Hi all. It appears we’re in the dog days of summer now and I know many in the Midwest and East have been living with a lot of wildfire smoke. I hope it leaves soon and you get clear skies again.
We have a little smoke here but nothing like it’s been there. I took this photo last Wednesday when it was more clear coming home from golf. I hope you like the yellow serenity.
Meanwhile I’m headed out of town for a few days to officiate the provincial tennis tournament. I’ll be back later in the week.
In book news, some might have caught wind of an upcoming article in the August issue of the Atlantic titled The End of Reading Is Here by Rose Horowitch … which I haven’t read since it’s behind a paywall but is talked about elsewhere. It notes the dismal percentage of those reading among the next generation. Apparently fewer than half of all U.S. adults reported having read a book of any kind in 2022. So what — the article posits — does that mean for society? Nothing good I think, but I know us bookworms will keep the torch burning bright for reading.
In response I made a chart (above) of all the people waiting for a slew of popular books at the two libraries that I’m a member of. In parentheses is the amount of copies the library owns. You can see the number on hold for e-books and audiobooks of titles by such authors as Jenny Jackson, Patrick Radden Keefe, Virginia Evans, Belle Burden, and Ann Patchett is very high … including Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke, which had the most holds of all. Did you know that 6,508 people are on hold waiting for an e-book copy of Yesteryear at the Los Angeles Public Library, which owns 979 e-book copies? I wonder how long that would take to get. You can do the math … it’ll be a while. So I like to think that a lot of us are still reading for pleasure out there.
And now I’ll leave you with reviews of what I finished lately.
Dominion by Addie E. Citchens / Farrar, Straus / 240 pages / 2025
3.7 stars. Whoa this was a bit darker tale than I expected going in. It’s set in a town called Dominion, Mississippi, about an affluent Southern Black family — the Winfreys — whose father is the reverend at the big Baptist Church in town and has five sons with his wife Priscilla. One of the sons Emanuel is known around as Wonderboy, and is a star high school quarterback, a really fast runner, and a great singer who seems to be going places.
Meanwhile his father is caught up in his sermons and philanderings, taking Priscilla for granted. Then Wonderboy catches the eye of a struggling girl named Diamond who falls for him. They begin dating but later an encounter Wonder has at the track with a stranger … changes everything … and sets their world in a troubled direction. After that, Wonder asks Diamond if she’d set out on the run with him.
Told mostly by Priscilla, Wonder’s mother, and Diamond, the orphaned girlfriend — with a bit of Wonder’s narration too — you soon come to see how the two women are in predicaments, one with the father and the other with the son. Their narrations are lively and compelling, and I wasn’t sure if they’d come out of it all right. It turns sort of violent.
This debut novel received considerable attention last year and was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction and a finalist for PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. I thought it was a promising debut though the ending and some parts of the characters and story kept me from overly loving it.
Under Water by Tara Menon / Riverhead / 224 pages / 2026
3.7 stars. This is another promising debut, which I read with Tina at the blog Turn the Page, about two close friends Marissa and Arielle who grow up in Thailand. Marissa, who narrates, lost her mother when she was young and relishes being with Arielle and diving together off a nearby island helping the research that her father, a marine biologist, does involving the habits of manta rays.
Alternately, years later in 2012, Marissa, age 24, is living in NYC and working at a magazine. As Hurricane Sandy approaches, she is flooded with memories of her friend Arielle and the 2004 Indian Tsunami that changed their lives years earlier. (This is not giving anything away as it’s mentioned near the beginning.)
The narrative jumps between the timelines of present and past and between Thailand and New York. It gets a bit scrambled at times but what is apparent is that the two grew up close friends and shared a love of the natural world and diving in Thailand. Some of the descriptions are quite beautiful, especially involving the water and the manta rays. But in the present, Marissa has a lot of PTSD over what happened to Arielle, which you don’t find out about till the very end.
