Hey there, it’s been a minute! Turns out it was ambitious of me to start a newsletter while working five non-consecutive 2-10pm shifts a week. (Who could have predicted that!?) But after a year of spending more time selling books than reading them, I started a new job in publishing that has blessed me with infinitely more free time to read, write, watch movies, and do all the other things that make me happy.
In my brief break between jobs, I spent the holidays on a solitary retreat (read: house-sitting gig) in Ithaca, where I had little else to do but nap, read books, and finally finish Mad Men. To kick off the year, here’s an incomplete list of books I’ve read since I newsletter-ed last and why you should read them, too.
From the Bookshelf
Afterparties, by Anthony Veasna So: This is my favorite book I’ve read in years, and the first I recommended to customers as a bookseller. Each story is an intimate portrait of daily life in the Cambodian-American and Californian communities So called home. They begin simply — two cousins part ways for college, a father and son work to keep their oil change shop afloat — but these stories are anything but ordinary. The writing. The characters. The plot. All of it is breathtaking.
Detransition, Baby, by Torrey Peters: I am so thankful a friend recommended this. Reese, a trans woman living in NYC, dreams of becoming a mother. She has all but given up on this dream when her ex, Ames, reaches out with an unorthodox proposition that throws the lives of all involved into tailspins. It’s the queer, literary Sex and the City I didn't know I needed until I cracked the spine.
Luster, by Raven Leilani
SO GOOD. I read this in December in one sitting and absolutely lost my mind. A 20-something publishing coordinator (Edie) strikes up an affair with an older man in an open marriage while her life begins to fall apart. Come for the chaotic premise, stay for the intense, nuanced relationships she develops with his adopted daughter and his wife.
In The Dream House, by Carmen Maria Machado
This book has been on my list for years. It’s a genre-bending, heart wrenching memoir of Machado’s experience and escape from an abusive queer relationship. It is a second-person excavation of the self, supplemented by historical research, cultural criticism, and memory. It’s one of those books that changes the way you see the world, at least it certainly did for me.
Giovanni’s Room, by James Baldwin
A classic I’ve started reading a few times but never finished, Baldwin’s story of an emotionally fraught relationship between two men in 20th century France is a masterpiece. There’s one quote that has rattled around my brain ever since I read it: “…not many people have ever died of love. But multitudes have perished, and are perishing every hour - and in the oddest places! - for the lack of it.”
Filthy Animals, by Brandon Taylor
Filthy Animals is a collection of interconnected short stories examining the intimacy between people at inflection points in their lives: A dancer privy to a terrible secret, a teen on the precipice of a life-changing move, and a young man caught in the crosshairs of a couple on the mend, to name a few. It’s the nuance with which Taylor writes their flaws that renders his characters flesh and bone.
The Destruction of One Penelope Evans, by Isabella Rodrigues
A beautiful novella by a friend, this one is rife with adventure and melodrama and is deliciously fun to read. Young adults Penelope and Henry meet and grow apart and grow back together, traversing oceans and continents as they become embroiled in a financial scheme with implications so great it changes their lives forever. This one is a quick read and a hidden gem — let me know if you want a copy.
Dear Senthuran, by Akwaeke Emezi
I will read anything by Akwaeke Emezi: fiction, romance, an Instagram caption, you name it and it’ll wind up on my bookshelf. I listened to their memoir on audiobook and was absolutely blown away. It’s written as a series of letters to loved ones, idols, and other people in their life, exploring how each relationship has shaped Emezi’s understanding of their self, a writer and spirit who is in, but not of, this world.
You Made a Fool Of Death with Your Beauty, by Akwaeke Emezi
I listened to this one on audiobook, too, and it had me laughing and gasping at the messy, sexy fun. (Hating romance novels is misogynistic and weird, I don’t make the rules!!!) Feyi, an artist processing a personal tragedy, gets caught up in a whirlwind romance that carries her from New York City to the Caribbean, where her plans are foiled by her immediate attraction to her new love interest’s father. The drama. The intrigue. The ode to queer friendship. The bisexual chaos. Read it now for a taste of summer.
Beautiful World, Where Are You, by Sally Rooney
I found Normal People good but a bit meh and loved Conversations With Friends, so I picked up Sally Rooney’s latest novel not quite sure what to expect. I ended up really liking it. (Probably because it centers female friendship — aka the reason I adored her debut.) Her ostensibly self-insert novelist protagonist begins dating a warehouse worker unaware of her literary fame and keeps in touch with her closest friend via long, rambling emails about the 21st century condition. Long and self-indulgent but worth the read. Made me think a lot about plastic.
Topics of Conversation, by Miranda Popkey
The back of the book quotes The New York Times Book Review calling Popkey “Rooney-esque” but I actually think she’s better. (Oops!) I’m an easy target for the “unhinged woman” trope, but this one is different from any other I’ve read. It’s another one that centers relationships between women and the forces that shape women’s lives, from young adulthood to late life. It made me think critically about love, pain, sex, class, and the concessions we all make, sometimes to live authentically, but often just to survive.
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat: Mastering the Elements of Good Cooking, by Samin Nosrat…
On the Table
…a read that carries over to my most recent creative obsession, cooking! Not to get all The Menu (2022) about it, but there’s honestly nothing I love more these days than combing through recipes, pairing dishes, playing music, and cooking for hours on end.
Even after several years of semi-regular cooking, I remain shocked by how quickly the decision changed my relationship to food from tenuous to celebratory. Trying new recipes and cuisines made grocery shopping feel like an adventure and eating dinner feel like an accomplishment. My bizarre allergies (legumes!?) stopped feeling like a burden. I began to express love and care by cooking meals for my loved ones, and with time, the guilt I had long ago learned to associate with eating began to evaporate.
Having become comfortable following recipes, I picked up a copy of chef Samin Nosrat’s book Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat in hopes of learning how to cook meals from scratch. I’ve been reading a little bit before bed each night and, aside from making my stomach growl, it’s given me tons of information on what to cook and how to cook it. For the first time, I’m beginning to understand the science behind the steps of recipes I’ve been following for years. Whether you’re just starting to cook or you’re a seasoned pro, I can’t recommend this book enough.
P.S. Please stop by for dinner, I don’t believe in cooking for one!