Tea Library Book Stacks #5
Surviving cults, grief, AI, and perimenopause
As someone who mostly uses the library for books, I’m at the mercy of my holds list when it comes to timing. Because of that, I’m often reading backlist titles that were huge in the past. I’m late to the game on several of these books, but that didn’t make me enjoy them any less.
By the numbers
Books read since March: 12
Nonfiction: 6
Fiction: 5
Poetry: 1
Audio: 3
Nonfiction
Mattering by Jennifer Breheny Wallace
This book is a great reminder of why we matter and why it matters to take care of our relationships. I read this directly after Theo of Golden and loved it as a nonfiction companion text to that heartwarming story.
Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage by Belle Burden
People were all up in arms about this book (loved it or hated it), and I thought it was…fine? It was an interesting story about one woman’s experience losing her husband. While many argued that she downplayed her wealth and overplayed her misfortune, I’d argue that none of that matters. She had a husband who treated her like shit, and she told her story. People of all wealth levels experience heartbreaking ends to relationships…does their wealth mean it should hurt less?
The New Perimenopause: An Evidence-Based Guide to Surviving the Zone of Chaos and Feeling Like Yourself Again by Dr. Mary Claire Haver, MD
Get in losers, we’re going through perimenopause. And while the symptoms are less than desirable, Mean Girls jokes make me feel better about it. The other thing that helps is knowledge. Dr. Haver’s book was eye opening for me, and I was lucky to hear her talk about it live in Kansas City a few months back. If you’re a 35+ year old woman or a support system for one (looking at you, husbands and partners), pick up this book to learn more about the changes in your body. It’s like the puberty book your mom put on your bed when you were 12, except more helpful and less embarrassing.
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
I listened to this book after two recommendations. Can you believe I’ve never read any Joan Didion before this? This was a heartwrenching and true account of losing her husband and daughter, and what life was like for her during and after the experience. I appreciated her honesty and vulnerability to share such personal and private emotions. This book made me feel like a fly on the wall of Joan’s life.
I was the perfect age to watch Girls when it first came out. I was in my twenties and trying to figure it out just like Hannah and her friends (although they were much cooler than me). Famesick gave me a front-row seat to the backstage drama that I never knew was happening, including relationships, work challenges, and illness. Dunham is frank, funny, and mildly insufferable, just the way we love her.
Write for Money and Power: The Anti-Starving Artist’s Guide to Becoming a Seven-Figure Writer by Amy Suto
I picked this up during a $0.99 presale. Amy is a financial success in terms of making a career from writing, so I figured I’d learn a thing or two from her. The title is a bit clickbaity (is that a thing in books?), but some of the content was genuinely helpful and valuable. Now here’s where it gets sticky (minor spoiler)—she tells you partway through the book that she used AI to help write it. She describes her reasoning for that and gives an argument for why this is not only ok but desirable in some cases. I finished the book feeling conflicted. I do get the point she was making, even if I don’t necessarily agree with it.
Fiction
I loved this cult-survivor story of a woman recounting her childhood. It was suspenseful, but not in a way that you couldn’t read it before bed. I continue to love watching Olivia’s author journey—so inspiring!
Erika’s debut novel was a fun, quick read for anyone like me who watches When Harry Met Sally on a regular basis. This was a classic romance arc, and I mean that in a lovely and comforting way. I love a book I can read over a weekend. Looking forward to more from this author.
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
Tom Lake is on SO many people’s list of favorite books. Please don’t crucify me, but I didn’t love it. I listened to the audiobook—maybe a mistake—and I was so distracted by the fact that it was Meryl Streep (who I love) telling the story. I may also be tainted by the fact that I had to see Our Town for a college class, and I found it incredibly boring despite the fact that I ended up sitting next to my good friend’s extremely attractive brother.
Yesteryear by caro claire burke
This was another audio fail for me. I was so intrigued by this story, but I had such a hard time following what world I was in over audio. Friends who read the actual book noted that italics helped differentiate between thoughts and words—something that was nearly indistinguishable over audio. I’ll be excited to see the movie once it’s adapted.
The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
I’ll admit it—I’m a sucker for an older main character. This book had not just one, but a whole group of quirky older characters to keep me entertained. Solving murders from their community room at their retirement home, this cast apparently has many more adventures for me to uncover in the rest of the series. I also need to check out the movie adaptation on Netflix—has anyone seen it?
Poetry
The Size of Your Joy by Elise Powers
Elise’s poetry is a breath of fresh air. We need more joy in the world, and she delivers.
Current & Next Up
Hail Mary by Andy Weir: The ultimate backlist title. I’ve been avoiding the movie until I can finish this.
Little Wonder by Sophie Chen Keller: Listening now on audio. Oprah’s usually not wrong.
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Hey Kelly! Thanks for reading Write for Money and Power. Totally understand the conflicted feeling -- there's a lot to think about and mull over for each of us when it comes to how AI impacts our careers, but where I live here in San Francisco it's been cool to see how valued writers actually are, even in a place where lots of AI tools are used.
Quick fun fact for a talk I'm preparing for -- unemployment rates for philosophers are actually much lower than software engineers lately, and tech-forward companies are hiring storytellers to better navigate what it means to think creatively.
Anyways just some recent thoughts -- these tools are becoming ubiquitous, but that's making creative thought more valuable.
Sending you good writing vibes!
I read Didion’s magical thinking a few years back after my grandmother died, and felt less alone in my grief.
I agree with you about Tom Lake - everyone was in love with that book and so I bought it without reading the jacket and didn’t really like it 😬 which make me wonder what I was missing 🤷♀️