Long Spoon Scraps

I had a slightly lighter reading month in August. I was gallivanting across Europe admiring the views and largely neglecting my Kindle. Typically when traveling I prefer to read easy, light-hearted stories and this trip was no exception. I use Storygraph to track what I have read because it provides comprehensive analytics (alongside Goodreads of course, I’m not a traitorous heathen). Here are some of my stats:

Books Read: 5
Total Pages: 1,564
Genres: Fiction
My Average Rating: 3.75/5

1. The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue

My Rating: 3.75
Goodreads Rating: 4.09

In my quest to fill a “Normal People” sized hole in my heart, I have scoured reddit and other reading forums for similar books bringing me to Caroline O’Donoghue’s The Rachel Incident. Initially I rated this book 4 stars, however it has been over a month and I must admit I haven’t given this book a second thought. I am even struggling a bit to remember what it was truly about. While it hit the mark of realistic dialogue and interesting character dynamics, I feel it lacked an essential depth of character complexity, leaving me wanting more. Regardless, I enjoyed reading this book and the relationship dynamics it explored. I would be remiss not to mention that this novel takes place in Ireland, and as you can assume due to the apostrophe in my last name, I am predisposed to an have affinity for it. I would recommend this book to readers who like Sally Rooney or those who enjoy reading about believable characters making poor decisions in their 20s.

2. I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman

My Rating: 4.50
Goodreads Rating: 4.22

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. I will admit upon exiting my sleep-deprived, reading-fueled bender that I had to do a lot of Googling about this book. Once I picked it up, I was physically incapable of putting it down. I read this whole book (which was only about 200 pages) in one 4.5 hour sitting. I was entranced by the minimalistic yet captivating world-building, and the theme exploring what it is to BE a human vs what make us FEEL human. I went in knowing very little about the plot, expecting maybe a feminist cultural analysis of sorts, and in truth I left knowing possibly even less. I mean this in the best way. I would recommend this book to readers who enjoy ambiguous, experimental writing and want to ponder what defines our humanity (oh lord).

3. Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez

My Rating: 2.75
Goodreads Rating: 4.40

I don’t really have much to say about this book. It is exactly what you would expect in a best selling contemporary romance. It was easy to digest but uninspiring. The characters fall in love and end up together in the end without well-developed growth required of either of them. I would recommend to readers who like Emily Henry. This style of writing is not my cup of tea, but honestly I will probably read more like it in the future because sometimes after reading a book that forces you to define your own humanity, you just need a low-risk romance as a palette cleanser. I am only mildly ashamed of this.

4. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

My Rating: 4
Goodreads Rating: 4.33

This is my first time reading this French classic children’s story, and I think every adult should be reading it as well! An easy, whimsical book spotlighting childrens’ open-mindedness and desire to explore the world around them while condemning adults’ narrow-minded way of thinking. There is a theory in psychology that explores this called “elasticity“. In short, elasticity is the ability to assimilate new and changing information. As we become adults we lose our elasticity and become more rigid in our way of thinking. Antoine encourages adults to regain this elasticity and in doing so reignite their child-like wonder.

5. From Lukov with Love by Mariana Zapata

My Rating: 2
Goodreads Rating: 4.22

Can’t say I didn’t warn you. Here we have another poorly written contemporary romance. Upon reflecting further, I think I have romance novel insanity. I keep picking these books up over and over again and thinking they might have a different ending, only to find they all have the same formula of unlikable characters, eye-roll inducing nicknames, and a conclusion you could predict from the first chapter. When will I be able to stop this madness? Tune in next month to find out…