Love love love: "Those books you’ve loved do not exist without this brain, this heart, this empathy, this humanity. What you have read in my books, whether you have understood it to be so or not, is a reflection of how I think, of who and what I care about in a very flawed world."
Five star books I've read lately, although I'm not reading as much:
Slowdance by Rainbow Rowell (love her YA's but her adult books SLAY me)
The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren - they haven't had a five star book for me in awhile (literally obsessed with their series romances) and this one was so good!
Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood - I am loving the genre departures she has been taking lately!
Change of Heart by Kate Canterbary - Glad you gave her a shout out because she is one of my favorite romance writers!
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan (sp?) is a novella and is definitely not a romance but was fantastic. Makes you want to know EVERYTHING about the tragic story of the Irish laundries
I'd been having a challenge getting back to romance but after owning them forever, I finally read the final two books in Courtney Milan's Wedgeford Trials series. They are so much fun while still looking at the lives of Asian people in England in the late 19th century. Perfectly what I needed. Now waiting to get Tropical Duke! I loved the first two books in the series.
Your inner/mental dialog matches my own. I haven't been able to read much due to the barrage of horrors. The book I lived most recently was Castle of Water. Heartbreaking, but so good. So glad there is a book from you on the way - something to look forward to!
Thank you for sharing your words with us. You said what many of us think, but cannot put into our own words. We appreciate you for that.
I recently enjoyed Nantucket Inn by Pamela Kelley.
And in a completely different mindset, Something Lost, Something Gained: Reflections on Life, Love, and Liberty by Hillary Clinton. May be a story you are familiar with. Since I am her age, I appreciated her stories and remember many of the times in our history that she refers to.
I was lucky to read an early copy of Cara Bastone’s upcoming book, Promise Me Sunshine. It was such a beautiful, touching look at grief and moving through it. I’ve been recommending it to everyone!
This is so relatable, GOD. I've struggled so much with this, too. With caring and yet not wanting to give *that man* more attention, more control over my nervous system than he deserves. And panic, flat-out panic, about how bad this might all get. And how, as a person whose job it is to write beautiful things, kind things, loving things, how can I be honest with my audience while still fulfilling the purpose I am here for, which is not actually to panic about the news? Anyway, I appreciate the very compassionate, thoughtful way you dealt with it here. And thank you for sharing your WIP snippet. It was beautiful, and received kindly, with acknowledgment of the trust you're giving us in sharing it.
I appreciate this so much. I have always been a slow reader and often felt that was to my detriment. And with the help of audiobooks, I sped up. But over the last few years, as I have sped through audiobook after audiobook only to realize I retain almost nothing from those books, I have decided slow is good. I am slowing down. I want to read as an escape, yes, but not so that I am merely distracting myself from feeling. I want to slow down, take in every word, and feel. I look forward to reading more words from you about the words you are reading. And, although the world can feel dark and daunting, I look forward to feeling.
I loved your words, and want you to know that you’re a favorite author.
Favorite books you might have missed: Cloudstreet, by Tim Winton, Jamesland , by Michelle Huneven, Miss Benson’s Beetle, by Rachel Joyce, Properties of Thirst, by Marianne Wiggins. Everything these authors write is good, and these are favorites.
Thank you thank you for this! I am in an online writing community here called Writing in the Dark, with Jeannine Ouellette, and so much of what you describe is at the heart of what it is about. It is such a gift to be among people who “ do language” and care about what the words can do, change, and be. It shows in the writing and the transformative nature of the writing process. I am a better person because of the writing itself. As we say there, “ writing =life and life =writing” when you are in it at that word level. For the close reading, too, because they are part of the same way of noticing, seeing, and doing language. And living.
Looking forward to your forthcoming book, and close read newsletters of other work. So grateful you, and the bevy of others you mentioned above, are here. Al those books are the stepping stones I am anticipating to get through these next months and, ugh, years.
I have so much love for this take, I am grateful to be in community with you and hear your honest feelings. Thank you for the excerpt surprise!! I cannot wait to get my hands on the Paris Match <3
My 2025 goal is to read more looong books, since I normally skip them in favor of several shorties. I'm currently reading Anna Karenina and am absolutely baffled that a man in the 1870s can capture human exchanges and emotions in a way that feels immediately recognizable!! It is so good. The last great romance I read was Swift and Saddled by Lyla Sage (:
Love love love: "Those books you’ve loved do not exist without this brain, this heart, this empathy, this humanity. What you have read in my books, whether you have understood it to be so or not, is a reflection of how I think, of who and what I care about in a very flawed world."
I always love when you write about language, so I’m very excited to see more of that from you in the newsletter!
