July Reads

2024

Broken for You by Stephanie Kallos

A remarkable book, and a bedtime reread. Since I’ve last read it, I’ve discovered Kimberly Warner at

Unfixed

. Her gentle inquiry into the concepts of broken and fixed reminds me forcibly of this novel. Revisiting a wonderful cast of characters and themes of community, social injustice, death, and tragic personal histories, I always enjoy picking this one up again. I recommend it. It’s back on my shelf.

The Far Pavilions by M.M. Kaye

Trade Winds by M.M. Kaye

Death in Cyprus by M.M. Kaye

I discovered The Far Pavilions when I was a teenager and I’ve been reading it ever since. This is my third copy, an old library copy, and it’s falling apart in its turn and will need replacing eventually. I have several other books by this author, but her novels of India are the ones I love the most. A masterful blend of history, romance, adventure, and the consequences of colonialism, it’s written with unmistakable affection for the people and culture of this exotic continent. It never fails to capture me entirely. I hate to finish it; fortunately, it’s quite long!

Trade Winds is set in Zanzibar. I enjoyed rereading this one, but decided I can let it go now. I passed it on, along with Death in Cyprus. Kaye wrote several Death in … books. They remind me a little bit of Agatha Christie. They’re gently entertaining, but I don’t need to keep them any longer.

The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd

These two Kidd books have been with me for a long time. They were bedtime rereads. The Mermaid Chair inspired a blog post, which you can read here. It’s a good book; after this read I let it go. I kept The Secret Life of Bees, though. I can’t part with that one. It’s a beautiful movie as well, which I have on DVD.

Bag of Bones by Stephen King

Well. Next on my shelves after Kidd comes King, and I have been waiting for this moment! I love King, but I haven’t read him consistently in decades and I’ve missed a lot! I (finally) got myself to our library, where a section is devoted to Maine writers, including King. The first book on the shelf by King was Bag of Bones, so I checked it out. It’s a thick battered copy, stained and well-read. I started it in the car while waiting out the clock for a massage appointment and was instantly hooked. For a week I could hardly put it down.

I don’t think of most of King as horror. Some of his early stuff is too disturbing for me to read, but I’ve read and reread The Tower series, along with The Stand, some of his short stories, and Lisey’s Story, which I have on audio as well. I’ve read several of his other books, but only in passing and I don’t own them. For the next few weeks (months?) I’m going to settle in, read what the library has, and buy personal copies of what I know I’ll want to reread.

King is great fun to read now I’m a Mainer. His books are filled with the language, culture, and place names of my adopted state; I get a kick out of that. Bag of Bones is more of a ghost story than anything else, and I devoured it. Wonderful book. I’ll buy a copy for myself. I can hardly wait to read the next one!

Substack

Val Stuart at

Who Will Save Her?

is writing a quirky serial I can’t quite figure out! I’m enjoying it.

David E. Perry at

In The Garden Of His Imagination

. I’m so pleased to have found this. I don’t know where this writer lives, but his photos remind me a bit of Colorado, where I lived most of my life. He’s right up there with James Roberts at

Into the Deep Woods with James Roberts

, and David Knowles at

Elvers by Moonlight

, both favorites of mine. Beautiful photography and writing from a man who loves the natural world.

Chloe Hope

at Death and Birds. Another writer inspired by the magnificence, vulnerability, and mystery of nature. She does bird rescue and reflects deeply on life and death in the context of Nature’s cycles and seasons. I always enjoy her posts, which are thoughtful and tender.