I’m visiting my parents and friends back in the Ohio River Valley, and the Corgis are having the BEST time frapping around my parents’ backyard. There’s just something about sitting out on the porch with a good book that’s so peaceful. And, of course, there will be days of great audiobook listening as I explore the neighborhood, so today, I’m including two of my favorite audiobooks of all time. But first, let’s jump into bookish goods!
Bookish Goods
Audiobooks Count As Reading Sticker by Scarlet GiraffeeI love a great sticker, and this one makes my audiobook-loving heart so happy. $4 |
New Releases
The Tree Collectors: Tales of Arboreal Obsession by Amy StewartA tribute to the love of trees, The Tree Collectors tells the stories of people completely obsessed with trees in one way or another. Amy Stewart’s love of nature shines through every story, encouraging readers to find a new appreciation for the beauty and ingenuity of the everyday tree. |
Docile: Memoirs of a Not-So-Perfect Asian Girl by Hyeseung SongIn her new memoir, Hyeseung Song shares her experience growing up in Texas as the daughter of Korean immigrants. While her father constantly dreams of making it big, her mother resents the direction her life has taken, far too often taking it out on her ever-watchful daughter. |
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
Let’s Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny LawsonRight after I graduated college, I realized my deteriorating health meant that I wouldn’t be able to do that job I’d been training for. In that mourning process, I discovered Jenny Lawson. In her first memoir, Let’s Pretend This Never Happened, Lawson describes her quirky family, sharing stories about her dad’s obsession with taxidermy and her husband’s baptism-by-fire sort of introduction to her family. She strikes the perfect balance between describing the challenges she’s faced and the beautiful parts of life that make it all worth it. Lawson is both chronically and mentally ill, and she weaves that experience throughout her memoir and her following book, Furiously Happy and Broken (in the Best Possible Way). Reading about her wild family and the everyday things in life that brought her joy helped me process my own chronic illness and realize that, even though there are a lot of difficult things that we all experience as human beings, there’s also so much joy out there. |
We Are Never Meeting in Real Life by Samantha IrbyWhen I discovered Samantha Irby’s essays, I knew almost immediately that I had discovered a new-to-me favorite writer. Irby’s essays are both hilarious and emotionally impactful. Like Lawson, Irby has an incredible talent for using humor to process the difficult things in her life. She first started writing as a blogger, sharing everything from takes on TV shows to fashion critiques, all with her incredible narrative voice. I especially appreciate her perspective as someone with chronic illness. There’s a certain kind of dark humor that thrives in our communities that I can never get enough of. While We Are Never Meeting in Real Life is my favorite, I also love Meaty and Wow, No Thank You. Whichever collection you choose, you are sure to have a good time. |
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That’s it for this week! You can find me over on my substack Winchester Ave, over on Instagram @kdwinchester, on TikTok @kendrawinchester, or on my podcast Read Appalachia. As always, feel free to drop me a line at [email protected]. For even MORE bookish content, you can find my articles on Book Riot.
Happy reading, Friends!
~ Kendra
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