By: Pat Austin
SHREVEPORT – It seems like January lasts forever, but one
thing these long, cold months are good for is to catch up on some reading. My
reading tastes range far and wide, and I tend to binge read when I discover an
author new to me that I enjoy. I’ll generally read almost anything, from
chick-lit to serious non-fiction. I’m not a big fan of fantasy.
I did read, and loved, Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus a while back, and now
that her long awaited second book is out, The
Starless Sea, I picked it up, but I couldn’t get into it. I’m going to
try again, maybe in the spring. It’s getting nice reviews, but just was not
resonating with me at the time.
I’ve been on an Elizabeth Strout binge; I loved Olive Kitteridge, so when Olive, Again came out, I snapped it up
and loved it. I relate to Olive. The older I get, I seem to get crankier.
Cantankerous. I’m not as bristly as Olive, but I can relate. And now that I’ve
seen the HBO adaptation of Olive Kittridge, I can’t help but see Frances
McDormand as I read. Such fun! Now I’m on to My Name is Lucy Barton, also by Strout,
and am enjoying that. Strout is sort of like a female version of Fredrik
Backman, to me. Both authors are so adept at character development and in
creating characters we become sympathetic to even though we may not want to.
In that same way, consider Steph Post’s final book in her
Judah Cannon series, Holding Smoke.
Post is an author who should be on your radar and who is not as well known
right now as she will be. Her Judah
Cannon series has been referred to as “grit-lit” as a nod to its gritty, Florida
noir setting and characters, some of whom are truly inspirational in their evil
deeds. I received an ARC of Smoke a few weeks ago – its release date is
next week, and I immediately jumped in and could not put it down. I would recommend
reading the first two books in the series so that you are more invested in this
one, plus, the story arc is fabulous. Post is a versatile writer and her last
novel, Miraculum, might be my
favorite of her works; that’s hard to say because I dearly love the Judah
Cannon series. Miraculum can hold
its own with Night Circus any day, all day long.
In the non-fiction realm, I’ve recently finished Sarah Broom’s
The Yellow House, which is a
memoir about growing up in New Orleans, Hurricane Katrina, and the aftermath.
It is more than a story about her family and Katrina, however. It reminds you
that so many people around us are living lives that are ignored and unseen,
forgotten, misunderstood. Broom’s skill in wrapping complicated themes around
her family’s little yellow house is what makes her the gifted writer she is.
I just finished reading The
Silent Patient, the much acclaimed new book by Alex Michaelides. It was
a page-turner, and I couldn’t put it down, but in the end, I felt manipulated. I’m
not sure how to explain that without spoilers, but let me just say the book was
a good read, I enjoyed it, but the ending left me irritated. I’m not sorry I
read it, and I’ll read this author again, but …. I guess the last time I felt irritated by the
conclusion of a book was Stephen King’s Elevation. I don’t want to give
spoilers on that either, but at the end of Elevation, let’s just say there was
a lot of profanity involved on my part and a huge reluctance to contribute to
King’s bank account any further.
Next on my reading list is American Dirt. What are you reading? Give me some recommendations!
Pat Austin blogs at And So it Goes in Shreveport and is the author of Cane River Bohemia: Cammie Henry and her Circle at Melrose Plantation. Follow her on Instagram @patbecker25 and Twitter @paustin110.