Okay, that’s dramatic. But that’s how it feels as I’m sitting down to write a blog post for the third day in a row.

This one will be fast and furious because I need some sleep.

Today was busy and hot. Have you ever noticed how people in the southern U.S. love to talk about how hot it is? Well, we do. I mean, we act so surprised every year when we’re melting. As if. Hmmm, 95 degrees in mid-July? You don’t say!

I was at cardio tennis today, and no joke, my partner and I were having to be careful not to slip because giant sweat drops were flying off of us and landing on the court. The temps were a little cooler, but the humidity was ridiculous. I felt like I was running around in a ziplock bag.

I had to get a new phone. I’d been putting it off for nearly two months, but lately everytime I talk on it, the person on the other end comments on how awful it sounds.

The kicker was when my friend Melody said, “You sound like you’re surrounded by gunshots.”

Okay, new phone time.

Thankfully the transition was fairly seamless, and I am up and running.

I know I’ve already talked about books this week, but I’m gonna do it again because, well, I read a lot.

Book one: Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke

If you’re a reader, and you hang out online, then it’s likely that you’ve heard of this book. I had such high hopes for this one that I bought a Kindle copy AND used one of my coveted Audible credits.

Maybe the hype was too much, but I didn’t like it. In fact, I had a hard time getting through it. It just didn’t work for me. Natalie is a tradwife (traditional wife) influencer who wakes up in 1855 and must survive. The reality of the 1800s was nothing like she imagined and portrayed online. There’s a lot more to it than that, but I found the characters insufferable. I didn’t care about any of them. Well, I did like one of Natalie’s daughters, but that was about it.

It is not my intent to bash this book. I thought the premise was creative, and I really wanted to love it, but it simply was not for me. It garnered four stars on Goodreads and has over 500,000 reviews, so you can see that many people LOVE Yesteryear. Even though I didn’t, I continue to find myself thinking about this book so much that I am tempted to read it again.

Book two: The Secret History by Donna Tart, written in 1992

This book has been on my to-be-read list for ages, so I finally took the plunge.

Donna Tartt is an incredible writer, and The Secret History is considered by many to be a modern day classic. It’s the story of a group of intelligent, eccentric misfits at a college in Vermont in the 1980s. It’s told from the point of view of Richard Papen, a student from California desperately trying to establish his place among the intellectual elite. It’s eerie, atmospheric, and there is some sure-enough crazy shit that goes down. There are coverups and lies and backstabbing. I’ve heard it described as dark academia, and it is definitely that.

This book captivated me. I made a point to take my time reading it. I mostly read it on my Kindle, but I ended up getting the Audible version as well because I drive a lot, so I listened to a good bit of it. Tartt actually narrates the audiobook which was different since we now live in a world where more books are done by actors and full casts. The narration was just okay for me. I think it could use an upgrade, and I imagine that full, professional audio would improve its appeal tremendously.

The Secret History will stick with me. I can’t say that I loved it, but I did really like it. I’ll give it three stars. This seems to be another book that folks have strong feelings about, and I fully understand why. It’s long, but I’m glad I took the time to read it.

Okay my friends, it is bedtime.

Have you read either of these books? I’d love to hear your thoughts. What books have you loved (or hated) this summer?