A perk for paid subscribers

Do you also need the accountability of other humans to get through your reading list and welcome the banter and discourse from the comfort of your own rock or couch? Then join me for my Summer Book Club, a perk for paid subscribers who want to dive deep into some seriously good books without the pressure of showing up somewhere at a specific time—just you, the books, and whatever thoughts bubble up while you're reading.

I've curated three books that are definitely not your typical beach reads—they're the kind of provocative, thought-provoking gems that match the mood of the times we live in. Think of this as intellectual fuel for your summer adventures, whether you're lounging creekside or hiding in air conditioning. The Summer Book Club will take place asynchronously through chat because no one has time for another Zoom call.

The invite will go out to all paid subscribers, and it’s super easy to join:

📅 Schedule:

I understand most people like to read fiction during the summer, so if that’s your jam, there are a million book clubs for that. The books I have chosen are written by authors whom I admire, and they are what I would want to read on my mini-retreats to fuel my creativity and keep me motivated and excited about what I’m working on and towards.

📚 Books:

The Art of Making Memories, by Meik Wiking. What’s the actual secret to happiness? Great memories! Meik Wiking—happiness researcher and New York Times bestselling author of The Little Book of Hygge and The Little Book of Lykke—shows us how to create memories that make life sweet in this charming book. I’m all about making the most of the summer, so we’ll start with this book because we all could use a little more happiness in our lives. The Art of Making Memories examines how mental images are made, stored, and recalled in our brains, as well as the “art of letting go”—why we tend to forget certain moments to make room for deeper, more meaningful ones.

Permission, by Elisa Altman: Who am I to tell my story? And how can we grant ourselves permission to write the stories we're compelled to tell when we've been told we shouldn't? This book speaks to what is at the heart of this newsletter and really what I do, and I know I’m not alone. Fun fact, Elisa and I shared the TEDx stage in Reno many, many years ago. She’s an award-winning author of the memoirs Motherland, Treyf, and Poor Man's Feast, and the highly acclaimed Substack of the same name.

The Portable Feminist Reader, by Roxane Gay: A dynamic and strikingly relevant look at a feminist canon as expansive rather than definitive. I was fortunate enough to see Roxane Gay speak in San Francisco a few years ago, and she is an absolute BOSS. She’s the author of multiple books and memoirs, including The New York Times best-selling essay collection Bad Feminist and the short story collection Difficult Women. She also publishes The Audacious Roundup, full of the most noteworth and dumbest shit that she comes across each week, all with her own witty critique. While feminist canon may seem like a heavy read over the summer, I think it’s perfect because you don’t have to read it start to finish. So if you’re like me and you open up a book right before going to bed, and three pages in you fall asleep, then this might be the book for you because you can actually get through a section and have a meaningful discussion with us in our chat without having to read the whole thing. A no-pressure way to end the summer book club!