Tuesday, July 5, 2016
What are our favorite authors reading? Find out in our One Night (Book) Stand feature! Today's guest is Julie C. Gardner, author of Letters for Scarlet.
Reading has been my favorite pastime since I picked up a copy of Nancy Drew and The Secret of the Old Clock on a road trip to Texas in third grade. Over the years my tastes have changed, but I still love a juicy mystery (Girl on the Train, anyone?) and I can't resist a candid memoir like Wild. Here are two titles I've recently enjoyed, and two I plan to add to my collection soon:
The Nest
by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney
The four Plumb siblings spent their adult lives banking on an inheritance they've dubbed "The Nest." When the money is drained to cover up a scandal caused by Leo Plumb, the rest of the family handles the threat to their financial futures with varying degrees of dysfunction. I admire an author brave enough to write unlikeable characters and this book is full of them. Despite their numerous flaws, however, I found myself rooting for the Plumbs and the people tangled up in their lives. I read late into the night to learn their fates and was deeply satisfied by the ending.
We Were Liars
by E. Lockhart
This book was marketed as a YA novel, but the spare and sophisticated writing immediately drew me in. Each summer the four ‘liars'—Cadence (Cady) Sinclair, her cousins Mirren and Johnny, and Johnny's friend Gat—gather with their families on an island off Martha's Vineyard. Theirs is a life of complicated privilege overshadowed by a mystery unraveling in the memory of a confused and haunted Cady. I'll admit I didn't see the jaw-dropping climax coming. Heartbreaking and raw, this story stuck with me long after I read the last page.
The Art of Memoir
by Marry Karr
This is on my TBR list and I can't wait to get my hands on a copy. I loved Liar's Club and am hoping Karr's latest memoir will offer more insight into the author's private life and her writing process. I love reading about the craft of writing (Stephen King's On Writing, Anne Lamotte's Bird by Bird, and Dani Shapiro's Still Writing) and when a book pairs practical advice with deeply personal stories, it hits the top of the stack on my nightstand.
The Nightingale
by Kristin Hannah
I've seen this book recommended (seemingly) everywhere by (seemingly) everyone. As a general rule I'm wary of titles this popular, but a story about two sisters that takes place in Paris during World War II is going to get my attention. (Sisters. Paris. World War II. To quote The Sound of Music, these are a few of my favorite things… to read about in a book, that is.) I just ordered the paperback edition and hope this novel lives up to its hype. Fingers crossed!
About Julie C. Gardner:
Julie's books:
Reading has been my favorite pastime since I picked up a copy of Nancy Drew and The Secret of the Old Clock on a road trip to Texas in third grade. Over the years my tastes have changed, but I still love a juicy mystery (Girl on the Train, anyone?) and I can't resist a candid memoir like Wild. Here are two titles I've recently enjoyed, and two I plan to add to my collection soon:
The Nestby Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney
The four Plumb siblings spent their adult lives banking on an inheritance they've dubbed "The Nest." When the money is drained to cover up a scandal caused by Leo Plumb, the rest of the family handles the threat to their financial futures with varying degrees of dysfunction. I admire an author brave enough to write unlikeable characters and this book is full of them. Despite their numerous flaws, however, I found myself rooting for the Plumbs and the people tangled up in their lives. I read late into the night to learn their fates and was deeply satisfied by the ending.
We Were Liarsby E. Lockhart
This book was marketed as a YA novel, but the spare and sophisticated writing immediately drew me in. Each summer the four ‘liars'—Cadence (Cady) Sinclair, her cousins Mirren and Johnny, and Johnny's friend Gat—gather with their families on an island off Martha's Vineyard. Theirs is a life of complicated privilege overshadowed by a mystery unraveling in the memory of a confused and haunted Cady. I'll admit I didn't see the jaw-dropping climax coming. Heartbreaking and raw, this story stuck with me long after I read the last page.
The Art of Memoirby Marry Karr
This is on my TBR list and I can't wait to get my hands on a copy. I loved Liar's Club and am hoping Karr's latest memoir will offer more insight into the author's private life and her writing process. I love reading about the craft of writing (Stephen King's On Writing, Anne Lamotte's Bird by Bird, and Dani Shapiro's Still Writing) and when a book pairs practical advice with deeply personal stories, it hits the top of the stack on my nightstand.
The Nightingaleby Kristin Hannah
I've seen this book recommended (seemingly) everywhere by (seemingly) everyone. As a general rule I'm wary of titles this popular, but a story about two sisters that takes place in Paris during World War II is going to get my attention. (Sisters. Paris. World War II. To quote The Sound of Music, these are a few of my favorite things… to read about in a book, that is.) I just ordered the paperback edition and hope this novel lives up to its hype. Fingers crossed!
Julie C. Gardner is a former English teacher and lapsed marathon runner who traded in the classroom for a writing nook. Now she rarely changes out of her pajamas. She lives in Southern California with her husband, two children, and three dogs.
Connect with Julie on social media:
Julie's books:
  Letters for Scarlet |   Guest List |
