Hit a few meh reads in a row. In a book slump. What are yall reading these days?

Question

Mackenzie Attridge · Answer

Jurassic Park: I must’ve been living under a rock, because I didn’t know JP was a book first and it’s even better than the movie and different enough that you won’t know what’s going to happen. Really fun read!

Amy · Answer

Land: A Novel (Maggie O'Farrell): Wow, what a novel! I couldn't put it down. Lyrical, magical, devastating, depressing, and beautiful.

Dylan · Answer

Everything I Know About Love: the audiobook is narrated by Dolly herself <3

Dylan · Answer

Reservoir Bitches: A gritty mix of short stories that all connect around the theme of violence against women in Mexico. Fierce, rage-fuelled, darkly entertaining. LOVED.

Dylan · Answer

In the Dream House: A poetic and hauntingly original dissection of an abusive queer relationship through a creative range of narrative forms. Super short chapters are my ADHD literary love language.

Dylan · Answer

Água Viva - Clarice Lispector: the work of an insane genius

Dylan · Answer

Pleasure Activism by adrienne maree brown: i love adrienne maree brown's mind!

Dylan · Answer

All I Ever Wanted Was To Be Hot by Lucinda Price: Internet icon and CEO of silly’s memoir, All I Ever Wanted Was To Be Hot, offers a vulnerable and relatable exploration of our complex relationship with body image, fatphobia, and diet culture, all while weaving in nostalgic reflections of growing up in the 2000s.

Lucinda’s candid storytelling exposes the insecurities we all grapple with, highlighting the pressures to conform and the absurdity of striving to meet unrealistic beauty standards. She ruminates on everything from early attempts to emulate Victoria’s Secret models to Ozempic's chokehold on current beauty ideals.

Balancing vulnerability with humour takes a special kind of talent, but Froomes does it effortlessly.

(excerpt from my substack)

Dylan · Answer

Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain: i love and miss this man

Dylan · Answer

Crying in H Mart: You might know Michelle Zauner as the creative force behind Japanese Breakfast, but here, she steps out from her indie pop persona, sharing a raw, deeply personal side. Her 2021 memoir, Crying in H Mart, is a potent exploration of how grief, culture, and identity intertwine after losing someone who’s been your anchor.

Born to a Korean mother and an American father, Zauner grew up navigating her Korean heritage somewhat from the sidelines. After her mother died of cancer, she was left shattered, feeling as if a part of her own identity was gone too.

She captures this dislocation vividly: Sobbing near the dry goods, asking myself, ‘Am I even Korean anymore if there’s no one left in my life to call and ask which brand of seaweed we used to buy?’ Her grief pushes her into limbo, where she wonders who she is without her mother’s guidance through her cultural roots. This search for connection leads her back to Korean food and rituals as a lifeline. H Mart—a Korean-American grocery store—becomes her sanctuary, a place to feel her mother’s presence and hold onto that part of herself.

As I read, I was suddenly transported back to a moment from my childhood, when my mum and I spent a day with the Korean wife of one of my dad’s work colleagues, learning how to make a traditional bean curd dish that I remember being obsessed with. Decades later, I sit here wishing my mum was still alive so I could ask her if she remembers what that dish was called. Sometimes I wonder if grieving the questions that can no longer be answered is the hardest part of a loss.

I’m searching for memories, Zauner writes, I’m collecting the evidence that the Korean half of my identity didn’t die when they did.

Zauner’s reflections feel achingly real for anyone who’s felt the void left by a lost loved one. If I’m being honest, there’s a lot of anger. I’m angry at this old Korean woman I don’t know, that she gets to live, and my mother does not. That familiar yet volatile recipe of anger layered with guilt and a quiet yearning, as she questions whether wholeness is even possible.

In Crying in H Mart, Zauner captures the journey of embodying her mother’s legacy, holding onto the parts that shaped her. Her words resonate with anyone who’s felt the ache of absence, the need to remember, and the hope that what remains might guide us forward.

You can read the first chapter of Zauner’s memoir in The New Yorker. For more stories exploring grief, identity, and connection, visit Grief Club.

