may and june reads

It’s always good to try new things. That was the intention behind many of my reading choices in May and June. I had decided to open myself up to new genres and styles, to see if my preferences would stretch even further.

I would say I gravitate towards literary fiction, most often written by women, with themes around identity, relationships [platonic, familial, romantic], self-discovery, and life reflections. I like books that share wisdom and make me question and reflect on the world around me. Rachel Cusk’s Outline trilogy, which I read last year, is the epitome of the ‘perfect read’ for me. It mixes reflective and philosophical prose with a beautiful location [Greece in the first novel]- as does Deborah Levy’s Hot Milk, set on the Spanish coast [another “no plot just vibes” kind of book which deliciously draws you in].

Drawing from this, I like to utilise my reading time to ‘see the world’, looking for authors and works from a wide range of countries to widen my awareness and frame of reference. After all, there is a big wide world out there, and a multitude of authors sharing their experiences and pasts. Reading authors of a range of identities- whether country, culture, gender, race - keeps my gaze looking outwards, beyond the constraints of my rather inward-looking UK surroundings. To travel, to discover new perspectives, to burst the bubble of familiarity that prevents true exploration when choosing new books to read - that’s the overarching goal.

I relaxed the strict boundaries I realised I had put around what genres I liked and disliked. Maybe I could actually try fantasy fiction, or crime fiction, and enjoy it. And what happened as a result truly surprised me - but we’ll get to that shortly.

Here follows my favourite reads from May and June, as the promise of a warm summer opened up [I’m writing this in a rainy mid-July where I now know that promise was a little misleading] and I began to select the books that would see me through the sunnier months.

Three Daughters of Eve, Elif Shafak -

I loved this book - it follows a young girl Peri from Istanbul growing up in relative poverty and instability, and moving to Oxford to study. It follows her journey of self-discovery around womanhood, identity and religion, as she meets two opposing models of what a woman from a devout Muslim background looks like.

This novel is beautifully written, and it was interesting to have regular time jumps back to present-day Istanbul where adult Peri spends a tumultuous evening amongst the Istanbul elite, having transformed her life and left her Oxford days behind. While I felt that there were a few loose ends that hadn’t been truly tied up by the finale, I was completely drawn into this story, and I now wish to explore Shafak’s other works.

Yellowface, R. F. Kuang -

In the spirit of trying new styles, I thought it was a safe bet that I might enjoy this one, if the majority of reviews were heartily lauding it. And how correct that was - I inhaled this book. It follows a recently-deceased bestselling author’s best friend stealing her manuscript and passing it off as her own work, and the trail of deceit and fraudulent misadventures that follow.

The pacing kept me completely hooked, and it was so interesting to explore the publishing industry from the perspective of the author; the discussions with marketing on how best to sell your vision, the ways the public chews you up and spits you out following social media misdemeanours, the networking and PR appearances to keep you ‘relevant’. I won’t go any further on what happens to our catfishing protagonist - but the novels captivatingly leads to a dramatic climax. If you like to relish a little scandal, or you’re looking for a good pageturner, this book is for you.

A Court of Thorns and Roses, Sarah J. Maas -

After being recommended this one from another bookish and fantasy-loving friend of mine, I decided to give it a go. A real wild stab in the dark, as I hated Harry Potter when I was younger, and I still don’t understand the appeal of his wizarding world [sorry, not sorry]. But this fantasy novel just hits different. It’s a mix of fantastical adventure mixed with rather raucous romance, and without spoiling the plot- this book makes you keep coming back for more.

Another book I absolutely inhaled - I read the second half in one sitting, sat outside in the sunshine and relishing every word [though it got quite graphically violent near the end, be warned]. I feel like this is more of a ‘winter book’, for sitting in a cosy space and getting lost in protagonist Feyre’s world, so I plan to return to the rest of the series when the wintery months come.

To the ACOTAR fanbase- I get you now. And I’ll be back for more soon.

The Details, Ia Genburg -

Moving back to a genre and style I have always loved- I dipped into The Details and I absolutely loved it. It follows four ‘loves’ of the main character’s life, with a chapter devoted to each of them, and the time she spent with them. It’s a little resplendent of Rachel Cusk in the way it enters into deep philosophical reflection - and it makes for a truly comforting, warming read. This one I’ll remember fondly - I don’t usually reread books, but this is one I could definitely return to for more.

Butter, Asako Yuzuki -

This one I have mixed feelings about - but it makes the cut as the food writing is absolutely incredible. Like insanely good. It follows a young aspiring journalist Rika investigating the apparent murderous streak of the convicted Manako, after her numerous older lovers are killed while in a relationship with her. Manako’s true passion in life is the joys of cooking and eating, and while Rika works to earn her trust for an exclusive take on her case, she begins to share that joy with the impressionable protagonist.

Though the plot is a little slow and lost me a few times in its gentle plodding back into narrative progress, I was truly hooked on the protagonist’s rediscovery of food. The meticulously detailed descriptions of the experience of eating a variety of different dishes peppered throughout the narrative was a joy for me to read. It made me feel like I was tasting the flavours on my tongue and understand the pleasure that comes from the experience of relishing different layers and textures in the same bite. So while it was a slow read for me, I kept coming back for more of Yuzuki’s genius food writing.

Salt Houses, Hala Alyan -

My final favourite is an important one for learning more about the Palestinian experience, following four generations of a Palestinian family displaced by the arrival of Israeli soldiers to their land. They become exiles, with each chapter dedicated to a different family member as we traverse through time and learn from a rich caveat of perspectives.

Another beautifully written story, exploring Palestinian identity, the idea of homeland, family relationships, religious faith and love. It takes you on a journey across different lands and through many different voices, and often gets right to the heart with the many human relationships at play. Alyan being a trained psychologist certainly comes through on the profundity and understanding given to each character we meet. Though it is quite raw, emotional, and shocking, in places [trigger warning re sexual assault], this book was a true treasure in the library of Palestinian stories, and reckoning with the past and present.

And once again, that’s a wrap! I hope you enjoyed, and I hope you’ll catch me next time as I write about my favourite July and August reads [definitely my favourite months of the year to read and embrace summer reading]. See you in the next installment- with hopefully more beautiful reads to share!