Quarter One Reads

yes, maybe, just no.

Hey! You’re here! Thank you.

How are you doing? Are you in a post-March Madness funk? I am. *sob*

The eclipse was cool, but not as cool as the thrill I got watching the world get as excited over women’s basketball as I have always been.

I did like all the pictures people shared of their dogs wearing eclipse glasses though… safety first!

Also Dawn Staley standing up as a trans ally on the biggest stage?! Now that’s a champion. Protect her and her dog, Champ, at all costs.

heroes

Anyways, let’s talk about books! People keep writing them! Can you believe it?

We made it through the first quarter of this year and I’ve read 27 books so far. I thought it might be fun to play a little game with them that I’m calling Yes, Maybe, and Just No.

I sorted the books I’ve read so far into three categories - the books that yes you absolutely should read no matter what, go read them already, the books that maybe you might like, and the books that if you picked them up I would gently shake my head and say, just no.

Spoiler alert and haters beware, there are only two pure just no books on this list. I’m still learning how to talk about and be critical of the books I don’t like, but I am learning from the best -

Traci Thomas

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for some of the best out there.

YES

• Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar - Read it. A debut! By a poet! Want to know why you should read it? Ask

  Laura Sackton
  . She will set you straight. But not straight straight because it’s all very gay.

• Interesting Facts About Space by Emily Austin - It’s gay & weird & dark & funny. Read for a window into life as a lesbian with mental illness. Or if that describes you (hi, same), read to be validated as hell. A true window/door situation.

• The Wild Iris by Louise Glück - A poetry collection that won the Pulitzer prize the year I was born. Snowdrops! And more. Do it.

• Master Slave Husband Wife by Ilyon Woo - The New York Times said this was one of the best books of 2023 and for once they are right!! I concur, fancy book people, I concur.

• The Pairing by Casey McQuiston - YES! READ IT! IT’S SO GAY & SMUTTY. The one caveat is that if open door romance is not your thing (wide open!!!) maybe skip this one. But guys it’s so good.

• Time is a Mother by Ocean Vuong - One of my favorite poetry collections. This was a re-read for me and I hope to read it every year. It’s that good.

• There There by Tommy Orange - Another re-read I will never tire of returning to. A modern classic.

• Sandwich by Catherine Newman - Out June 18th! This is the book of the summer. Read it on the beach. You will laugh and cry over your sandy sandwich that tastes a little like sunscreen. There is a cat named chicken. Big yes.

• Grief is For People by Sloane Crosley - This memoir inspired me to write this. It moved me deeply and I am grateful for it.

• Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe - The people who want to ban this book are right - it’s really fucking powerful. Read to resist the bigots and homophobes. Read it because it’s just very good. They don’t want us to read it, and there is a reason.

• James by Percival Everett - YEP YES YEP UH HUH. This is the novel of the year I am convinced. I’ve never read anything like it. My favorite reading experience, maybe ever. It’s brilliant and accessible and those pages turn. Everyone is going to be talking about this one.

• There’s Always This Year by Hanif Abdurraqib - Hanif is always a yes. This is a meditation on basketball, home, memory, and grief. It reads like one long prose poem. There’s nothing like it.

MAYBE

• Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins - Maybe, if you are like me and are sometimes overcome with nostalgia for early 2000s YA hits. They don’t let you down.

• Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan - Maybe, if you want a short book that’s cozy and poignant and heavy on vibes.

• Erasure by Percival Everett - Maybe, if you are ready for very smart satire that doesn’t fuck around. Either way, definitely read James, too.

• We The Animals by Justin Torres - Maybe, if you are into queer coming of age literature and examinations of masculinity and complicated, beautiful families.

• Drunk on Love by Jasmine Guillory - Maybe, if you like straight romance and dream of a vacation in the Napa Valley. As always, Guillory’s female characters are engaging and interesting and loveable. I couldn’t get into the man in this one but that might be a me problem.

• The Lying Game by Ruth Ware - Maybe, if you like kinda basic British thrillers. I wasn’t obsessed, but I was definitely curious enough to keep turning those pages.

• Viral Justice by Ruha Benjamin - Maybe, if you want a broad overview of intersectional resistance and ways that everyday people can use their own gifts and talents to resist oppression and build a better world.

• Shiny Misfits by Maysoon Zayid - Maybe, if you are interested in kid lit, definitely pick up this middle grade graphic novel. It’s by a Palestinian author and the depictions of disability, friendship, and girlhood feel fresh, important and new. Plus there is a great teacher character who is absolutely over it and I loved her.

• Wandering Stars by Tommy Orange - Maybe, if you read and loved There There, you simply must read Orange’s follow up. His attention to and care for these characters is beautiful to witness.

• Interior Chinatown by Charles Yu - Maybe, if you are into satire and take downs of racism in Hollywood. Also if you are into novels that play with form and National Book Award winners! Strongly recommend reading with a friend or conversation partner. I liked but didn’t love this one, although I loved discussing it with my book club pals.

• Antiquity by Hanna Johansson - Maybe, if you are into hot, claustrophobic vibes, no plot whatsoever, and lesbians making poor, morally questionable, just terrible choices

• Orbital by Samantha Harvey - Maybe, if you like the idea of no plot, just people in space.

  Sara Hildreth
  of Fiction Matters said this novel was like if Virginia Woolf wrote sci-fi and I can’t think of a better description. Great post-eclipse reading!

• You are Here: Poetry in the Natural World edited by Ada Limón - Maybe, if you want a poetry collection with a wide variety of styles and forms or if you want to push the boundaries of the traditional (read: white) “Nature Poem.”

  

JUST NO

• Just as You Are by Camille Kellogg - If you are going to write a queer Pride & Prejudice retelling the bar simply could not be higher. I can’t settle for mid and this novel was aggressively mid. The characters felt one-dimensional and the references to queer culture felt spoon fed for a straight audience. It’s incredible to see so many queer romances on the market today, but we simply cannot lower the bar. There are better ones out there.

• Just the Nicest Couple by Mary Kubica - This thriller was just not it. The characters are just…. silly?! The twist came right at the end and was.. dumb?! Listen, I went in hoping for a fun, predictable ride about basic white people making poor choices. I knew what I was getting into and I might even do it again. But still, for your sake, just no.

Okay, these dogs are tired of me.

Tell me please, what are your yes books so far this year? And haters to the front, what your just no books?

We have so many good books left to read and we haven’t even met them yet. I can’t wait.

Drink some coffee. Drink some water. Drink some more coffee.

Say hi to a dog.

Be as good to yourself as you possibly can.

I love you.

Love,

Rosamond