Tina and I both seemed to like some of the writing and descriptions in this novel, though I don’t think we felt we fully knew the characters. The jumpy structure between the timelines made it feel at times like scenes perhaps rather than a deeper story with fuller character development. Still the friendship and loss come through pretty viscerally and reminded me of those awful days in 2004 after the world heard about the tsunami and its aftermath. Some 230,000 lives were lost across various countries, which was beyond devastating. The particulars of the disasters — the tsunami and Hurricane Sandy — seemed well researched by the author.
That’s all for now. What about you — do you know these books and if so, what did you think?
The smoke is definitely eerie —the sky looks positively unnatural. We were warned to stay inside with the AC on recirculate if we could. And we feel sorry for anyone who can’t avoid being outdoors. I think it’s still coming and going. I hope your atmosphere is better. … mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Hi Mae, sorry to hear you are inundated with smoke. We have some here too and I have to be outside to ref a tennis tournament. Not too good. This is getting to be the new normal for summers sadly. Hope you are well.
Lovely photo, is the yellow canola?
That’s an extraordinary amount of people waiting for Yesteryear!
I hope the officiating is going well.
Thanks for sharing your week, happy reading!
Hi Shelleyrae, Yes the yellow is canola oil fields or rapeseed as they call it. It’s a big export from around here. And who knew Yesteryear was That popular.
Hope all is well there. Thx for your note.
Another stunning photo. You nailed it, it would be titled Yellow Serenity and hang on my wall. Seriosuly. As we are looking for something to hang in the dining area and can’t find something we like. But I could stare at this photo.
Great review of the books here and I did enjoy reading Under Water. I have shaped my post up and hope to get it online today if not tomorrow. It was so visual and descriptive. It was weird that you could sense the pain Marissa was in yet the character development wasn’t as strong. A very strong first book by this author.
That’s sad about the findings of readers in the Atlantic article. And don’t you just hate pay walls?!
Hope the tennis officiating goes well and we will chat with you after that!
Thanks Tina. We will send out a poster of Yellow Serenity, ha.
I agree with you about Under Water …. and enjoyed your review of it … and discussing it.
Apparently the next generation isn’t reading and that is why people elect XXX (fill in the blank) politicians and make terrible decisions. Doesnt bode well for the future. Things have been busy with the tournament but hopefully I’ll be home later tonight. Talk soon.
That list is encouraging. I’d be on the list for those too! Our smoke is clearing some but I think it will be back. We do what we must. Not Canada’s fault, despite comments by our “fearless leader.” UGH.
Hi Jeanie, thanks. Unfortunately I think smoke has become our new norm for summers … which is really sad. I hope your smoke will leave soon. And we will just have to show the non-readers otherwise … Enjoy the lake.
There is a lot of truth in the Atlantic article. I do worry about the people who don’t read carefully and don’t read much, though I’m trying to focus these days on worrying about things I can actually change.
I’m sad about the wildfires and the smoke from them. Again, though, what can I do about it? I do hope it goes away soon.
Hi Deb, I think just being a cheerleader for books & reading to others (as you are) is a good way to help … the situation of nonreaders …. keep spreading the word and joy.
And I think all the fires are in relation to climate change … so it helps to have (better) leaders who believe in it and might make better policies about the earth. Just my two cents. Have a good week.
This might be a link to the gift article for the Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/08/reading-crisis-postliterate-age/687618/?gift=3rYbOqgs4sZxuhxoOWPj6aPs7tKfaQ7HQEKcDzTN7_o
If it does not work and you would still like to read it, send me an email at debnance at gmail and I’ll share it with you that way.
Thanks so much Deb for gifting me the article! Yes I can see it now. I will save it for reading when I’m through reffing with this tennis tournament. Appreciate it!
That picture looks like a watercolor. It must be something to watch that field in person… Too bad people are not reading that much for pleasure anymore, but I feel that those who do are the ones who grew up doing it, and the latest generations are more hooked up with social media and short-length content that does wonders for distraction and to shorten one’s attention span. Ah, the marvels of modern technology! 😮 Anyway, I’m glad you enjoyed both books even if it was with some quibbles. Sarah @ Sarah’s Bookshelves blog and podcast chose Dominion as one of the best books she read last year. I’m curious but not that much to read it. Under Water sounds a bit like Wild Dark Shore in the attention to detail towards the natural world. Was it, similar in places? Have a great week officiating the tennis tournament! Happy reading!
