Right now, I’m reading ALL THE FLOWERS KNEELING by Paul Tran. I’ve been looking forward to their debut poetry collection because I KNEW it was would be great and wow, I love being right. The care, history and HEAT packed into every line of of these poems is deeply moving. I’m reading the book very slowly, a few poems at a time, so I can appreciate Paul’s gift as much as possible.
Tell me about the great books y’all are reading now (or recently finished.)
I’ll be in the comments, adding to my shopping list, thank you very much.
I recently finished Wow, No Thank You from Sam Irby and the way every essay had me laughing, cringing, relating (especially at the cringe moments), and just enjoying every bit of it. While the world is so much, this was an enjoyable read that took me away from some of the darkest parts of reality but still had me cackling at the ridiculousness of life.
why fish don't exist by lulu miller has been my fav recent read -- it's history, biography, memoir, and philosophy (and more but I won't spoil anything!) all in one. she asks great questions about the universe and is so good at braiding distinctly unrelated stories together in digestible and entertaining ways. and I don't even read nonfiction! this book came to me in a dark crisis time and its existentialism + resolutions were deeply meaningful. also, fish DON'T exist, and the explanation blew my mind.
Been reading and taking the course Lama Rod Owens offers on his book, Love and Rage. Would definitely recommend, especially if you are working through childhood training that sorted emotions into acceptable and unacceptable categories. Super inclusive language that is often absent for me as a trans person reading books where authors don’t acknowledge anything outside of binary gender.
I listened to my first audiobook, Nichole Perkins' Sometimes I Trip on How Happy We Could Be. It was so good that I was surprised when it ended. Currently listening to Somebody's Daughter by Ashley C. Ford.
No One is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood! It's not weird at all that I wanted to collect my favorite sentences and keep them in a box, right? I listened to the audiobook through my local library but this one goes on the purchase list for sure.
At the end of January, I read Hanif Abdurraqib's They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us. He's a brilliant writer and eloquently speaks about his experiences growing up, someone who has loved and been loved, experienced hurt, tragedy, or times he's been misunderstood. Found myself constantly bookmarking excerpts from it. Never thought I'd cry reading an essay about Fall Out Boy, but it happened!
I read his book A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance last summer and it is also fantastic. Hoping I get a chance to see him speak in Columbus soon!
Reading bell hooks' All About Love. It makes me feel brave and inspires me to be more honest. Recently finished Maria Popova's Figuring. It took me ages and ages to finish, because it's so ludicrously packed with information. It made me want to read much more history, and it made me think of the way people live their lives as a creative artistic act.
Samantha Irby recommended Louisa Luna's trilogy of Alice Vega novels in her newsletter so I immediately borrowed the first two from the library. I finished the first one in one sitting and am trying to make the second one last while I wait for my name to be called up on the library holds list for the newly released third book.
I needed some joy so I'm reading the queer romance One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston. It's delightful! The protagonist is a bi nerd, and reading is making me feel seen/wishing this book existed when I was younger.
I just finished (on your word) the Diahann Carroll autobiography, which was excellent. Prior to that, Storyteller by Dave Grohl was also amazing. I am reading now some whodunit in Spanish, the first in a trilogy (Reina Negra, Loba Roja, Rey Blanco) centering around a forensic investigator especially gifted. I am about to read the chapter on what makes Antonia Scott so special, which I'll do tonight. I will never, however, cease to recommend "Let's Pretend This Never Happened" by Jenny Lawson aka The Bloggess, a book that made me snort-laugh out loud.
Mar 10, 2022·edited Mar 10, 2022Liked by Saeed Jones
I recently got Paul Tran's book in the mail. I took an online workshop them in summer 2020 and was absolutely riveted. I can't wait to dive in. I recently finished How the Word is Passed by Clint Smith and it was incredible.
Smile: The Story of a Face by Sarah Ruhl was well done. And Reclamation: Sally Hemings, Thomas Jefferson, and a Descendant's Search for Her Family's Lasting Legacy by Gayle Jessup White -- I got it from the library because I'd read about it in BookPage and the topic has always sort of interested me, but wow, I was not expecting to get so into it I could barely put it down.
