Hi Bookworms. I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying beautiful fall days. It’s been amazing outside. We got back this week from Mexico City where we had a lovely time at my nephew’s wedding and exploring the area. We took an informative guided bike tour of the city — thanks to Luis — across multiple bike lanes and saw various monuments, churches, and old ruins. From there, you could see that the city was built on a drained lakebed (first by the Aztecs then by the Spanish) and that parts of it are sinking and some buildings are tilting. One tilted church we saw was closed due to possible cave-ins. No wonder earthquakes are so dangerous there.
It’s such a large city with a metropolitan area of about 22 million people, and it reminded me slightly of being in New York City … perhaps because of the traffic density and because we found it quite walkable amid the neighborhoods and we first stayed near a large city park —Chapultepec Park — which is said to be three times as large as New York’s Central Park. The park is nicely filled with big Mexican cypress trees and is perfect for cycling.
Near there, we went to a couple museums including the Anthropology Museum where we saw the famous Aztec Sun Stone created sometime in the early 1500s, which they believe was used as a ceremonial sacrificial altar. You could feed the Sun god and hopefully keep the universe moving. Here I am proudly standing next to it.
We also took a guided tour of the pyramids at Teotihuacan about an hour away, which are roughly 1,800 to 2,000 years old. There are two main big ones — the Pyramid of the Sun and the Pyramid of the Moon. They were built before the Aztecs arrived and found them abandoned by some ancient unknown civilization.
As you walk around the large site you can imagine the sacrifices to the gods that were being performed there. It’s a bit daunting … as hearts could be taken from live bodies and perhaps put on the altars, yikes. Here at left is the view that my husband took from the top of the Sun pyramid … as I did not go up it as I am not good with heights nor with climbing up small steep steps.
Anyways it’s whetted my appetite to seeing more, but for now we must get back to books. I wanted to recap my reading this summer and the 15 books on my Summer List. From the original list I read 9 but then I added two subs (marked below with *) so it came out to be 11. I tried to put them in some kind of order of how I liked them, but the first five novels on the list below (all being over 4 stars) were all so strong and good reads that I found it hard to weigh a top favorite. These authors reigned supreme for me this summer. After those, two eye-opening nonfiction books followed and then a couple debut novels by promising authors and then the two last ones. So all in all it was a great summer. And with the fall lineup ahead, I feel it’s been a strong year in books.
- Land by Maggie O’Farrell / 4.5
- Kin by Tayari Jones / 4.3
- The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout / 4.3
- John of John by Douglas Stuart / 4.5
- Whistler by Ann Patchett / 4.3
- Strangers: A Memoir of a Marriage by Belle Burden / 3.75
- Family of Spies * by Christine Kuehn (nonfiction) / 3.75
- Dominion by Addie E. Citchens (debut) / 3.75
- Under Water by Tara Menon (debut) / 3.75
- True Crime: A Memoir by Patricia Cornwell / 3.65
- The Shampoo Effect * by Jenny Jackson / 3.5
And now I’ll leave you with a couple reviews of what I finished lately.
Strangers: A Memoir of a Marriage by Belle Burden/ Dial / 256 pgs / 2026
3.75 stars. This bestselling blockbuster was a buddy read with Tina at Turn the Page. Did you know there’s 40,223 reviews of this book on Goodreads and 334,372 ratings of it? In comparison, the bestselling Ann Patchett novel Whistler has 24,774 reviews and 194,506 ratings. And that was big this summer! So you can see that Strangers has struck a nerve with folks. People either liked it and were moved by it … or others disliked it and were critical of her and that she would write the book.
I guess I’m more in the first group. Hell yeah. This happened … and she wanted to talk it through or write about it more than be silenced. It surprised me in that way since I’m more internal, but I had to give it to her particularly since I thought it was pretty well done.
For those who don’t know …. this is a nonfiction book about the dissolution of a marriage. One day while at the start of the Covid pandemic in 2020 … the author learned in a telephone call that her husband was having an affair. The next day he told her he wanted a divorce and was leaving her and their three teenage kids after 20 years of marriage. She was blindsided to put it mildly with no warning or explanation. She was left during Covid with two of her kids while quarantining at their secondary residence on Martha’s Vineyard, leaving their main residence in New York City.
