January Reading Roundup
Some of the books I read and enjoyed last month
Come See Me!
I’ll be in conversation with Jennifer Haigh for her new book Rabbit Moon at Parnassus Books on April 17. More info and (free) registration here.
Unfortunately for you, I have a lot of brain energy and nowhere to put it, so I’m teaching myself how to make cute graphics in Canva. Is this first one great? No. Will they get better? Probably not. But! Will I keep making them because bad graphic design is my passion? One hundred percent.
Let’s get into the books!
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Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
In this book, Kingsolver writes a reimagining of David Copperfield that keeps the poverty, changes the setting to Appalachia and adds the opioid crisis. It’s the story of a young boy named Damon (nicknamed “Demon”) born to a teenage, single mother living in a trailer park in Lee County, VA. The book is told through Demon’s voice and has the best first line of any novel I’ve read: “First, I got myself born.”
It takes a lot to get me to read a book at this page count (560), but this came so highly recommended that I had to try. This is how I described it to a friend: the crossover with PRK’s book Empire of Pain, plus Dopesick makes it so compelling. It’s like the novelization of those stories, but with so much heart. It’s heartbreaking, beautiful and worldview changing. I loved it.
ICYMI: Kingsolver used the proceeds from Demon Copperhead to build Higher Ground Women’s Recovery Residence in rural Southwest Virginia. It just opened and you can help by shopping their Amazon wish list.
You Gotta Eat: Real-Life Strategies for Feeding Yourself When Cooking Feels Impossible by Margaret Eby
Fave of the month! I loved this book. I never learned how to cook and have spent most of my life struggling with feeding myself. What I would give to go back in time and hand this book to younger versions of myself. I’m also someone with a history of disordered eating and depression and this book speaks so kindly to those parts of me.
If you struggle with feeding yourself either because you didn’t learn how to cook, or you’re depressed or low-energy, or you just have a demanding job and can’t deal with making yourself an involved, multi-step dinner, this book is the answer.
It helped me so much that I told the registered dietitian I work with about it and she bought one for her office. I’m also obsessed with one of the meals in the book: potstickers, broccoli and ramen.
There is a competing book out right now that is also trying to be encouraging about eating, but the other book is not divested from diet and wellness culture. This one is. And not for nothing, this is one of the funniest books I’ve ever read. Three cheers for Margaret!
Inside Out by Demi Moore
After Demi Moore won the Golden Globe for The Substance, Ashley C. Ford posted online about how great Moore’s memoir is, and then Ira Madison III did too. So I went to Libro.fm and downloaded it, and let me tell you, they’re not wrong! This book is great.
There is a ton of inside baseball about Hollywood, Bruce, how much they got paid, etc., which is fascinating, but I loved the early part about her life and her family of origin. Adult children, this is for you!
P.S. If you don’t already, you will hate Ashton Kutcher after reading this.
The Message by Ta-Nehisi Coates
This book has three essays: one where Coates goes to Africa (Dakar) for the first time; one in South Carolina where one of his books is being banned; and in the longest essay, he goes to Palestine.
I liked the book, especially the South Carolina essay because it so closely mirrors what’s happening in Tennessee, but the last essay is the one that got me. I read a Libby copy, but then John wanted to read it, so I bought the hardback and read the last chapter a second time.
I felt like a snake trying to swallow a car in how much I had to open my mind to digest this - not because I disagreed, but because I had to reckon with how much I didn’t already know.
No duh that Coates is one of our best writers, but the craftsmanship of the last essay? Next level. He frames the Palestine essay through the lens of revision, specifically how he would revise The Case for Reparations if he were to write it today. I just - I can’t imagine being able to write like this. Great fucking book.
Lifeform by Jenny Slate
What a book! I’ve always loved Jenny Slate, but this new mom, middle-aged version of her might be my favorite. The first essay about Stonehenge is one of the best essays I’ve read about midlife. And her essay about giving birth really got me. I can’t believe how much I cried during this book. Highly recommend the audiobook so you can hear her read it.
More, Please: On Food, Fat, Bingeing, Longing, and the Lust For 'Enough' by Emma Specter
I’ve read and followed Emma Specter for years and I’m really glad she wrote this book. I want more books on eating disorders and fat liberation, and I want more books published by fat authors.
I liked this book, but I didn’t love it. The book’s structure wasn’t for me. It’s part memoir, part reporting and part interviews. The memoir parts stood out so much, I wish Specter had leaned more into that. She has such a strong voice. I didn’t enjoy the toggle between memoir and interviews. I also struggled with how OA is represented in this book, especially in the beginning. Obviously, this is a personal story of Specter’s recovery and it’s her story to tell, but we are not in alignment in regards to OA.
There’s a lot here, especially if you have binge eating disorder and you’re in your late 20s or early 30s. Regardless of age, this is a great reckoning of what it’s like to go from living your life thin to becoming fat. I’m glad she wrote it and I’m glad I read it.
ICYMI: Here’s what I read last month:
Adding all of these! Also, let's plan a Canva day date! I'm by no means an expert-expert, but I had to learn it when I did PR, and I still use it all the time. I've learned some tricks along the way! 😂
I did the audiobook of Moore’s autobiography. I echo everything you said about it. It gave me a tremendous amount of empathy & respect for where she came from & how far she’s come to heal herself.