Aug 30

Aug 30 If You Only Read One: August 2019

#SFOL Recommends, Fun Stuff, If You Only Read One

We know that we read — and review — a lot of books. It definitely helps that there are three of us, in that regard. So with this feature, we want to tell you our favorite read of the month - if we only recommend one book to pick up, what would it be?

Elizabeth

I had a particularly great month of reading (and a big one - I think I got through more than 20 books), so it was hard to narrow this down. After scanning through my Goodreads, I landed on “The Gifted School” by Bruce Holsinger (my review here!). Though it wasn’t my highest-rated book of the month, I think it’s the one that is the most timely with the broadest appeal. Like scandals? Family drama? Precocious children? Casual drug use? Things being perfect on the surface? Forced friendly fun? This book has all of that and more! I absolutely adored this one, and I think that it would be a great read for anyone who enjoys social commentary about privilege, liberal social values, and the length we will go to in order to appear successful.

Shannon

I had a nice month of reading as well! (Follow me on GoodReads as I definitely do not review everything I read here on the blog.) But, if I had to pick just one to recommend, I’d go with “City of Girls” by Elizabeth Gilbert. (Read our Elizabeth’s review here.) I tend to love any book in which New York is featured as a character of sorts, and this one, primarily set in the pre-WWII Theater District, is so fun. There’s scandal, there’s intrigue, there’s sex, and the protagonist ultimately learns how to live life on her own terms. A bit cheesy? Sure. But the journey to get there is definitely fun.

Moira

Like Elizabeth, I had a strong reading month—thanks largely to the book contributions from my friend Pam! I should really start tracking on Good Reads as well, hmmm…

Evvie Drake Starts Over is my pick for the best of the month. It’s a lovely piece of literary fiction by a promising new author, and has one of the sweetest romances I’ve seen in a long time. Like Elizabeth’s pick, I believe this one will have very broad appeal. I’m not one for baseball (at all), but that didn’t deter me. It’s just a really gorgeous story about two flawed people learning the ways they can and cannot help each other.