A transporting tale of a prodigal son and his complicated father
Hey readers!
I’ve got a lot of housekeeping items to share before we get into today’s books and links. First, I’ve created a new section of the FictionMatters newsletter for everything related to This American Lit. That means if you want to keep getting TAL emails in your inbox, you need to opt into this section. To do that, visit fictionmatters.substack.com/account and toggle on “This American Lit.” You can find more information and the first of a new Touchstone Text series here:
I shared some favorites of the year so far and the books I’m most excited about for the second half of the year with my pals and . I don’t typically listen back to podcasts I take part in, but I do with these because reliving these conversations are so fun. If you haven’t listened already, you need this in your life!
And finally, if you’re planning to read The Odyssey before the movie releases in July, and I are offering a sale on our Odyssey bundle. This includes seven episodes breaking down Emily Wilson’s translation of the classic text, reflection episodes on Odysseus as a character and the epic as a whole, and two classes to complement your reading: Accessing Allusions from Ancient Mythology and Psychoanalytic Theory. Here’s what a recent purchaser had to say:
Alright, let’s get into this week’s books!
This week I read…
John of John by Douglas Stuart. The newest from the Booker prize winning author was the FictionMatters Buzzy Book selection for June, and it was a huge hit. We had a large group show up to discuss yesterday and everyone who finished enjoyed the book with several calling it their favorite of the year. This story follows Cal, a 22-year-old gay man who returns to his island home on Harris after years away at art school to help care for his ailing grandmother. Cal can’t be out on the island which hosts a community of fervent Calvinist Presbyterian, including Cal’s own father John who has many secrets of his own.
This is a beautiful book. Stuart is a wonderful writer, adept at balancing rich descriptions, atmosphere, and character development with momentum. Even though there’s not a ton of plot here, there’s enough to keep readers turning pages and wanting to discover which of the island’s secrets will surface. The book is told in third person with very little interiority, yet somehow, Stuart is able to give us enough to understand and connect with this complicated family. The style keeps the plot from feeling manipulative and gives readers room to feel their own feelings rather than being directed by the author. That was a breath of fresh air after much of what I’ve been reading recently, even though I occasionally did want a little more “telling” injected into the novel. While something about this book—personal, not technical—kept this from being a personal favorite for me, I do think it’s one of the best books to release so far this year and I highly recommend picking it up. Bookshop | Libro.fm
Now I’m reading…
I’m back to listening to The Unicorn Hunters, but I think I’m close to abandoning it and moving on. It’s good…I just think I took too long of a break and now I’m not excited to be back in Arden’s world. I’m also in the middle of An Unnecessary Woman by Rabih Alameddine. It’s been on my list forever and I just love the way he captures voice in his work. This one is also delightfully bookish, which is very fun, of course.
New on my TBR…
I’m really tempted to jump into ’s Little, Big readalong, because I trust her taste and guidance and it’s been on my TBR for ages. I don’t think I can commit to any more “assigned” reading this summer, but maybe someone reading here has more time for it!
💬 Tell me about your week in books! What did you finish, what are you reading now, and what have you added to your TBR?
The National Book Foundation launched their 2026 Summer Reading Adventure. Everyone who participates gets a Bookshop.org discount code, a free Libro.fm credit, and a chance to win bigger prizes like a trip to the National Book Awards or a subscription from Books are Magic.
The ultimate summer 2026 reading list. (Lit Hub)
Books to bring on vacation. (New Yorker)
Maureen Corrigan on the three books to read this summer. (NPR)
The best books of the year, so far. (Vulture)
How to take an audiobook walk. (Libro.fm)
If you read The Scarlet Letter with me, you will definitely want to check out this article about one of Hawthorne’s forgotten—and subversive—short stories. (Atlantic, gift link)
The Aspen Words team is hosting an auction to raise money for their annual programming, which includes high profile events like the Aspen Lit Festival alongside important community and school programs. This is the event that lets Aspen Words keep their programming free to their community and their offering some incredible items if you want to take a look!
I’ve been glued to America’s Sweethearts. I don’t know why I can’t look away from this totally insane organization and process, but I am so invested in my girls!
A couple weeks ago I had back-to-back work Zooms and Louise said she wanted to work too. I purchased the preschool “Ready to Read” collection from Big City Readers and it has been a huge hit. Louise is obsessed with Miss Beth—I think it might be her first true parasocial relationship, which would be scary if Miss Beth wasn’t so awesome. As Louise learns about rhyming, counting syllables, tracking words, and identifying initial sounds, I’m learning how to talk to her about these things as well. Now she does get a little touchy when I try to implement these strategies because that is her thing with Miss Beth, but I still like knowing what to model.
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Happy reading!