I was completely blown away by Why Fish Don't Exist, by the incomparable Lulu Miller of RadioLab. She somehow combined the biography of a scientist, with flourishes of memoir about her own life. Perfectly structured. I was also pleasantly surprised by the graphic novel Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Mariko Tamaki...teen relationship where the protagonist realizes she's letting her girlfriend treat her like a doormat.
also, jews don’t count / david baddiel - he’s famous here in the uk, not sure over there in america. he writes beautifully on what it is ti be a jew in the uk
also Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan -- a delightful fantasy and romance novel. the world she builds is super lush and gorgeous, comprised of Chinese mythology which i am woefully ignorant of and really really enjoyed. there are twists and turns and magic (like, I want to fly in a cloud!) and dragons and it is simply impossible to put down! asks great questions about identity, family, authority, politics, and how we love. it's awesome.
find myself considering/messaging at least 2-3 people in my life, per page, thru Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman—can't seem to stop the hype anytime soon. . .
I recently finished Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez and I couldn't stop talking about it! So many powerful findings and research on gender inequity :)
I just finished "Hell of a Book" by Jason Mott and I want to know why I hadn't heard more about it beforehand? It won the National Book Award, for pete's sake! Anyway, I highly recommend it.
This is the greatest idea! Just finished Heather havrileskys foreverland. Even as a single gay man made me laugh and reflect on what love means and was nothing like the husband hating narrative happening in the media!
I'm in the middle of Namwali Serpell's THE OLD DRIFT and it's glorious. A multi-generational tale in which the central location is a part of the Zambezi River close to the Victoria Falls.
On the exact opposite side of the spectrum tone-wise, one of my favorite heartwarming books I read last year was J. Ryan Stradal's THE LAGER QUEEN OF MINNESOTA, which has big Midwestern vibes and the most compelling/adorable little old lady characters I've read of late.
-The Man Who Died Twice (#2 in the Thursday Murder Club) - I never would have thought of myself as a 'cozy mystery' person but I so loved this one and the first one too; they're fun, funny, and smart, while still being pretty gentle on the 'murder' front
- Clap When You Land - great YA novel in verse that had been on my list ever since it came out. I actually listened to the audiobook of it, which I highly recommend if you do audio, I loved the two voices for the two narrators coming in and out and then together. Such an incredible theatrical device!
- The Heart Principle (The Kiss Quotient, #3) - I was never a "romance novel" person either, but Helen Hoang (and then Talia Hibbert and Alexis Hall) proved otherwise. This is the third and possibly the best of Hoang's excellent series of romances centering neurodiverse individuals. This one also follows a story of caretaking for a family member and the reactions of different family members and burnout that often ensues. I adored this book.
I’m currently reading The Disordered Cosmos by Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein and LOVE it. Has thoroughly brought me back to my love of physics. The way she links physics, racism and sexism has been blowing my mind with every page.
manga / graphic novel: Boys Run the Riot, Vol 1 and Shadow Life
memoir: Ten Steps to Nanette. Nonfic/memoirs have been on fire for the last few years and I love all the brilliant voices we’re getting to hear.
my current audiobooks: Olga Dies Dreaming is not only wonderfully narrated but one of those novels that grabs you immediately with voice. I felt the same way about Wahala which I just finished.
I loved The Lightmaker's Manifesto: How to Work for Change without Losing Your Joy by Karen Walrond. She's a life coach, so she gave some specific journaling activities to identify your strengths and things that bring you joy, and then think creatively about how to do those things in a way that serves the wider world. She also interviewed some activists, including Valarie Kaur, about what advice they would give. I did a lot of brainstorming and journaling after finishing this book and it gave me encouragement to stay on this path.
I’m reading Everything is Fine by Vince Granata. It is his beautifully written and haunting story about his mentally ill brother and the murder of their mother by his brother.
