All hail the traveler: July at the Reader's Nook

Dear reader,

It feels like an age since I’ve sat down to write with any regularity. My time and my life were consumed with the FIFA World Cup these last almost 2 months. I wrote irregularly, in the margins, as almost every waking moment was taken over with matches, fan antics, player stats, and just the beautiful game. And I absolutely loved it!

I did manage to read quite a bit, because of course! Readers tend to read through almost anything — I’ve had friends who managed to find time to read even while attending a marriage! I haven’t written my regular reading wrap-ups, though, so this month, I’ll share a few of my favorites from the last two months of reading:

We Burned So Bright by TJ Klune (Novella/Fantasy/science fiction): Absolutely brilliant! If you’re looking for something quick yet heartwarming; something that will make you think; make you cry; make you laugh, this is it!

The Book of Heartbreak by Ova Ceren (Fantasy): Based on a Middle Eastern legend, I found this quite interesting, and rather different from most of the other fantasy novels that I’ve read.

A Calamity of Souls by David Baldacci (Legal drama): Set in 1968 in southern Virginia, against the backdrop of the Civil Rights Movement, a racially-charged murder case serves as the backdrop for exploring the deep racial divide during that time. What struck me while reading is how deep that divide still is — not just in the US, but the world over, as race, culture, and religion often become polarizing forces that continue to pull us apart to this day. Brilliant, heartbreaking, thought provoking, one of my favorite reads from the year!

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch (Science fiction): In two words — abolfuckinlutely brilliant! I enjoyed the Apple series when I watched it a few years ago, and I enjoyed the book when I read it last month. It may be science fiction, but it reads like a thriller, and I loved every moment that I spent lost between its covers.

Now I’m curious — tell me your favorites from the last two months, or the year so far?

Leave a comment

Recommendation corner:

Have some of the bingo prompts got you scratching your head, wondering what to read or maybe even what it means? I got you covered! Every month, I will pick 2 bingo prompts and share a couple of recommendations with you. And just so you’re not here all day reading this, I’ll link you up to Goodreads so you can check out the book and add it to your Want-to-read shelf. Here we go!

Future perfect (Science fiction)

For someone who doesn’t read science fiction {I often find them too science-y, which throws me off}, I’ve read 2 books in this genre and enjoyed them both. Just goes to show — you shouldn’t write an entire genre off until you’ve given it more than a couple of tries. Some recommendations:

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir: I don’t think I need to say much about this book. Yes, it was very science-y but it was also a deeply human, very enjoyable read!

The Traveler by Joseph Eckert: It’s a day like any other when Scott Treder first jumps forward through time. One moment, he’s on his way to work, fingers drumming the steering wheel. The next, he’s tumbling head-long down the road, his car gone, a dozen panicked voicemails from his wife waiting on his cell. This one moment marks a change in the course not only of Scott’s future, but that of the world. From this point on, at precisely 7:52am every morning, Scott inexplicably travels forward in time in ever-doubling intervals, while his wife is left to pick up the pieces of the life they once shared together, and, before long, Lyle, Scott’s genius 7-year-old son, will surpass him in age. Because while his dad is rocketing forward in time, Lyle is growing up — graduating early, studying at Berkeley, becoming the foremost scholar of quantum physics, all in an attempt to bring his father back. A delightful blend of science fiction, time travel, and speculative fiction.

Tiny package, big impact (A novella)

Run for Your Life by Lucinda Berry: Riley Fletcher’s morning run should have been ordinary. Instead, she wakes bound and bleeding in a lakeside cabin, her captor a ghost from her past: Dawson Miller, a former coworker with nothing left to lose. Escape seems simple until her injuries leave her dependent on the very man who took her. As he tends her wounds with unsettling care, Riley realizes this isn’t random violence. Dawson has a plan—one that’s been carefully constructed, methodically prepared. And somehow, she’s essential to it. Trapped and injured, Riley must find the strength to outwit her captor and unravel his twisted scheme before it’s too late. Because if she doesn’t stop him, no one will.

The Bookstore Sisters by Alice Hoffman: Isabel Gibson has all but perfected the art of forgetting. She’s a New Yorker now, with nothing left to tie her to Brinkley’s Island, Maine. Her parents are gone, the family bookstore is all but bankrupt, and her sister, Sophie, will probably never speak to her again. But when a mysterious letter arrives in her mailbox, Isabel feels herself drawn to the past. After years of fighting for her independence, she dreads the thought of going back to the island. What she finds there may forever alter her path—and change everything she thought she knew about her family, her home, and herself.

Monthly round-up

Things that caught my attention this month

⫸ Forget personal curriculums (do this instead): For life-long learners who are short on time.

⫸ When the flowers hold you: a beautiful illustrated essay by

⫸ Consumerism turning hobbies into “jobs”: It’s been a raging debate since a long time — follow your passion, do what you love — but somewhere, the joy of a hobby disappears when you monetize it.

⫸ Currently loving this series. I’m late to the game, but it’s absolutely brilliant!

Thank you for being here and for spending some time in my bookish world. Hit reply or restack on Substack Notes and tell me what you’ve been reading and enjoying this month!

Happy reading,
Shinjini