The Books I’ve Loved Lately

It’s time to talk about books and all the ones I’ve loved lately.

Sundaze Book Café is the home of everyday magic, joyful living and conversations likely to be had over a hot drink with a friend in your favourite café, capturing the syrup-slow feel and glow of a Sunday. I’m Michelle, and I’ll be your host this Sunday.

For whatever reason, my reading almost always exponentially speeds up during the latter half of any year. Perhaps it’s because, come summer, I love nothing more than packing a book, a blanket and some food and heading down to the lake. Perhaps it’s because, come autumn, I count a book, a blanket and some food and curling up in front of the fire as a social event. As I write this post, I’m just five books away from completing my Goodreads Reading Challenge 2024, and I couldn’t be happier (even if it’s been chock full of middle-of-the-ground reads).

Since I stopped posting monthly reading wrap-ups on my blog, I’ve sort of lost any regularity with chatting books here. So, today I wanted to share some thoughts on the books I’ve loved lately. To do this, I’ve plucked out six recent-ish reads that I rated four or more stars; there’s been a lot of 3-star, middle-of-the-ground books in my world lately. And, a quick reminder on my star-rating system:

⭐️ Unreadable. Should have labelled ‘did not finish’.

⭐️ ⭐️ A mostly unenjoyable book with flaws and issues I couldn’t get past.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ The book was good and readable. Not a standout, but good nonetheless.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ A great read that I enjoyed and would recommend. Potentially one or two things not to my liking, but that didn’t detract from the overall effect or enjoyment of the book.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ An excellent, near-perfect read. Likely to make it to my all-time favourites, and a book I wholeheartedly recommend.

A Person Is A Prayer by Ammar Kalia

Thank you to Oldcastle Books and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this book in return for an honest review.

If there’s one thing about me, it’s that I love the ‘slice of life’ category. And ‘A Person is a Prayer’ is exactly that. Told over three separate days and spanning six decades, we follow one family as it grows and moves through time. Sushma and Bedi meet and marry in an arranged marriage, still hopeful for their future happiness and shared dreams. Yet, years later, after their adult children – Selena, Tara and Rohan – have flown the nest, they’re still searching for their elusive happiness. Years later, the three children travel to the Ganges to scatter their father’s ashes in the waters, it’s clear that they’ve adopted the same desire for happiness, hope and to find meaning to their lives.

At it heart, ‘A Person is a Prayer’ captures the human experience and seeking meaning amongst it all. I found it to be gorgeously lyrical and moving, especially in examining the immigrant experience and what we leave behind. This is a family saga slowed down and I really enjoyed it: we see the origins of the parents’ shared story, and the individual aftermath of their three children’s. The author achieves brilliant characterisation throughout – all of the characters are well-fleshed out and I genuinely felt an emotional connection to them all. I loved the perceived silence that Kalia creates from writing stunningly authentic vignettes of real life, and the implied discussion of generational trauma. From familial relationships to the one with an adopted country, Kalia weaves a stunning thread of belonging and communication throughout this novel, and creates a story that’ll remain with me for a long time.

This Is Fine by Poorna Bell

Thank you to Penguin and NetGalley for my advanced reader copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Just loved this summery novel from Poorna Bell, a writer and journalist I already hugely admire. Padma and Wallace have spent 10 years building a relationship that feels just fine. When he gives her an ultimatum about starting a family, the pair take a break with Padma seriously overthinking whether she even wants children. At the same time, Padma’s 15-year-old niece is also in crisis. Now, Padma and the niece she barely knows are to spend the summer together by the seaside – a rehab of sorts.

I absolutely loved reading this. It’s heartwarming, relatable, funny and emotional all at once, and Poorna does an incredible job at balancing all this in a well-paced story that also handles big issues like mental health, alcoholism, the immigrant experience and parenthood. The rich food descriptions instantly connected me to the South Asian experience, and I thoroughly enjoyed being brought deeper into the heritage and culture with Poorna’s deftly woven subplots and snippets. I seem to have a habit of gravitating towards immigrant stories – particularly those in intergenerational family storylines! Can’t wait to pick up a trophy copy to have on my shelves to reread again.

