September in Review — Lit Chat Vol. 21
Hi friends,
Before anyone asks, no I have not finished the new Sally Rooney yet, but I did go to the midnight release party at Greenlight Bookstore and came in third place during Sally Rooney trivia!!
September was a bit of a doozy and I did not get as much reading done as I’d hoped. I considered waiting until next month to check in when I had more to talk about, but then I realized that this month also marks two years of sending these little newsletters out, so I wanted to at least say hi and commemorate that! Two years! Thanks so much for being here.
To celebrate, for my NYC based friends: I am hosting a little reading club/party on November 2nd at 3pm! All are welcome! Everybody just has to come prepared to talk about something they’ve read recently (book, story, poem, essay, article, etc.) , and there will be snacks and drinks. I had first wanted to do this in January and never got around to it, but I’m serious this time and hoping to make it a regular thing in 2025! Consider this a soft launch (ten months late). RSVP here!
For now, though, I have a mini update of three books to chat about, all from favorite authors whose books I will always be excited to pick up. Let’s get into it!
SOLID SUPPORTS:
The Black Bird Oracle — Deborah Harkness
I was pleasantly surprised to learn that there was a new book in the All Souls series, and even more so to find that it felt more like the beginning of a new series than an end to one! I’ve read or listened to all four of the other books in this series about a modern-day witch who falls in love with a vampire, but it was a pleasure to be back in Diana’s head as she reconnects with her late father’s side of the family. Ravenswood is the perfect magical home to serve as a backdrop for Diana’s journey to finally begin exploring her penchant for higher magic, featuring an enchanted wood, vividly corporeal ghosts, and generations of family secrets brought to light. I look forward to following the rest of Diana’s journey in future books, and I’d recommend the first All Souls book, A Discovery of Witches, for anyone looking for a dark academia/paranormal romance for spooky season!
Funny Story — Emily Henry
My friends are so divided on Emily Henry, which I honestly find fascinating. My feeling is that if you’re into the rom-com genre, then you’re mostly inclined to like her books, but if it’s not for you, then it’s not for you and that’s okay! For what it’s worth, I think Henry is a master of her genre, and Funny Story has all the hallmarks: witty banter, a dangerously hot love interest in near-constant close proximity, and a fake dating scheme that turns into real feelings remarkably fast. Another thing I deeply appreciate about her books is the comparatively uncommon settings: I fell in love with small-town Michigan just as much as I did with the truly delightful supporting characters. Also, I appreciate that Daphne and Miles are well into their thirties and still figuring things out. It eased some of my late-twenties “am I doing the right thing with my life” anxiety by reminding me that regardless of the answer, I still have plenty of time.
THE TIPPY TOP:
The Pairing — Casey McQuiston
Cheating a little bit because I didn’t finish this one until the first week of October—sue me! Casey McQuiston is an always-buy author for me, because their books always seem to be exactly what I need, when I need them. The Pairing is about former childhood best friends/lovers turned exes, Kit and Theo, who unexpectedly reconnect when they both book the same three-week European food and wine tour. To distract from their unresolved feelings for each other, they decide to compete to see who can sleep with the most people in each city of the tour.
As a quick scan of the Goodreads reviews will tell you: this book is not for everyone! It looks like a lot of the qualms were about how sexual this book was (it is McQuiston’s spiciest yet! Consider yourself warned!), or about how unrealistic/inaccurate/stereotypical the characters’ European shenanigans were. To this I say: I don’t particularly care!
For me, rom-coms exist in the same suspension-of-disbelief realm as a good fantasy: they’re meant to be an escape. I don’t care if it’s realistic that Theo and Kit would so easily charm their way onto a yacht in Monaco, or whether a luxury yacht would even technically be able to dock in Monaco at that time of year. I care about indulging vicariously in multi-course Italian meals with perfectly paired wines. I’m here for the glimpses of slow living in the French countryside, and the novelty of experiencing art and architecture I’ve seen with my own eyes through the lens of somebody else’s. Let me be seduced by a good accent and some clever dialogue, even if only in my head!
Yes, it was painful watching Kit and Theo sleep with other people and pretend they didn’t still have a whole lifetime’s worth of feelings for each other. And yes, the international food-wine-sex binge was a little over the top at times. But I also thought it was the perfect backdrop of freedom and decadence against which the characters could reevaluate everything they thought they knew about their relationship and each other. Both Kit and Theo’s queerness is thoughtfully and tenderly explored, and I especially admired the absolute comfort and confidence with which they inhabited and took pride in their bodies. I also appreciated how necessary it was for both of them to take the time apart to grow into themselves before they could go back to growing together as a couple. If nothing else, The Pairing is a reminder that true love knows no bodily or geographical boundaries, and will always find its way back.
However, I would be remiss if I left you without this much more important reminder from my pal Shana’s review, which did make me cackle:
That’s all for now! I’m gonna go back to reading Intermezzo so I can finally catch up with the discourse. If you’re local, hopefully you can join me to chat in person in November!
If not, I’m always happy to chat here and anywhere else you can reach me.
Until next time, happy reading!
❤ Catherine
Housekeeping note: all links go to my Bookshop storefront, where each purchase supports independent bookstores (and this newsletter, because I get a small percentage of each sale).
Catherine Thoms 