Hi Carmen, I enjoy looking at the photo too. It does have a painting quality to it.
I agree the coming generations are hooked on phones and have less attention spans … for reading books. It is sad and will likely change things about the world with nonreaders … postliterate they call it, ugh.
I didnt realize Sarah’s Bookshelves thought so highly of Dominion … interesting. I think it’s a good debut but not without some small annoyances. Kin (another Southern kind of family story) — I liked a bit better.
I hadn’t thought of Wild Dark Shore with Under Water … but you’re right they both have good descriptions about the natural world. So in that way they are similar in places. I have one more day of the tournament. Looking forward to getting home, thanks. Enjoy your week.
Country People was very good. I enjoyed it immensely. I highly recommend it! Good luck with the tennis tournament.
Thanks Carmen. Good to know. I should try Mason’s writing. I’m glad you vetted it for me. 🙂 I will add it to my list. Keep reading.
Another lovely photo, Susan. I need to get out to the bluff and get more photos of the ocean view here! No smoke near us, but there were a lot of lightning strikes the other night near Bend/Sisters and now there are several fires. Ugh. Definitely a new normal.
I hope you have officiating the tennis matches. I know it’s a lot of work, but also fun, right?
I think there are still a lot of readers in the world. My niece just got a job working for an aviation company and she now listens to audiobooks while she sews. One of my daughter’s best friends is still reading big books (like Lonesome Dove and Cutting for Stone) even though she has two kiddos under two. When there’s a will, there’s a way, right?
I may give Under Water a try, but probably not on audio since the dual timelines sound confusing. Gosh, I still can’t get over the fact that 230,000 lives were lost in that Christmas tsunami in 2004. Just awful.
Hi Lesley, yeah I saw on a fire map that Oregon had some wildfires this summer. That is concerning. I hope they can get a handle on them.
The tennis officiating went pretty well … and I have enjoyed helping the kids over the years. But it’s long days of 12+ hours so I’m glad now to be done & home again.
And I’m very glad to hear details that the younger generation is reading! Sometimes people get busy working & with careers (like I did) and might not have time for a while … but I don’t think that means they’ve given up reading.
For Under Water … I had both the library hardback and the audiobook and they were good together. But maybe the print copy is best to go with. The tsunami was totally scary back then. Hope all is well there. Cheers.
That photo is lovely. Yellow is such a happy color.
Dog Days of summer is right. It’s so humid here!! I can’t recall a summer so humid. It was 75 degrees at 4am today with 65% humidity. I can’t get my long walks in because of how miserable it is.
Work stress is eating up my reading time. I get home and it takes me a long time to decompress enough to read. I am working my way through The Count of Monte Cristo and currently reading How Beautiful We Were for book club. It’s slow and taking a bit of effort to get into.
Hi Ti, thanks. Yellow looks inviting in the picture.
And I can’t believe it’s so humid there. How different than usual. Sounds like miserable heat in SoCal.
I had real trouble with Imbolo Mbue’s second novel that you’re reading. Her first novel was so good but I didn’t like How Beautiful We Were, argh. Still I think she has a third book coming and I might try again. I hope you can get through it.
Monte Cristo likely the better bet there. Have a nice weekend.
Another wonderful picture, Susan! You know I love those so much and the mountains in the distance are gorgeous. We’re having lots of sun now and it seems the rain (and horrible rain amounts) have gone away for a while at least. Our lakes are full and that is nice, but it would also be nice to now have these huge amounts of rain in such short time periods. Our grass is growing like crazy and it’s hard to keep it mowed. Hope you have a good time at the tennis matches. As to reading, well, I know a lot of people who do read and I have younger relatives that are readers. I also will say that the hold lines at all the libraries I’m connected to are crazy long for print and e-books and also audiobooks. All we can do is encourage others to read books (however they prefer) and not just their phones, etc. Ha! Take care!
Hi Kay …. I completely agree with you … that we can encourage reading and books to others and maybe choose political leaders who don’t cut library funding … or believe in book bans. That would be helpful.
I hope your area is okay now after all the rain …. and hopefully not getting killer heat.
