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Books, books, books, so many boooooooooksss

Abby Rasminsky

Nov 1, 2022

Well, hi, hi! Over the last 3+ years, I’ve done so many casual book roundups, but it’s been…a while since the last one?

If you’re new, here are the old lists (still good, if we share book taste, of course—scroll down to the bottom of the link for various lists from 2019-2021). There are literally hundreds of books here, so dive in and see what might work for you.

Of course, this is all totally and completely subjective! Just a few I’ve read lately, not a complete list! Read what you love! Always!

With no further ado—

Books I’ve read recently + think you might enjoy:

Separation Anxiety by Laura Zigman

My God, it’s hard to be a person. Marriages fail, kids grow up, friends die. And yet there’s so much humor in this wonderful book. I first read it during the pandemic in some sort of fugue state and had to revisit it to really feel the heft of it, and was it ever worth it.

Flight by Lynn Steger Strong

Three siblings (and their families) get together over Christmas for the first time since their beloved mother has died. Three days in upstate New York in the snow! With so much family tension and drama and love! I inhaled it.

Olga Dies Dreaming by Xochilt Gonzalez

Set in New York City in the wake of Hurricane Maria, a brother and sister navigate their complicated family pasts and how to move forward with so many secrets holding them hostage. Beautifully immersive, incredible story telling, much fascinating political histories. Loved it.

Lucy By the Sea by Elizabeth Strout

Really you should read all the Lucy Barton books, starting with My Name is Lucy Barton, but you can really start anywhere. The most delicate prose, the most sensitive eye for the big and small things of life. This is a pandemic book that brings you right back to the fear and uncertainty of those early days, and the surprises that can emerge out of a life that’s been upended.

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

Yes, everyone has read it already? But maybe you haven’t? What does it take to build a creative partnership — and a friendship and a business and a sustaining love — over decades? One of the most immersive reads I’ve had in a long, long while.

The Collected Poems of Lucille Clifton

Obviously I’ve not read the whole thing yet — it’s, like, 700 pages — but her poems are one tiny gorgeous thing after another.

The Hours by Michael Cunningham

I first read this in college and then again at some point maybe 15 years ago? If you’ve read Mrs. Dalloway, this one is particularly moving, but also exquisite in its own right. Three women in three different eras and locations navigate living and dying (and what it means to be a woman). The language alone makes it worth the read.

The Swimmers by Julie Otsuka

Such a deep, meditative, heart-wrenching book about loss. Told first in the collective “we” — and then in second person — The Swimmers dives deep into a community of swimmers at the local pool. When the pool is shut down, we hone in on one in particular: Alice, who is beginning to lose hold of her mind.

In the Kid Department (age 9ish)

Noa blasted through all of Kelly Yang’s Front Desk books, Grace Lim’s Dumpling Days and Lauren Myracle’s series, which begins with Ten. Now she’s exploring the Friends series. We both loved Holly Goldberg Sloan & Meg Wolitzer’s To Night Owl From Dogfish, and of course all the middle grade Judy Blumes (no Are you There God…yet!)