She was thrown for a loop and man was she affected. During the months after she seemed to hit rock bottom … over losing her husband and identity. It’s all spelled out here in the book … her agony at the time, and her and her husband’s story of how they met and their history and that of her family’s. Much has been made about how privileged and well off she and her husband were. She was rich from old money and he worked at a hedge fund, they didn’t have to worry, or did they? It seems for a while she thought her residences and private club on the island would be taken away but then they settled right before going to court. And she took main custody of the kids. He kept his accrued earnings from when they were married, which was what was in their prenup.
Still despite the differences I might have with Belle, I was moved by her journey over the dissolution of her marriage and a bit of her re-discovery. I thought she wrote it well and made good points. It was a bit eye-opening as I had not thought of the particulars over such a hardship. Everyone is different … as is every marriage … we might not be totally similar to Belle but we can understand and sympathize. I thought it took courage and much fortitude and I applaud her for that. It’s worth reading.
Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia /Del Rey / 320 pages / 2020
3.5 stars. I remember how popular this novel was when it first came out in 2020. It took off and really brought the author to a new level of recognition. For whatever reason, I did not read it back then, but later I read another of her novels The Daughter of Doctor Moreau which is loosely a follow-up of H.G. Wells’s 1896 novel The Island of Doctor Moreau. I liked it and thought I’d read more … even though I’m not usually a reader of the horror genre or the supernatural. Though to be fair I think Moreno-Garcia is a bit of a literary savant who seems to be able to write across multiple genres.
So I took this atmospheric novel on our trip to Mexico City and it was good for that. It is set there in the 1950s where Noemi, a college student, is a bit of socialite who goes to various dances and events, stringing men along in her wake, and who’s flighty about what she wants to pursue. She’s recently changed her attention to the study of anthropology. But then her father asks her to go check on her cousin Catalina who has sent him a worrisome letter from outside the city.
Noemi sets off for High Place, a crumbling old mansion high in the hills, to see Catalina who not long ago married into the prominent Doyle family, who once owned and managed a profitable silver mine before a strange epidemic killed so many of the miners. But when Noemi arrives all is amiss and not exactly what it seems. Plus the family is strange and acting poorly, restricting her on what she can do and where she can go.
High Place is a spooky place filled with strange fungus, mold, and a deluge of rain. After various nightmares, sleepwalks, and odd happenings, Noemi begins to investigate what is truly going on there — and whether she and her cousin are being poisoned … and whoa it is something to behold. Moreno-Garcia does well to bring to life the dilapidated, eerie mansion of High Place and the cemetery out back where many are buried. Mexican Gothic has some similarities with her other novel The Daughter of Doctor Moreau … both with strong female protagonists dealing with spooky places and sticky situations. I liked it for a quick atmospheric, escape read.
That’s all for now. What about you — have you read any of these and what did you think? Oh and I forgot it’s my birthday today, lol. I guess it’s another year of mischief and adventure, ha.
I love seeing you next to the Aztec Sun Stone. Glad we are not living in the 1500s! I’ve never been to Mexico City, but I’ve always wanted to go there. Maybe one day. I often think of Mexico as a place I’d like to live.
I’m also glad you had such a great summer of reading. I’m still thinking about John of John. And Land.
Hope you will share more about your Mexico City trip soon.
Well I think I said most things we did … But I’d like to go back sometime … we did not get to the Frieda Kahlo museum … but we did see a Diego Rivera mural in the park that was pretty cool. Maybe I will post a photo of that. It did seem pretty safe & friendly in the places we walked … and using Uber to go all over the place, the people were helpful & nice … but we did see a public square full of photos of the disappeared victims from violence within Mexico, not usually tourists though.
Hi Deb, I was impressed by Mexico City … and I wonder about spending more time in Mexico. I think you would like it. Only trouble was: We were careful about not drinking the water and what we ate … but we still got sick from something. It cleared up after about a week. Still I’m searching for more Mexican places to go, especially with the U.S. being the way it is now. Check it out.
Cheers.
Welcome home, Susan. Your trip sounds fantastic! A guided bike tour seems like a great way to explore a new city. Were they electric bikes? Gosh, it’s a huge city, isn’t it? Very cool to see the Aztec Sun Stone. I don’t remember much about the book, but I read Aztec by Gary Jennings way back in the 1980s. Have you read it? I thought it was very good, but really don’t remember much other than those sacrifical offerings…
Good job with the summer reading challenge. I’m really excited to get to Land, Kin, and John of John. Strout’s and Patchett’s were two of my favorites this summer. I’m tempted to read Strangers now that I’ve read Tina’s and your reviews.
Happy Birthday! I hope you’re having a wonderful day. Cheers to many, many more!
Hi Lesley, thanks, it was a good trip. We were just on regular pedal bikes to do the city tour and stuck mostly to the park and city bike lanes. It was fairly flat for a couple hours ride, maybe it went from 10 a.m. to 2 with lunch. And I have not read Aztec by Gary Jennings … I will look it up – thx for the title. We might go to Mexico again sometime … as Canadians flee the U.S.
I’m a bit curious what your reaction to Strangers might be. It’s a quick read, fairly short. See what you think of the other books.
And I appreciate the bday wishes …. Sunday was a great day – gorgeous weather for a bike ride and dinner out. Woohoo. Hope all is good there.
Looks like you had a wonderful time. Mexico City is beautiful and ooh the food! I haven’t read any of these books yet but most of them are on my TBR.
Hi Hena, it was a fun time in Mexico City … lots to do. We liked the food though we did get a stomach sickness while there … though we were careful not to drink the water and about what we ate. It’s good food but must be careful. We’d like to go back sometime. Cheers.
Welcome back, and happy birthday! It seems you enjoyed your trip and the pictures are super. To think that there were advanced civilizations back then. Their constructions have lasted for centuries, and nowadays hardly anything lasts. 😮 From your first block of summer readings I still need to get to JoJ and Kin. I keep prioritizing newer reads over those. I’m starting The Renovation today, which is on the Booker and the National Book Award longlists, then, hopefully, I’ll get to The Disappearers and JoJ. I’m expecting all three to make it to the Booker shortlist. We’ll see this Tuesday.
I read Mexican Gothic when it came out. I gave it a 4*. The Daughter of Dr. Moreau was a 4.5* or 5*, don’t remember well, but I know I liked it a great deal, as I did Silver Nitrate, which was otherworldly and spooky (5*). I found the latest, The Intrigue, a little uneven, but I gave it 4* too, so you could say she’s a success with me. 🙂 I loved Land, but boy! Did it feel long!
Good luck with whatever you’re reading next. Have a nice birthday and week!
Hi Carmen, thanks. It was a great bday this past Sunday and we had a good trip. Did you see the Booker shortlist?! I was going to message you on GR. I was a bit sad that Switzy didn’t make the cut (argh) … though I’m sort of curious about Rebecca Perry’s novel May We Feed the King. Since I’ve read Strout’s and J of J, I think I only want to read Perry’s from the shortlist. I don’t think I’ll read Marlon James but might just sample some of his writing. I will read Switzy.
Good to know your takes on Silva’s novels … I will read her again I’m sure. I’m glad you got through Land — it is way long … and slow but I planned for it being an endurance event (lol) and I was curious about the characters. I was sorry that the father was killed off as he had some interesting beliefs and liked science etc. Now I look back and maybe it was less than 4.5 ? I will update my reads in next post. Much to read this fall. Good luck with it.
Hi Susan, glad to hear you had such a great trip and I had a coworker who went to Mexico and loved it. Wanted to keep going back.
Reading 11 books for the summer is very good. And like you I loved Whisfler. Haven’t read Strangers. Like Yesteryear people either like it or have problems with it. It seems to me that what the book says is that in a marriage its important to have some money of your own because who can say what will happen down the line.
Hi Kathy, thanks, I was pleasantly surprised by Mexico and like your coworker … I think I could keep going back. Much to explore there.
I’m glad you liked Whistler … I was pleased to get through 11 of these … and I can see that books like Yesteryear and Strangers are a bit divisive … but I’m glad to have read them. I wonder what she is saying with Strangers … it is better she says to know what’s going on with your financial paperwork & bills because she left that all to her husband and then she was left to pick up the pieces after he split. And having one’s own $ is good too. I can see where her book would be helpful to others who have experienced similar abandonment. See what you think of it. Cheers.
