BOOKSMAXXING

She's Been Reading

stacked

Ninth Street Women - If slim, slips of books aren’t cutting it for you and you’re on the hunt for a read you can sink your teeth into, look no further. This is a tome. I actually gasped when I picked it up from the library. I could do bicep curls (I just started weight-training, please wish me luck) with this book. Yes, I know it’s gross to lead a book about women with its weight, but I’m a toxic millennial. Ninth Street Women follows the titular women - Lee Krasner, Elaine de Kooning, Grace Hartigan, Joan Mitchell, and Helen Frankenthaler - who opted to be artists themselves (instead of muses), in turn revolutionizing postwar American art. I’ve only just made a dent and I’m loving it so far - even if I can’t tell yet if I’ll be inspired or devastated that we’ve made little progress in championing women in creative spaces. Stay tuned!

Swanna In Love - This is a fucked up book that I couldn’t get enough of; it’s outrageously readable, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since finishing (shoutout to my friend Alyssa, who recommended it, then re-read it so we could discuss). Swanna is an overly precocious fourteen-year-old who, in the midst of her family unit disintegrating, decides to “seduce” an older man. It’s as if Lolita’s POV were reversed and written by a brilliant woman. Belle perfectly captures the feeling of know-it-all-ness, the desire to be seen, and having agency over your sexuality before you’re fully capable. It’s shocking without being aggressively provocative, very funny and you’re along for Swanna’s ride (even though you know it can’t end well) :/

The Hop (re-read) - I first read this on my honeymoon - I wanted a sexy, fun page-turner that wasn’t your average beach and this delivered. I spent many blissed out afternoons sprawled oceanfront, book in one hand, ice cold Red Stripe in the other. The Hop follows Kate, who flees her New Zealand trailer park beginnings for the lure of the American Dream - Nevada’s most prestigious brothel (whose alumni include an Oscar-winning movie star). In a world of OnlyFans, it’s a nuanced and subversive look at sex work and sexual agency (and a great companion read to Swanna).

American Spirits - anna dorn and I met through a mutual friend years ago and when she offered to send a copy of her latest novel, I jumped at the chance (ps: just learned about media mail, it’s my new love language). American Spirits follows Blue Velour, a Lana del Rey-coded niche pop icon grappling with the feeling of going mainstream (she’s hot off an Album of the Year win) and the cat-and-mouse game she begins playing with an obsessive fan. A modern-day Single White Female set within Reddit stan culture. It’s a sexy, hazy read that would pair perfectly with a chilled red and cheeky smoke on a sultry summer night.

Loved One - To call this book cute might come across as twee and patronizing, but it scratched an itch where rom-coms have been lacking. What starts out as a coming-of-age story quickly becomes an exploration of grief, told through the interweaving of two women’s lives as they mourn the death of the cult musician they both loved. It starts off in LA but zips over to London and Barcelona, so if a European adventure isn’t in the cards this summer, let this book be your escape.

Heart the Lover - Yes, I know everyone’s read it, but with good reason! This is a tender book about first loves and roads less traveled, the exquisite pain and beauty of outgrowing your youth and settling into middle age, with a love triangle(ish) thrown in for good measure. I don’t want to spoil the ending, but there’s a line in the last few pages of the book where the two leads hold hands that’s stuck with me and makes me feel a little wobbly every time I think about it. A good one to pick up if you’re itching to get back into reading but also want to wreck yourself emotionally.

Lost Lambs - I love a book filled with offbeat characters and LL delivers. I can’t take credit for this, but I saw a review deeming it “if Wes Anderson wrote Little Women,” and I think that perfectly encapsulates it. Charming, fun and I truly had no guesses how it’d end.

Up next (on my nightstand): The Martian Chronicles (re-read) - As mentioned in my Jackson Hole recap, I hadn’t thought about Ray Bradbury since seventh-grade English. But walking around in concentric circles around a house that looked like it’d been dropped in the middle of nowhere from outer space brought memories of those short stories rushing back. With a trip to Zion and Bryce coming up, I couldn’t think of a better time to re-read. I found my middle school copy (with my name written in block letters on the cover) and am prepared to have my mind blown all over again reading it from the future (the stories are set from 1999 to 2026). Can’t wait to see what pre-teen Perveen noted inside!

I’ve also heard that Lazar is a banger - if you’ve read or have any other recs you’re dying to share, please sound off in the comments below. My reading appetite is high right now and I’d like to keep it fed.

I also read this article by paige kershaw and found it very soothing. I have yet to implement it but it’s good to have something to aspire to, no?

While I have you, check out this interview I did with one of my dearest friends Katie Durko (give it some love/subscribe) <3

Yes all this reading has been an attempt to stay mostly offline, but I’ve somehow just discovered the Brita insta and I’d like a double dose of whatever that social media manager is on :)

Later freaks! xo