First: Thank you so much for the kind words and condolences on losing our dog, Sadie.
The muscle memory of dog ownership is really something — someone knocks on the door and the first instinct is check where the dog is before we open it. The urge to call “Sadie, crate!” when we’re getting ready to leave is right on the tip of my tongue. The apartment feels shockingly empty, even with two very loud very present kids running around.
We are just sad. I know this grief will pass with time, and we will absolutely be getting another dog at some point (feel free to send me any cute puppies you see in the tri-state area!), but man. It just sucks.
Since it’s May 1 (happy Mayday!) and I already wrote this week, today is a round-up of April book recs. There are some especially good ones this month!
Last Night in Brooklyn - Xochitl Gonzalez [ Amazon / Bookshop ]
One of my favorite writers does a twist on The Great Gatsby but with a community of Latino and Black New Yorkers in Fort Greene in spring 2007. There is so much glamour, optimism, Obama-era nostalgia, and New York affection (and history) in this. I read some of it sitting at a restaurant right near where it takes place, in a now very gentrified area, and it gave me some complicated feelings, as all good art does.
Famesick - Lena Dunham [ Amazon / Bookshop ]
Lena Dunham really is the voice of a generation. Her memoir about making Girls, becoming famous, her chronic illness, and the way fame warps your life is just SO GOOD. I’m told it’s an excellent audiobook, too. I loved this so much. She spills so much tea.
Cherry Baby - Rainbow Rowell [ Amazon / Bookshop ]
A hot messy romance about Cherry, whose marriage is falling apart after her husband wrote a comic that became a best seller that became a movie and he left for Hollywood to make it big. Cherry, meanwhile, is in Omaha still, dealing with the rumor mill, her soon-to-be ex-husband’s dog, her judgy sisters, and the college crush she never quite made it work with. There’s a lot about how Cherry feels about her weight/body that I thought was a little heavy-handed, but otherwise, a good enough read.
Yesteryear - Caro Claire Burke [ Amazon / Bookshop ]
Extremely hyped and somehow still not hyped enough. A trad-wife influencer wakes up and whoops, somehow it’s 1855 and she’s got to actually live like the time she’s idealized. This is propulsive, compelling, and with a twist at the end that truly lands the plane. I could not put this down. It’s as good as everyone tells you it is.
Annie Knows Everything - Rachel Wood [ Amazon / Bookshop ]
After getting laid off from her job in product, Annie maneuvers her way into a role on the data strategy team at a big tech company and whoops, her boss is really hot and charming. I sometimes have a tough time with workplace romances (don’t sleep with your boss!!) and her pretty egregious HR violations at the top irritated me, so that I found this charming and funny nonetheless tells you it’s pretty good.
Into the Blue - Emma Brodie [ Amazon / Bookshop ]
AJ and handsome Noah forge a bond as friends then acting partners and then get cast on a show together and fall in love — then Noah disappears. There’s some magical realism (kind of), some Hollywood stuff, some very charming romance, some longterm illness, a good dog, and a very sweet ending. Somehow this is a novel about improv that makes it seem not annoying — not an easy task!
The Force of Such Beauty - Barbara Bourland [ Amazon / Bookshop ]
Becca Freeman recommended this and she was right! Caroline, an Olympian, ends up married to a prince in a relationship that ultimately she tries to escape from. This is way more literary than I was expecting and very engrossing, especially as it questions what happens once you’ve achieved your goals. The end was verrrrrry sad. I liked it a lot!
Only Friends - Lydia San Andres [ Amazon / Bookshop ]
Mariel, an aspiring screenwriter, connects with a very handsome actor, Dash, who is happy to cosplay as a regal romance character in scenes she’ll write for Only Fans. (Go with it.) They fall for each other, things get complicated, etc, etc. Entertaining even as teh premise is quite silly!
Lost Lambs - Madeline Cash [ Amazon / Bookshop ]
Ugh, this book. I read this for book club and if it hadn’t been for that, I wouldn’t have finished it. It’s about a couple who opens up their marriage and the ramifications of that for their three daughters while they solve a a zany/wild mystery. It’s the novel equivalent of scrolling through TikTok. I didn’t really like that sensation, but it’s objectively very good writing and occasionally very very funny.
For other books recs:
When We’re in Charge is my leadership book for millennials and gen Z trying to do things differently. Pick up a copy in any format you’d like — hardcover, e-book, or audio book (narrated by yours truly) anywhere you get books, including Amazon or Bookshop.org or literally anywhere else. If you have Spotify Premium, you can listen to for free right this very minute. It’ll be out in paperback in September.
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.