A Bunch of Books

I read three books this week and thought I'd tell you about them in a book post today. 

I've enjoyed Carl Zimmer's writing before so I decided to give this one a try. Air-Borne offers a compelling and meticulously researched exploration of the invisible microbial life that inhabits the air we breathe. With his trademark clarity and enthusiasm, Zimmer takes readers on a journey from hospital rooms to mountaintops, tracing the path of airborne microbes and the surprising roles they play in everything from climate systems to pandemics.

Zimmer excels at making complex science understandable without oversimplifying. He builds narrative momentum through case studies and historical anecdotes, and readers familiar with his previous work will appreciate his steady hand in guiding us through the unseen. Particularly engaging are the chapters on the aerobiome's influence on weather patterns and how technological advances are changing our ability to detect and understand airborne organisms.

While the book is intellectually stimulating, it occasionally suffers from uneven pacing. Some sections dive so deeply into microbiological specifics that the broader narrative loses altitude, becoming more academic than accessible. A bit more narrative cohesion would have helped ground the reader in what is, ironically, a very air-bound subject.

Still, Air-Borne is an insightful and timely read in a world where the unseen world around us is more relevant than ever. Zimmer reminds us that the air isn't empty—it's alive. Readers curious about aerobiology (the science of airborne life), the frontier of microbial ecology and public health will find plenty to chew on. Three and a half stars rounded up.

I've also enjoyed several of Rachel Joyce's previous works (The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and Miss Benson's Beetle) so I was excited to read this ARC. Rachel Joyce has a gift for exploring the quiet tragedies and small triumphs of people, and The Homemade God is no exception. With her signature blend of lyricism and introspection, Joyce crafts a narrative that examines family, siblings, grief, art, and the fragile constructs we build to make sense of a chaotic world.

The novel follows four adult siblings whose lives begin to unravel when their semi-famous painter father Vic, a man in his 70s, marries 27-year-old Bella-Mae after knowing her for only five weeks. As the story unfolds, Joyce introduces us to a cast of characters each grappling with their own search for meaning, anchored by a central motif: the idea of creating one’s own beliefs in the absence of answers.

Joyce’s prose is, as always, elegant and emotionally precise. There are passages here that are truly breathtaking, and a few moments that hit with such emotional clarity they linger long after the page is turned. However, the pacing lags quite a bit in the middle chapters as the siblings and Bella-Mae do little besides wait and drink.

Where the novel shines most is in its tender exploration of belief—not necessarily in the religious sense, but in the ways people choose to believe in love, in each other, in rituals, and just maybe, in their own ability to keep going. Joyce never offers neat resolutions, but she does offer grace, which in the case of The Homemade God is more than enough.

A thoughtful, if uneven, novel that rewards patient reading. Recommended for fans of introspective literary fiction and those who appreciated Joyce’s earlier works like The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry. Another three and ahalf stars rounded up. Thank you to NetGalley and The Dial Press for providing me with a copy of this book. It will be published on July 8, 2025. If you are interested, there is a Goodreads giveaway for this book. 

This last book is the best of the bunch. Lily King’s Heart the Lover is a quietly powerful, emotionally rich novel that lingers long after the final page. True to her signature style, King delivers a story that is intimate, intelligent, and deeply human—centered around love in its many forms: romantic, familial, and self-forged.

At the core of the novel is a college senior, first nicknamed Daisy and then called Jordan from The Great Gatsby, who is both vulnerable and resilient, navigating the fragile terrain of new beginnings and also grief after the loss of her mother. King’s prose is sharp but tender, layered with subtext and subtle insights that reward close reading. Her dialogue is deft and believable, and she has an incredible knack for capturing the ache of longing without tipping into sentimentality.

What stood out to me was how King explored the tension between desire and independence. The emotional arcs feel authentic, and the small, real-life details—a gesture, a glance, a half-spoken thought—also carry weight. The book moves at a measured pace, which allows the characters and their inner lives to develop slowly and meaningfully. One of the novel’s greatest strengths is its restraint—King never gives too much away too soon. Instead, the narrative unfolds with subtlety, drawing you in gradually and keeping you engaged through quiet revelations and both small and large powerful moments.

Heart the Lover is a gorgeous meditation on what it means to be open to love after loss, and how finding connection often requires facing the truths we keep hidden from even ourselves. Fans of Writers & Lovers will feel right at home, and if you haven't read Writers & Lovers you will want to after finishing this one. Four and a half stars rounded up.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Press for providing me with a copy of the book. It will be published on October 7, 2025. Depending on when you're reading this, there may be a Goodreads giveaway for a copy. It closes on Friday. 

We've had lots of rainy and chilly weather that seems to be made for reading. I've got plenty of books in my to-be-read queue and I hope you do, too. I'd love to hear what you're reading now!