I loved the blue book of nebo by Manon steffan ros ! Given the current state of the world it seems like it might be a realistic possibility for us but the survival tactics of a mother and her son after nuclear disaster were inspiring and heartbreaking. Quick read and really sweet at times. Also recently loved Olga dies dreaming!!
Elie Mystal’s Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy’s Guide to the Constitution. He’s such a great writer. I’ve been a fan since his days at Above the Law. I highly recommend the audiobook. He’s also a great Twitter follow for things law-related.
How the Word is Passed by Clint Smith was an incredible audiobook, and I enjoyed How to Perfect audiobook by Michael Schur (creator of the Good Place) and the cast of the Good Place. Currently reading A Winter’s Promise and so far it’s good fantasy to be lost in.
Currently reading Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder - it’s WILD - on Carmen Maria Machado’s rec (would also recommend In the Dream House and Her Body and Other Parties)
I am still chasing the high of reading Brenda Lozano's Loop a couple of months ago. It's such a simple plot: a writer in Mexico buys a brand of notebook called Cuaderno Ideal and fills it with stray thoughts while she waits for the return of her boyfriend who's in Spain handling the estate of his recently deceased mother. It's the sort of book you can live in.
Just finished Mycelium by Annette Weisser; and am currently going back and forth between Souvenir by Michael Bracewell, Loop by Brenda Lozano, and Blockchain Chicken Farm by Xiaowei Wang. A buffet of thoughts, feelings, and ideas!
I read a lot, & love these threads. A similar one in Anne Helen Petersen’s newsletter led me to your book, which was one of my top 10 of 2021!!
Finally read Detransition, baby by Torrey Peters & found it even better than the hype. In the fiction realm, I also recently read My Monticello by Jocelyn Nicole Johnson, Revival Season by Monica West, Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and Razorblade Tears by S.A. Crosby - all of which I loved in the deepest parts of my soul. Next up in fiction is The Love Songs of W.E.B. Dubois by Honoree Fanone Jeffers and The Final Review of Opal and Nev by Dawnie Walton.
I am such a fan of Hanif Abdurraqib that I emailed him (via the contact form on his website) when I was passing through Columbus and asked him to have coffee with me to discuss my own writing. 👀 I’m forcing myself to read A Little Devil in America one essay at a time and sit with the material.
I’m writing a memoir, so I’ve been reading a lot of them. To from the last year are Saeed’s book, of course, Heavy by Kiese Laymon, Shouting in the Fire by Dante West, In the Dreamhouse by Carmen Maria Machado, Unprotected by Billy Porter, and All the Young Men, a memoir of Love, AIDS, and Chosen Family in the American South, by Ruth Coker Burke - which I cannot recommend enough. Next in memoir for me is The Cooking Gene by Michael W. Twitty and The Three Mothers by Anna Makaika Tubbs (about the lives of the mothers of Malcolm X, James Baldwin, & Dr. King.
And for poetry, I’ve been reading and rereading “You Better Be Lightening” - the new book from my favorite poet, Andrea Gibson. Just ordered Dream of the Divided Field by Yanyi, whom I adore and just took a poetry workshop with.
I really liked Hilary Leichter's Temporary, and laughed a lot while reading it.
I just finished Jawbone by Monica Ojeda and while I'm not sure I'd recommend it, I think there's a powerful, creative argument about adolescence and white horror at its core that's going to stick with me for a while.
I am currently reading “Violeta” by Isabel Allende. Recently finished “What Strange Paradise” by Omar El Akkad and “Desperate Characters” by Paula Fox. One of my 2022 standouts (so far) is “Small Island” by Andrea Levy.
I recently finished Wow, No Thank You from Sam Irby and the way every essay had me laughing, cringing, relating (especially at the cringe moments), and just enjoying every bit of it. While the world is so much, this was an enjoyable read that took me away from some of the darkest parts of reality but still had me cackling at the ridiculousness of life.
Two recent reads that I really enjoyed - A Little Devil in America by Hanif Abdurraqib & Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro.
why fish don't exist by lulu miller has been my fav recent read -- it's history, biography, memoir, and philosophy (and more but I won't spoil anything!) all in one. she asks great questions about the universe and is so good at braiding distinctly unrelated stories together in digestible and entertaining ways. and I don't even read nonfiction! this book came to me in a dark crisis time and its existentialism + resolutions were deeply meaningful. also, fish DON'T exist, and the explanation blew my mind.
