20 Comments

I completely agree with your Marvel reference to Elizabeth Strout’s books! I don’t know anyone else who was as excited as me about Olive and Lucy (and Bob) being in one book. If I could only read one author for the rest of my life it would be Elizabeth Strout.

Expand full comment

Love you!

Expand full comment

Thank you for doing the lord's work, Maris. <3

Expand full comment

Great picks, Emma! Your list overlaps with mine a good bit... and likewise, Lucy and Olive meeting is my Avengers.

Expand full comment

I STILL want to talk about The Power Broker a few years after reading it! What a page turner of a non-fiction book. Robert Caro’s ‘Working’ is also wonderful!

Expand full comment

Emma, is RECEIPT FROM THE BOOKSHOP, by Katie Clapham, on your radar? I don't want to add to your to-do list, but it's so well-written and hilarious and I think you might love it. https://katieclapham.substack.com/t/receiptfromthebookshop

Expand full comment

Ohhhh Desperaux ❤️❤️ read it sooo long ago with our daughters Ohhhh Kate DeCamillo ❤️❤️

Expand full comment

Obscure maybe but ... does the rubber band around the cat's paw cause the animal to suffer? I need to know before I pick up that book! Thank you.

Expand full comment

yes. it causes the paw to get very swollen and then the vet takes it off and the cat is fine. <3

Expand full comment

I guess it could happen to anyone, but did no one pick the cat up and see it for several weeks?

Expand full comment

I can’t ever unknow this. 😿

Expand full comment

I'm with you on Barbra. And The Tale of Despereaux is an all-time favorite. (Graeme Malcolm was a perfect narrator for the audiobook, if you enjoy those.)

Expand full comment

I had a patient reading The Power Broker this year…. No wonder you read less, that book is a chonker!

Expand full comment

The Tale of Desperaux is one of the books from my kids’ childhoods that absolutely destroyed me. So good, so beautiful.

Expand full comment

The Book of Love was so weird and so wonderful, I just loved it. I bought it in hardback, and as well as being fabulous it is such a satisfying object - the font, the paper, the cover. I desparately need to do a book cull because <shrugs in despair at overflowing shelves>, but that book is going nowhere.

Expand full comment

Can I send you a copy of my memoir to read/review?

Expand full comment

I haven’t read Sally Rooney yet either- I took it on vacation and read 2 others. We will see. This reminded me to move Slow Dance up higher on my TBR list!

Expand full comment

Love your list. I so enjoyed Griffin Dunne's book. Couldn't stop looking at that cover photo either-what an amazing family picture. The book was fascinating and so engaging.

Expand full comment

Thanks for the recs!

Expand full comment

I am still so in awe of Ruth's book. It's SO GOOD.

Expand full comment