Still Reading

Thank you

Hey! You’re here. Thank you.

First, thank you so much for your generous and kind response to last week’s news about our dear Yaya. We loved her beyond measure and it’s really something to see how many others loved her too, even from afar. She was a little star, but of course you knew this.

never got over that tiny tongue

Life without Yaya still doesn’t feel real, but we are carrying on as best we can. Dunkin is being as brave as anyone and is carrying us all on his little back.

Somehow, we are still here. We’re drinking our coffee and noticing the birds. We’re watching basketball and going for walks. We’re crying in those transition moments where the empty dog bed on the couch hits us anew. We’re kissing the top of Dunkin’s heavy little head. We’re trying.

Somehow, too, I am reading. The world must have known I needed some reading wins because I finished two absolutely remarkable books. Can I tell you about them?

Remember when I wrote about the books I’m embarrassed I haven’t read yet? I read one! The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson is a modern classic for a reason and I’m so glad I finally made the time to read it. My Mom and I read it together and it’s been a highlight of my year. If you are like me and thick non-fiction is intimidating to you, you have nothing to fear in this masterful work of narrative nonfiction. Somehow Wilkerson gives the reader a rich, detailed history of the Great Migration woven into the stories of three different individuals who migrated to the north between 1937 and 1953. I was gripped from beginning to end and finished in awe of what Wilkerson accomplishes in these 640 pages. I listened to much of the book on audio and the narration by Robin Miles is excellent. Just an unforgettable reading experience.

Remember when I wrote about my most highly anticipated reads of 2026? I read one! It’s been a tough few days around here and getting lost in Ann Patchett’s new novel, Whistler (out June 2nd), was a solace and a gift. I went in knowing basically nothing beyond the name of the author on the front and Ann did not let me down.

Actually, before I cracked that spine I checked with a dear bookselling friend who had already read it to ask my one pressing question: does anything bad happen to that horse? The answer was no so I went in ready to be swept away, and I was not disappointed.

Ann Patchett is just a master of her craft. This is a small book about family, memory, and storytelling. I love a little book with little characters trying to figure out how to live a good life and this is just the best of the best. You really don’t need to know much else. There is a website where booksellers can leave reviews of upcoming releases and, as you can imagine, there are dozens and dozens of eloquent, smart reviews explaining why this book is so masterful. My addition? “Goddamn she is good.”

For me, this was absolutely a case of the right book in the right time. I needed to get lost in a good story. I needed to think a little about grief and death and love. I needed to be reminded that there is still some good out there. This book did all of that. I won’t tell you anything more but please know that there is a cameo from Ann Patchett’s beloved dog Sparky. Ann gets it.

We’re still here. We’re doing the best we possibly can. We miss Yaya endlessly.

We feel held and loved and seen by so many who loved her too.

Thank you for being here.

I love you.

Love,

Rosamond

If you enjoyed this particular newsletter, but a paid subscription isn’t possible: