Take Two

Two buzzy books with two differnt views -

I’d like to share some thoughts with you on two of the most talked about books of the. 2026. The first is Yesteryear, a debut novel by Caro Claire Burke, and the second is the memoir by Belle Burden, Strangers. Usually, when a book starts hitting big sales numbers over a sustained amount of time, it’s because a lot of people love it. These two books seem to be hitting people particularly hard in a “love it or hate it” kind of way. As a bookseller, it’s been interesting to try to navigate this. When I’m recommending one of these titles, I am truly not sure if a reader is going to fall into the “love it and thank me” side or the “hate it and question my taste” side. Below are some of my thoughts about these two books, but I also spoke with my friend and fellow bookseller Lauren, who had differing opinions from mine. I thought it would be fun to hear both sides.

Yesteryear

If you have been reading this newsletter for any length of time, then you know I rarely disparage books. If I don’t like a book, I don’t write about it. In full disclosure, I did not like Yesteryear. Rather than satire, it felt like an attempt to take down something/everything (matriarchy, patriarchy, religion, Little House on the Prairie, you name it). In general, I don’t mind unlikable characters, but I do need to have someone or something to root for. There was nothing here for me. I didn’t like any of the characters, and more unforgivable, I didn’t see any growth in the characters. I found the big reveal odd, disconcerting, and not fair to the reader.¹ There. I said it. But hear me when I say so many people absolutely love this novel.

When I spoke to Lauren about this book, here is what she shared: She loved the unlikeable narrator, calling her a well-written villain, and she found it topical and timely. Lauren is almost two decades younger than I and has grown up within the influencer culture. She enjoyed the behind-the-scenes aspects of the influencer life. And, even though she didn’t like the main character, Lauren thought she was smart, and the twist truly surprised Lauren. She also said there is lots to unpack and talk about, which makes it good for book clubs. And with this, I completely agree!

“Tradwifery” as subject matter is a big thing in publishing right now; there are a lot of books taking up space in this area. Yesteryear is by far the biggest and buzziest title, but perhaps what left me so unsatisfied is that I have already read similar stories. Two that I do recommend are Everyone is Lying to You by Jo Piazza. This is a thriller that came out last year with a plot set around a woman much like the main character in Yesteryear. A dairy farm, nannies behind the scenes, rich people behaving badly abound, but there is also a murder and a lost friendship in need of reconciliation. Piazza writes a fun thriller that definitely pokes at tradwives while providing an entertaining and propulsive plot. The second book that I still think about is Kids Run the Show by Delphine De Vigan. This 2023 novel is more about how “momfluencers” wreak havoc on their families. This is a French book in translation, and the author nails how destructive making your children perform for the camera is to their lives and the family as a whole. It is well executed and leaves you thinking long after the book is over. It would make a great pairing to read with either Yesteryear or Everyone Is Lying.

Strangers

Strangers is a much-talked-about, bestselling “divorce” memoir, where the author recounts her marriage and subsequent abandonment by her husband of 25 years during COVID. Recently, Gweneth Paltrow signed on to play the author in an upcoming movie. It’s compulsively readable; each page is like popping a Dorito into your mouth, as you see this marriage implode up close. I think Burden is honest and forthcoming. It has caused a lot of women to look at their own marriage, about what they do and don’t know. While Strangers won’t make it to my favorites list for me this year, I get why it’s popular. Funny enough, Lauren came down on the other side on this one, calling it a real-life horror story. When I asked Lauren what she didn’t like about this book, she said it felt scary in a very real way. It’s not that the book is poorly written; it is just a “super scary” scenario. Not just losing your husband, but also losing friends and community, and the hurt it caused her children. Lauren’s specific criticisms were that while it was a challenging read, at the end, there was really no payoff. Lauren feels that the author should have gone further, providing practical advice for supporting people going through divorce, or more on lessons learned. Finally, Lauren concluded that maybe The Stranter could have just been a long-form article.

As with Tradwife-themed books, I have actually read multiple divorce memoirs in the last couple of years. One of my favorite books of 2023 was poet Maggie Smith’s You Could Make This Place Beautiful. As with Burden, Smith uncovers her husband’s infidelity and documents the end of her seemingly idyllic marriage. Smith is able, in hindsight, to see cracks and fissures that Burdun struggles to uncover. Smith’s memoir stands out because of how beautifully it is written. With a poet’s eye to word choice and structure, it elevates itself above other divorce memoirs. As much as it is about divorce, it’s also about parenting, life, and staying true to yourself. I both read and listened to it- both are excellent.

