A Year of Books from You, the Community

Fam, we made it to #52!

When I started this newsletter one year ago, we were in a pandemic, American democracy looked fragile, and I wanted to escape into book talk to soothe our collectively wearied souls.

And now everything is diff- … oh.

Well … it has been one year, that part is true! One year of book discussions! 52 weeks of Sunday newsletters! 198 books recommended (and boy do I wish I’d saved some book suggestions for year two but turns out, creativity is an iterative learning process, amen!) Several real-live subscribers who are unrelated to me by blood, marital contract or moral obligation! Book fam, we read a lot of words this year!

I’m grateful to earliest subscribers Steve, Danielle, Spencer, Mary, and James. I’m floored by truly dedicated readers including Sheri, Jake, Hayley, Carey, and Mark. To the newest of newcomers Erica, Rachel, Hillary and Will, halloo and thank you kindly for being here. (FYI usually I’m not this sentimental, though I am always this liberal with commas and parenthetical asides.) And to everyone in between, truly - thanks for supporting this here little ol’ creative outlet and for embracing books. I’m not 100% sure what Year 2 of this newsletter will look like but I’m excited to explore it.

For this anniversary edition, you reading rainbows, I’m highlighting some of YOUR favorite books from the past year. Receiving your recommendations has been an absolute joy because fundamentally, books are nothing if not a shared human conversation. Between us and the authors. Between readers. Between what we believe to be true and what could be possible. Between our small, fragile individual worlds and the infinite expanse of reading. So without further ado, onto some of your best books of the past twelve months. May we all find a new book to love and share with each other.

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“A fave of the year: The Push by Ashley Audrain … it’s terrifying! A very fresh take on a story that’s been done—and an insanely taut and constructed page-turner. Runner-up: Real Life by Brandon Taylor, which is a sort of spiritual companion to Sally Rooney’s Beautiful World, Where Are You (similar thematically, but Taylor and Rooney’s writing styles are wayyyy different).”

Ed. note and I am the editor: Co-sign Jill, who knows all the good fiction! Real Life was one of those books that I wasn’t even sure I “liked” at first and now I think it’s one of my favorites of the past few years (read more here).

“The combo of Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential and Dana Goodyear's Anything That Moves. The former because how had I never read it!? and the latter because it's in a similar vein but so very Los Angeles. Together because it's such a fun balance between Bourdain's hardcore bro energy and Dana's open-minded adventurism.”

And

“Love and Trouble, a Midlife Reckoning, by Claire Dederer - brave and hard and I'm... maybe having a middle reckoning as an aging former wild child, just like the author?”

Note: Shayna reads allll the necessary books, kids, including the important political science books. Someday she’ll have a guest post here but in the meantime, you can follow along with her reading here.

“The two Thursday Murder Club books and Erik Larson's In the Garden of Beasts (not new, I know, but it's been a comfort food year).”

Hi again - YES read The Thursday Murder Club, here’s why.

Y’all, Eve sent a spreadsheet of her favorite books. It’s not that I’m criticizing the rest of you, but … everyone had the same amount of time for the assignment. Is all I’m saying.

I’m including just TWO of her favorites here.

“Band Sinister - KJ Charles is very special. she's beyond clever. her turns of phrase are constant surprises. she's written so many novels novellas trilogies and essays and they've all brought me joy. all are 19th or early 20th centuries. … One of those books that can be read over and over, like watching the Gilmore Girls, the Simpsons or Center Stage. If you want to jump into an all encompassing genre bending series of true love, hot gay sex, magic and poetry, go with The Magpie Lord.”

“Deep shit - Here Comes The Sun. this is a challenging read in terms of subject matter. but the imagery is gorgeous and the story complex. top 10 books of all time for me.”

“Some gems from this year - Intimacies by Katie Kitamura, Klara and the Sun by Ishiguru, Between Two Kingdoms by Suleika Jaouad, and Second Place by Cusk. Currently reading The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki which will most likely make my list of favorites.”

I think we can all agree that KJ4D wins the Serious Reader award, by unanimous decree. Sorry about all the trashy books that I recommend, KJ4D.

And Joanna sums it up for all of us:

“Favorite books of 2021 is sooooo hard to narrow down:
Anxious People
Girl who Saved the King of Sweden
Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
Midnight Library
Henna Artist
Jessica Simpson memoir (yes I know!)
Padma Lakshmi memoir
Such a Fun Age
American Kingpin
Just Mercy

Yikes!  Too many and so many more on my list.”

I’ve also read (and loved) all but two on this list - it’s a damn fine list and now I guess I’m coming for you, J Simps.

If you want to hear more community suggestions, drop a comment and let me know! And if you want to plant a flag for YOUR best books of the year, we’re all ears!

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In closing …

• Remember that all books link to Bookshop.org, which supports the most noble of unicorns, small bookshops. Theoretically if you bought a book via that link I’d receive a small affiliate bonus but it hasn’t happened yet so let’s not worry about it.

• All 198 book recommendations can also be found in the Archive, which honestly sounds so satisfyingly literary.