Here’s a selection of books I’m reading right now.
Like most clergy I know and adore, I’m a big reader. I’m part of an annual reading competition called “The Book Off” and my nightstand seems to grow taller each day with new material. I may be a fall-asleep-as-she’s-reading kinda gal, but I do it with heart and purpose!
LAST SUMMER AT THE GOLDEN HOTEL
Elyssa friedland (Berkley, 2021)
Once upon a time my parents, born-and-bred New Yorkers, took my brother and me on one of our annual summer trips back east to visit family. It must have been in early elementary school, early 90s - I think I was eight or nine years old. And on this particular trip my parents decided to book a few nights at the Nevele Resort in the Catskills, giving us a small taste of their idyllic childhood summers nestled among the low mountains of upstate New York. Since that visit I’ve been fascinated by the Catskills - the culture, the history - and this particular book touches on all of it. It’s a story of two families who’ve co-owned the (fictional) Golden Hotel for decades navigating the decline of the Catskills, their relationships, the hotel itself, etc. One can only hope this one ends with a real-life Catskills Renaissance - in which case, sign me up! Many thanks to Dani Y for recommending!
between two kingdomS: A MEMOIR OF A LIFE INTERRUPTED
suleika JAOUAD (RANDOM HOUSE, 2021)
This book is absolutely stunning. I heard about it through The Dinner Party, a connection platform for young-ish folks that’s completely changing the conversation(s) around grief and loss (seriously - they’re amazing). As a young person diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer, Suleika’s life was put on hold but her writing, thankfully, flourished. I love this book because it explores not just what happens when a young person falls ill, but also what happens afterward - emotionally, physically, spiritually - even when one’s treatment is deemed “successful.” Truly a remarkable book.
Maybe You Should Talk To Someone
Lori Gottlieb (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2019)
This book. I’m so in love with this book. It should be required reading for all humans, finding a home on every nightstand in the world. I was excited about “Maybe You Should Talk to Someone” long before it was released given my own activism around mental health and proclivity for talking about the wonders of therapy. I thought I would enjoy the book, appreciate it & recommend it to others. But the experience of reading it - actually diving headfirst into Lori’s story and the stories of her patients - was life-affirming. Lori is an incredible writer; the narrative unfolds in such a charming, intimate, heartbreaking & powerful way. It absolutely got me to think in a deeper, more intentional way about my own experience with therapy, my passion for mental health advocacy and the humbling, human experiences we endure. A must, must read.