Hope you had a very happy birthday yesterday. The guided bike tour of Mexico City sounds amazing… thanks for the photos. (and good to see you!)
Well done with the summer reading! With the first day of fall coming up tomorrow, it’s time for me to put together some kind of wrap-up, too. I haven’t read either of the books you mention above. Was on the fence a while about Strangers and decided to skip it. My daughter read Mexican Gothic and shared your opinion.
Have a good week!
Thanks JoAnn, it was a good bday on Sunday — and gorgeous fall weather. And I wondered a bit about whether to add a photo of myself in Mexico … which I never do … but I guess I decided to be brave, lol.
Did your daughters read Strangers ? … it’s such a New York-y kind of book. I’m glad I read it — though sort of disturbing – how the husband could just flick a switch and decide to be done with his family — seems a bit Jekyll and Hyde nuts to me. I think it’s stayed with me a bit … still thinking about it.
I will look for your wrap-up. Have fun with the baby! Cheers.
Surprisingly, neither of my ‘reader’ daughters decided to try Strangers. Now, with new/impending motherhood, I doubt they’ll be reading it any time soon!
Yeah I can see where the book would not be in their wheelhouse the past months …. with such happy baby times (& preparing for) …. it’s quite exciting what your daughters’ fall & winter will be like. Cheers!
Happy birthday!!
I loved Mexican Gothic! I also really loved The Bewitching by her.
Hi Erin, thanks. It was a great birthday and gorgeous weather this past Sunday. I’m glad to hear you liked Mexican Gothic and thanks for letting me know of The Bewitching … I will add that to my TBR. She is a good author. Cheers. Have a great week.
I had no idea Mexico City was so large. Looks like you had a great trip.
I just finished Whistler. I believe my review posts tomorrow. I really enjoyed it. I find her writing to be so comforting.
Have you read Trad Wife? Comes out 9/29. My review for that posts this Friday. It was everything I wanted Yesteryear to be.
Hi Ti, Mexico City is the big capital of the country. It’s pretty massive. And the traffic there might be more gridlock than the L.A. area … (perhaps a tossup?). We got stuck one night in an Uber going across town … and took well over an hour to go a relatively short distance it was nuts.
So glad you liked Whistler and I enjoyed your review. I liked Eddie and what happens during the car accident and how it binds them. And I have not read Trad Wife … but I will read your review. I liked Yesteryear … I found it clever and crazy! But is Trad Wife crazy too? I will check your review. Cheers.
Those are some great photos of your trip and I think it sounds like a wonderful time. The bike tour must ahve been fun and I didn’t know it was such a big city. Twenty two million! Interesting about the dried lakebeds and the history. Love the photo of you near the sun stone.
Hope your birthday was good, it must have been nice to be home by then.
You did well with your summer reading list. I kept getting distracted from my main list and only read about half, but I still read other books. Just didn;t stick to the plan. Whistler was one of my favorites this summer.
Thanks Tina, it was a good eye-opening trip. I did not know beforehand that Mexico City is built on a lakebed which makes it to be a sinking city. I had no idea … and what a vibrant history of ruins from their pre-history … and later. We might look to go back sometime.
I guess I did better this summer with my reading list. I really had to nix putting other books on hold at the library … and kept to the list more. Whistler was a good one … in a positive way and it seemed to really resonant with readers.
Chat later, look forward to (our) fall reads.
I’m so glad you had a terrific time in Mexico. What fascinating things you did and places you explored! I can see why you might want to return. I’ve never been there so I especially loved hearing about that. My friend is reading Strangers now and I at least at the beginning she was falling more into the not-liking category. I’ll have to see if it changed as the book continued. How could any book possibly have more feedback than the glorious “Whistler”?
Ha. Jeanie: it seemed Whistler got lots of love this summer … and had high numbers on Goodreads … so I was a bit surprised too that Strangers had more feedback. Oh well … see what your friend thinks of it. I’m glad I read it.
And thanks — Mexico was a fun and interesting place and I hope to return sometime. I had never been there either .. but there’s many more places there to explore … so we will see.
