What Caught My Eye Online #30

Representation, library support, new Sedaris, and more

Photo by Martin Adams on Unsplash

In less than a week, I’ll be on summer break! Until then, I’m in the midst of finalizing things at the five school libraries where I work. Besides my right arm being especially tired after doing inventory in so many buildings and the number of unreturned books making me silently weep in the corner, I’m doing great.

I hope you are too! Enjoy this week’s roundup.

• Across the high school libraries where I work, a recent project has been diversifying our collections, and part of that is including more books that represent the disability experience. This is a nice interview between two kid lit authors as they discuss why that type of representation is so important. Sally J. Pla says this:

  • “I do consider it my mission, of sorts, to populate children’s literature with as many nuanced neurodivergent characters as I can, because those characters did not exist when I was young and struggling to understand how to engage with the world. I felt like I was from a different planet. I would have given anything to have “met” a character going through the same stuff, who could perhaps guide me. I was a voracious reader, but never saw my struggles (let alone any potential solutions) portrayed anywhere. It made me feel like I didn’t quite exist.”

• In Florida, a book about book banning has been banned. Of course it has.

• If you’re looking for easy ways to support your local libraries, check out this advice from Book Riot.

• David Sedaris has a new piece in The New Yorker about a recent safari trip, and no one is more excited than I am.

• I’ve read and enjoyed a couple of Ruth Ware’s thrillers. She talks about her new book and where she finds inspiration in this interview with CrimeReads.

• I just finished reading Birds of America by Lorrie Moore, which I liked a lot. Moore talks with The Guardian and shares what she thinks about whether or not her writing has changed.

• Six authors talk about how they deal with writer’s block, including George Saunders and Leslie Jamison.

• Electric Lit lists 10 feminist crime novels that subvert the dead girl trope. I was happy to see Bright Young Women and I Have Some Questions for You on their list.

• I love viewing books through unique lenses. The guest on this week’s episode of What Should I Read Next? is searching for “hospitable books with a strong sense of welcome.” What a fun prompt! I haven’t had a chance to listen to this episode yet, but I always enjoy the conversations between Anne Bogel and her guests.

• R. O. Kwon opens up about her anxiety journey for Elle.

• For CrimeReads, author Lori Brand talks about body shaming, women’s rage, and the power of the thriller. She says:

  • It’s almost impossible to exist as a woman today without experiencing the persistent drip of Diet Culture. From well-meaning questions from loved ones (“should you really be eating that?”), to the cruel comments of online strangers (“she’s a fat pig”), to the villainization of whole food groups (carbs, fats, dairy, red meat), to the media’s obsession with celebrities’ bodies (Jessica Simpson, Lizzo, Adele). The message is clear: Be small. Be pliable.

    What if you don’t feel like it?”

• One of my favorite reads of last summer was None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell. I’m thrilled the book is getting adapted for Netflix!

• Morgan Talty recommends his favorite books by Native American and Indigenous authors.

• I’ve worked in elementary schools, and currently work in high schools, like I mentioned. I’ve noticed that many students seem to lose their love for reading in middle school. What if we could prevent that slide? Brightly suggests some timeless books for sixth-grade readers. When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead is one of my absolute favorites, so I was glad to see it on their list.

• Here are seven books to help you battle burnout.

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Has anything caught your eye this week? Thanks for reading!