Happy Sunday!

I hope your Sunday is clouds in your coffee.

Hiya Reader!

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I read a lot of books. Like, an embarrassing number. Clearly anyone with a reasonable social life would not have time to devour so much literature. But there it is.

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Since the advent of the audio-book-via-smartphone, people read to me while I’m driving, folding laundry, working in the garden, making breakfast - all the damn time. In fact, I read so much that I’m now being strict with myself about NO BOOK TIME. Because you should listen to your own thoughts once in a while.
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Part of the reason I read as much as I do is that I am prone to anxiety 👋🏻. I mean, at this point most of us are battling nerves most of the time, am I right? If you are not I am jealous not only of your calm inner life but also whatever badassery you embody. Consider me your fan.

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So - what do I read? I want to say all genres but sadly, that’s not true. I like fiction, mostly, and if it’s nonfiction it’s got to be quirky and read like a story - I won’t cop to actual ADHD, but my attention span for things that aren't super engaging is not great.

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Mostly I like to know what makes people tick, and good fiction can cover that as well as talking to actual people. (Which I also enjoy.) Memoir is always high on my list, as is what we now call speculative fiction but which used to be called science fiction, I think?

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I like a heavy dose of fantasy, and I adore a good UK police procedural. Thrillers sometimes - I don’t like violence and gore and I refuse to read anything that centers on female victimization. Don’t even get me started on The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo; I’m still mad about reading that book.

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I really, really want to like romance, and there are a few that I’ve enjoyed, but I find myself getting frustrated by the repetitive structure. Here’s where they have a big misunderstanding, this is the part where she refuses to accept that he loves her, blah blah blah. If you’ve got a great one that defies convention please let me know! I always want to root for a happy ending.

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Since I’m basically previewing the entire western canon on your behalf (and much else besides) I thought I’d give you some of the highlights of my recent consumption. One thing that ties all these together is that they’re all American and all written by women. Does that mean anything? Not really. Just a thing I noticed while compiling the list.

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I do try to mix it up with books by non-white, non-cis/het, non-American peeps, but somehow in the last month my reading was fairly one-note. Ebb and flow, this and that.

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If you want to see me tearing through books in real time, let’s be friends on Goodreads! For some reason everyone seems to hate Goodreads now, but it holds the record of every book I’ve read since June of 2008, so I’m there for the long haul.
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Note - I’m linking the titles to the Audible site, because I love to listen. Look for them anywhere and everywhere.
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Recommendations!

​Down the Drain - Julia Fox

I love a good celebrity memoir, and this one does not disappoint. Julia Fox has had a much wilder life than… anyone? Well, most people, at least. She’s a great writer to boot. Dive in and be prepared to be shook.

This book gets extra points for being way better than anyone expected. Fox herself brushes this off, saying that she’s constantly being underestimated, which is true. Hooray for women refusing to be boxed in due to societal inference. While her life feels exhausting to me, I’m super impressed by her ability to dive into situations head first and then change everything on a dime.

​True Biz - Sara Nović

This book helped me understand that American Sign Language (and all the other sign languages) really are separate languages, rather than just imitations of the ones hearing people use. This feels like something I should have known!

Great insights into a community I know little about, and one that, like so many, is facing its potential demise. The story and writing are okay; it’s really the subject matter that I found so engaging.

​All Fours - Miranda July

After the first chapter I was ready to walk away, but I’m glad I stuck around. This really is an astonishing novel. The protagonist is often hard to like, but ultimately I loved reading her story. If you don’t like frank sexual talk and imagery you might have a hard time with this one, but overall the honesty is bold and bracing.

Extra points for the author reading the audio version. You know how generally it’s your own voice in your head? It’s really fascinating to hear the words come out the way the writer heard them in her head. So much recent fiction makes me feel like a true oldster. I know generations are not monoliths, but being a Millennial feels utterly exhausting. You all have my unbridled empathy.

​Margot’s Got Money Troubles - Rufi Thorpe

When I call this old-fashioned escapist literature, please know that I mean this in the most complimentary way possible. I love a book that takes me somewhere I’ve never visited, and I also love a book about people making family and/or community in unlikely ways, and this one has both. Bonus that the audiobook is read by Elle Fanning. Often audiobooks are read by actors who do all the voices, but sometimes I just like being read to in a single voice.

​Family Family - Laurie Frankl

This is another narrated-by-the-author listen, and again, I love hearing it spoken the way it was conceived. Since family in all its permutations is my current jam, this is exactly what I’m always looking for - a story that defines family in every way that matters. It’s also a bit of a Pollyanna dream, which I’m okay with. Happy endings all around!

Recently published work

Still more decluttering! Well, more organizing, which is NOT the same thing.

​How to keep your kids’ stuff organized (Insider)