On Collections
I was watching a recent Answer in Progress video and was enthralled by an idea Sabrina Cruz mentioned while explaining why we keep buying books we don’t read.
What she said in the first two minutes resonates with me so much.
And now I can’t help but wonder if the thing compelling me to keep buying more books isn’t actually the desire to read them, but the desire to be the person I was when I read more. A kid who didn’t have to worry about groceries or taxes.
Whenever I get stuck in a reading rut, I go back to the classics of my childhood. I’ll opt for a graphic novelization of a favorite, such as Hope Larson’s take on Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time, or find a copy of Winnie-the-Pooh or A Bear Called Paddington I initially bought for the kids that has since been cracked open to feel the comfort I did as a child reading it without worldly responsibilities.
I know I buy books when I’m feeling curious, intellectual, sad, or scared. I buy books for my kids, for my friends, for my family. I read books to support small businesses and to partake in the Trans Rights Readathon. I buy and I read, I read and I buy, and I create community and lists of books in hopes that you, dear reader, also read and buy books of your own.
As with every month, here is the list of books and things that make us happy from our recent book club event.
Books We’re Currently Reading (or Recently Finished):
(sorted by author’s last name)
The Long Run by James Acker
Chain Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas
Hook, Line, and Sinker by Tessa Bailey
The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
The Windsor Knot by SJ Bennett
The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
What the Dead Know: Learning about Life as a New York City Death Investigator by Barbara Butcher
Central Places by Delia Cai
The Mirror Crack’d from Side to Side: A Miss Marple Mystery by Agatha Christie
The Gift: 14 Lessons to Save Your Life by Edith Eger
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds by David Goggins
The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins
Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman
We Are Okay by Nina Lacour
This American Ex-Wife: How I Ended My Marriage and Started My Life by Lyz Lenz
The Carrying: Poems by Ada Limón
Consider Me by Becka Mack
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna
What Lies in the Woods by Kate Alice Marshall
Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
My Grandmother’s Hands: Radicalized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies by Resmaa Menakem
Know My Name: A Memoir by Chanel Miller
Summer Romance by Annabel Monaghan
Owner of a Lonely Heart: A Memoir by Beth Nguyen
Ghosts of the Tsunami: Death and Life in Japan’s Disaster Zone by Richard Lloyd Parry
The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters
Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult
Things We Hide from the Light by Lucy Score
The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
Sandy Hook: An American Tragedy and the Battle for Truth by Elizabeth Williamson
Books We’d Gift Everyone We Met:
(sorted by author’s last name)
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Extreme Punishment by Steven B. Epstein
Like a Mother: A Feminist Journey Through the Science and Culture of Pregnancy by Angela Garbes
The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9/11 by Garrett M. Graff (audiobook version)
The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life, Freedom, and Justice by Anthony Ray Hinton
All About Love by bell hooks
To Shake Thy Sleeping Self: A Journey from Oregon to Patagonia, and a Quest for a Life with No Regret by Jedidiah Jenkins
George & Martha by James Marshall
Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed
101 Essays that Will Change the Way You Think by Brianna Wiest
Things I Am Looking Forward To journal
Our Favorite Books:
(sorted by author’s last name)
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas
Heart Berries: A Memoir by Terese Marie Mailhot
Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne
The Diary of Anaïs Nin by Anaïs Nin
The Long Goodbye by Meghan O’Rourke
Coop: A Year of Poultry, Pigs, and Parenting by Michael Perry
The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
The Dear America series
Things We’re Enjoying:
Target’s Favorite Day seasonal whipped cream flavors and sprinkles on coffee
Madison Circus Space’s Rage Becomes Us show
A baguette from Batch with a ton of different spreads
Caitlyn Minimalist necklaces
Hamel Music Center concerts
Spotify Daylists
Plan for painting cabinets
Kids growing up and the unbridled joy of childhood
Surprising family
Book Clubs and socializing
Reading Goodnight Moon each night with kids
Upcoming Events:
(next book club events in bold)
Wednesday, April 17 at 6:00: April Meetup at Forward Craft & Coffee
Tuesday, April 23 at 12:00: Lunch for Libraries fundraising event presenting Tommy Orange at the Monona Terrace, tickets range from $125 to $175
Friday, May 10 at 7:00: Erik Larson at Community Christian Church Plainfield in Plainfield, IL presented by Anderson’s Bookshops
Tuesday, May 21 at 6:00: May Meetup at Northstreet
Thursday, May 23 at 7:00: Ada Limón at Overture Center of the Arts
Friday, May 31 at 7:00: Madison Circus Space Presents Wonder Circus
Thursday, June 20 at 6:00: June Meetup at Memorial Union Terrace