July Worthwhile Stuff

📚 Books
Everything I Never Told You, Celeste Ng: Like Little Fires Everywhere, Everything I Never Told You is quick and addictive to read. It starts out with an unexplained death, so the reader is compelled along with the character's family, to find out why she died. The book addresses parental pressure, multicultural families, and hidden truths. I actually liked this book better than Little Fires Everywhere, as I found it to be more focused, believable, and devastating. At the core of the story is the heartbreaking truth that often the people we understand the least are the ones we think we know the most about.

Sex and Vanity, Kevin Kwan: As to be expected from Kevin Kwan, Sex and Vanity is full of gorgeous destinations (Capri is now firmly on my travel wish list), plenty of couture, the new money vs. old money struggle, and an independent young woman in charge of her own destiny – even if she needs a little help realizing that (I read this back-to-back with Everything I Never Told You; both books feature young women with Chinese and Caucasian parents, and the similarities were interesting to unravel, even though the stories are set 40 years apart). I loved the snobby, yet tongue-in-cheek, focus on pedigrees and schools (including plenty of comments about Brown and a footnote featuring Duncan Sheik). While the first half of the book, set on Capri, is the most appealing, the second half, set in NYC and the Hamptons, also has plenty to offer. Sex and Vanity offers a perfect literary escape during this summer of quarantine.

A Pirate Looks at Fifty, Jimmy Buffett: This is more travelogue than memoir, with Buffett taking the reader along with him in his seaplane to visit Costa Rica, Colombia, Brazil, and the Grenadines. This is another great escape for quarantine, with the added aspirational bonus of private air travel. I would have liked a bit more memoire about his early days in the keys, but Buffett's writing about Costa Rica and the Amazon make up for it. Jimmy even manages to make fly fishing trips sound exciting, and that's no small feat.

Pachinko, Min Jin Lee: This book scratched an itch that I've had since finishing James Clavell's Asian Saga. Pachinko gave me strong Noble House vibes, except featuring Koreans living in Japan from the 1930s through the 1980s (vs. Europeans in Hong Kong in the 1960s). Like Clavell's books, Pachinko is a compelling, sweeping, multi-generational family saga that draws you in and doesn't let go. The writing isn't quite as rich or detailed as Clavell's, with plenty of gaps in time, but it also comes in at under 500 pages, so there's a trade-off. While the book feels a little light on character development at times, it doesn't scrimp on cultural details, and helped me better understand the 20th century history of relations between Japan and Korea, which I have been curious about since visiting Seoul last summer. 


🎶 Music
Music this month is all about building that perfect summer playlist...

"Seaside", Billy Currington: I'm eagerly awaiting a new album from Billy Currington, and if it's filled with transportive, atmospheric songs like this one, it will be well worth the wait. In the great tradition of Country lyrics, "seaside" is used as a play on words that is clever, satisfying, and sexy. While I could do without the Jake Owen-esque speak-singing bits, Billy Currington's voice remains smoothly irresistible no matter the delivery.

"Rare Changes", Mayer Hawthorne: Listening to "Rare Changes" feels like floating on a cloud of the perfect fusion of Soul, R&B, and Yacht Rock. With lyrics that speak to the cultural shifts all around us and the aspirational action of "leaving on a vacation", this is a must-add for any summer playlist. (As Mayer himself explains: “I started writing this song with SebastiAn long before the global pandemic and I can’t believe how accidentally relevant it is. The best songs usually have multiple layers to them and this one is like a mille-feuille with icing on top. We’ve got a long way to go, but I am deeply inspired by all of the positive changes happening out there.”)

"Superman", Keith Urban: This is Keith Urban at his poptastic best. The verses are full of summertime nostalgia, and the chorus is super catchy, with the upbeat music playing counterpoint to lyrics full of sadness and regret. If this is indicative of his new album, due out in September, I can't wait to hear more.

Music for Cougars, Sugar Ray: This album is eleven years old and saddled with an unfortunate title, but I've found myself listening to it quite a bit lately. It's a great summer pop album, packed with plenty of catchy songs ("Girls Were Made to Love", "Boardwalk", "She's Got The (Woo Hoo)", "Dance Like No One's Watching", and so many more) that make me smile.