Been reading and taking the course Lama Rod Owens offers on his book, Love and Rage. Would definitely recommend, especially if you are working through childhood training that sorted emotions into acceptable and unacceptable categories. Super inclusive language that is often absent for me as a trans person reading books where authors don’t acknowledge anything outside of binary gender.
I listened to my first audiobook, Nichole Perkins' Sometimes I Trip on How Happy We Could Be. It was so good that I was surprised when it ended. Currently listening to Somebody's Daughter by Ashley C. Ford.
No One is Talking About This by Patricia Lockwood! It's not weird at all that I wanted to collect my favorite sentences and keep them in a box, right? I listened to the audiobook through my local library but this one goes on the purchase list for sure.
At the end of January, I read Hanif Abdurraqib's They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us. He's a brilliant writer and eloquently speaks about his experiences growing up, someone who has loved and been loved, experienced hurt, tragedy, or times he's been misunderstood. Found myself constantly bookmarking excerpts from it. Never thought I'd cry reading an essay about Fall Out Boy, but it happened!
I read his book A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance last summer and it is also fantastic. Hoping I get a chance to see him speak in Columbus soon!
Reading bell hooks' All About Love. It makes me feel brave and inspires me to be more honest. Recently finished Maria Popova's Figuring. It took me ages and ages to finish, because it's so ludicrously packed with information. It made me want to read much more history, and it made me think of the way people live their lives as a creative artistic act.
I’m reading Misfits by Michaela Coel. It’s a fun quick read. I love everything by her
Samantha Irby recommended Louisa Luna's trilogy of Alice Vega novels in her newsletter so I immediately borrowed the first two from the library. I finished the first one in one sitting and am trying to make the second one last while I wait for my name to be called up on the library holds list for the newly released third book.
I needed some joy so I'm reading the queer romance One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston. It's delightful! The protagonist is a bi nerd, and reading is making me feel seen/wishing this book existed when I was younger.
just started the new laura lippman collection seasonal work and, as always, she rules
I just finished (on your word) the Diahann Carroll autobiography, which was excellent. Prior to that, Storyteller by Dave Grohl was also amazing. I am reading now some whodunit in Spanish, the first in a trilogy (Reina Negra, Loba Roja, Rey Blanco) centering around a forensic investigator especially gifted. I am about to read the chapter on what makes Antonia Scott so special, which I'll do tonight. I will never, however, cease to recommend "Let's Pretend This Never Happened" by Jenny Lawson aka The Bloggess, a book that made me snort-laugh out loud.
I recently got Paul Tran's book in the mail. I took an online workshop them in summer 2020 and was absolutely riveted. I can't wait to dive in. I recently finished How the Word is Passed by Clint Smith and it was incredible.
Smile: The Story of a Face by Sarah Ruhl was well done. And Reclamation: Sally Hemings, Thomas Jefferson, and a Descendant's Search for Her Family's Lasting Legacy by Gayle Jessup White -- I got it from the library because I'd read about it in BookPage and the topic has always sort of interested me, but wow, I was not expecting to get so into it I could barely put it down.
highly recommend rebecca solnit / the mother of all questions ❤️
I was completely blown away by Why Fish Don't Exist, by the incomparable Lulu Miller of RadioLab. She somehow combined the biography of a scientist, with flourishes of memoir about her own life. Perfectly structured. I was also pleasantly surprised by the graphic novel Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me by Mariko Tamaki...teen relationship where the protagonist realizes she's letting her girlfriend treat her like a doormat.
