, or if you’re trying to flesh out your understanding of black history, this is a fantastic read.
Crime and Punishment
Fyodor Dostoevsky
The end of July and early August mark two years since my trip to Russia! Time really does fly when you’re chasing dead authors around the globe. To commemorate the time and escape temporarily to those wonderful memories I reread Crime and Punishment. This was my entryway to Russian literature and the launch of one of my great intellectual loves, so rereading it always feels like falling into a warm hug.