March 2020, a month we all just tried to figure it out

I'm not going to do the big thing. You already know. You've received so many emails from every single doctor or dentist or grocery store or gas station or weird website you bought one wooden Walking Dead cutting board for your ex-boyfriend from six years ago. I'm not going to talk much about The Thing. I'm just going to talk about books. But I will say, you might be expecting this to be an extremely long list, but I'm only human. I've been watching stuff (please watch Halt and Catch Fire if you haven't) and talking to my friends (honestly a little too much, I'm overwhelmed) with my face and with my voice and I've been cleaning up around my apartment, which is now my office and where I have therapy and where I work out too. I think I'll probably read more in April, but in March, I read less than I anticipated.

I hope you're safe and healthy and that you're remembering to take deep breaths and unclench your jaw. Stretch before bed. Like truly even putting your arms up high in the sky and breathing in deep once or twice feels special. Put your phone down. Delete your twitter account. Take care of yourself. And read some books. Here's what I read in March.

[Physical Books]

• Zami: A New Spelling of My Name - A Biomythography by Audre Lorde
  I studied African American Literature in college and have always been a person most drawn to Black voices, even from a young age, but somehow I had never previously read Audre Lorde. Kicking myself now, for this is one of the best books and I have literally never been immersed in such detailed and beautiful descriptions of sex. (And if you don't take me up on it based on that recommendation, we are different people.)
  [memoir, nonfiction, Black female writer, LGBTQ+, medium-ish read] ​
  
• Five Days Gone: The Mystery of My Mother's Disappearance as a Child by Laura Cumming
  I thought I would fly through this one, but I didn't. It was a fascinating story that I kind of hoped read like Wild Game: My Mother, Her Lover, and Me but it didn't. (Read that book though, my god.) I liked this fine, in a way that I like reading about family dynamics, but it was a bit stuffy and at times too slow.
  [biography, nonfiction, white female writer, medium-ish read] ​
  
• Sextech Revolution: The Future of Sexual Wellness by Andrea Barrica
  This was a gift sent to me by O.School, which I have freelanced for a total of twice. They are all former HelloGiggles people and HelloGiggles, for all of its Very Bad, was Very Good at gifts, so I was excited that they thought of me and sent me this and also a sex toy paperweight. I was worried it would be sales-y because it was written by the founder of O.School, but I actually enjoyed it. It went directly into my "find a place to donate these books" pile, but only because I think other people should read it too.
  [techy, sexual health, nonfiction, Filipino female writer, LGBTQ+, short-ish read] ​
  
• Heartburn by Nora Ephron
  This was a re-read for me because I'm a huge Nora Ephron person. When she died in 2012, I somberly and with tears in my eyes walked into a used bookstore downtown and when I saw they already had a display set-up, I started crying and my friend rubbed my back and told the bookseller, "she's very sad about this." Heartburn is admittedly a bit dated in places, but really overall one of my favorite books of all-time and probably my favorite Nora. If you love When Harry Met Sally, you should read this because some of the lines are directly from this book. You should also watch Heartburn because it's Jack and Meryl and truly what else could you want?
  [novel, fiction, white female writer, includes recipes!, short read] ​
  
• Of Love and Shadows by Isabel Allende
  Someone gave me this (and a few other Allendes) as a gift when I broke my shoulder and I let it sit for all this time! I have read two books by Allende and this was not my favorite one but it was good. Apparently this is also a movie and according to one poster, it is "Antonio Banderas's best work!" so I will probably watch that too. (Should note this is a translation and I like reading translated books. I find it interesting.)
  [novel, fiction, Chilean female writer, translated, longer read] ​

​[Audiobooks]

• So Close to Being the Sh*t, Y'all Don't Even Know by Retta
  I don't want to sit here and be rude to Retta so I will just say that some celebrities get book deals because they are famous and not because they have anything to say. This is one of those books.
  [memoir, nonfiction, Black female writer, read by author] ​
  
• The Cactus by Sarah Haywood
  This book was fine, but not particularly memorable. I read it for my book club, which is carrying on virtually these days. The narrator for this story was so soothing and I loved her voice and would listen to anything else she has read. Also I wish I read audiobooks for a living. I think I’d be okay at it.
  [novel, fiction, white female writer, read by Katherine Manners] ​
  
• Dear Girls: Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets & Advice for Living Your Best Life by Ali Wong
  I like Ali Wong. This book was pretty good. She has a nice voice and she’s funny. I hate overt sexual stuff that feels unnecessary and there’s some of that in here but that’s to be expected with most stand-up comedians, which is why I’ve never been a huge stand-up comedy person. I know it makes me not fun but I’m always holding my breath that someone will be racist or make a joke about trans people or say something about wet thumbs and their private parts. Anyway, this was fine and there were no jokes about trans people (though there is the wet thumb thing) because Ali Wong isn’t an asshole.
  [memoir, nonfiction, Asian American female writer, read by author] ​

[What I Recommend]
I'll admit Zami: A New Spelling of My Name will not hit everyone the same, but I do recommend it. And Heartburn because everyone should read Heartburn.

"the shape of a future was a widening star." - Zami: A New Spelling of my Name

"Nothing like mashed potatoes when you're feeling blue." - Heartburn

(Please don't buy your books from Amazon. Find your local bookstore and support them. They are trying to survive right now. Amazon absolutely does not need your book money.)