For the Love of Books | Currently Reading June 2022

Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez | Kindle | A timely and gripping work of historical fiction loosely inspired by the real-life groundbreaking court case of Relf v Weinberger. In 2016 Memphis, distinguished Black doctor Civil Townsend prepares to retire. First she must journey to her hometown of Montgomery to make peace with the past and tell the truth of it to her own daughter. In alternating timelines, Civil reveals all that unfolded in 1973, when she was a young and idealistic nurse, stepping into her first job at a reproductive clinic serving Black women in her community.

This would not be my usual kind of thing, but I was gripped and read the bulk of it in one sitting. Highly recommend and a contender for Favourite Reads of 2022.

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus | Kindle | A life-affirming tale of a chemist ahead of her time, a life-changing love affair, a dog with a huge vocabulary, and the combustible combination of chemistry, cooking, and afternoon television. Elizabeth Zott only ever wanted to be a scientist, but because she’s a woman in the 1960s, she has to go begging for beakers despite being the smartest researcher in the building. After Elizabeth is ostensibly fired for being unwed and pregnant (but really for being smarter than her boss and dating a rival scientist he loathes), she can’t make ends meet. Out of desperation she accepts a job hosting a tv show called Supper at 6. She loves to cook, because cooking, after all, is chemistry. The producers want her to smile and look pretty, but Elizabeth is much more interested in teaching housewives not just how to make dinner, but how to change their lives.

Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan | Kindle | Romance channel screenwriter, Nora, knows the set up of a romantic tale better than most but the destruction of her marriage simply leaves her cold. Nora pulls herself together intending to write the best script she ever has. But, this one will be different. Brimming with deftly drawn characters and a fun and immersive plot populated with a swiftly moving storyline and witty dialogue, this story is escapist, heartwarming and entertaining.

Every Summer After by Carley Fortune | Kindle | Told over the course of five years and one weekend, this is a big, sweeping look at love and the people and choices that mark us forever. I thoroughly enjoyed this and romped through in about two sessions.