I read 6 books this month. I have no idea why I was so stingy with 5-star ratings this month. Anywho, here's an overview that respects your time:
If any of the books below interest you, check your local library! Here’s a handy and free browser extension that shows you which titles are available at branches near you.
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What I read: The Cancer Journals by Audre Lorde
A handful of Lorde’s journal entries while she underwent treatment for breast cancer including a mastectomy and grappling with her mortality through a Black lesbian feminist lens.
This collection is three essays mixed with journal entries. The first essay was my favorite, but Lorde’s voice comes through very well throughout. I had a hard time giving this a rating because it felt so personal and less for an audience (the reader). That said, I was glad I checked it out.
I checked out the eBook from the library, so the quote will have a percentage rather than a page number
Star rating: unrated
I was going to die, if not sooner then later, whether or not I had ever spoken for myself. My silences had not protected me. Your silence will not protect you. (30%)
If this sounds good, consider this:
What I read: Bluebird, Bluebird by Attica Locke
A Black Texas Ranger investigates a pair of murders—a Black lawyer and a white woman—in East Texas. The town is hesitant to trust outsiders. He also navigates the opposing identities of his Blackness and his profession with the white sheriffs
We read this for Mystery Book Club. Normally I wouldn’t give a cop protagonist my time, but I thought Locke crafted a really compelling narrative that asks interesting questions on who gets justice and how resources are distributed depending on the race of a victim, especially in the South.
I listened to the audiobook from the library. The narration was really well done and I would recommend that version. It felt like I was watching a drama.
Star rating: 4.5/5
She wanted so badly to break down in private that she was willing to take less than the truth to get out of this town, this country, this state. (77%)
If this sounds good, consider these:
The Conductors by Nicole Glover
His & Hers on Netflix
Based on this book of the same name by Alice Feeney
What I read: Just by Looking at Him by Ryan O’Connell
A disabled gay man grapples with his own relationship, desire, addiction and his work as a TV writer.
I am not the target demographic for this. The humor was very white gay™️and I don’t mean that in a bad way, necessarily. In Queer Book Club, the white gays ate this up. I found it to be a bit too much. Every other paragraph had a joke or pop culture reference, most didn’t land for me. The actual story didn’t resolve in any sort of satisfying way other than saying the protagonist would be better off dating someone else with a disability. Unsure if that’s a good or reasonable takeaway.
July is also Disability Pride Month, so this club pick was a chance to read more disability representation in media.
My POC queer friends in the group chat almost all DNF’d, but I am glad I saw this through to the end. I can see what the author was going for, even if that wasn’t my particular cup of tea (scalding).
That last sentence is a great example of how the author writes btw
Star rating: 2.5/5
I’m realizing that so much of my existence was focused on outrunning what seemed to be a preordained fate of loneliness. p. 56
Other resources:
O’Connell also wrote and stars in the Netflix series Special which has a similar plot
People in book club said they had enjoyed the show. I haven’t watched it.
What I read: Mutiny: The Rise and Revolt of the College-Educated Working Class by Noam Shreiber
A well-known labor reporter for the New York Times, Shreiber followed several groups as they navigated the social contract they were sold on compared to their lived experience. He focuses on an Apple Store, Starbucks, Amazon workers, TV writers, and a few more.
I had high hopes for this but it felt more like a batch of case studies than an actual analysis on this phenomenon. There is a heavy emphasis on labor unions and those battles, which I felt watered down the story. The pitch should’ve been more about modern labor movements than the broader thesis provided. That said, the book is very well-researched, even if it wasn’t what I thought it would be.
Star rating: 3.5/5
“I realized at the end of the day that all of us are workers, no matter how elite we’re perceived to be,” Dr. Alia Sharif, a hospital doctor at Alina Health System in Minnesota, told the New York Times in 2023. “You can be a physician or a factory worker, and you’re treated exactly the same way by these large corporations.” p. 220
If this sounds good, consider these:
Is the starter economy over for Gen Z? (Fortune)
May encounter paywall
How some employers see Gen Z workers (Intelligencer)
May encounter paywall
Here’s the podcast episode that got me to check this out:
What I read: The Devil’s in the Dancers by Catherine Yu
In this sapphic horror novel, a young girl gets accepted into a prestigious dance academy on a scholarship. She hopes to find opportunities there to get out of her small town, but the rich girl student body has other plans. An administrator preys on this desperation to get her to do the unthinkable. On top of that, there’s a family curse whose bill is coming due soon.
I had so much fun with this. I picked it up while on a trip to Philly with my Queer Book Club friends (S/O Giovanni’s Room). Back to the book. I really enjoyed the commentary on privilege and who gets opportunity. It was a good reminder that the scariest thing in life is an out-of-touch rich person.
Star rating: 4/5
“You couldn’t let the aristocrats know how you really felt about them , not unless you were prepared for war.” p. 164
If this sounds good, consider these:
Cruelty Free by Caroline Glenn
Wake Up and Open Your Eyes by Clay McLeod Chapman
What I read: When We Were Birds by Ayanna Lloyd Banwo
This Caribbean novel is equal parts folklore and love story. It features two main characters, one a Rastafarian gravedigger and the other a wealthy woman from a line of spirit mediums. They help each other work through their grief and reassess what exactly they want out of life.
A lyrical and beautifully haunting love story. I loved the way that language was used throughout. The commentary on death and it’s acceptance was really well done. This is much more dialogue and characters, than plot but I had a great time with this. I would recommend reading this slowly
I had originally read this for an African diaspora book club and was very glad that I did. I am always looking for more diasporic books to learn about the breadth of the Black experience.
Anyone who knows my reading habits knows that I love me a sad book or some melancholic prose. This checked the boxes for me.
Star rating: 4.5/5
“She tell herself is not grief. Grief is a thing that come from love and love simple like breath. But what she feel for her mother was never simple enough.” p. 53
If this sounds good, consider these:
Open Water by Caleb Azumah Nelson
One of my favorite books of all time. It’s also the only second-person novella that I can think of off the top of my head.
The Tiny Things are Heavier by Esther Ifesinachi Okonkwo
I attended an author talk for this and was immediately hooked. Maybe I’ll actually pull it off my shelf one of these months.
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