Welcome to Source Material
A readers digest on what’s happening in my Literary World and all things related to it. See here for a breakdown of new releases, interviews with friends and long-form reads I’ve favorited so you won’t have to.
Think of this as your TL;DR — but sometimes the reading is encouraged.
This Week’s Source Material includes:
📬 Lindsey’s TBR
📝 August Reads In Review
📚 Between the Covers w/ Jenn Libert
✍️ Printed Matter
📬 Lindsey’s TBR
About 50% of the photos on my camera roll are books saved to my TBR in anticipation of their Pub Day (Publishing Day). As we transition from the end of summer into the early brushes of fall, so do my tastes of light beach reads to meatier LitFic.
Stephanie Wambugu’s debut novel, Lonely Crowds, takes us into the lives of Ruth and Mara, two childhood friends who bonded over their otherness. Throughout the story we follow the two as they converge and diverge into adulthood. A beautiful story on friendship, class, and time I cannot wait to get my hands on this book which is at the TOP of my reading list come September 1.
Will the Yellowface hive please stand up?! R.F. Kuang takes her first foray into “fantasy” in her latest release Katabasis. I have to be honest, I am more of a LitFic reader than a fantasy girlie. HOWEVER, I can read the writing on the wall following the popularity of A Court of Thornes and Roses and trust that Kuang’s new novel will not let me down. This Greek Classics inspired tale tells the story of a young student who takes a journey into hell (stay with me here) to save her professor her future.
Women, Seated by Zhang Yueran introduces us to the world of a wealthy, political Chinese couple whose family experiences a major fall from grace. As the family watches their fortunes crumble, it is their trusted nanny that holds the future of their fate in her hands. Never will I ever ignore a book with a shift in power dynamics.
📝 August in Review
This month, my focus has been split between two reads:
Colson Whitehead’s Sag Harbor & my August Lit Club Selection Solitaria by Eliana Alves Cruz.
While both take place in objectively different settings (Sag Harbor, New York & Brazil, respectively) there is a clear through-line of young protagonists dealing with the impact of race & class in their day-to-day lives.
Whitehead’s Sag Harbor tells the tale of Benji, a 13 year old Black Boy who spends his summers in the African-American enclave of Sag Harbor, New York. TBH I was hesitant to pick this book up as I have never really been captivated by any of Whiteheads other stories.
Yet surprisingly I could not put it down… Perhaps my interest grew from the nostalgia of trawling through the neighborhood with my friends, making minor mishaps major moments in my teenage brain. Or recognizing that cruel shift of how my social life began to look once my white classmates and I began to diverge (in the cultural sense) as we all transitioned from pre-teens into certified high schoolers. I loved re-living the new promises of summer through Benji’s eyes, and Whitehead does a wonderful job of introducing relatable topics with an ease that makes Sag Harbor the perfect end of summer read.
As an African-American, I graviate towards stories told by those across the diaspora — learning of their parallel and divergent experiences as a result of the transatlantic slave trade. Eliana Alves Cruz does a wonderful job introducing the heavy impacts of post-colonial Brazil with the usage of space and limitations experienced by both characters in their roles as domestic help for a wealthy family.
Solitaria discusses tones of race and class through the eyes of young Mabel, and her mother Eunice in their professional and personal relationships with those in their employer’s building. While this story has great pacing, I did find myself wanting a bit more depth from its characters. In my opinion, this reads a bit more like a stream-of-consciousness journal entry or memory — presenting a highlight reel of the protagonist’s experiences throughout her teenage years. After taking a step back and asking myself, what was the author’s intention here? I recognized that it was only through this style of storytelling that a history with so much grief could be told with such levity.
📚 Between the Covers w/ Jenn Libert
Between the Covers is an effort to build community and engage with friends on books they’re saving, reading, reviewing & recommending . Look to this as your “Required Reading” and / or a way to keep your finger on the pulse of the latest in literature.
This week I caught up with my friend Jenn Libert. Jenn is the friend who I cannot pin down. Like her find my friends pin is quite literally always on the go. She is the friend who keeps me in the know while also promising the most memorable moments. Cultured, Sophisticated, and infinitely tapped into the New York zeitgeist she’s the perfect person to ask:
What are you reading right now?
What is the last book you read & are you Reccomending it?
The Talented Mr. Ripley from lit club & yes I recommend!! Great beach read
What story made you fall in love with reading?
I used to read The Clique books when I was in elementary school and was obsessed! I loved how reading transported me to another world
Name a book should everyone read at least once - why?
Mrs Kennedy & Me. Written by Jacqueline Kennedys secret agent [Clint Hill]. It’s an amazing book from his perspective and look into her life
Where is a bookstore you could spend hours in ?
Three lives company [West Village]!! Best book store
Which genre are you always going back to?
I love a biography or an autobiography or anything based on a real story. This also translates into my favorite film genres one of them is documentaries
✍️ Printed Matter
Magazines are not dead! And I am singlehandedly keeping print alive with my monthly purchases at newsstands throughout the city. See below for some favorite articles I’ve recently earmarked for the next time you want to be the most interesting person at a cocktail party:
[1] Actually, Slavery Was Very Bad
Thanks for Reading,
xx,
Linds
LOVED this - can't wait for the next one!