How’s everyone settling in our new space here at Meander? I can tell you I’m settling in fine, even if I am busier than a one-armed paper hanger! Slowly but surely, I am figuring out how to translate being a passionate reader into being an independent bookseller.
The selling part is easy. Y’all know the level of mention-itis I get about books. (Hello, John and Paul that I’ve had to reorder three times in two weeks!) The ordering and marketing and organizing - that’s taking practice.
It’s also changing my reading cadence and is going to change how I share what I’ve been reading with all of you. The end of month round-ups no longer make sense. First, because I’ve gained access to advance reader copy (which is sexy) and I don’t want to share my thoughts on a book until you can actually read it. Second, I want to be able to share more timely information on book club picks and events, as I roll those out in the fall. Don’t worry. I’m still going to share everything I read. You’ll just be hearing from me more often.
Luckily, this first little roundup is on theme to my new life as a bookseller.
Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley
When you sell a man a book you don’t sell him just twelve ounces of paper and ink and glue—you sell him a whole new life.
I swear on all things sacred and holy I didn’t know what this book was about! I saw it listed as a backlist favorite in Anne Bogel’s Summer Reading Guide and added it to my initial book order in a flurry of “Holy crap, I’ve got to fill up these shelves!” I took it home one evening because I realized I needed to probably understand what it was about if I was going to sell it.
Y’all, it’s about a lady unexpectedly purchasing a mobile bookstore! I really don’t want to say too much more because I don’t want to ruin it. However, just know it is a damn delight. You know what else it is? SHORT. I love a book you can read in an evening or over the course of a summer afternoon. I especially love it now that my TBR has exploded. (Here’s my other favorite tiny book.)
Anne was right (as always). This book was perfect.
Land by Maggie O’Farrell
It could exist on the map, or it could exist on the land.
With new releases from O’Farrell and Ann Patchett, we’re rich with options this summer. (My 17-year-old son Griffin and I divided and conquered. He took Ann. I took Maggie. His review can be found here.)
O’Farrell is the queen of historical fiction and this time she returns to her native Ireland circa 1865 after the great famine. I had always thought about the potato famine through the lens of immigration (and there is a fair amount of that in this novel!) and hadn’t really thought about the way one million deaths would also change Ireland. I loved this family and their story. It is heartbreaking. You don’t read O’Farrell (or any Irish author for that matter) to be uplifted. You read it to be changed and you will be changed by Land.
The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion by Beth Brower
Gossip is as catching as the plague ever was.
Mad credit to my friend Reagan of My Darling & Co. who told me about this viral series at just the right moment. She described it as Gilmore Girls set in the 1800s and I’d say that just about nails it. (Well, I’ve never actually seen an episode of Gilmore Girls but I get the idea…like how I’m throwing that little bomb in a parenthetical!)
This series is everywhere and, for good reason, it’s another delight. You know what else the first book is? SHORT! You can read it in an afternoon. Now, you are then going to want to read the next seven…Brower plans to write a total of twenty! But there are worse things than having a series you can’t put down, particularly one that involves a plucky heroine and competing love interests!
Currently slow reading…
Roots by Alex Haley
We are halfway through our America250 Book Club and it is not too late to join us!
We will be discussing Roots at the end of September and it’s a beast at 800 pages so you’re going to want to get started. I’m currently reading 12 pages a day so that I’m finished in time. (Also, we’re discussing Ragtime tomorrow night if you’d like to join us!)
The British Are Coming by Rick Atkinson
Speaking of America250, my goal is to be finished with this incredible piece of historical narrative by July 4th! It’s the first in a trilogy and the second is already out. Atkinson takes six years to write each one and is a war correspondent turned historian. He is also our Pantsuit Politics special guest for our special America250 week of programming!
What I Didn’t Finish
Christy by Catherine Marshall
This is the first Well-Read Mom selection I’ve ever quit. I had recently read a history of white Christian womanhood (not out yet, get excited!) and this book features prominently. It was one of the first Christian novels and is considered a foundational text for the Fascinating Womanhood theology. When I got to Christy’s mentor telling her you just gotta reach out and grab God’s blessings I was like - NOPE. I’m out.
P.S. If you want to support independent booksellers, this week is the time!
Audiobook lovers, we’ve got you covered as well. Use code BIGIMPACT for 35% off.
You haven't seen anything episode of Gilmore Girls???? This cant stand.
I read Christy many moons ago as a teen and I would bet anything that it would hit really differently now! And I’m super excited for the Kristin Kobes Du Mez book!