This Week In My Library: 9.21.23

siblings, first dates and the Watergate era

Life of a Bookman

Bookman: 1. a person who has a love of books and especially of reading. 2. a person who is involved in the writing, publishing, or selling of books. Oh, hi thats me!!

Scenes that still stir me: Lauren Groff's Fates and Furies is a hell of a read. It follows a marriage over the span of 24-years, and shines a light on what imperfect, creative partnerships look like. It kept me wondering. And turning the page. I covered my mouth in wait whattttt more than a few times as the stories of Mathilde and Lotto criss and crossed and unraveled and raveled again. This is the type of book that makes writers jealous, because it's just so well written and the characters so well done!!

A rare autobiography: Personal History by Katherine Graham is not the beast of a book I would usually run to read. But one time Warren Buffett recommended this book to a bunch of women he was speaking to, of whom I was one of them (while being interviewed by my former boss). Katherine was at the helm of the Washington Post during the era of The Pentagon Papers and Watergate. You might have watched The Post, where she's played by Meryl Streep...but have you read about this scandalous time in American media in her own words? I have, and I'm glad I did!

What I'm writing: This morning I rushed to do my last read of this week's 40-page submission of That Novel, blue sharpie in hand. I'm home visiting the fam, and within in a few minutes, my niece and nephew asked me to go play outside. I looked at the clock (I had one hour left). I looked down at the 38 pages that still needed to be marked up (which would take 90 minutes at least). And I looked over to their chunky cheeks and bright eyes holding the orange soccer ball..and I decided this submission was most definitely getting turned in a few hours late (sorry Julie!!). The grass was wet with dew and we aborted mission, but That Novel is still chugging along!

Women’s studies

What gets passed down becomes our history. A few for the canon: I've been delighting in dating content (for reasons I'll reveal soon!!). The New York Times had a list of 6 podcasts about the perils and joys of dating and I listened to a few. Excuse my Grandma stood out because a) I love old people b) I love when elders remind us that so much is different...but so much is the same.

Speaking of Dating Pods, both my sister and my sister-in-law told me about this segment on the radio called First Date Follow Up and turns out...it's also a podcast! I listened to my first 10-minute bit of radio hosts calling on behalf of a person who didn't get to a second date. I'll definitely be bingeing this *hilarious* showcase of one of my mom's favorite mantras growing up – here is, indeed, two sides to every story.

Pass it On

Stories are heirlooms. Here's one of mine: I'm one of four siblings, and we're all super close. Somehow, we made it through my childhood; them ganging up on me to call me “Thunder Thighs” and that “Mom even told them I was adopted.” (I wasn't). I've read before that your relationship to your siblings affects you more than even your parents, because you'll spend the most amount of time with siblings while growing up and they're often the longest relationship that you'll have in your life. People often ask me why or how we have stayed so close – and I know from many other siblings it is sure not a given. There's a lot I could get into about what went right, but it's also the emphasis my parents continue to place on bringing us together to create new and shared memories. Like, none of us are religious but we all showed up for the seton gala?? One busted his pants, one cleared out the black-jack table, one got a little too paddle-happy at the live auction. And I watched it all with utter awe and appreciation for my original loves.

xx