When our main character let’s go of life and with it the need to be “perfect” and “good“ that she’s expected to be, in her own mind and her perception of other people… she’s able to be honest and decided, brave and communicative. Everyone in this novel is lonely in someway, a disconnect of true self and expectation, and as life carries on in different directions (and in the wake of Covid) those realities are amplified.

I really like the realization that our main character has about her marriage and what it means to be successful in a relationship and what a life could be made of when you let go of certain things and really listen to your soul. It was, at times, funny and almost like a rom-com though it dealt with difficult topics like infidelity and suicidal ideation.

I’m not going to say that the representation of being suicidal was “well done” but it was well done in the way that losing control of your life, having a bad thing happen that you don’t want upend things, feeling lost and angry and sad can make you act out, even towards yourself.

So many of you have picked this up — and loved it. Jia Tolentino’s writing is just so enjoyable. She’s clearly intelligent, and thoughtful but also has lived the scenarios she’s unpacking. It’s a bit like talking to your very smart, very chic bestie. The essays look at keeping our humanity in an online world, reality tv, modern “feminism”, literature about women and who they can be, drugs and religion, rape culture and college life as well as weddings… the intersection of these things (and more) always evident.

I would highly recommend this to people in their twenties, navigating new adulthood and looking to feel informed, less alone, and to have helpful insight into looking back at the time they are living now. Despite being a few years old it’s highly relevant. So glad I grabbed this!

Thank you so much Libro FM for providing this title as part of your ALC program! I was so excited to see it offered!

I’ve seen this partially dream-like novel referred to as “Lynchian” and I couldn’t agree more. A gamer controls a man in a vegetative state who is living a nightmarish existence… with lots of The Big Lebowski references punctuating the narrative. In this near future world we are reminded that (even in our current time) despite/because of technological advance, knowledge and potential — humans choose power and cruelty.

I ended up finding this to be another win from an author I only read for the first time earlier this month. I loved being confused, intrigued and present and exploring autonomy, ethics, grief and love.

🪦 Literally Dead Book Club

This beautifully illustrated children’s picture book tells the quietly moving story of a young girl who is struggling with loneliness. Being bullied for her body and internalizing it all. She’s reading Jane Eyre, absorbing the details of her mother’s life and trying to be invisible— finding it impossible. Despite this, there are bright moments (sometimes literally, as rendered wonderfully by the illustrator). I found it incredibly relatable and heartbreaking for it. While not magic-ing away those real things that cause our main character pain, it reminds us that hope and love are not lost, and real friends do exist.

Back in 2017, at the library that stood where the parking lot for a new library now sits, I first saw the cover of “Pax”. I am always drawn to beautiful illustrated middle grade covers, especially when they feature nature. At the time I wanted to read it but I was knee-deep in raising my kids and while I was reading a lot in my spare time, I wasn’t prioritizing middle grade unless it was what THEY wanted to read. I also knew, in my bones, that it was going to be an impactful read — just from the cover (sometimes you just know, right). For that reason, I assumed I’d find it second hand when the time was right. Fast forward almost a decade and I brought it home on Monday, a perk of working in books.

This novel is one that, while for children, will resonate with adults. It’s about the cost of war, and while the battlefield is mentioned, it centers the families at home, the effects of coming home changed, and the land… animals impacted by war. Not only is this written in a simple but beautiful way, it is incredibly compelling. Told in alternating chapters from both Pax (the fox) and Peter (the thirteen year old boy), each ends with a small “cliffhanger” that compels you to keep reading. While there are moments of great joy, and the connections made, and kept, are heartwarming, there is a deep sadness in it that also drives the realizations of the characters.

When Peter has to leave his fox behind, the two search for each other across 300 miles. Along the way both are changed by the kindness of others and the epiphanies of what has been lost in the wake of war. It’s also a journey through deep grief and reckoning with anger and guilt. It’s about the right to life we all have — out of captivity — humans and animals alike.

This was my only five star read of the month (so far?) and let me use it as an excuse to implore you, if you’re interested in Middle Grade at all, to perhaps pick this one up.

This charming and short book of moments follows an artist and her young granddaughter and the time shared on an island. Grandmother can be abrupt with the girl, though not unkind just as the granddaughter can be over zealous and pouty. Their time together changes them and this evolution is framed by, and infused with, the nature of the place. Grandmother’s wisdom alongside the girl’s open heart feels life-affirming, cozy, meaningful and inspiring. I love how vivid the setting is and in it I can feel myself as a child again, frolicking and feeling in the lush company of the wild and my own imagination. Remote and infinite, it can feel sad at times despite otherwise pure joy… but isn’t that the marker of a real and meaningful life.

Grandmother reminded me of my own Granny and I believe it is based on the authors own time with her granddaughter.

Thank you so much Riverhead Books for sending me a copy of this wonderful book!

Very much a slice-of-life, observational collection of stories from the incomparable Sigrid Nunez… I loved it. So much of this explores the judgement and perceptions that individuals hold and how that impacts others as well as the individual. What a writer, each of these characters are brilliantly drawn, fully realized human beings to grapple with.

My favorite stories from the collection were The Naked Juror: jury duty, judgement and loneliness and The Rabbit’s Foot: injustice and reality versus language for survivors and their “allies”. But we tackled all kinds of things in many situations from first love, therapy, body image, mothers and daughters, hatred, memory loss and people watching. No surprise she nails it.

• quick note, the audiobook also has multiple narrators including Rebecca Lowman, a fave of mine.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for providing me with a listening copy of this collection! I loved the multiple, talented narrators!

What does it REALLY mean to be in debt to another person? These (somewhat) interconnected stories are about the role money pays in our lives, as a society and individuals. What does it do, who decides if it is evil or necessary, what are the ways money (or a lack of it) shapes identity/experience/pride/desperation. A “smart” book that will get you thinking without wearing you out. I enjoyed this so much.

My favorite stories from the collection were Speech at a Wedding: revenge and inheritance against facade and The Loser’s Claustrophobia: a scientific study and relationships.