Culturally, I think it is interesting to see Yesteryear and Strangers become so popular this spring. Two other books we continue to see fly out the door are The Correspondent and Theo of Golden. Both are uplifting, warm-hearted, and comforting novels with beloved protagonists - what many of our customers are looking for. But now it’s clear some people are looking for more complicated books tackling less cozy topics.

A Few Fun Links

• If you read one thing in this newsletter, make it this poem, Please Use AI, by Sean Smucker

• Are you a notebook collector but end up letting them lie around unused in desk drawers? Here are some fun notebook ideas.

• I love this list of 55 ANALOG things to do this summer.

• And Pizza Hut is bringing back its Summer Book It Program!

• There are some amazing book-to-screen adaptations lately - everyone loves Project Hail Mary, but we Remarkably Bright Creatures (Netflix) and The Count of Monte Cristo (PBS) are also terrific.

• Bookish Eye Candy:

Countrylife UK is exhibiting at the Chelsea Flower Show this week.

Recent Reads

Often in reading, books can be referred to as windows or mirrors. They open up new worlds for us and invite us in, or they can reflect back ourselves. Upward Bound is a window book - it opens up a world that most people are outside of and invites us in. The author is nonverbal and autistic who graduated from UCLA. He communicates by pointing at letters. Pausing here - I am trying to imagine writing my newsletter that way and can’t imagine, let alone a novel. I really loved this novel that takes the reader inside a day care facility in Los Angeles for adults with disabilities. He carefully constructs what daily life is like for both the patients and the staff. How needs are met sometimes but often neglected in exchange for efficiency and expediency. Brown writes from both the participants and various staff members, who each have a story. There have been several books published this year using a similar structure - The Reservation by Rebecca Kaufman, and This is Not About Us by Allegra Goodman, and I have enjoyed both of them. I have been aching for slices of life that draw me in, entertain me, and open the world up a bit. Upward Bound definitely does this. The shared humanity that we all have, regardless of our “abilities” or performance in the world, is a strong message here. Please don’t get the impression that there is no plot here. This book moves along at a decent pace over a year at this facility. Some beautiful and heartbreaking things happen throughout the course of this novel. [Published: 3/26; Pages: 208]

If you are looking for a light read, one that puts a smile on your face, you can’t go wrong with Jesse Q. Sutano. She is the creator of the beloved Vera Wong mystery series, which I highly recommend for laugh-out-loud, charming mysteries. In Ms. Mebel Goes Back to the Chopping Block, Sutano is giving us what she does best, but leaving the dead bodies out. Mebel had prided herself as a devoted Singaporean trophy wife and mother for 40 years. She has doted on her husband and raised a dutiful son who is now married with children, but she is stunned and heartbroken when her husband announces he is leaving her for their chef. She decides she will learn to cook to win him back and enrolls in a French cooking school. Unfortunately, she did not read the fine print and instead enrolled in a satellite school in a small village outside of London. Mebel arrives with lots of luggage (literal and figuratively) and thinks she can glide through the program. As Mebel faces her reckoning, she must decide what she is willing to work for for the first time in her life. There are funny cooking scenes, found family, and some issues she may need to straighten out at the culinary school. This straight-to-paperback book just came out in April, and would make a great vacation, airplane, or beach book. [Published: 4/26; Pages: 304]

The Things We Never Say² is a new release by Elizabeth Strout. She is leaving behind the world and characters that she has lovingly nurtured for over a decade - Olive Kitteridge, Lucy Barton, the Burgess boys. Here we meet Artie Dam, a devoted husband, father, and high school history teacher. While it appears he has a full and vibrant life, inside, he is nursing small and large griefs that have been accumulating over his lifetime. He is slightly disconnected from his wife and son, and he is watching his students continue to struggle in the post-Covid world. Early in the book, he toys briefly with suicide, but after a near-death accident, he discovers a newfound longing for life. Yet things continue to change and move around him, and he feels left behind. Artie also discovers a significant secret his wife has kept from him, and decides not to tell her he knows. In this story, Strout is examining the idea that we are not communicating the truth to each other or anything real most of the time. We talk on surface levels, and people have no idea what is really going on. When Artie and his son can be true with each other, their relationship grows. This is one of my favorite aspects of the book. But overall, there is a somber and maudlin tone throughout. At just over 200 pages, this is a quick read, and while there are some aspects I didn’t love, I continue to think about this book and what Strout is saying here. Acceptance, love, connection: these are the things that make a meaningful life. [Published: 5/26; Pages: 224]

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1. I do not want to give away anything here, so I am leaving out specific plot twists/details.

2. I really wish Strout would name her books better. I cannot for the life of me remember the title of this book. I have to look it up every time. Every. Time. Too vague!