may in review
books & glimmers & being not okay
Hey! You’re here. Thank you.
Come on in, sit down, can I get you anything? A potato, perhaps?
May has been a cruel month for our little family. And yet, and yet, and yet, we never felt alone for one moment. We felt loved and cared for every step of the way, and that, of course, is thanks to so many of you. Thank you doesn’t feel like enough. Thank you for loving Yaya, thank you for loving us.
May was impossible, and yet here we are. Here are a few of the books and glimmers that got me through.
Favorite Reads(s)
The world must have known I needed a win, because despite it all I read some real winners this month. Whistler by Ann Patchett? As good as I hoped if not better. The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson? An out and out masterpiece that’s intellectually rigorous and full of heart.
And if you thought I took a break from romance for the month… think again!! I am pleased to report that I read my favorite romance in recent memory not written by Rachel Reid. My in-person book club selected After Hours at Dooryard Books by Cat Sebastian to read in May, and what a blessing.
Set in a dusty, chaotic used and rare bookshop in Greenwich Village in the 1960s, this novel had everything I’m looking for in a romance. It’s a celebration of queer history and resistance. It’s cozy. The stakes were high, but not too high. The writing is gorgeous. I ate it all up with a spoon at a time when I was desperate for pleasure and distraction, and I am so grateful.
One Bright Glimmer
If glimmers are small moments when our biology is in a place of connection or regulation, which cues our nervous system to feel safe or calm, then the most surefire glimmer in my life lately is sitting on the couch, re-watching Heated Rivalry with Dunkin snuggled next to me. Regulation, indeed.
We miss our girl, though.
Book I’m Looking Forward To
June is a huge month for new books and, of course, new gay books. Around here we believe in reading queer lit all year long, but I’m always curious to see what titles publishers will spotlight during pride month.
Charity & Sylvia is the story of a real life openly lesbian couple who survived and thrived in 19th century Vermont told in the form a graphic novel by the brilliant Tillie Walden.
I love gorgeous graphic novels. I love lesbians. I love Vermont. I’m in!!
Biggest Surprise
Yaya was our whole world. In her final days, our world became small enough to fit inside her tiny body. Imagine our surprise, then, to lift our heads above that fog and see that Yaya was loved and seen beyond anything we could have expected.
Above is a tribute to Yaya made by local author, Broadside customer turned friend who is, as you can see, a generous and talented artist. Another deeply gifted and creative friend created a cento poem and little book for Yaya made from my own words and photos. Oh and she’s already appearing in fiction!
To see our girl, and our wild love for her, reflected back to us, well it’s something I will never ever forget.
Thank you for your words of love and support, for checking in on Dunkin, for reminding us that there is more to the story.
I’m Still Learning
It’s so tempting to say “we are okay.” It’s so, so tempting to try to reassure the world and therefore myself that we are, in fact, okay. The truth is we aren’t okay. Yaya was our family and our grief is bigger than the sky. We aren’t okay and that’s okay. We will miss Yaya forever. She was a gift and our sadness is a gift. Thank you for making room for it.
I’m glad you’re here.
I love you.
Love,
Rosamond
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Love seeing Yaya in fiction! She stars in that story
Hello potato!! 🥔 And thank you, Rosemond, for alerting me to new Tillie Walden—I had no idea!