A full week of celebration is upon us, with birthday #22 for our twins and of course, Thanksgiving today. Some years, like the one when said twins made their entrance into this world, those two occasions coincide. Regardless of the chronology, it’s always a reflective, nostalgic time, made especially true this year as we’re coming up on the season of losing my best friend/sister. I’m remembering the last two texts she sent me (say happy birthday, for the kids, and have a good day, for Thanksgiving)—simple sentiments that took so much physical strength to type—and then the terrible days that followed.
Her voice echoed the other day as I was getting ready for work. I don’t want to see you moping around during the holidays, she said, clear as crystal. I turned, expecting to see her standing behind me. Noted, I thought wryly, using my boy’s favorite expression. What I’ve long learned: our ghosts will always be with us. So, I’m allowing myself to feel the sadness while doing my damnedest not to give into it, not to get stuck, not to forget to be grateful for the here and now.
A segue of simple celebrations, then. Getting home from the marathon drive to pick up the college boy in time to watch our Eagles beat the Chiefs on Monday night, complete with the boy’s running commentary and trash talk via speakerphone with his buddies. Our traditional night-before-Thanksgiving viewing of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, the Steve Martin | John Candy classic with much resonance and meaning for our family. A chocolate birthday cake with chocolate frosting, but no candles. A celebratory dinner-as-gift in the city planned for Saturday.
For Thanksgiving itself I splurged on a fully cooked dinner from Whole Foods. We have a 10 lb. turkey, rolls, truffle parmesan mashed potatoes, a double order of stuffing, mac and cheese, pumpkin pie. Maybe I’ll make some carrots because a vegetable wouldn’t hurt.
It occurred to me that, in exchange for the hours freed up by not planning, shopping, prepping, cooking, and cleaning—approximately eight, I calculated—I could dedicate that time to my current writing project. A deal, then: order the dinner, write for at least eight hours.
(I’m not revealing how many hours I’ve written thus far because, aside from this newsletter, it’s…not much. Substack counts, right? It’s the season of generosity and that includes to oneself.)
I’m also participating in Thankfully Reading, an annual reading event hosted by Jenn’s Bookshelves and one of my favorite bookish events because it’s so low-key. My focus is finishing a few books for my reading challenges—I’m so close to completing Book Riot’s Read Harder and Popsugar is within reach.
I’ve been finding myself gravitating toward short books lately. Under 250 pages seems to be my preference. Maybe you, too, need a few short books for your holidays? When selecting these three for your consideration, I didn’t realize that they all share unnamed narrators. They are also all 5 star reads that—spoiler alert!—will be showing up on my personal best of lists soon. Some of these have been showing up on the ubiquitous “best books of the year” lists that are making the rounds. (Another one of my favorite things about this season.)
Open Throat by Henry Hoke (MCD, 2023, 176 pgs)
This may be the most original book I’ve read this year. Our main character of this more-like-a-novella-than-a-novel is a queer mountain lion who lives under the Hollywood sign. Say no more—I’m sold. The lion spends lonely days contemplating their gender identity, protecting the homeless, observing hikers and climate change. It’s the latter issue—a wildfire—that displaces our unnamed narrator into the city they hear humans call “ellay” and into a conflicting world of misunderstanding and acceptance, beauty and horror, compassion and inequality.
Hoke’s genius as a writer is being able to pack the entire spectrum of emotion blended with social commentary into such a short book. I listened to this on audio and highly recommend that format. Open Throat lends itself well to a one-sitting experience and at only 1.5 hours, that’s easy to accomplish on a short road trip. Loved this one. 5 stars.
I’m a Fan by Sheena Patel (Graywolf Press, 2023, 216 pages)
“I stalk a woman on the internet who is sleeping with the same man as I am.” Hello! How can one resist that first sentence? The entire premise of this debut novel longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2023 is contained within those few words. Our unnamed young narrator is in a dysfunctional, dead-end relationship with an older man (never mind the fact that she already has an oblivious boyfriend who seems like a caring nice guy). I found myself wanting to reach through the pages and scream some sense into her, but she wouldn’t have listened because she’s obsessed with her perceived romantic rival, a wealthy internet influencer. The lengths she goes to in order to penetrate the influencer’s inner circle are disturbing; reading about them feels deliciously voyeuristic.
I’m a Fan is a propulsive, addictive read about obsession, deception, and emotional desperation. This is more than just another novel about the state of social media. I couldn’t put this down and loved every salacious minute. 5 stars.
Blue Hour by Tiffany Clarke Harrison (Soft Skull Press, 2023, 160 pages)
Blue Hour dares to ask the question: What is motherhood in the midst of uncertainty, buried trauma, and an unraveling America? This timely novel (novella?) focuses on a biracial woman, an accomplished photographer, who is “grappling with a lifetime of ambivalence about motherhood.” These conflicting emotions become even more heightened after a miscarriage, an attack on a promising young male student in her class, and her husband’s desire for a child. Tiffany Clarke Harrison’s compelling debut novel is one of the moment and yet universal, and make her an extremely talented writer to watch. I listened to this on audio and it had me riveted to each word.
Wishing all of you who celebrate a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with your favorite things. I’m so grateful for you, for reading my words and supporting my writing, and for being such an important part of my life. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Happy Thanksgiving, Melissa! Thanks for the recommendations on short reads...can use those as I lag behind on my reading challenge! And happy birthday to your twins - glad to hear they are home and celebrating with you. The Whole Foods dinner alternative sounds wonderful!