Shelf Life: My Top 5 Reads Right Meow
we are never meeting in real life by Samantha Irby
Samantha Irby is my favorite living humor writer. This collection of essays made me cry laughing to the point that I had to move to a different room because my laughter was shaking the bed and keeping my husband awake late at night. Irby’s essays about life, pop culture, dating etc are so relatable and poignant, reading them made me wish Irby and I were best friends. Maybe someday we will meet in real life, but until then I am looking forward to her next book due out in March of this year. Check out Irby's blog bitchesgottaeat.blogspot.com for more of her humor.
Bossypants by Tina Fey
I’ve been meaning to read this book for years and finally cracked it open. First of all, Tina Fey is brilliant and shame on me for letting this one go unread for so long. The magic, for me, is Fey’s ability to be confident and self-deprecating, powerful and vulnerable all at once. Her stories will make you laugh as much as they will make you think about the world, the patriarchy, and the tricky business of being a powerful woman. I love this book so much it might stay on my nightstand forever.
Sober Curious by Ruby Warrington
I quit drinking back in July as part of a detox diet I did with my husband. The experience made me think a great deal about the huge role alcohol plays in the lives of women my age. This is a great read for anyone who has thought about quitting, but couldn’t quite pull the trigger. Rather than a book about addiction (Warrington does not consider herself to be an alcoholic), Sober Curious highlights the surprising physical and emotional gifts sobriety offers.
Three Women by Lisa Taddeo
I picked this book for my book club a few months ago after reading a sample on iBooks when I couldn’t sleep one night. And for the most part, I couldn’t put it down. Taddeo’s writing is gorgeous and the intimate stories of the three women she followed for eight years before writing the book are as scintillating as they are sad. I couldn’t help but feel a connection to all three of Taddeo’s subjects, if only because we have shared the experience of growing up in a world dominated by male desire. Three Women is marketed an examination of female sexuality and to some extent that description is problematic. The subjects Taddeo followed were not diverse (all three women were white and heterosexual), and the sexual experiences described in the book were mostly tragic and abusive. As for my book club, opinions of Three Women varied, but the discussion for this one was on fire.
Tracing the Desire Line by Melissa Matthewson
I first fell in love with Melissa Matthewson after hearing her read while we were students in grad school and I am lucky to call her my friend. As a humor writer, I’ve always envied her ability to write about sex and this book didn’t disappoint. Tracing the Desire Line is an exploration of monogamy and desire, following Matthewson’s journey of opening her marriage with her husband. The stories are as lyrical as they are raw, as heartbreaking as they are delicious. And while the experiment of opening her marriage doesn’t go smoothly, Matthewson never shies away from writing about it honestly. A great read for anyone who’s ever wondered, “Is this all there is?”