The weekly post
The one that is an (extra) quick read
Hi friends, it feels like it’s been ages and ages since I last wrote… and it’s really been two weeks. I spent most of March sick and am feeling hopeful that I’m finally on the mend and back to feeling more like myself. This is going to be an extra quick read because some of my more recent reads just haven’t stuck with me, and that’s okay! There are so many recent/upcoming releases I am looking forward to reading this spring - Funny Story by Emily Henry, This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune, Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xóchitl González to name a few - that I am not questioning the somewhat autopilot nature of my reading at the moment.
I’d love to hear what you’re reading these days and the upcoming releases you’re feeling jazzed about. It has been overwhelmingly wonderful to hear about the recommendations that have hit home, been picked up by your book clubs, or gifted to your friends and family. I am deeply, deeply grateful for this community of readers!
Currently Reading
COMMUNION by bell hooks. I adored, and have continued to return to, All About Love by bell hooks, so I am eager to dig into more of her work. bell hooks writes pieces that are equal parts challenging, provocative, inspiring, and validating. I keep many pens and highlighters and my journal nearby while reading, and I’m feeling ready to sit with and receive her wisdom.
Recent Recommendations
LOVE BUZZ by Neely Tubati Alexander (5 stars). Don’t let this shorter review fool you: this book had me hooked from the first chapter (I finished this in 18 hours because I simply could not set it down). Love Buzz opens in New Orleans, with our main character Serena on a bachelorette trip, where she meets (and enjoys a fabulous flirtation with) a stranger in a bar. The chemistry between them is palpable and oh-so-swoonworthy. I was truly shocked at how the author accomplished that spark so quickly and authentically! Both Serena and this mystery man live in Seattle, but know little else about one another and get separated before they can exchange contact information. What follows is Serena’s near-desperate search for something, anything about this man. Though she recognizes deep down that she may be going overboard in her search, Serena also cannot stop thinking about the intense connection they shared, and it is simply unfathomable to imagine never seeing him again. As someone who has definitely experienced this phenomenon, Serena’s devastation is deeply relatable, and I felt like rolling up my own sleeves to help solve the case of this mystery man.
I came into this story, hooked at the first chapter, and assumed it would follow an exciting, lighthearted “what-could-have-been” storyline. That would have been perfectly reasonable, but this story catapulted into the five-star category for me because of the depth of Serena’s character. This is a woman who is making that precarious transition from the late 20s to early 30s, where she is watching some of her friends feel confident in their careers, get married, and start families, while she is turning a new leaf, discovering where her passions truly lie, and figuring out what an exciting career path could look like. It is relatable - and dare I say powerful - to see an ambitious, go-getter, independent, confident female narrator, who also still struggles to find her footing and knows she is ready for a great relationship but hasn’t quite found it yet. More please!
Recommend for … fans of Nora Goes Off Script by Annabel Monaghan, Georgia All Along by Kate Clayborn, and the song “Dreamed You Did” by Jordan Davis.
Up Next
INTERIOR CHINATOWN by Charles Yu. This is next up for my April book club, and I am really looking forward to a different change-of-pace from what I’ve been picking up this past month (and even more eager to be able to discuss with a wonderful group of friends).
Read Ahead
In just over one week, we gather for the April edition of Silent Reading Party. Same time and place as before: Wednesday, April 3, we gather at Lost Generation Brewing starting around 6:30pm to order food and drinks, read silently from 7:00 – 8:00pm, and then hang out afterwards with your favorite fellow readers.
The March book swap was a great success so please do feel encouraged to bring any books that you are ready to say goodbye to and pass them along for their next adventure. Any books that are left at the end of the night will be dropped off at a little free library.
Please remember to RSVP here and spread the word with your friends!
Three Words
Happy spring (finally)!