(originally posted on my now-archived Substack)

Elena · Answer

Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir: Ohhh to laugh this hard from the first page feels so good!! I describe this book as The Hunger Games meets The Westing Game but with lesbian necromancers in space. Gideon is one of the most lovable characters I’ve ever met, and Harrow is obsession-worthy. My partner and I dressed as them for Halloween a couple years back (the photo is V as Gideon). Gideon and Harrow’s dynamic, all the way to the last page, rocked me to my core. I truly love every book in this series, but will always have a special place in my heart for Gideon the Ninth.

Also important to note that audiobook is fantastic!! I would absolutely recommend reading (rather than listening to) the second in the series Harrow the Ninth or you may become extremely confused, but listening to Gideon was even more enjoyable than reading it because the voices are so good.

LB · Answer

On the Calculation of Volume: By Solvej Balle. A love story between a lover, the seasons, the Roman Empire, houses, friends—the list continues to grow as Balle adds to the series. At 7 anticipated volumes, there are currently 4 English translated volumes out, with the 5th volume set to release in Nov.

Kaylan · Answer

Stag Dance: A Novel & Stories by Torrey Peters: Could. Not. Put. Down. I enjoyed all the stories immensely, but Stag Dance, wow, Torrey Peters’ story telling is gripping and brilliant.

Libby · Answer

Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century: I'm two thirds of the way through it, and these are some of the best short stories I've read in a while. Thought-provoking, varied, well-written.

AgnesRose · Answer

Putsata Reang: A captivating read!

Jess · Answer

King Sorrow (Joe Hill): A brilliant, heartbreaking novel about six friends who summon a dragon to protect one of their own - and end up making a bargain that will change their lives forever. I especially enjoyed Hill's playfulness with genre (e.g. mixing spy thriller elements with horror), especially when it pays off in profound insights about the violence of empire.

Leigh · Answer

John of John: Every sentence feels like a gift. A book I will love forever!

Laura · Answer

Broken Country: Pacing moves fast, so great to get out of a slump

Sara Quinn · Answer

The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny: This book was fantastic. So well written and absorbing. Intricate family drama. Our inner lives. Meditation on culture and change. Hilarious. There’s some magic in there. Can’t stop thinking about it.

Jess k · Answer

The Road to Tender Hearts: Poignant, and funny in both light and dark ways. Brilliant.

Sam · Answer

Broken Country (Clare Leslie Hall): Slow burn, emotional, engaging, well written

Lexie · Answer

Atmosphere: A GMA Book Club Pick: A Love Story: Fun, beautiful, moving, stays with you

Tracy Short · Answer

One Golden Summer: One Golden Summer is a beautifully nostalgic summer read filled with lakeside charm and the feeling of falling in love. - A little bit steamy 💛

Cathay · Answer

The Kamagawa Food Detectives: An easy, uplifting read with the most glorious descriptions of food. It doesn’t try to be more than it is. I read this to give my mind a break.

Gloria · Answer

Wellness by Nathan Hill: Genius book, I couldn’t put it down. Got me out of major burnout when I couldn’t read anything for school or for fun.

Amy · Answer

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow (Gabrielle Zevin): You won’t want this one to end!

Kate Vee · Answer

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store (James McBride): I’m hella late to this particular party, but just read this and it was excellent.

Anna · Answer

I Who Have Never Known Men: Short and engrossing literary fiction. Fun to discuss with people who have or haven’t read it!

Marcy · Answer

I'll Give You the Sun (Jandy Nelson): The way Tomorrow Tomorrow Tomorrow amplified my emotions but x20

Whitney · Answer

Brawler (Lauren Groff): This was impeccable.

Whitney · Answer

Circe (Madeline Miller): This is the first book in a while that I’m eager to read every night.

Maggie Knight · Answer

Into the Blue: Reads like a romance novel which isn’t my usual but I found it compelling!

victoria · Answer

strangers belle burden: So far sooo good

Jess · Answer

good people by patmeena sabit: the best book I've read so far this year

Here · Answer

Heartwood

Minna Kelly · Answer

A Month in the Country by J.L. Carr: Doesn't the title just make you feel better? It's slim but profundities abound and you walk away from it feeling lots of stuff about art, relationships and what it's like to be caught in the net of history. Just finished and want to rewind to the beginning.