Hi book pals,
Some of you don’t even know what you’re in for today. I’ve been in a reading slump the past few months—inching along with 1 or 2 books. Nothing wrong with that, it’s just not my usual. Even last month, when I declared myself out of my reading rut, I wasn’t quite up to my full ink drinking volume. But, now, I’m REALLY back! And I have 6 books to tell you about. Plus, all the new release preview and book-to-screen goodness you’ve come to expect. So, without further ado, let’s get into it.
Books I loved in August:
THE WEDDING PEOPLE by Alison Espach (Bookshop | Amazon)
Who is this for? The eavesdroppers, the people-watchers, the folks who look in people’s windows.
This one went directly to my top books of the year list. In fact, I had the somewhat unhinged thought while reading that I didn’t want it to end, so I should go back and start over when I was 60% through. That’s how much I loved this book. At the lowest point in her life, a woman goes to a Newport, RI hotel she’s always dreamed of visiting, but discovers she’s the only person there not attending a swanky weeklong wedding. Worse still: she begrudgingly becomes the neurotic bride’s confidante. Thoroughly delightful and at turns laugh out loud funny and wildly surprising. I refuse to believe that Phoebe, the main character, isn’t a real person/my friend.
I’M MOSTLY HERE TO ENJOY MYSELF by Glynnis MacNicol (Bookshop | Amazon)
Who is this for? Single, childless women who don’t see themselves represented in mainstream media.
In this memoir, a 40-something woman travels to Paris in the summer of 2021 in pursuit of pleasure in all its forms after a year-plus of lockdown. While the narrative is a tad meandering, I deeply appreciated the portrayal of a 40+ woman seeking and enjoying sex with new partners, making new friends, and embracing travel. It’s so rare to see stories about women in this age bracket that aren’t defined by their role as a wife (real, ex-, or aspiring) or mother (ditto). The audio is narrated by the author, which I always appreciate with memoir.
WHEN THE WORLD TIPS OVER by Jandy Nelson (Bookshop | Amazon)
Who is this for? Fans of speculative YA like A Million Junes by Emily Henry.
The scream I screampt when I heard the author of one of my favorite YA books (I’ll Give You The Sun) had a new book coming out! Three teen siblings each have their own encounter with a mysterious rainbow-haired girl who may or may not be a ghost, but will definitely change their lives. Real talk: this one was a heifer of a novel and dragged a bit in the middle while juggling 4 POVs, but it didn’t stop me from enjoying the hell out of it (though if you haven’t read IGYTS, I might suggest starting there). (Out 9/16)
THE HUSBANDS by Holly Gramazio (Bookshop | Amazon)
Who is this for? Lovers of women’s fiction with a light sci-fi bent like This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub.
Go directly to my best books of the year list; do not pass go. What a stellar reading month! A woman comes home from a bachelorette party to find a strange man in her apartment. In a different type of book, he’d be a murderer, but… he’s her husband. One she didn’t have when she left the house. Don’t worry, she’s not stuck with him, because it turns out her attic is creating an infinite supply of husbands—all reasonable marriage partners for our main character—that she can swap out at-will. This is one of the most creative books I’ve read in a long time. I had absolutely no idea where it was going and was thrilled when it stuck the landing.
REAL AMERICANS by Rachel Khong (Bookshop | Amazon)
Who is this for? People who wished the cast of Pineapple Street was less white.
I’d heard raves about this book, but I wasn’t quite sure how I felt about it for the first 60 pages. Then a switch flipped and I found myself staying up wayyyy past my bedtime bargaining with myself for just 30 more minutes. It’s a multi-generational family saga told in 3 parts. In the first, a second-generation Chinese-American woman falls in love with a wealthy white man in Y2K NYC. In the second, she lives with her teenaged son on an isolated island off the coast of Washington. In the third, her mother escapes Maoist China. Reviews I’ve seen describe this as being about wealth, power, and cultural identity, but I think it’s just as much about understanding (or misunderstanding) our parents.
BIG FAN by Alexandra Romanoff (Bookshop | Amazon)
Who is this for? Tessa Bailey girlies 🤝 The West Wing girlies
This was my first novella (I think?), and what a scrumptious little bonbon of a book! A disgraced political strategist gets a call from her teen crush: a former boybander launching a solo career who needs her help. Are you getting giddy spine tingles? You should! I loved that I could start and finish this in a couple hours—especially good for a day I was feeling a tad scattered. (Out 9/10)
New Release Radar:
September is a STACKED month for new releases. For the full slate I’d point you to my “Big Fall Book Guide” from last week. But right now, let me re-highlight 5 I’m most excited for.
Sept 3: BLUE SISTERS by Coco Mellors (Bookshop | Amazon): If I was a betting woman, I’d put my money on this being the big literary book of the fall.
Sept 3: IMMORTAL DARK by Tigest Girma (Bookshop | Amazon): Black vampires; secret society; enemies-to-lovers… need I say more?
Sept 3: YOU BELONG WITH ME by Mhairi McFarlane (Bookshop | Amazon): One of my all-time fave romcoms from one of my all-time fave authors is getting a sequel!
Sept 17: THE MOST FAMOUS GIRL IN THE WORLD by Iman Hariri-Kia (Bookshop | Amazon): If the reporter who exposed Anna Delvey went right down the rabbithole with her.
Sept 17: THE THIRD GILMORE GIRL by Kelly Bishop (Bookshop | Amazon): An Emily Gilmore memoir… this is not a drill!
Book to Big Screen News:
Here’s the latest book adaptation news on my radar. Publicists, producers, bookish insiders: if you have tips for next month, my inbox is open (beccafreemanbooks@gmail.com).
Elin-heads: we made it! The Perfect Couple—AKA the first Elin Hilderbrand adaptation that’s made it to the finish line—hits Netflix on September 5. I’ve cleared my calendar.
The other big book adaptation out this month: Tell Me Lies is back for a second season on September 4. I’m really interested to see what they do, as this season goes beyond the source material in the book by Carola Lovering.
The book world is buzzing about the high-rolling auction for film rights for Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke. Anne Hathaway is set to star in and produce the adaptation of the—get this—time-traveling tradwife novel. From what I can tell, the book doesn’t even have a release date yet.
My favorite Emily Henry book—People We Meet on Vacation—has its lead cast with Emily Bader (My Lady Jane) as Poppy and Tom Blyth (Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes) as Alex. Unfortunately for me, I don’t know who they are, but bookstagram seems generally excited. Do you have feelings?
Sally Field is set to star in the Netflix adaptation of Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt with Olivia Newman, who directed Where The Crawdads Sing, also attached.
On the heels of the It Ends with Us movie, it was announced that McKenna Grace and Allison Williams will star in the adaptation of Regretting You, also by Colleen Hoover. I haven’t read this one, so please tell me how excited to be in the comments.
Personally, I’m waiting for casting news on Verity. Hoover said in a red-carpet interview that the casting process was set to begin last month.
And that’s this month’s book report. Until next time.
Becca
PS: In August, the Bad on Paper book club read One-Star Romance by Laura Hankin. If you read along with us (or just read this book in general), you can check out the book club episode here. For September, we’re reading All Fours by Miranda July. We’ll discuss the book in the Sept 25 episode.
The Husbands was such a surprisingly deep read with such easy, breezy romcom writing. Truly cannot recommend it enough - I’m going to be thinking (and talking to my therapist) about it for a loooooong time
You always have such fun lists! As a former book columnist, I know how tricky it can be to make book coverage engaging but you do a wonderful job!