Books Are My People Weekly Newsletter
out today, paperback releases and more!
Let Me Help You Discover Books You Might Not Otherwise Read! You can learn more about me by visiting my introductory post here.
Dear Reader,
I spent the last few weeks struggling to concentrate on any type of reading, but I finally hit my stride last week, mostly through the help of audiobooks. I’ve been thinking about The Book Eaters, where people consume books in order to retain the knowledge inside them and right about now, I wish I had that superpower! Life has definitely been a bit of a balancing act lately, but when things get stressful, books and art keep me sane. So thanks for coming along on my bookish journey!
My latest podcast dropped last week with Nayantara Roy. Listen to the podcast here. The nicest holiday gift you could give me is to rate my show wherever you listen. It takes just a few seconds and helps other people find out about my podcast, and podcast growth motivates me to continue producing new episodes!
BOOK COVER CHAT AND DRAW: Last week, we had a lovely session talking about the books we’re reading and loving while painting and drawing book covers. Here are just two of the amazing works of art produced during this session!
and
painted Paintings in the Musee D’Orsay by Robert Rosenbaum.If you’re not already following Maria and Jennifer, give them a follow!
Books Are My People paying subscribers exercised their right to vote and selected our February Read With Me pick! Faces in the Crowd by Valeria Luiselli. You can join us by upgrading your subscription. (154 pages, published in 2014.)
Poor Things by Alasdair Gray is our Book-to-Film selection for November here on Substack. We’ll be reading the book, watching the Lanthimos film or both (you choose) and then having a discussion at the end of November / beginning of December. Members, you’ll get a survey about what time works best to meet on Thursday.
Come join us by upgrading your subscription.
You can pop in for a month and check it out or join for the year at a discount. Refer three friends who sign up and get a month free!
I am giving away one paperback copy of THE NEW NATURALS by Gabriel Bump. I read this when it was first published and loved it. In it, Rio, a young Black woman deals with the loss of her infant. She craves safety and security and with the help of her husband, Gibraltar, she constructs a literal underground society that aims to be an inclusive utopia. But is the perfect society possible? The book explores issues of race, class and the human condition.
To Enter: Simply make sure you’re following me on Instagram and leave a comment and subscribe to this newsletter. This giveaway will close on Wednesday, November 27th and I will contact the winner on November 29th. Open to U.S. mailing addresses only.
The best way you can support this newsletter is to click on the books below and purchase them through my Bookshop.org affiliate store. A portion of your spending goes to independent bookstores! A win-win-win! (You win, I win, indie bookstores win!)
Books Out Today: (I’ve starred the ones I’ve read)
Time of the Child by Niall Williams
For fans of Irish feel-good holiday book lovers:
In the Advent season of 1962, as the town readies itself for Christmas, Doctor Troy and his eldest daughter, Ronnie’s lives are turned upside down when a baby is left in their care. As the winter passes, father and daughter's lives, the understanding of their family, and their role in their community are changed forever.
The City and Its Uncertain Walls by Haruki Murakami
For literary fantasy lovers with librarian protagonists: We begin with a nameless young couple: a boy and a girl, teenagers in love. One day, she disappears . . . and her absence haunts him for the rest of his life. Thus begins a search for this lost love that takes the man into middle age and on a journey between the real world and an other world - a mysterious, perhaps imaginary, walled town where unicorns roam, where a Gatekeeper determines who can enter and who must remain behind, and where shadows become untethered from their selves.
The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Loved Braiding Sweetgrass? Kimmerer considers the ethic of reciprocity that lies at the heart of the gift economy. How, she asks, can we learn from Indigenous wisdom and the plant world to reimagine what we value most? Kimmerer is donating her advance payments from this book as a reciprocal gift, back to the land, for land protection, restoration, and justice.
*My Heart Belongs in an Empty Big Mac Container Buried Beneath the Ocean by Homeless
Humorous, heartfelt, and endearing, with the help of a wayward sad-looking blue whale, Daniel steals his ex's boat and he and the whale set off into the ocean. But once out on the water, things don't go as planned and they soon become stranded. This is the story of a young man facing depression head on, and learning to find beauty and hope in a life mired by mental illness.
Cher: The Memoir, Part One by Cher
For Cher fans. Obvs. As a dyslexic child who dreamed of becoming famous, Cher was raised in often-chaotic circumstances, surrounded by singers, actors, and a mother who inspired her in spite of their difficult relationship.Cher: The Memoir, Part One follows her extraordinary beginnings through childhood to meeting and marrying Sonny Bono--and reveals the highly complicated relationship that made them world-famous, but eventually drove them apart.
It is a life too immense for only one book.
Paperback Releases:
Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano
For fans of Little Women: William Waters grew up in a house silenced by tragedy - so when he meets the spirited and ambitious Julia Padavano in his freshman year of college, it's as if the world has lit up around him. With Julia comes her family, as she and her three sisters are inseparable. When the darkness from William's past surfaces, it jeopardizes not only Julia's carefully orchestrated plans for their future, but the sisters' unshakeable devotion to one another.
I’ve been working on these large botanical pieces using collaged papers I’ve monoprinted and acrylic. It’s fun working big! These are 18 x 24 on 300 gsm paper. Reach out if you’re interested or want more images.
I hope you all have a wonderfully bookish week! What are you looking forward to reading on or off this list? Share below.
Books Are My People: A Podcast Companion Newsletter
(click here to listen to the most recent episode of my book recommendation podcast.)
And, if you haven't yet, the greatest gift would be to rate my show, wherever you listen!
UPDATED: December - I will be pausing Substack for the month of December in order to recharge. What does this mean for you? If you’re a paying subscriber, you won’t be charged for December. And there will be no paying subscriber activities. For free subscribers, this means no newsletters for the month of December. I WILL still be publishing my book recommendation podcast, Books Are My People during December. And business as usual will resume in January.
Love that Cher has an immense story to warrant a part 1!!! Thanks for sharing my artwork. I love the book drawings sessions. And I love your new mono prints.