The weekly post

The one where we enjoy the slow burn

Hi friends, I am writing after an incredibly soul-filling and joyful weekend and hoping to carry that energy into what promises to be another busy week. I am also so elated to share that after a month (!!!) of not finishing a book, I finally overcame my reading slump… for perhaps Emily Henry, and Emily Henry alone. I zipped through her most recent novel, Funny Story (full review below), and it felt so good to get my reading groove back. I have another busy couple of weeks ahead, but I am at least back to feeling motivated by my bookshelves and that makes a world of difference. Wherever you are, whatever you’re up to these days, I hope you’ve got a great book and you’re taking care.

Currently Reading

SAY YOU’LL BE MINE by Naina Kumar. I took a pause from this book to read Emily Henry’s newest novel, and I am admittedly finding this one a bit more challenging to dive back into. I’m hoping that if I commit to even 10 minutes of reading a day this week (something that has been shockingly challenging in the past month), I can make some real progress with this book and feel more invested.

Recent Recommendation

FUNNY STORY by Emily Henry (4.5 stars). I’ve connected with a handful of people about Emily Henry’s newest novel, and every time I get to discuss it, I discover another layer of appreciation. Funny Story tells the story of Daphne and Miles, who are brought together when their partners, Peter and Petra, respectively, end their relationships so they (Peter and Petra!) can be together. In a moment that requires readers to suspend their disbelief, this prompts Daphne and Miles to decide to become roommates, solving Daphne’s need for a place to live after she’s unceremoniously kicked out of her ex-fiance’s house and Miles’ need to cover the rent of his now too-big apartment. With one slip of the tongue, Daphne commits them to a fake-dating scheme, and well, the rest is history.

Except, it isn’t. Because this is quite possibly the least “tropey” romantic comedy novel I’ve ever read, and I don’t say that lightly considering it dabbles in both fake dating and roommates-to-lovers dynamics. For longtime fans of Emily Henry, it’s no secret she can pull off tropes in a compelling (bestselling) way. People We Meet on Vacation is the page-turning, friends-to-lovers, lighthearted beach read it promises to be, while Book Lovers masters the genre by simultaneously poking fun at and admiring romance novel stereotypes. Funny Story may be Emily Henry’s most sophisticated novel yet, which impacted the way I read the book.

I would venture that in the past year, there have been probably at least 10 books that were all-consuming, so much so that I lost entire days and cancelled social plans to read. Those books (and those days) are incredible and wonderful and a perfect escape, but they sometimes mean that I finish a book so quickly that it’s almost entirely gone from my memory by the time I start the next one. Funny Story was different. I didn’t speed through it. I took my time and would set it down after only reading a couple of chapters at a time, and that’s not an indicator that I wasn’t enjoying it. I was invested in Daphne and Miles’ story (admittedly after about 75-80 pages in - more on that in a moment), and I found myself thinking about the story and the characters throughout my day. But this story held an unexpected richness and complexity that I wanted to be more careful in processing, and there were quite a few contemplative moments that I knew I needed to sit with before carrying on, rather than rushing through to the finish. It’s left me feeling like this one will stick for a while.

Now, to my earlier point, it did take me longer than with other Henry novels to feel connected to either Daphne or Miles. I didn’t like them, I didn’t dislike them; I felt distant from them. Perplexingly, even when I felt this way about the two protagonists, I still felt invested in the story, which is a testament to how much I trust Emily Henry as a writer. But about 100 pages in, I felt a stronger connection to both characters, and over the course of the novel, they both experienced a lot of growth. Their inner dialogue, personal growth, and connection to one another felt so authentic, and their respective relationships with their parents was illuminating, to say the least.

The last thing I’ll say is that it feels like Emily Henry is growing up with her characters, as are all the people who choose to read her books. There are many authors who write one age group - young adults, early or mid-20s, 40s, etc. - and stick with it, and that’s fine. It does feel worth noting that as Emily Henry gets older, her characters do too, and that contributes to the complexity and poignance of this story. Daphne and Miles experience the doubts, excitement, anxiety, hope, and frustration that me and a lot of my friends are currently experiencing, and that feels real and powerful, in a way I didn’t know I needed.

Recommend for… fans of Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan, Good Material by Dolly Alderton, Funny You Should Ask by Elissa Sussman, Book Lovers by Emily Henry

Read Ahead

The next Silent Book Club is Wednesday, June 12 at Lost Generation Brewing. I am so sorry I missed you all last week, though I heard it was a phenomenal turnout and great time! I hope to see you at the June gathering. Please remember to RSVP and share with your friends!

Quote for the Week

“I believe you should and will have everything you’ve ever wanted, if you’re not too scared to go after it.” - Funny Story by Emily Henry

Three Words

Read every day.