Hello,
Another month has passed and it has been a heavy, devastating one. Sending love to you all.
I’ll start this edition of my monthly favorites with a photo of my sister’s dog Toad. He’s wearing the pumpkin bandana I bought him (like the good dog-aunt I am):
READS:
Roaming by Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki — this one’s a stunning graphic novel that tells the story of two high school best friends reuniting in New York City during their first college spring break. The illustrations and color palette in this book are beautiful, but what struck me the most was how the story so perfectly captured the strangeness of growing pains specific to long-term friendships.
Neema Githere Siphone’s new substack, but particularly yesterday’s newsletter, “Grief’s Many Faces.” This quote (yes, it’s a whole paragraph) made me sigh with both relief and recognition:
“Grief, for me, is something that sends me to the depths in every dimension. Sometimes it manifests as getting lost in the spiritual plane. Sometimes it looks like paralysis. And sometimes, it looks like it did this week: writing ferociously because the thoughts and feelings swirling in my mind felt so intense that I had no choice but to get them out—realizing after 3 days of reading and writing and digesting information, that I had forgotten to take a shower. Grief looks like forcing myself to stop reading news and sitting in the bathtub and realizing that I feel guilty for taking care of myself. Grief looks like having to resist the temptation to dissolve into that guilt by neglecting my well-being, while honoring the flood as it takes shape. Grief looks like working through all of that in private because it’s realest there, and in public because sharing works to loosen the grip of shame and stigma.”
The Guest by Emma Cline. This book follows 20-year-old Alex as she wanders (and grifts) her way across an unnamed fancy beach town outside of New York City. I was stressed the whole time and enjoyed the hell out of it.
Decodependence: A Romantic Tragicomic by Lila Ash. I read this illustrated memoir in one sitting. The book showcases the author’s journey navigating codependency in her relationships. The artwork is lovely, the storytelling is intimate and raw, and the ending feels hopeful.
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