What I read in August 2025
First and foremost, The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden. I can't talk too much about it because not knowing where it is going is a lot of what I loved about this book. It takes a third-act turn that changed the whole book for me and made me fall deeper in love with it. I recommend it to everyone, but it does have some explicit sex scenes, in case that's not for you.
Second, My Brilliant Friend and The Story of a New Name by Elena Ferrante. I knew Ferrante was well-loved and I should probably check her out but I didn't think these would be for me. I was so mistaken. These books are heart-wrenching works of friendship, hatred, class struggle, rise and fall in 1950s Naples. The characterization is so rich that I couldn't help but fall in love with many of the characters. Even though I grew up in a rural farming community, the wrenching feelings of crossing from one class culture into another felt so familiar.
Others:
- Bring the House Down by Charlotte Runcie. A very funny book about criticism and gender. It didn't leave the biggest impression on me, but I enjoyed it.
- Say Everything by Ione Skye. I don't really read celebrity memoir and this reminded me why. I love the movie Say Anything and I'm glad I read it, but wouldn't recommend.
- Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy. On the other hand, this blew me away. Riveting five-minutes-in-the-future climate fiction with a heavy dose of Moby Dick. Beautiful exteriority and constant surprises.
- Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. More accessible and less arty than I imagined from all the buzz. It reminded me of early Christopher Moore before he forgot to write about people. It was a quick read but not super-memorable.
- City of God: Faith in the Streets by Sara Miles. I love Sara Miles's Take this Bread, one of my favorite books on living out faith. This was ok, but it felt a little too much like she was trying to justify herself for living in the San Francisco Mission. Would not recommend given she's written a much better book.