What I Read: July 2023

Where have all the summer days gone?

Summer is crushing my introverted self. But at least there’s books!

(I hope your summer is full of books and equal parts great company and rejuvenating alone time. Mine is distinctly short on the latter — that and sleep. Fall is on the way!)

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Here’s What I Read in July:

Lessons in Chemistry: A Novel

by Bonnie Garmus

I really enjoyed this one which was chosen by my local book club. The novel is set in the 1950s and follows Elizabeth Zott, a woman who wants to be — and is — a chemist. The problem is that it’s the 1950s and women are not supposed to be chemists, and so workplace sexism (and beyond) is a main theme of the book. The book is witty and smart and just the right amount of heartfelt, and it offers some excellent discussion for a group of mixed ages and mixed genders. Women in my book club range from me in my 30s to many who are retired and in their 60s and 70s, and it was fascinating and frustrating to share what has changed since then — and what hasn’t changed.

Content warning: this book handles sexual assault, sexual abuse, and abuse at the hands of the church.

Goodreads | Bookshop | Libro.fm

Self-Reg: How to Help Your Child (and You) Break the Stress Cycle and Successfully Engage with Life

by Dr. Stuart Shanker (with Teresa Barker)

The information in this book is so good but the writing leaves a bit to be desired. It doesn’t quite flow like I want it to, which can make it hard to dig in and dive deep into nonfiction. I rather think nonfiction aimed at parents should be as to-the-point as possible, so that we can get in, get what we need, and get out — since invariably we will be interrupted a dozen times in two pages. Perhaps we institute a 100-page cap for nonfiction? Better yet, if there’s a tl;dr recap at the end of the book and in downloadable PDF form at the author’s website… hmm. I may be onto something here.

In any case, Dr. Shanker argues that there are five areas where kids can become over- or under-stressed, and then when a child becomes stressed in one area, it all spills over into the rest of life, too. Our job as parents is to help our child learn their stressors and how to minimize them and reset from them, including exploring what “calm” looks like for our individual kid and how they can learn to get themselves there when faced with stressful situations.

Arthur has really high sleep needs and since he’s mostly done napping (at 6, he’ll still often nap once or twice a week), we’ve run into some real meltdowns and I’m trying to figure out what instigates them. I’m hoping this book can help, but I’m a little flummoxed on implementation.

Goodreads | Bookshop | Libro.fm

Ms. Rapscott’s Girls {audio}

by Elise Primavera; narrated by Katherine Kellgren

This book had so much promise… and left me wondering where it all went. Ms. Rapscott runs a school for the girls of the busiest parents in the world, taking it upon herself to teach these girls all they need to succeed at life since their parents are too busy to do it themselves. It’s got hints of Mary Poppins and every now and again while listening I’d catch a bit of brilliance that animates The Phantom Tollbooth… but ultimately the premise didn’t payoff for me. The magic was explained away too quickly — or not at all — and every adventure the girls went on felt unsatisfying in the end. There are so many clever setups, I’m afraid this one just didn’t deliver for me. Arthur seemed to enjoy it and there was nothing objectionable about it (save the very loud voice of Beatrice who has always had to yell to be noticed). The narrator is the astonishingly talented Katherine Kellgren, who also narrated The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates series that we are working through and loving. That alone might make me listen to the second in the series to see if there’s any improvement along the way.

Goodreads | Unavailable at Bookshop | Libro.FM | Thriftbooks

The Very Nearly Honorable League of Pirates: The Terror of the Southlands {audio}

by Caroline Carlson; narrated by Katherine Kellgren

What a fantastic followup! Loved every minute.

Arthur has been obsessed with pirates for two years now, and it’s been so fun to listen to these books which highlight all the “good” elements of piracy (friendship, loyalty, bold and daring adventures) and downplay or deride all the more unsavory elements (no one actually ever gets run through by a pirate cutlass). This series strikes the perfect balance between earnest and absurd, and I admit to loving them just as much as Arthur. For the adult listener familiar with pirate lore, there are plenty of laugh-out-loud moments when the books poke fun at the legends of piracy, and the book isn’t afraid to overturn some stereotypes in the process (pirates who bake shortbread, high society girls who’d rather swab the deck of a ship than dance a waltz). We will return to these again and again.

Be sure to listen to Magic Marks the Spot first! And my library unfortunately doesn’t have the third in the series, so I might be using a Libro.fm credit to buy us number three, The Buccaneer’s Code, to continue the adventure.

Goodreads | Bookshop | Libro.FM

Wild + Free Book Club: 28 Activities to Make Books Come Alive

by Ainsley Arment and various contributors

This book highlights 28 different chapter books and ideas for hosting a book club gathering for children around each of them. The book selection is great, and many of the ideas are cute, but overall the book feels too focused on Instagram-worthy looks and less so on substance. I think it’s a great resource for picking a classic kids chapter book (more modern choices are featured, too) and would serve as a jumping off point for the activities and discussion questions.

Goodreads | Bookshop

I did re-read Sleeping With Bread which I reviewed back in April of 2022. It’s a great, short explanation of the Examen and how to put it into practice. Probably worth re-reading at least once a year.

That’s it! Although, I finished beta-reading a friend’s murder mystery novel (it’s fantastic!) and can’t wait to someday share that with you, too.

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What I’m Reading with the Kids:

We have gone rogue this summer. The kids request the same Berenstain Bear books over and over again. Read-alouds are a lost cause. We just finished coloring in our “summer reading” poster/checklist and got around to hanging it up last week. Reading with the kids is even more chaotic than usual when the sun is warm and the garden won’t stop pumping out zucchini and tomatoes and beans.

We did, however, all fall in love with this book about nautical codes called (appropriately) Alpha Bravo Charlie:

Arthur listened to the first three Boxcar Children books on audio (I must have never read these as a kid, because they surprised me with how matter-of-fact sad the first one is), and we are working our way through Book #4 of the Penderwick series, which is a delight, as always.

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What I’m Reading Next:

I had to return Stay True by Hua Hsu before the library deadline, but I still have a few books bouncing around on my nightstand vying to be the next read:

• Stories of my Life by Katherine Patterson (author of Bridge to Terabithia)

• The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale (middle-grade fantasy I’ve missed!)

• Yoga for Children by Lisa Flynn

Here’s to a well-read August!

What books are getting you through summer? Share them in the comments!