Glad you like the photo. I don’t think I can top it … in the future, lol. Perhaps I’ll be running out of good photos. Enjoy your weekend.
Adding both of these books to my now quite interminable reading list. Who knows when I might get to them. That picture is lovely and evocation, worthy of a print to be hung on the wall for all to admire.
Hi Dorothy, thanks. Maybe I should enlarge the photo for my wall, lol. It is nice to look at … and the yellow is pleasing and serene.
These novels were on my Summer Reading List and I was glad to try both authors’ debut writing. I will keep them in mind for whatever they write next. Hope all is well there. Cheers.
It is shocking that more than half of the US does not read even one book in a year. And these days there are so many different ways to read a book. Thanks to Libby I have The Whistler and London Falling on hold. It will be my first time reading both authors. The cover of Under Water by Tara Menon is attractive. I wonder if tne design of books, their covers and size could make owning books and reading them more attractive.
Hi Kathy, yeah I think I was drawn to Under Water by its cover … but it also received a starred review from Kirkus which caught my eye too.
And you’re right there are various ways to read a book … and people should be try an audiobook or ebook or whatever. I enjoy using Libby too. It’s a great resource. The Whistler novel is good and I’m on the hold list for London Falling but it could be a while, lol. Enjoy your reads.
I will definitely keep on reading. I feel sad for people who don’t read but on the other hand, they probably feel sad for me for not participating in things they like to do.
I always felt like readers were in the minority and I feel incredibly lucky that both my husband and son are just as enthusiastic as I am about reading. That is why I blog, to hear from other people who read.
I worked for a publisher for 29 years and there were a good number of serious readers there, so it was a good environment from that point of view.
I wanted to tell you that we watched Project Hail Mary last week. I really never thought we would because of the length (it was too long) and I did not know that my husband was interested. But my husband picked it to watch, and both my son and I liked it a lot. Glen did not like it. Ryan Gosling was good. Based on your thoughts on the movie, I may read the book to see what the differences are. The book is very long though, which is somewhat daunting.
The photo of the yellow canola is wonderful.
Hi Tracy, that’s great that your family is all into reading. It makes it fun.
I’m not sure I remembered that you worked for a publisher but that environment would be a good one for readers. I found that as well within my field of journalism — that the other employees were big readers and it was good to be there.
So interesting to hear your feedback on the movie of Project Hail Mary. I’m glad you & your son enjoyed it. I haven’t read it yet but I think I would prefer the book. Perhaps I’m in Glen’s camp about the movie. And although the novel is quite long I’ve heard that it reads quickly and is entertaining. So maybe that’s less off-putting to pick it up sometime.
I’m glad you like the photo. It caught my eye that day while I was driving home and I stopped and took a photo with my iPhone. Luckily it turned out.
Hope your reading is going well. Cheers.
Did you know that 6,508 people are on hold waiting for an e-book copy of Yesteryear at the Los Angeles Public Library, which owns 979 e-book copies?
Girl, yes!!! I’m one of them! Currently #5,108th in line (started #6,497th), 979 copies in use. 6,398 people waiting in total. 7 people waiting per copy.
I wonder how long that would take to get. — Approximately 11 more weeks. Hold placed on July 10th.
But that’s nothing compared to Incidents Around The House!!! ETA = Several Months
Hi Jinjer, Ha Ha — I had to laugh … that’s one Long wait list for Yesteryear and there you are at #5,108. You’ll get it by Christmas, right? I think I’m in a similar predicament with London Falling — I just got on the wait list, so it’s curtains for me. I’ll be waiting till the sun no longer shines, lol.
And interesting to hear about Incidents Around the House …. it’s sounds like that has taken off! I’ll have to check my library’s stock. These books are going like hotcakes. Enjoy your weekend (and waits). Cheers!
I feel like I could sit and stare at those yellow flowers for hours and not tire of them. Sigh.
I sure hope the art of reading isn’t leaving us; those library numbers are definitely reassuring. My life has been super busy lately with my daughter in town for a month, the World Cup, and now the puppy (so much work!) that I have been reading far less than usual this summer. I miss it.