What exactly is a “thought daughter summer”? A “thought daughter” spends her time pondering and lingering. And while winter is usually the designated season for this, a thought daughter carries this mentality into the warm days of June. Our founding fathers of thought daughterhood are Rory Gilmore, Carrie Bradshaw, Jo March and Lady Bird.
It seems a bit cliché, but I knew this was the summer I was experiencing when I spent my time working, rehashing old memories, walking my dog and reading. Here’s what I read:
Reading Slump Recovery
Starting in May, I read “This Summer Will Be Different” by Carley Fortune. Coming out of a five-month reading slump, I desperately needed an easy read and this book didn’t disappoint. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants something similar to “The Summer of Broken Rules” or “Malibu Rising.” Although I wouldn’t typically pick up a book like this, it rescued me from a reading slump, so I’m grateful.
As Taylor Swift says, “Take me to the lakes, where all the poets went to die“
I’m late to the Lana Del Rey poetry train but “Violent Bent Backwards Over The Grass” was phenomenal. Her ability to tell a story through poetry was obvious, but the addition of photographs made it even better. My favorite piece was “SportCruiser,” a seemingly simple story about how she spent her 33rd birthday which turned into a lesson about self-depreciation and trust.
Quick intermission to say that the next three books I read were bought at the Central Book Exchange, a resale bookstore located in Sugar House (make sure to get the student discount).
Continuing on my poetry kick, the next book I picked up was “The Essential Emily Dickinson,” selected poems from Dickinson’s best work with an introduction from Joyce Carol Oates. My favorite excerpt from the collection was about grief, “I wonder if They bore it long — Or did it just begin — I could not tell the Date of Mine — It feels so old a pain.” Just some light summer reading!
Three and Five-Star Reads
Another book I read was “Franny and Zooey” by J.D. Salinger, who you most likely know from his book “The Catcher in the Rye.” In my own Goodreads review, I wrote that it “made me want to crawl into a hole and think about poets writers pretentious people and Jesus.” So if that’s your vibe, check it out!
My favorite read of this summer is “Lady Sunshine” by Amy Mason Doan. I had never heard of this book but the blurb drew me in. The protagonist, Jackie Pierce, spends the summer of ’79 at her rockstar uncle’s property where she is met with friendship, scandal and everything that comes with being in the orbit of tortured artists. I cannot stress enough that if you loved “Daisy Jones & The Six” you must read this book!
“The Guest” by Emma Cline left me feeling nothing; it was one of those reads that I could’ve done without. The plot felt so steady that, at times, it was hard to feel engaged. I think if I’d waited until fall to pick this one up, maybe I would’ve enjoyed it a little more.
