6 books from January you might like
Early Morning Riser - Katherine Heiny
A bittersweet but mostly joyful story of the way it feels to be both suffocated and happy in a small town in the midwest, and the complicated ways we can define “family.” I really like Katherine Heiny’s writing style; she’s often laugh-out-loud funny.
Let’s Get Physical - Danielle Friedman
The history of women in fitness overlaid with the history of women’s role in society and culture, and the way in which how society understands the purpose of a woman’s body overlaps with the way women have taken control of our bodies. Topics include jogging, Jazzercise, Jane Fonda, weight lifting, and more — I LOVED this book (although admittedly, as a compulsive exerciser with a love for cultural histories, it’s my exact sweetspot.)
Fiona & Jane - Jean Chen Ho
Sort of a novel, sort of short stories about two young Taiwanese American women growing up in LA, figuring out grief and sexuality and identity and friendship. Not a lot happens but a lot ~happens~.
Olga Dies Dreaming - Xochitl Gonzalez
Olga is a fancy wedding planner for the rich and famous of NYC; her brother, Prieto, is the former city councilmember and current congressman for Sunset Park, where they grew up. Olga and Prieto’s mom abandoned them to live as a radical Puerto Rican activist; their father died as a junkie. All of their lives intersect as Olga finds love, Prieto’s secret comes into the light, and hurricanes are about to wreck Puerto Rico. This book hit all my overlapping interests of love stories, NYC politics, and deep questions about what happens to the people left behind when someone sacrifices everything for a cause.
Weather Girl - Rachel Lynn Solomon
Ari Abrams, meteorologist, and Russell Barringer, sports reporter, are each struggling at work because their respective bosses at their Seattle TV station are divorced and fighting non-stop. Ari and Russell decide to team up and get their bosses back together to make their work life a little easier. There’s some sweet romance, a little bit of Judaism, and a fun second-chance-at-love B plot.
I Came All This Way To Meet You - Jami Attenberg
A poetic-ish not quite chronological memoir of the creative process, making a living as a writer, and the way sometimes the art you make (or work you do) can become your home.
For the full reading list, you can check out this spreadsheet!