Two books I’ve read recently that I really loved are Curvy Girl Summer by Danielle Allen and A Shore Thing by Joanna Lowell.
Thank you for your words, and for your books! They're a bright spot in an otherwise frequently dark world.
Sincerely,
a fellow Virginian / lab person
Five star books I've read lately, although I'm not reading as much:
Slowdance by Rainbow Rowell (love her YA's but her adult books SLAY me)
The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren - they haven't had a five star book for me in awhile (literally obsessed with their series romances) and this one was so good!
Not in Love by Ali Hazelwood - I am loving the genre departures she has been taking lately!
Change of Heart by Kate Canterbary - Glad you gave her a shout out because she is one of my favorite romance writers!
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan (sp?) is a novella and is definitely not a romance but was fantastic. Makes you want to know EVERYTHING about the tragic story of the Irish laundries
I love all your words 💙
You are seen, and you are heard. Thank you for daring to emerge in order to share with all of us.
Your care with words is why I love your books.
I'd been having a challenge getting back to romance but after owning them forever, I finally read the final two books in Courtney Milan's Wedgeford Trials series. They are so much fun while still looking at the lives of Asian people in England in the late 19th century. Perfectly what I needed. Now waiting to get Tropical Duke! I loved the first two books in the series.
Your inner/mental dialog matches my own. I haven't been able to read much due to the barrage of horrors. The book I lived most recently was Castle of Water. Heartbreaking, but so good. So glad there is a book from you on the way - something to look forward to!
Thank you for sharing your words with us. You said what many of us think, but cannot put into our own words. We appreciate you for that.
I recently enjoyed Nantucket Inn by Pamela Kelley.
And in a completely different mindset, Something Lost, Something Gained: Reflections on Life, Love, and Liberty by Hillary Clinton. May be a story you are familiar with. Since I am her age, I appreciated her stories and remember many of the times in our history that she refers to.
Keep on writing.
I was lucky to read an early copy of Cara Bastone’s upcoming book, Promise Me Sunshine. It was such a beautiful, touching look at grief and moving through it. I’ve been recommending it to everyone!
This is so relatable, GOD. I've struggled so much with this, too. With caring and yet not wanting to give *that man* more attention, more control over my nervous system than he deserves. And panic, flat-out panic, about how bad this might all get. And how, as a person whose job it is to write beautiful things, kind things, loving things, how can I be honest with my audience while still fulfilling the purpose I am here for, which is not actually to panic about the news? Anyway, I appreciate the very compassionate, thoughtful way you dealt with it here. And thank you for sharing your WIP snippet. It was beautiful, and received kindly, with acknowledgment of the trust you're giving us in sharing it.
I appreciate this so much. I have always been a slow reader and often felt that was to my detriment. And with the help of audiobooks, I sped up. But over the last few years, as I have sped through audiobook after audiobook only to realize I retain almost nothing from those books, I have decided slow is good. I am slowing down. I want to read as an escape, yes, but not so that I am merely distracting myself from feeling. I want to slow down, take in every word, and feel. I look forward to reading more words from you about the words you are reading. And, although the world can feel dark and daunting, I look forward to feeling.
I loved your words, and want you to know that you’re a favorite author.
Favorite books you might have missed: Cloudstreet, by Tim Winton, Jamesland , by Michelle Huneven, Miss Benson’s Beetle, by Rachel Joyce, Properties of Thirst, by Marianne Wiggins. Everything these authors write is good, and these are favorites.
Thank you thank you for this! I am in an online writing community here called Writing in the Dark, with Jeannine Ouellette, and so much of what you describe is at the heart of what it is about. It is such a gift to be among people who “ do language” and care about what the words can do, change, and be. It shows in the writing and the transformative nature of the writing process. I am a better person because of the writing itself. As we say there, “ writing =life and life =writing” when you are in it at that word level. For the close reading, too, because they are part of the same way of noticing, seeing, and doing language. And living.
Looking forward to your forthcoming book, and close read newsletters of other work. So grateful you, and the bevy of others you mentioned above, are here. Al those books are the stepping stones I am anticipating to get through these next months and, ugh, years.
I read an advance copy of TJ Alexander's A GENTLEMAN'S GENTLEMAN and not only is it so good, it's even better the second time through.
I have so much love for this take, I am grateful to be in community with you and hear your honest feelings. Thank you for the excerpt surprise!! I cannot wait to get my hands on the Paris Match <3
My 2025 goal is to read more looong books, since I normally skip them in favor of several shorties. I'm currently reading Anna Karenina and am absolutely baffled that a man in the 1870s can capture human exchanges and emotions in a way that feels immediately recognizable!! It is so good. The last great romance I read was Swift and Saddled by Lyla Sage (: