Hi! It’s me again, late again. But what is late? This is my newsletter and I can send it when I want to! I’ve been having a lot of conflicting thoughts about what I want to do with this newsletter (and my Instagram account, for that matter). I’ve been putting pressure on myself to turn it into a paid gig and you know what, I’m not sure that’s actually what I want. So for now you’ll continue to receive this regular monthly newsletter and, for as long as it’s enjoyable for me, a monthly release love edition in which I may or may not have read some of the new releases in advance, but will always share the ones I’m excited about. Sound good?
A couple weeks ago I asked what y’all would like to see in this space, and reading your answers was so fun! I’ve incorporated a couple of them below, and feel free to email any other thoughts you have.
What I listened to while writing: Take the Sadness Out of Saturday Night – Bleachers
What I’m reading…
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner – Gosh, this book was beautiful. Zauner’s story of her mother’s battle with cancer and the struggles in their relationship was heartbreaking and relatable. The way she grappled with her identity as a biracial person, and how her parents did or didn’t understand. How much food played a part in her childhood and later in her healing. I absolutely loved it. Highly recommend listening to it on audio. (And if you want to hear more coherent thoughts, listen to episode 451 of the Book Riot podcast.) For fans of From Scratch or All You Can Ever Know. Bookshop | Amazon
Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie – The winner of the 2018 Women’s Prize, this book has been sitting on my shelf for years so when Sara (@fictionmatters) chose it as a secondary pick for her book club it was the perfect excuse to finally read it. At less than 300 pages, it was a quick read that packed a punch (if you’ve read it, you know exactly what I’m talking about). And it was the perfect book to discuss in a book club setting – I appreciated the story so much more after hearing other people’s thoughts. (This type of experience is exactly what I’ve been missing in my reading life, and I’m excited to read Sara’s August pick, A Tale for the Time Being.) I also listened to The Stacks podcast book club episode with Tawny Newsome. For fans of Exit West and Girl Woman Other. Bookshop | Amazon
Latest book purchases…
I’m putting myself on a book-buying ban (really a shopping for anything ban) because my retail therapy has gotten out of control. I have SO MANY great books on my shelf that it’s time to shop my shelves. So, here are a few of the last book purchases I’ve made and hopefully I won’t have any to share with you next month, ha.
There’s No Such Thing As An Easy Job by Kikuko Tsumura – The culture of work, particularly in this country, is something I’ve become increasingly interested in (and disgusted by), particularly this past year. This story of a young woman’s “search for meaning in the modern workplace” sounds right up my alley. Bookshop | Amazon
When the Stars Go Dark by Paula McLain – I haven’t read anything by McLain, although I have The Paris Wife on my shelf, but comparison to Long Bright River, a favorite of mine had be snatching it up before my book-buying ban sets in (plus I love the cover). Bookshop | Amazon
The Resurrection of Joan Ashby – This book was all over bookstagram when it came out in 2017, and I’m not sure why I didn’t read it then or what prompted me to finally purchase a copy now. It sounds like it could be along the same lines of The Nine Lives of Rose Napolitano, in terms of the main character being a woman that makes choices different from those that society deems “normal.” If you’ve read it, I’d love to know your thoughts. Bookshop | Amazon
Books on my preorder list…
This section will be merged into the release love edition, but I do have one preorder that I’ll share here which won’t be included in the September releases (which I’ll be sending out September 14).
Beautiful World, Where Are You by Sally Rooney (releases September 7) – It seems like everyone is either reading or talking about this one so I’m sure this is not news to you, but I wanted to include it just in case. I loved Normal People (although I didn’t like the show and stopped watching after a couple episodes, don’t @ me). I have high hopes for this one! Bookshop | Amazon
What my dad and husband are reading…
Y’all asked to know what the two men in my life are reading (there’s a third man, but he can’t read *ahem Gus*) so I’m going to make this a quarterly addition!
Mike just finished Circe and loved it (a solid 4.75 stars, which is high marks for this picky reader) and One By One (which he did not love – “fine” is the only commentary he had). He’s currently reading The Last Thing He Told Me and Blood and Treasure: Daniel Boone and the Fight for America’s First Frontier (this is where our reading taste does NOT overlap).
As for my dad, he had this to say: “Just finished King Richard: Nixon and Watergate–An American Tragedy by Michael Dobbs. And before that Summer on the Bluffs by Sunny Hostin” (he said this was “open door” – yes, I have taught my 79-year-old dad the difference between open and closed door and he now lets me know if a book he’s reading is one of the two). “Reading Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid and slowly making my way through A Promised Land by Barack Obama.”
Podcasts I’m loving…
This past week I listened to a LOT of podcasts. Here are some of the highlights:
Code Switch – Words to Set You Free
The Daily – Breakthrough Infections, Explained
From the Front Porch – July Reading Recap
Forever35 – Episode #180 Dumb Phone w/ Donna Frietas (author of The Nine Lives of Rose Napolitano, one of my favorite books of the year)
Undistracted – Jemele Hill on “The Cursed Olympics”–And Simone Biles Choosing Her Peace
Call Your Girlfriend – Boundaries
Things I’m eating…
Favorite dinner: Trader Joe’s carnitas tacos (with lots of Yellowbird’s serrano sauce)
Favorite snack: Trader Joe’s honey roasted peanuts; rice cakes with peanut butter and jelly
Favorite coffee drink: iced chai latte with two shots
Favorite sweet treat: Ben & Jerry’s topped ice cream in sea salt caramel brownie
What I’m watching…
The Queen’s Gambit on Netflix – Mike and I are probably the last people to have watched this but we LOVED it. Highly highly recommend.
Links I’m clicking…
My dad and I had our monthly Atlantic discussion recently (for those who are new, about five years ago my dad and I started picking a few articles from each issue of The Atlantic to read and then discuss together. It’s been such a wonderful experience and allowed us to get to know each other in ways we might not have otherwise) and I thought I’d link to what we read (these are from the June issue):
Upcoming bookish events…
Maggie Smith – Maggie Smith in conversation with Kate Baer?! I signed up SO FAST.
Allison Larkin – The People We Keep is one of my favorite recent reads and I’m excited to attend The Novel Neighbor’s virtual event.
Other ways to support me…
Honestly, the best way to support me is to engage with my content. Send this newsletter to a friend who might want to subscribe; share my posts on Instagram; email me letting me know what you’re reading or eating or enjoying; use my affiliate links to buy books I’ve recommended. All that good stuff. It means a LOT <3
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I’d love to hear from you! Tell me what you’re reading or watching, what you’d like to see from me, or any questions you have.
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