July library haul

Hi! It’s currently hot and steamy in the city and I’ve got some new reading material to share!

First, updates on June’s books: I ended up quitting Seeds of Murder because I was bored, and I didn’t have time to read Rejection before I had to return it. I’m starting to see a clear pattern with checking out fiction and I think I’m going to stop adding novels (at least non-mysteries) to my wishlist at this point! 

Moving on! Here’s what I got into in July…

No More Tears: The Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson. This book is wild. So wild, in fact, that I paused at one point so I could research the author and make sure he’s not some kind of MAHA weirdo—because everything in No More Tears is so appalling, I started to wonder if I was reading straight-up propaganda. The writer appears to be a normal/well-respected journalist who believes in vaccines, but that gives you some insight into what you’re in for with this book. I was shocked and furious basically the entire time I was reading.

The Wishbone Kitchen Cookbook: Seasonal Recipes for Everyday Luxury and Elevated Entertaining. This one was just okay for me, which is a bummer because I really wanted to love it! We made one recipe from it (a tomato pasta) that was good but not really worth making again because it’s a lot of work for what it is. And I felt like maybe I don’t like seafood/alcohol enough to be excited about a lot of the other recipes. On the other hand, I might have gotten more into it if I’d had a bit more time with it and been able to try more things! 

Meanwhile, I read a couple of non-library books this month…

After I finished No More Tears, I wanted to continue down that path, so I bought Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty. (I also discovered it was written by the same person who wrote The Snakehead, which I read in June.) This was a good read—and the books work quite well in conversation with each other—but I think I preferred No More Tears because J&J has a much bigger reach and is considerably more evil (and also played a huge role in the opioid crisis).  

And summer is for Elin Hildebrand novels, so I re-read The Hotel Nantucket a couple weeks ago; it’s silly, fun, and very light. I don’t think it’s as good as The Rumor (one of my all-time faves from Elin), but it has a similar vibe!

Let me know what you’ve been reading recently! 📚