May Reads

Better late than never! We had a lot of travel in May and I completely forgot to get this post up. Anyway, here are the books. I’m very curious to hear other’s thoughts on a few of these, so let me know if you’ve read them!

Read — 4 stars

Recommended by — Julie from book club picked it for our May read, but it was also the #1 pick on the NYT Best Books of the 21st century & #8 on the reader’s choice list, so I was curious

It took me longer than usual to read this book. Ferrante's writing is direct and sparse. She writes without much emotion and doesn't follow the cardinal rule to show, not tell. And still, she somehow captivates her reader with the story of the friendship between Lila & Lenu. The book didn't grab me as quickly as I hoped it would, but it still made me want to read the second book right away to find out what happens next in the lives of the friends.

Listened — 4 stars

Recommended by Sarah Stuart Holland from the Pantsuit Politics podcast

Claire Dederer looks at all angles of the artists who many consider monsters (Roman Polanski, Michael Jackson, Pablo Picasso, etc.). What do we do as fans of their work once we learn about their horrific behavior? What do we do when we confront the monstrosity in ourselves? There are no perfect artists, so where do we draw the line when reading, watching, listening? What is the difference between the kind of things we consider monstrous in men vs. women? She gives the reader a lot to wrestle with. This would be a great book club pick.

Listened — 4 stars

Recommended by — my own curiosity to see what happened next in the saga after book 1

After reading the first book, I listened to this one and enjoyed it much more. Ferrante's dialogue is sharp, but sparse. The narrator did a great job of adding just a bit of nuance to the voices that made the story a little more engaging. It's rare to encounter characters you get to know through their whole lives. You start to understand their motivations and decisions, even when they infuriate you and break your heart. I need a breather before the next book, but with that last sentence cliffhanger, I will definitely be listening to the next in the series.

Read — 5 stars

Recommended by my deep love for Ross Gay and everything he writes

I would read these essayettes, as Ross Gay calls them, every day for the rest of my life. I'm so glad he decided to write another year of them. He writes about everyday delight without discounting heartache better than any writer I know.

Read - 5 stars

Recommended by Amy Grass, Sonya Spillmann, & Katie Blackburn (AND it was #72 on the NYT Reader’s Choice Top 100). This was my pick for my book club to read in June. I hosted and went to H Mart to get some Korean snacks. I made bibimbap for dinner and picked up the banchan from the prepared section at H Mart. We had strawberry Häagen-Dazs for dessert and tasted a variety of soju while discussing the book.

This is a beautiful memoir about a mother-daughter relationship, grief, coming of age, and really gorgeous food writing on top of all of that. Michelle Zauner wrote about her relationships and herself with such raw honesty that each person feels fully developed—no heroes, no villains, just a real family, which means an imperfect family but ultimately one that loves deeply.

June reads coming soon! And maybe some writing too. ;)