What I’m Reading: Fall

GRIEF, POEMS, AND CHALLENGE

As a writer, I try really hard to be a reader. Expanding my vocabulary, learning from greats, and simply absorbing different styles of writing is undoubtedly beneficial to my career. However, I’ve never had a set routine with reading (except for the books my parents read to me every night - thanks Mom!) but as an adult, the practice hasn’t been as regular.

But I try! I really do. I’ll do a book or two every few months. I normally have 2-3 going at a time. I can keep one at my bedside, one in the living room, and one in a bag or purse. Whoever told me to keep a book with me to read in waiting rooms or coffee shops instead of mindlessly scrolling on my phone - thank you! It’s a sneaky great way to get some pages in.

My favorite book hack from this year? The Libby App. Wowzers - our libraries are such an incredible resource. I was spending $20-$40/month on audiobooks and I now get them for free. It’s a little tedious to get set up if you don’t have a library card yet, but I promise it’s worth it!

With Libby, I’m able to rent audiobooks (or digital books) for 7-14 days. If I don’t get done that quickly, there’s an option for extending. In full transparency, the super hot popular books are normally rented and you go on a waitlist.

But there are THOUSANDS of others to choose from you can get right away. I’ve made a little game of it - putting things on my waitlist, trying new genres, and challenging myself to get done without renewal.

If you haven’t heard of or downloaded Libby and are trying to get into reading or audiobooks, do yourself a favor and go try!

1. Crying in H-Mart: Michelle Zauner

“A memoir about growing up Korean American, losing her mother, and forging her own identity. Michelle Zauner tells of growing up one of the few Asian American kids at her school in Eugene, Oregon; of struggling with her mother's particular, high expectations of her; of a painful adolescence; of treasured months spent in her grandmother's tiny apartment in Seoul, where she and her mother would bond, late at night, over heaping plates of food. As she grew up, moving to the East Coast for college, finding work in the restaurant industry, and performing gigs with her fledgling band--and meeting the man who would become her husband--her Koreanness began to feel ever more distant, even as she found the life she wanted to live. It was her mother's diagnosis of terminal cancer, when Michelle was twenty-five, that forced a reckoning with her identity and brought her to reclaim the gifts of taste, language, and history her mother had given her.”

2. Lighter: Yung Pueblo

“In Lighter, yung pueblo demonstrates how we can all move forward in our healing, from learning self-compassion to letting go to becoming emotionally mature. As the heaviness falls away, our minds will finally stop feeling overburdened with tension and we'll be able to reconnect with the present. And the world around us will hopefully become more inviting in crisp and newly vibrant ways. But these are just the first steps. As we grow stronger and expand our self-awareness, it's our responsibility--and also part of the healing journey--to take actions to support the health and harmony of all people. The final section of Lighter shows how we can and must contribute to building a world that is no longer structurally harmful but, instead, structurally compassionate. yung pueblo's hope is that as more of us heal, our actions will become more intentional, our decisions will become more compassionate, our thinking will become clearer, and the future will become brighter.”

3. Jumbo Crosswords

Call me an 80-year old woman, but I’ve grown quite fond of crossword puzzles. A few times a week I’ll do a puzzle or two before bed. My husband Alex and I normally work on them together, challenging ourselves to see if we can get through the whole thing without looking for the answers in the back! Not only does it introduce us to new vocabulary, it teaches about new people and topics. There are so many ways to crossword, but I recommend taking pen to paper, if that’s something you don’t do in your daily life. It’s very soothing and despite the mental stimulation it provides, it’s a relaxing and calming activity. Okay, so I guess this isn’t really “reading” per se, but it is a book on my nightstand I’ve been enjoying :)