Hope you are having a lovely week at the Lake …. before you have to pack up. Cheers.
The trip to Mexico looks like lots of fun. The pyramids are awesome. I sympathize with problems with heights and small steep stairs. Happy birthday. I hope it was fun too.
I saw the Booker Prize Short List today. My husband knew I was interested so sent me the list. There was at least one disappointment and some books I was happy to see there. Will you be talking about them in your next post?
I am still trying to finish my 20 Books of Summer, interspersed with reading other books. We went to the Planned Parenthood Book Sale 5 times in the last week and I bought a lot of books and spent lots of money. (The books seemed to be priced higher this year. But we consider it a donation to Planned Parenthood, so that is OK.)
Thanks Tracy, the trip and bday were good … and I’m glad you can relate to my problems with heights. I have had a fear of heights since childhood, so unfortunately going to the top of the pyramids was Out for me. What a chicken!
And Yes, I will be talking about the Booker Shortlist in my next post … I was sorry to see Spitzy not make the list (!) but now I’m curious about Rebecca Perry’s novel May We Feed the King. Hmm. More on the list next post. You can weigh in with your thoughts.
It’s so good you support the Planned Parenthood book sale each year … it must be one heck of a big sale with so much to browse. I would love that. I always like to see what you get there. Hope you got some good ones, Happy reading!
What a great trip! I’ve been to Cancun and Mazatlan, but never to Mexico City. Glad you had such a good time. 😀
Hi Lark …. it’s cool you’ve experienced nice parts of Mexico. The resort areas seem enticing … I’ve not been yet, but I want to visit again sometime. Have a nice weekend. And thanks the trip was good (!).
Loved reading about your trip to Mexico City–cycling does seem to be a wonderful way to see a city like this, and the park sounds amazing. I love archeology so the Anthropology Museum would definitely be on my list. Great picture with the Aztec Sun Stone–is it not behind a protective glass?
At first Mexican Gothic appealed to me, but the more review I read, the more I decided not to read it.
I hope writing Strangers was cathartic for the author. I cannot imagine sharing my life in such a way, but I am not surprised it has a huge audience.
Hi Jane, thanks, the trip was fun for us and had many areas to explore. We didn’t even get to the Frieda Kahlo museum, which apparently was booked up. We hope to go back to Mexico sometime to do more exploring. The Anthropology Museum is huge … and might have been better with a guide. You’re right that the Aztec Sun Stone does not have glass around it…it probably should (!).
Sorry if I steered you away from Mexican Gothic … not my intention, lol. And like you, I cannot imagine writing about a divorce or my personal life like she did in Strangers. I am surprised she did … but it has stayed with me quite a bit.
Happy fall to you.
Looks like a wonderful getaway! I love visiting historical sites and museums, learning about the history and culture of the area. Your husband got a great shot! Mexico City sounds like a neat place to visit.
My heart goes out to any woman left after 20 years of marriage. I don’t think people should overlook her pain because she comes from money and she has the right to write about her own experience. I don’t know why people would judge her for that. I haven’t read the book but I did see a glimpse of an interview with her and I really did feel for her.
I read Silver Nitrate by Moreno-Garcia and was underwhelmed, but I did finish the book to see how it all turned out, so there is that.
Hi Rachel, thanks, it was a pretty neat trip … and we hadn’t been to anywhere exciting in a while, so this was good. Mexico City has a lot to offer.
And I agree with your thoughts about the memoir Strangers. After 20 years — she received no warning or explanation from her husband on his abrupt abandonment during Covid … it seemed so cruel. I found her book affecting. I think you might be interested in it.
Also glad for your thoughts on Silver Nitrate …. I will hold off on more of her books for now. I hope she writes one ahead that’s a bit deeper. Time will tell. Enjoy your weekend. & happy fall!
I really enjoyed Mexico City when I was there a few years ago. I was visiting a friend who lives there, so it was fun to have a local to show me around. I loved going to the Frieda Khalo museum.
Hi Helen, Thanks for letting me know. It would be great to know a local in Mexico City — where there’s so much to see! We didnt get to the Frida Kahlo museum … as it was sold out for the days we were there, but I hope to see it someday. I would go back. So glad you liked the city too. Cheers!