I used to blog. I used to blog frequently! But in recent years, that impulse has fallen away in favor of so many other pursuits: writing for money, journaling, obsessing about what I might write, yoga, writing for my book group, cycling, book reviews … The list could go on.
Recently I’ve worked on a couple of book recommendation lists, and I thought, why not share? Why not embrace the impulse to put something out into the world without overthinking it?
(Of course, I’ve thought about this for two weeks.)
So: A post. A list of book recommendations for a friend who took some time off between jobs and was enjoying Emily Henry and some historical fiction.
- Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson: Lillian cares for her former schoolmate’s two stepchildren, who often burst into flames. She’s trying to sort out what she’s doing with her life, and the kids are just trying to be kids while dealing with their unusual predicament. People often describe this novel as funny. It’s certainly odd, imaginative, but it didn’t strike me as funny. But I loved it. I cried (and that’s a good thing).
- Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead: I chose this one because of the historical fiction-ish novel Emma mentioned. Great Circle follows Marian Graves’ obsession with flight, a fascination that begins when she’s a kid and ultimately carries Marian around the world. Shipstead’s writing is vivid and well-researched without ever becoming pretentious. This one started slowly for me, but by page 100, I was hooked.
- Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi: I came to this one late, reading it for the first time in 2020–years after I saw Gyasi speak about it at an Aspen Words event! Gyasi follows the descendants of two half-sisters born in Ghana. Each chapter reads like a short story and could stand solo, but the book’s genius is the way these tales portray the generational effects of systemic racism.
- Goodbye for Now by Laurie Frankel: Gosh, I love Laurie Frankel’s books, especially this and “This is How It Always Is.” Sam meets his perfect match, Meredith, after he creates a brilliant algorithm for the dating company where they both work. Of course, that means the company’s members won’t return for continued membership, so Sam has the opportunity to find work elsewhere. After Meredith’s grandmother dies, Sam uses the algorithm to create a computer simulation that allows the two women to reconnect. The results are beautiful and heartbreaking. I wrote about this novel in much more detail for BookPage.