Let's see what happens, y'all.
Hey there. Welcome to my first e-mail newsletter. You're an early adopter!
These will be short missives, designed to recommend books—though as you will see below, I may occasionally slip in a non-book rec that I can't live without. You can look forward to receiving these twice a month, on Fridays.
Here we go!
1. Saint Mazie by Jami Attenberg is the only book in the last twelve months that's kept me up till 3 AM. I bought it, started it, and finished it all in one day—and basically in one sitting, if you allow for bathroom breaks (which I know you do, because you are humane and just.) (The book that kept me up all night last year was Bret Anthony Johnston's Remember Me Like This, which if you haven't read yet I don't even know what to say to you because I've recommended it over and over, except I guess this is why I started a newsletter in the first place, to be able to say READ THIS BOOK ALREADY, YOU LOSER.)
2. I first encountered Barbara Trapido's Brother of the More Famous Jack more than a decade ago and was so taken with it that I knew I had to read Trapido's other work as quickly as I could get my hands on it. The completist in me reared her ugly head; I searched used bookstores everywhere I went and eventually found the three novels that follow Jack (not exactly a series, but linked) and three more. Now I find myself back in that same place, trolling used bookstores for that 1982 paperback after having given my copy to a friend last year with the understanding it would not be returned. But do not despair—Bloomsbury is reissuing this gem, with an introduction by Maria Semple. (And speaking of Semple, don't miss her fantastic novel Where'd You Go, Bernadette.)
3. My final recommendation is not a book but is perhaps related to my reading life and will surprise no one who knows me even a little bit: the Toddy Cold Brew Coffee Maker. Over lunch at Brazos, my go-to taco restaurant (and the real reason I wrote this letter, to work that in, let's not kid ourselves) my friend Sarah saw me drinking an iced coffee and asked if I make it at home. When I said no, she suggested I try the Toddy. I ordered one there at the table before she could finish singing its praises and am finishing up a nice cold glass now as I hit send. It's a coffee addict's dream.
Thanks for joining me on this little adventure. Let's see what happens, y'all.