June Reading Recap
Midlife meditations, children on fire, colonial non-fairytales, and the job you didn't know I had
“In June as many as a dozen species may burst their buds on a single day. No man can heed all of these anniversaries; no man can ignore all of them.”
Whether Aldo Leopold, the early 20th-century conservationist and philosopher, intended his musings about June to be metaphorical or strictly literal, he certainly stumbled upon a layered observation.
Not only was the last month marked by the introduction of new fauna (pollen season is never-ending for us professional sneezers), it also brought a surplus of life events - sometimes a greater serving than my single heart could digest.
June was also a supreme moon cycle of reading. Though I didn’t finish every book I picked up (I just couldn't get into a female-centered mystery series that came recommended to me), I did find myself engrossed by a few winners.
Midlife Meditations
MORE: A Memoir of Open Marriage by Molly Roden Winter
ALL FOURS by Miranda July
Let me begin by stating, I love being in my 40s. This midlife moment is ripe in so many ways, and it’s especially gratifying to see it cracked open on the page, mined for all its weirdness and possibility.
I wrote about MORE a few weeks back as this book definitely challenged my ideas of what constitutes TMI in a memoir. Despite several parts that made me squeamish as I imagined Winter’s teenage sons reading them, I was riveted by the author’s journey, particularly her experience identifying what she wanted after so many years of pleasing others. In the end, she didn’t quite nail the self-growth arc I’d been expecting, but I appreciated the fascinating peek into polyamory nonetheless. As others have commented, this is a lifestyle underwritten by privilege: it takes time, money, and flexibility to juggle multiple relationships! And in no way is it for the faint of heart.
Not every book has me ignoring my family, reading furiously in the backseat down windy San Francisco streets, and talking to myself the whole way through, but ALL FOURS sure did. How to explain this book? On the surface, it’s about a road trip that ends 30 minutes from home. Beneath the surface, it’s a treatise on the expansive nature of middle age and the struggle to be fully seen as a woman, outside our roles. This NY Times profile on Miranda July is a great supplement to the book and a must-read for those dying to know how much of the book is autofiction.
On the topic of expansive middle-aged women, I loved Shannon Watts’ Substack piece, Hot Menopausal Woman Summer, which offers some other reading suggestions in the same vein. And on the topic of Shannon Watts herself, I proclaim Shannon a superhero among mortals and would love to see her win the Nobel Peace Prize (speaking this into hopeful manifestation).
For those who embrace weirdness
NOTHING TO SEE HERE by Kevin Wilson
For as much buzz as I’d overheard about this book, I honestly had no idea what it was about until I grabbed it off the shelf at the Bernal Heights Library. The jacket copy left me with one eyebrow raised,
“Lillian and Madison were unlikely roommates and yet inseparable friends at their elite boarding school. But then Lillian had to leave the school unexpectedly in the wake of a scandal and they've barely spoken since. Until now, when Lillian gets a letter from Madison pleading for her help.
Madison's twin stepkids are moving in with her family and she wants Lillian to be their caretaker. However, there's a catch: the twins spontaneously combust when they get agitated, flames igniting from their skin in a startling but beautiful way. Lillian is convinced Madison is pulling her leg, but it's the truth.”
Children catching on fire??? What the heck?! My binary brain apparently likes to know what world I’m about to be squatting in when I start a new book: reality or fantasy (and, preferably, the former). I wasn’t sure I could get on board with a story that asked me to suspend certain elements of reality, but as it turned out, this story enraptured me from the first chapter. Is it an allegory about queerness? About being different in general? Probably. Is it also wildly entertaining, moving, and funny? You bet your bottom it is.
Choose Your Own Adventure… Colonial Style
THE VASTER WILDS by Lauren Groff
The first word that comes to mind when I think of Lauren Groff? Literary (with a capital L). Oh, to spend an hour beneath her brilliant fingertips, spinning prose so masterful it’s akin to Charlotte and her miraculous web.
Needless to say, she does it again in THE VASTER WILDS, but not in a way I’ve ever seen done before. This roaming and ethereal prose follows a young girl trying to survive in the wilderness of the New World. I don’t know if I’ve ever expressly thought to myself, “Boy, am I glad I wasn’t an early colonist at Jamestown!” but it’s now a refraining thought as I remember the scenes in which our young narrator roasts baby squirrels, eats grubs by the handful, and runs naked fever-dreaming through the woods. Man, do I detest the modern world sometimes, but credit to all the creature comforts it provides!
And if her days in the wilderness sound bad, I can promise they’re trumped only by the misery of her old life in England and the horrific sea voyage to Jamestown (where she at least, mercifully, encountered a cute boy). I breathed anxious prayers throughout the story, skeptical but hopeful for the girl’s survival, and genuinely amazed that any of these early colonies ever came to sustain themselves.
But on that front, I’m a bit of an expert, having spent my sophomore year of college as a historical reenactor at Historic St. Mary’s City playing an indentured servant named Sibella Jackson.
And if you’re new to Lauren Groff’s work, may I recommend another piece that will live rent-free in your head for all of your days? Her short story, The Midnight Zone, is haunting. It’s about a mom and her kids staying in a remote cabin in Florida (Groff’s most popular subject), when… something bad happens, and they’re too far away to get help.
What’s In My Suitcase
Today we leave for more than four weeks up north and between me, my husband, our two kids, my mother, and our 65 lb island dog, there’s limited room in the car for luggage.
Packing light is not exactly my forte, especially when it comes to a month of reading, but here’s what I’ve managed to squish in:
REAL AMERICANS by Rachel Khong - A recent Read with Jenna book club pick that’s been getting great buzz.
THE SICILIAN INHERITANCE by Jo Piazza - Jo is one of my favorite people on Instagram and her latest novel is loosely inspired by a real family story!
IN COLD BLOOD by Truman Capote - Not much to say here, just another classic I somehow never read.
CROSSING TO SAFETY by Wallace Stegner - Recommended by dear friend Lee Woodruff, who proclaims it as one of her most beloved books.
Signing off from the car, so it’s au revoir for now! Look forward to sharing #lakelife updates with you in the weeks ahead.
What summer reads are you loving these days? Drop your recommendations in the comments!
I agree with Lee, Crossing to Safety is beautiful.
These are all fabulous looking reads! Enjoy your journey and vacation!