you paid for this: books that should date

Do you ever read a book and go that makes me think of that other book I read last month? Or last year, or five years ago, or whatever. Well, that’s what this post is, but I made it weirder by designing wedding invitations for the books that remind me of each other.

Consider these recommendations! You know, if you liked A, then you’ll like B. Or rather:

[Books That Should Date]

Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do by Studs Terkel & The Secret Life of Groceries: The Dark Miracle of the American Supermarket by Benjamin Lorr

I read these two books one after another by accident and kept finding similarities, which is actually what inspired this whole post. Please note that Working is a million pages long but worth flipping through.

Yearbook by Seth Rogen & Yes, Please by Amy Poehler; audio versions

Not just because they’re both comedians but because the quality and production of their audiobooks are incredibly similar. You’d have a happy and funny week or two if you listened to both in a row.

Woman, Eating by Claire Kohda & Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin

The similarities between Kohda’s Woman, Eating, and Felker-Martin’s Manhunt are less evident than the previous pairing. But they’re both unique, eerie, empowering in strange ways, and challenge gender norms…to say the least!

The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty & The Death of Vivek Oji by Akwaeke Emezi

Another less obvious connection: I kept thinking about The Death of Vivek Oji as I read The Rabbit Hutch this summer. How each of these stories unravels, playing with timelines and points of view, is like a good dance. The subject matter isn’t all alike, but you’re not supposed to date your exact match.

Raw Dog: The Naked Truth About Hot Dogs by Jamie Loftus & Butts: A Backstory by Heather Radke

I’ll start by saying Jamie Loftus and Heather Radke’s hilarious, well-researched, and interesting books run because Mary Roach walked. I think Raw Dog is supposed to gross you out, but it just made me laugh, and kind of made me want a hot dog, which I’ve historically not been a fan of unless it’s breaded and on a stick. Butts is funny, infuriating, and delightfully relatable as a person with a round ass. Also, I don’t like either of the names of these books, and I’m sorry I’ve married them together.

Pet by Akwaeke Emezi & Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

In Pet, a painting comes alive, and in Mexican Gothic, the whole damn house is haunting everyone. They’re both uncomfortably exciting, and purple comes to mind when I think of each story.

You Should Be Grateful: Stories of Race, Identity, and Transracial Adoption by Angela Tucker & Torn Apart: How the Child Welfare System Destroys Black Families—and How Abolition Can Build a Safer World by Dorothy Roberts

Here I am talking about how foster care should be abolished again. Reading Torn Apart was the final straw for me leaving my previous job. You Should Be Grateful is its little sister, written by a local-to-me transracial adoptee, expanding on not just her experience of adoption but her experience working in the field and her regrets. They go hand-in-hand, but I don’t recommend them in a row unless you want to be sad and mad for a month.

Who Is Wellness For?: An Examination of Wellness Culture and Who It Leaves Behind by Fariha Róisín & On Repentance and Repair: Making Amends in an Unapologetic World by Danya Ruttenberg

These books share a lot of similar themes, including repentance and repair. Who is Wellness For is part memoir, whereas On Repentance and Repair is more of a therapy text. Each left me with the same feeling: white people are deeply toxic.

A Heart That Works by Rob Delaney and When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

Imagine if this was a wedding invitation irl. Would anyone RSVP as attending? These two books aren’t even in the same book genre, really. Delaney’s A Heart That Works is a memoir about grief and the death of his baby son. Kalanithi’s When Breath Becomes Air is about grief, the act of dying, and his own death. They’re both insightful and sad, with slivers of hope and joy.

I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy and Tell Me Everything: A Memoir by Minka Kelly

Famous people with fucked up mothers! Now, this is a wedding I’d go to if only to hold Minka Kelly to my bosom for 45 minutes. Both books are wonderful—I listened but own copies of each. I wish Kelly’s book had been gifted a more fitting title—McCurdy’s is a showstopper, and the cover is too—but both books are deeply moving and personal.

That was fun! Let me know if you need me to design a fake wedding invitation for you. I’m great at it! And please share with me what books you think should get married.