The Sea, The Sea by Iris Murdoch

After hearing Iris Murdoch’s name come up several times in a book club I’m part of, I knew I wanted to pick up ‘The Sea, The Sea’ this summer. It’s my first Murdoch, and what a novel to begin with!

Charles Arrowby is an actor who has recently retired to a huge house by the sea, crumbling rocks and slippery steps all inclusive. Written in a date-less journal style, this book is his personal meditation – his memoirs – but is mostly an unreliable narration of his life as he navigates retirement and reflecting on his past, several, failed relationships. It’s full of chaotic self-reflection, gorgeous descriptions of questionable food combinations, elegant and moving nature passages, and a wild dive into his personal relationships. When he by chance comes across a past love, Charles descends into madness and steals her away from her husband. I felt utterly swept away by the poetic (mostly) mundane of it all, and you can certainly feel the sea as a character and poetic device of its own: characters, the plot, the world, all sway as much as the sea. The perfect read for these languid summer days, and I’m already looking forward to my next Murdoch. A funny, observant, witty and evocative meditation by the sea. I haven’t read anything like this in quite some time and I’m so glad that I picked this up in July 2024, a month where I felt like I was swimming around in a shiny, watery, slippery mundane.

Bookshops & Bonedust by Travis Baldree

While I loved Legends & Lattes, this prequel novel stole my heart. It follow Viv as she rehabilitates from a battle wound in a small seaside town. Here, in Murk, she discovers the joy of bookshops and reading. I found this one even cosier than the first book, and with an even warmer tone. There’s a touch more action than Legends & Lattes and I thought that worked really well.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

I have been in love with this book for many years and I’m so happy that I chose this autumn for a reread – I love it even more deeply than before. In this dark fantasy, a young Adeline makes a Faustian deal with the devil: to live forever. In return, she is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets unless she gives up her life and soul. 300 years later, she meets a man… who remembers her. The story spans hundreds of years, following Adeline as she travels the world and goes to any length to leave her mark on the world.

V.E. Schwab conjures such an intricate, compelling, real and magical world here that I wish I could plunge into the pages myself. I'd forgotten how much I love Henry, and Addie's gorgeous interpretations of the world; the lessons she learns over the centuries. And, since this is a reread, I took the time to note down just a few of my favourite quotes:

• “Ideas are so much wilder than memories, that they long and look for ways of taking root.”

• “Stories are a way to preserve one's self. To be remembered. And to forget.”

• “Being forgotten, she thinks, is a bit like going mad. You begin to wonder what is real, if you are real. After all, how can a thing be real if it cannot be remembered?”

• “I remember seeing that picture and realizing that photographs weren’t real. There’s no context, just the illusion that you’re showing a snapshot of a life, but life isn’t snapshots, it’s fluid. So photos are like fictions. I loved that about them. Everyone thinks photography is truth, but it’s just a very convincing lie.”

• “But if you only walk in other people's steps, you cannot make your own way. You cannot leave a mark.”

The Truths We Hold: An American Journey by Kamala Harris

Beautifully written in a completely accessible way, The Truths We Hold paints a picture of who Kamala Harris is, what she stands for, and why she stands for the policies that she does. Chapter by chapter, she peels back the layers and speaks about important, often divisive issues, spanning from immigration to healthcare, women's rights to law enforcement, human rights to societal safety. Kamala comes across as an educated, strong-willed, empowered and diligent motivator and politician who stands for the people and who the people should stand for. Courageous and curious, her firm beliefs and sheer optimism amongst the chaos that the US has withstood is truly inspiring – a true leader.

What is one book that you’ve read recently and can recommend to the community?