Reading for Me

It has been a warm week in eastern Arkansas. Heat indexes reached the 100s this week and the only thing I wanted to do was find a cool corner and read. Despite having several trips to see doctors and physical therapists for Dad, I still managed to complete two books this week. In keeping with the summer vibes, they were both fluffy beach reads that kept me relaxed and my mind off of the other pressures of the day. Right now, that’s just what the doctor orders!

What I Finished This Week

Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood. I took a mental health break on Wednesday afternoon since Mom was taking the afternoon off. I had a doctor’s appointment early in the afternoon, so she told her co-workers that she would just take the entire day. After getting a good report from the cardiologist, I took the afternoon as a reset and made this audio book as my soundtrack for my drives around the city. I really enjoyed the story of Jack and Elsie against the backdrop of academia. Hazelwood’s writing was witty, sharp, and concise. I especially enjoyed Elsie’s struggles with honesty in uncomfortable situations because of her fear of abandonment. (I might have seen a bit of myself in this aspect of her.) My only issue with this reading experience was the lack of listening time. Even though I have been in the car quite a bit lately, I haven’t been alone — so I don’t listen. I think my inconsistent listening might have impacted my overall enjoyment of this story. 3.75 stars.

I Loved You First by Cate Beauman. Jack is a single father raising his soon-to-be five-year-old son. Although his son was the result of a drunken night, Jack has no regrets because he adores the child. What he does regret, however, is that Fiona got away because of his poor choices. When her mother suffers a car accident, Fiona returns to her small Vermont home to care for her parent — and quickly runs into Jack. Their friendship blossoms, largely due to the charming five-year-old. I Loved You First handles discussions of fertility issues, unwanted pregnancies, and adoption tenderly. Even though it fell into typical plot lines, I found myself loving the characters in the novel and rooting for their happily ever after ending. 3.75 stars.

What I DNF’d This Week

Beartown by Fredrik Backman. This is not a “will not read” choice for me; instead, the message is “not right now.” In the middle of summer while watching baseball and World Cup soccer, I am not enthralled by the story of a hockey town and the difficult relationships of the players and coaches. I think I will ultimately enjoy Backman’s writing, but I wasn’t in the headspace right now to connect. Until later, Beartown.

What I’m Currently Reading

Rogue Lawyer by John Grisham (p. 252 of 346). My latest prompt in the Summer Beach Read challenge called for a judicial procedural with a red spine. After lots of searching through cover art, I finally landed on Rogue Lawyer. The novel has been a little different from what I have come to expect from Grisham’s writing. The book features several cases that are connected by the lawyer defending each. As I am entering the last third of the novel, an earlier client is making a reappearance — possibly to tie the different stories together. I just don’t know yet. This has been an easy read and I am enjoying the writing, but the lack of a continuous story line has left we wanting a little more.

Burial Rites by Hannah Kent (p. 150 of 314). In the middle of the week, I made a trip to the bookstore simply to browse. While there, I decided to look for books that would fit two of the prompts of the 52 Book Club’s 2026 challenge that I am most nervous about — 1) a book set in either the Arctic or Antartica and 2) a book with a diacritical mark on the cover. I was especially pleased when I found something that would work for both prompts that grabbed my attention. (I’ll tell you more about the second novel next week once I start reading it.) Burial Rites is set in the northernmost section of Iceland — just inside the Arctic Circle — and focuses on Agnes, a young woman convicted of murder. Her punishment? Death by beheading. While awaiting her execution, Agnes is sent to live on a family farm. Outcast by her hosts, Agnes must come to terms with her own feelings about death, her past, and how the community views her. To help her in her quest for peace, Agnes receives spiritual guidance from a young priest. I was intrigued by the premise of this historical novel, but didn’t expect to enjoy the work as much as I am.

Breaking His Rules by Layla Hager (0:37 of 7:28). I had several errands to run this weekend and I thought I would have time in the car alone to start a new audiobook. I chose this one on a total whim because it was included with my Audible membership and I have already used this month’s credits. Turns out that Pop was going a little stir crazy on Saturday and decided to tag along with me on the afternoon errands — so I only listened to 30 minutes of the book. Honestly, I’ll probably start from the top when (if?) I end up making a frantic dash back to Texas this week to tie up a few loose ends there that just can’t wait until August.