Jaw dropped, breathing through my teeth and talking out loud to no one while reading Black Leopard, Red Wolf by Marlon James.
also, jews don’t count / david baddiel - he’s famous here in the uk, not sure over there in america. he writes beautifully on what it is ti be a jew in the uk
also Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan -- a delightful fantasy and romance novel. the world she builds is super lush and gorgeous, comprised of Chinese mythology which i am woefully ignorant of and really really enjoyed. there are twists and turns and magic (like, I want to fly in a cloud!) and dragons and it is simply impossible to put down! asks great questions about identity, family, authority, politics, and how we love. it's awesome.
Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell nearly destroyed me with its beauty. Also, Circe by Madeline Miller was another recent fave.
find myself considering/messaging at least 2-3 people in my life, per page, thru Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman—can't seem to stop the hype anytime soon. . .
I recently finished Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez and I couldn't stop talking about it! So many powerful findings and research on gender inequity :)
Just finished re-reading adrienne maree brown's Pleasure Activism and started the new Warsan Shire 😭
Recently really enjoyed the audiobook of Hola Papi! by John Paul Brammer.
I just finished "Hell of a Book" by Jason Mott and I want to know why I hadn't heard more about it beforehand? It won the National Book Award, for pete's sake! Anyway, I highly recommend it.
FINALLY read NK Jemisin's Broken Earth trilogy. If you like richly layered sci-fi that will also crush your heart, I highly recommend.
This is the greatest idea! Just finished Heather havrileskys foreverland. Even as a single gay man made me laugh and reflect on what love means and was nothing like the husband hating narrative happening in the media!
I'm in the middle of Namwali Serpell's THE OLD DRIFT and it's glorious. A multi-generational tale in which the central location is a part of the Zambezi River close to the Victoria Falls.
On the exact opposite side of the spectrum tone-wise, one of my favorite heartwarming books I read last year was J. Ryan Stradal's THE LAGER QUEEN OF MINNESOTA, which has big Midwestern vibes and the most compelling/adorable little old lady characters I've read of late.
Three I've really loved recently:
-The Man Who Died Twice (#2 in the Thursday Murder Club) - I never would have thought of myself as a 'cozy mystery' person but I so loved this one and the first one too; they're fun, funny, and smart, while still being pretty gentle on the 'murder' front
- Clap When You Land - great YA novel in verse that had been on my list ever since it came out. I actually listened to the audiobook of it, which I highly recommend if you do audio, I loved the two voices for the two narrators coming in and out and then together. Such an incredible theatrical device!
- The Heart Principle (The Kiss Quotient, #3) - I was never a "romance novel" person either, but Helen Hoang (and then Talia Hibbert and Alexis Hall) proved otherwise. This is the third and possibly the best of Hoang's excellent series of romances centering neurodiverse individuals. This one also follows a story of caretaking for a family member and the reactions of different family members and burnout that often ensues. I adored this book.
Currently reading "Second Place" by Rachel Cusk. I find myself highlighting entire paragraphs at a time. So good!
I’m currently reading The Disordered Cosmos by Dr. Chanda Prescod-Weinstein and LOVE it. Has thoroughly brought me back to my love of physics. The way she links physics, racism and sexism has been blowing my mind with every page.
The Eternal Audience of One x Rémy Ngamije was sublime.
manga / graphic novel: Boys Run the Riot, Vol 1 and Shadow Life
memoir: Ten Steps to Nanette. Nonfic/memoirs have been on fire for the last few years and I love all the brilliant voices we’re getting to hear.
my current audiobooks: Olga Dies Dreaming is not only wonderfully narrated but one of those novels that grabs you immediately with voice. I felt the same way about Wahala which I just finished.
I loved The Lightmaker's Manifesto: How to Work for Change without Losing Your Joy by Karen Walrond. She's a life coach, so she gave some specific journaling activities to identify your strengths and things that bring you joy, and then think creatively about how to do those things in a way that serves the wider world. She also interviewed some activists, including Valarie Kaur, about what advice they would give. I did a lot of brainstorming and journaling after finishing this book and it gave me encouragement to stay on this path.
I’m reading Everything is Fine by Vince Granata. It is his beautifully written and haunting story about his mentally ill brother and the murder of their mother by his brother.
