May 2023, words and flowers

I got my reading groove back this month, and thank buck. (I’ve never in my life said or heard “thank buck” before, but it feels right, so we’re going with it.) I read a lot and tried to write a lot about what I read. I usually have some thoughts I’d expand on here, but my brain is full of May flowers. To the books!

[Books I read]

The Egg & I by Betty MacDonald (1945) | Quick summary: A memoir by a relatively unhappily married woman about her life on a chicken farm.
As readers of my April newsletter may recall, I read a biography about Betty MacDonald, author of the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle series last month. In the biography, I learned about MacDonald’s first published book, The Egg and I, which I’ve written about at length because I hated it.

Enjoy if you’re a paid subscriber, otherwise, I’ll leave it at: not great, Bob!
[nonfiction, memoir, written by a white, American Pacific Northwest-based author, medium-length read]

Cook As You Are: Recipes for Real Life, Hungry Cooks and Messy Kitchens by Ruby Tandoh (2021) | Quick summary: A cookbook, but slightly different.
Embarrassingly, I didn’t realize Tandoh was a spicy, no-holds-barred chef from season four of Great British Bake-Off. I don’t know the show well enough to know the chefs off the top of my head, and I can only really name Nadiya of all the contestants. However, I think Tandoh rules. This cookbook is the equivalent of one of those blogs that go on and on before a recipe but in a positive way. (And I don’t mind that in a blog anyway!) Tandoh is a good and interesting writer with something readers, and cookers want and need to hear. I am going to make one of her recipes tonight!*
[nonfiction, cooking and recipes, written by a biracial British food writer and author, medium-length read]

The Address Book: What Street Addresses Reveal About Identity, Race, Wealth, and Power (2020) by Deirdre Mask | Quick summary: The history, relevance, and stories behind street names and addresses.
This book has arrived in the Libby app for me about nine times, and I finally decided to do myself a favor and read it instead of throwing it back to the library. I love when I’ve been putting off a book long enough that it feels apt when I finally pick it up. Reading about street addresses fresh from a move to a new area was funny timing. Understanding how vital addresses are and what they say about us as people and geography is so fascinating. The millions of times I’ve rattled off an address without thinking about the significance or history are no longer. Like an addressing coordinator Mask quotes in the book,

“Addressing isn’t for sissies.”

[nonfiction, geography and sociology, written by a Black American writer, lawyer, and “sometime academic,” medium-length read]

Little Fish by Casey Platt (2018) | Quick summary: Wendy learns that her late grandfather may have been trans and dedicates time to learning more as she navigates dating, loss, grief, and identity.
A true winner from my little side-project of “read from the oldest version of your TBR.” Little Fish has been on my radar for years and was one of my best ideas for a book club pick back when I book-clubbed. (For the record, my former book club never got around to this one, but it would be a great pick!) Platt’s writing style is the kind I like best—honest, raw, abrasive. This book is sad and hard to take at times—it’s the first book I’ve read explicitly about the death of a dear friend since I lost mine in November, suddenly and so unfairly. There are many themes in this book; grief was just my main takeaway. I love stories that have so much depth to them that they’re able to speak to so many aspects of being a person. Sign me up for all books about identity, sex, family, and grief. Already very excited to read Platt’s book of short stories with one of the coolest book covers I’ve seen in some time.
[literary fiction, LGBTQ+, family and identity, written by a white Canadian writer who was also born in 1987 like me!, medium-length but shorter read]

The Secret Summer Promise by Keah Brown (2023) | Quick summary: Andrea is determined to have the best summer ever, which involves trying to fall out of love with her bff.
I am so lucky I received a copy of Keah Brown’s debut novel, The Secret Summer Promise. Keah is a good friend, and I’m always eager to read any and everything she writes. Though it’s her third published book, The Secret Summer Promise is her first novel, which is so exciting as a novel-lover. The light-hearted romance in this cute, summery bop is precisely the kind of LGBTQ+ romance we deserve—it’s happy, appropriately dramatic, and no one dies! Andrea and Hailee are best friends, but there’s a spark that we get to see all the way through to a (spoiler!) great happily ever after. Preorder yours or put your library holds in right now! It’s out Tuesday, June 6!
[fiction, YA, disability representation, LGBTQ+ romance, written by a Black American journalist, screenwriter, and author, medium-length but light read]

[Books I heard]

Enchantment: Awakening Wonder in an Anxious Age by Katherine May, read by Rebecca Lee (2023) | Quick summary: Another Katherine May memoir about life, walking, neurodivergence, and the pandemic.
I am a Katherine May person! You know that if you read this bookletter. I’ve read Wintering twice and now read everything she’s published. While Enchantment felt just as special, soothing, and relatable, it was probably my least favorite May memoir. I don’t totally turn my nose away from pandemic-focused stories, fiction or non, but this one just hit in a way that didn’t sit well with me—not the book’s fault! I think this just wasn’t the exact right listen for my headspace at this moment in time. Rebecca Lee is a lovely narrator though. The literal sound of her voice was reassuring and peaceful.
[nonfiction, memoir, written by a white British international bestselling author and podcaster, read by Rebecca Lee, medium-length listen]

Sorted: Growing Up, Coming Out, and Finding My Place by Jackson Bird (2019) | Quick summary: LGBTQ+ advocate Jackson Bird’s memoir about coming out as trans.
This was really a delightful listen. I don’t follow YouTube culture so was previously unaware of Bird, who is funny, poignant, and a great storyteller. I grabbed Sorted from the oldest side of my dusty electronic library TBR shelf. I usually bump memoirs or nonfiction books like this from my TBR if they’re more than 3-5 years old because stuff changes so quickly! A lot of cultural criticism from before 2020 falls flat for me; like they have no idea what they’re talking about because Trump’s presidency either hadn’t happened yet or was too new, and obviously, COVID-19 hadn’t happened yet. That wasn’t the case with Bird’s memoir! I think this is almost as relevant today as it was in 2019, with one glaring exception—Bird is a huge Harry Potter fan. Like not just a fan, but part of his career and advocacy is rooted in Harry Potter work. In 2019, we had whispers of the hate and discrimination that lives in JK Rowling’s heart but she hadn’t published long, hate-filled transphobic essays yet. It was bittersweet to hear Bird quote and credit Harry Potter so much. I’m cis and would never speak for trans people, but to me, Bird’s memoir read like a big fuck you to Rowling. Good book! I’m not sure it’s technically YA, but it would be a great read for a teenager.
[nonfiction, memoir, written by a white, transgender writer, performer, and LGBTQ+ advocate, shorter listen, read by the author]

Oscar Wars: A History of Hollywood in Gold, Sweat, and Tears by Michael Schulman (2023) | Quick summary: A history of the Academy Awards, including politicization and recent scandals.
There’s too much-repurposed therapy talk online right now about many things, including healing your inner child. This isn’t that but sometimes I do something in my life that teenage or younger Jess would have been stoked about and it’s a nice feeling. Reading this book was that; healing my inner child, so to speak. Or at least giving her a little hug. This 21-hour audiobook about the Academy Awards was wildly enjoyable for me to spend a week consuming. I used to be obsessed with the Oscars. I’m forever waiting for the trivia night where the category is “Best Pictures of the 1990s” because I can rattle those off without thinking about them like it is information about me personally. I think Schulman did a good job encompassing the history, controversies, racism, and drama of the Oscars, and I loved every second of it.
[nonfiction, movie history, written by a white American writer, long listen, read by Charlie Thurston]

Uncharted TerriTori by Tori Spelling (2010) | Quick summary: The third of six books Tori Spelling has written about her life.
Man, she hates her husband, doesn’t she? As I may have mentioned, I’ve been watching 90210, so I’m in a bit of a “learn all of the juicy details about the cast” mood. Jennie Garth and Tori Spelling have a current podcast called 9021OMG, so I’ve spent a lot of time listening to them talk about the show, each other, and their fellow cast members. It might seem stupid that I am seeking out even more Tori Spelling while watching 90210 and listening to her host a podcast about 90210, but here I am. Since Spelling has written six books, I guess I’ll read them all. :/
[nonfiction, memoir, written by a white American actress and author, shorter listen, read by the author]

* I was making gnocchi on Monday, May 15th

[What I recommend]

• If you’re an Oscars freak or movie buff: Oscar Wars
• If you want to cook some dinner: Cook As You Are
• If you’re a fucking realist: Little Fish
• If you’re looking for a sweet, young summer love story: The Secret Summer Promise

Going into June, the month of Pride and Juneteenth, this is your reminder to not be a fucking asshole, to not center your whiteness even if you’re queer, and to challenge yourself to put your activism to work. If you have money, find mutual aid groups and donate to them. Search for a Black trans person’s top surgery on GoFundMe and contribute to that. If you have money, give it away! If you have time, give it away! If you have neither, read lots of books written by queer, Black people. (Do this anyway, all year round.)

🌈🌈🌈

“Whiskey,” they told me as they poured themselves large slugs, “will cure anything.” “If,” I thought, “it will cure a strong leaning toward homicide, I will drink a pint, neat.” The Egg and I

“…we misunderstand play itself, casting it as exuberant, silly, a frippery that signals to us that our children are still young enough to have not yet turned their minds to more weighty endeavours. But play is serious. Play is absolute. Play is the complete absorption in something that doesn’t matter to the external world, but which matters completely to you.” Enchantment

“Food needs cooks and eaters: without those human elements, it’s just stuff.” Cook As You Are

“Change seems to come more outrageously every year.” The Address Book

“I’ll miss her in a way that will never stop and will never heal.” Little Fish

“We are made up of the people we love and the people who love us in return.” The Secret Summer Promise