May Reading Roundup 2024
Some of the books I read and enjoyed this month
A little later start than usual this morning because I went to Trixie Mattel’s Solid Pink Disco DJ set last night and I needed a few hours (and a Bojangles breakfast biscuit) before my brain could turn on and write this intro. I interviewed Trixie for the Nashville Scene ahead of her appearance. You can read it here.
Now, onto the books!
Big Swiss by Jen Beagin
I have a friend (hi, Delaney!) who texted me one day and asked if I knew whether or not a dog gets killed in this book. I looked up the content warnings on The StoryGraph and was shocked at the magnitude of warnings about this book, especially since so many people seemed to be reading it. I saw a few authors I follow online post that they were finally reading it (it pubbed in 2023). Delaney put it down and moved along to something else and I put it out of my mind.
Then I found it at Goodwill for $1.99 and bought it. I’m sad to report that I liked it! Sorry! Also, spoiler alert, no dogs die, but one does get hurt. If you like books with unlikeable female characters, this is that. The vibes are very Gone Girl / Girl On the Train. I will say, I’ve never read a book with this much oral sex, so … know that! It’s a slow start and it peters out a little at the end, but I don’t know, I liked it lol. (I read a well-worn, well-loved paperback copy, but a friend told me this is a great audiobook, FYI.)
The Guest List by Lucy Foley
I still have no idea who recommended all the Lucy Foley books on audio, but after finishing The Hunting Party last month, I moved on to the one everyone in my DMs recommended: The Guest List. I liked it! I will say, I wish I had spaced these books out more because the plots are similar. Early in The Guest List I forgot I was listening to a different book and got confused about why there were new characters in The Hunting Party. I recommend these books, but I don’t recommend reading them back-to-back.
Devotions: The Selected Poems of Mary Oliver by Mary Oliver
Baby’s first Oliver. So many of my friends and favorite writers are poets, and I’m trying to read more poetry. I picked this up while visiting Santa Fe last summer and decided to read it after I finished The Book of (More) Delights last month. I had never read Oliver beyond the popular poems everyone loves and posts on Instagram. This book, and these poems, blew me away. I love that they’re the ones she chose for this collection. If you’re curious about either Mary Oliver and/or poetry, start here.
I Finally Bought Some Jordans by Michael Arceneaux
If you’ve never read Michael Arceneaux, please do. He is one of the sharpest, funniest writers out there. That being said, this is a sad book because it covers both the pandemic and his mom getting sick. Because I lived in NYC in 2001, I’m kind of drawn to these personal narratives of people who lived in NYC in 2020, but your mileage may vary. FWIW everyone loves this book, and you might, too.
There's Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqib
What if I didn’t like this book? Can you imagine? I loved it! Obviously. There is so much of Hanif in this book. I don’t know why that surprised me, but it did. As you may know, I dedicated a whole month to Hanif surrounding this book’s release and the reading in Athens, GA that I drove to. I tend to read his books the week they come out, and I read them so fast that I forget what I read. I slowed down with this one and read it slower, letting it sink in. It clearly worked because I can’t stop thinking about it and remembering different parts of it.
My favorite Hanif book, and one of my favorite memoirs period, is They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us. TATY is the continuation of those essays from 2017 written by someone who has spent the past seven years doing the kind of deep excavation and integration that it takes to be able to know yourself well enough to write like this. I continue to be in awe.
ICYMI, here’s what I read last month:
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Mary Oliver’s work is wonderful❤️