July Reading

Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby 

“𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘳. 𝘐𝘵 𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘱 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘦𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮. 𝘛𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘺. 𝘞𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘮.” Two men lose their sons…one Black, one White, married to each other, leaving a child behind. So what do these dads do??Isiah’s father, Randolph, wants to stay out of trouble, after spending 15 years in prison. Derek’s father, Buddy Lee, wants retribution. And for the record, Buddy Lee has some shady friends, with LOTS of guns. This is not a story of hope, of redemption, of healing - it is a story of Vengeance. The racism, the homophobia, the violence - it is all disturbing. The complexity of the fathers’ feelings about their sons is heart wrenching. But it is the authenticity of it, the brutal truth of it all that disturbs. This latest novel from the author of Blacktop Wasteland hits every current problem in America today - homegrown terrorism, the proliferation of weapons of war, hatred of the ‘Other.’ This is a tour de force that I could not put down until the final page was turned. I understand why Hollywood already optioned it; every great actor should be chomping at the bit to get their hands on these two lead roles!

The Night Watchman by Louise Erdhich

"The services that the government provides to Indians might be likened to rent. The rent for use of the entire country of the United States." Yeah, let that quote sink in a little bit. Fishing rights, taxes, federal aid, etc.  - is it a handout, a hand up, or just due to an indigenous people against whom America has committed genocide? In Louise Erdhich's Pulitzer prize winning new book, she provokes us to think about all these issues as she embeds us into a tribe of people who are fighting to keep their tribe as a recognized entity of the government. Based on Erdhich's grandfather, this is a story of the Turtle Mountain people, of Thomas the night watchman, of Pixie the jewelry bearing plant worker, of Wood the boxer, of Vera the kidnapped sister, of Valentine the friend and sister, of Stack the math teacher. So many characters, so many connections, so much heartbreak and love and connection. This book slowly and insidiously wormed its way into my heart; it is unforgettable.

Aristotle and Dante Discovered the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

Two boys and a friendship in 1987 California - can it be that simple?? Yes. And it is one of the most beautiful coming of age stories I have ever read. Seriously. This book has been a huge hit for the last eight years, and should be put in the hands of every teenager, read by every parents, as well as every adult. It is that good - don't miss it as the long-awaited sequel comes out this fall!

The Fortunate Ones by Ed Tarkington

This is the story of a poor kid pulled into the world of Nashville's rich society, and an ugly look at the entitled, privileged, 'fortunate' people. When Charlie is offered a scholarship to the elite private high school in Nashville, he thinks it is a dream come true. His single mom had struggled for years in a bad part of town so they said a resounding yes to all the perks that came their way - a new job for mom, clothes and friends for Charlie, a guest house on the grounds of a wealthy family. Yes, there's a catch and when it comes, it impacts Charlie and his life for decades. This was a page turner for me, and provoked much thinking about what people will, and won't do, to get to the head of the line - push, pull, trample whoever gets in their way. It would be a fantastic book club read as there's a lot of meat on that bone to discuss.

Bath Haus by P.J. Vernon

Are you looking for a dark, gritty thriller that you cannot put down? Found it! Wow, this book led me on quite the ride, with one bad decision after another. It begins with Bad Decision #1 by Oliver - go to a gay bathhouse to cheat on your live-in boyfriend, Nathan, and then try to cover up all the bad shit that happens afterwards. And trust me, it is baaaaaad. This book has it all - betrayal, murder, social media, deadly secrets, family dysfunction - it will keep you up far later than you want just to find out what the heck is actually going on!

The Plague Year: America in the Time of Covid by Lawrence Wright

Yes, the same man who wrote The End of October (remember, that prescient thriller on a plague that came out in April of 2020!!), has now written a non-fiction book, examining the year of Covid. I cannot begin to tell you how fascinating this book is, and no, it was not too soon. If anything, it was perfect timing for me. To see where this pandemic emerged, the mistakes made by so many different countries, the lack of compassionate leadership in countries that the world depended on for sanity, the variety of people trying ot make to make their voices heard. At times, he gets stuck in the weeds a bit scientifically, which is why the audio worked so well for me. Highly highly highly recommend this one - knowledge is power, for the next time a plague comes to call.

After the Fall: Being American in the World We've Made by Ben Rhodes

In the aftermath of 2016, when many of us were shell-shocked by a television reality star conning his way into the presidency of America, a former official of the Obama administration decided to find out what happened, and not just with Brexit and Trump winning. Ben Rhodes goes in search of how the world has shifted from the pro-democracy direction that was at its zenith in the early 90's, to the embracing of autocracies world wide over these last thirty years. He looks specifically at Hungary, China, Russia, and yes, America, but all in the context of how we got here, and how to course correct. If you're a political junkie like me, this book will satisfy every nerdy obsession you have - I loved it. (Okay, not as much as his memoir The World As It Is, but I did learn an enormous amount)

The Ivies by Alexa Donne

This book is just a YA potato-chip-bag-of-temptation! Mean girls + cutthroat college admissions + boarding school = addictive entertainment. I couldn't eat, I mean read, it fast enough. Just pure fun!