I loved the blue book of nebo by Manon steffan ros ! Given the current state of the world it seems like it might be a realistic possibility for us but the survival tactics of a mother and her son after nuclear disaster were inspiring and heartbreaking. Quick read and really sweet at times. Also recently loved Olga dies dreaming!!
I recently finished David Ritz's biography of aretha Franklin and it broke my heart. Great read.
Elie Mystal’s Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy’s Guide to the Constitution. He’s such a great writer. I’ve been a fan since his days at Above the Law. I highly recommend the audiobook. He’s also a great Twitter follow for things law-related.
If you like mysteries, The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey is really interesting, and informative about 1920s India.
I'm currently halfway through The Family Chao and really, really enjoying it.
How the Word is Passed by Clint Smith was an incredible audiobook, and I enjoyed How to Perfect audiobook by Michael Schur (creator of the Good Place) and the cast of the Good Place. Currently reading A Winter’s Promise and so far it’s good fantasy to be lost in.
Loving this thread!
Currently reading Nightbitch by Rachel Yoder - it’s WILD - on Carmen Maria Machado’s rec (would also recommend In the Dream House and Her Body and Other Parties)
Kaveh Akbar's Pilgrim Bell is incredible. The Poetry Off the Shelf podcast recently did an interesting interview with him, as well (episode 474).
I am still chasing the high of reading Brenda Lozano's Loop a couple of months ago. It's such a simple plot: a writer in Mexico buys a brand of notebook called Cuaderno Ideal and fills it with stray thoughts while she waits for the return of her boyfriend who's in Spain handling the estate of his recently deceased mother. It's the sort of book you can live in.
Just finished Mycelium by Annette Weisser; and am currently going back and forth between Souvenir by Michael Bracewell, Loop by Brenda Lozano, and Blockchain Chicken Farm by Xiaowei Wang. A buffet of thoughts, feelings, and ideas!
I read a lot, & love these threads. A similar one in Anne Helen Petersen’s newsletter led me to your book, which was one of my top 10 of 2021!!
Finally read Detransition, baby by Torrey Peters & found it even better than the hype. In the fiction realm, I also recently read My Monticello by Jocelyn Nicole Johnson, Revival Season by Monica West, Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, and Razorblade Tears by S.A. Crosby - all of which I loved in the deepest parts of my soul. Next up in fiction is The Love Songs of W.E.B. Dubois by Honoree Fanone Jeffers and The Final Review of Opal and Nev by Dawnie Walton.
I am such a fan of Hanif Abdurraqib that I emailed him (via the contact form on his website) when I was passing through Columbus and asked him to have coffee with me to discuss my own writing. 👀 I’m forcing myself to read A Little Devil in America one essay at a time and sit with the material.
I’m writing a memoir, so I’ve been reading a lot of them. To from the last year are Saeed’s book, of course, Heavy by Kiese Laymon, Shouting in the Fire by Dante West, In the Dreamhouse by Carmen Maria Machado, Unprotected by Billy Porter, and All the Young Men, a memoir of Love, AIDS, and Chosen Family in the American South, by Ruth Coker Burke - which I cannot recommend enough. Next in memoir for me is The Cooking Gene by Michael W. Twitty and The Three Mothers by Anna Makaika Tubbs (about the lives of the mothers of Malcolm X, James Baldwin, & Dr. King.
And for poetry, I’ve been reading and rereading “You Better Be Lightening” - the new book from my favorite poet, Andrea Gibson. Just ordered Dream of the Divided Field by Yanyi, whom I adore and just took a poetry workshop with.
I really liked Hilary Leichter's Temporary, and laughed a lot while reading it.
I just finished Jawbone by Monica Ojeda and while I'm not sure I'd recommend it, I think there's a powerful, creative argument about adolescence and white horror at its core that's going to stick with me for a while.
reading the days of Afrekete right now and loving it! Also reading No Happy Endings which is a very good read on grief etc.
I am currently reading “Violeta” by Isabel Allende. Recently finished “What Strange Paradise” by Omar El Akkad and “Desperate Characters” by Paula Fox. One of my 2022 standouts (so far) is “Small Island” by Andrea Levy.