September Reads

This month, my self-imposed library ban lifted, so I started trying to catch up on books people have recommended to me.

For no good reason at all, I occasionally (maybe more than occasionally) get really stressed out by reading. I don't get to check that many things off the list at this point in my life; I have so far been successful at keeping my kids alive, but I otherwise don't feel very productive. The things I really love doing—primarily writing and playing music—take a lot more creative energy than I usually have (although since that kind of energy feeds itself, it might only be a matter of getting started), but reading I can do. In fact, since I was a kid, reading is one of the few things I've ever felt I was good at—not in the sense of comprehension, or interesting interpretation, or even retention, and not in the sense of having read the classics; I haven't, not even close—but merely in the fact that I read more than average. Which is not very neat at all.

So now I'm stuck in this place where I recognize that I don't need to be reading if I'm not enjoying it, and I really should be spending more of my time creating instead of just consuming; on the other hand, there are SO MANY BOOKS. And the anxiety of knowing that I can't possibly read them all, or even very many, makes it hard to enjoy reading leisurely.

Any thoughts on this, dear four people who are reading? Please help. It is embarrassing to admit to being so incredibly lame that books give me anxiety. Let's call it an exercise in shame-sharing. Brene would be so proud?

Churchill - Paul Johnson: Saw this on the shelves of the house we were house-sitting for a week. I love biographies, but they’re usually behemoths. This one was very manageable, and very interesting.

How Literature Saved My Life - David Shields: Another house-sitting read. I went to a reading of Shields’ years ago and it really turned me off, so I wasn’t expecting to like this as much as I did. Shields in a fascinating thinker and watching his mind work on the page is engrossing, even if I still didn’t find him to be super likeable. His writing is self-aware, but it exudes privilege in a way that’s hard for me to embrace. I still really enjoyed the book and Shields is obviously a hugely important voice for creative nonfiction.

The Opposite of Loneliness - Marina Keegan: My sister recommended this book a while back and I couldn't follow through with it due to my obviously highly important library ban. I'd heard mixed reviews from my writerly friends and the upshot was that none of them loved it. But I actually really enjoyed it. Keegan was a 22-year-old recent Yale grad when she died in a car accident; the book is a collection of short pieces she wrote as a student. It’s hard to separate my thoughts on the book from the fact that it exists precisely because she died; the best part of the collection is its exuberant youthfulness, a quality few writers (even young ones) seem to embrace. And obviously since Keegan died, that quality becomes a sort of call to action: embrace life while you can. Anyway, and aside from that, there are several really strong pieces here and I loved the hopefulness.

The Art of Asking - Amanda Palmer: I had vaguely heard of Palmer’s music, but this book was especially recommended to me by my friend Mike Barney, who is ridiculously cool, so I added it to my list right away. The book is about being willing to ask for the help you need; Palmer has used this tactic to wild success in developing her music career and she has a lot of great points to make about how and when and why asking works. Palmer is insanely extroverted and even as an extrovert myself, albeit one without much social skill, the book sort of had me feeling like I’ll never be successful unless I become a starry-eyed optimist who couch-surfs and lets fans autograph my naked body. But even barring that possible future for myself, I still found the book inspiring and I dug its earnestness.

Seven Brief Lessons On Physics - Carlo Rovelli: Poetic little explanations of key concepts in physics; it went totally over my head but I loved it. And it became pillow talk fodder for David and I because, you know, nerd romance.

Moranthology - Caitlin Moran: I think Caitlin Moran is the funniest writer around. I LOVED “How to Be a Woman”, which tackles the ins and outs of feminism. This book is a collection of her pieces on more varied topics. It’s hilarious. If you like laughing, read it. (But really, REALLY read “How to Be a Woman.”)

I Thought It Was Just Me (But It Isn't) -Brene Brown: Oh, Brene. Can you please just be queen of the world already? My life/head has been so influenced by Brown’s work that when I talk to people about it and they haven’t heard of her, I don’t even know how to cope. This book is about shame; I’d read half of it before and it blew my mind so hard that I put it down for a while so I could just process. If you don’t know her work, go watch her TED Talk on vulnerability. I’ve reviewed her book “Daring Greatly” here before; I think her stuff is so powerful and important. The very best self-help I know.

Jesus’ Son - Denis Johnson: Holy wow. A collection of short stories that are just intensely good. The most original and gut-squeezing thing I’ve read in a while.

My Life in France - Julia Child: I love Julia Child and cooking and France, plus Julia and Paul had the cutest romance ever, so this book was just wildly enjoyable to me. Obviously I pictured Meryl Streep as Julia in my head throughout.