Let’s get bookish
Everything I read during my fallow time, and recommendations for fellow readers
Photo by Radu Marcusu on Unsplash
Last month, while waiting for feedback from my agent on my latest manuscript, I got the seed of an idea for a new book project and began my fallow period, a time to read, think, walk, nap, and dream my way through the beginnings of this next project. Some days I’d even lie on the couch, ask myself a question, and close my eyes and wait for the answer to come to me. Did I fall asleep sometimes? Yes. Did I learn about my main character? Also yes. The more distance I put between myself and the actual act of writing, the more my imagination began to untangle tricky plot knots, and the better I got to know my characters. All this seemingly “not-working” time was actually incredibly productive.
It was also a lot of fun. I lost track of how many books I read (or started; as an avid reader, I am not ashamed to admit that if a book hasn’t grabbed me in the first 50 pages — sometimes sooner — it goes right back to the library so I can release another hold instead). In some cases, when I was really taken with a story, I borrowed the book from the library in both print and audio, the better to toggle between the two and binge the hell out of the story hands-free as necessary. During my fallow time, I mostly read novels, in part because I’m working on one now, and in part because they’re a big part of my de-stressing routine.
When I really love a book, in the absence of anyone IRL to talk about it (I have and will continue to tell my husband the entire plot of said book, and then exactly what I did and didn’t love about it, down to the line, but given he’s never read the book I’m referring to this hardly counts), I’ll turn to Reddit or Goodreads and read the reviews (filtering by the star count I would have given it, if I did that sort of thing), and nod my head and think yes, these are my people and they are absolutely right. When I’m feeling really inspired, I might text a few fellow reader friends of mine and pawn off every book I love right then and there. This happens so much (I read a lot, like I said!) that some friends now reach out to me for specific book recommendations. I’ve become a bit of a book matchmaker, if you will.1 Lately, I’ve really lamented not being part of a fiction book club; I’m part of a nonfiction book club (we focus exclusively on nonfiction and memoir set in the tech world. Think: Careless People, Whistleblower, Billion Dollar Loser, etc.), but I haven’t had a regular crew to talk novels with since I was in grad school (and that group drove me out of academia 😬).
Today I thought I’d share some of what I’ve read and recommended during my fallow period. I’d love to hear your thoughts, whether you’ve read these already or have been meaning to add them to your TBR pile.2 If you’d like to read along with me next time, let me know in the comments. If there’s enough of us, maybe I’ll even open a chat thread to discuss!
Happy reading!
- Ximena
A list of books I’ve read during my fallow time, aka reading recs from me to you
🎶 If you harbor deep nostalgia for your concert-going days
- Deep Cuts, Holly Brickley. Get steeped in a story about music, concert culture, the mistakes of your twenties, and falling in love. Sticky floors included.
🫣If you live for the thrill…
- The Last Time I Lied, Riley Sager. Originally published in 2018 and the perfect read as we head into summer. A group of teenagers go missing from summer camp, and years later one of the surviving teens returns to uncover what happened to them.
- The Last Room on the Left, Leah Konen. A winter story, so off-season, but thrilling! It’s a story about friendship, addiction, art, and ambition, and it features a female cast that’s hard not to get behind. This one reads like a house on fire and will have you staying up late to get to the end.
- We Were Never Here, Andrea Bartz. Toxic friendships reach a whole new level in this thriller about two friends who go on a vacation that leaves a man dead — just like last year. What’s self-defense, and what’s manufactured? Who is the craziest of them all? You’ll have to read to find out.
👻If you like a good ghost story
- A House with Good Bones, T. Kingfisher. A haunted house story about family, legacy, and plenty of insects.
💗 For the romantics…
- The Rom-Commers, Katherine Center. Two screenwriters must partner together to take a rom-com screenplay from awful to amazing. Sparks fly on the page and off. Lots of crushing and pining but not spicy.
👫If you want a light and fun buddy comedy
- Jane and Dan at the End of the World, Colleen Oakley. Billed as a romance, this fast-paced novel reads more like a buddy comedy. Dan and Jane are married and Jane is ready for divorce. But when they’re taken hostage at their fancy anniversary dinner, they’ll have to work together to survive instead. Strangely, the heist appears to be following the playbook of Jane’s last novel… the question is whether this will give her a leg up in surviving, or not.
🫖If you like a good cozy mystery
- The Expectant Detectives, Kat Ailes. Friendships form fast when you’re pregnant, but it’s anyone’s guess whether or not you’ll stay friends by the time you’ve stopped breastfeeding. For Alice, a set of unlikely friendships quickly form when a dead body is found at her local prenatal class. What’s a group of soon-to-be moms to do? Solve the case, of course.
You can find more of what I’m reading and recommending on my Bookshop. If you’re interested in being matched with a book, drop your request in the comments.
💌 Thanks as always for reading along and supporting my work. If you like what you see, hit the heart button, drop a comment, or share this with someone you think will love it, too. You can order my new book or journal or book me for a speaking event here. 💌
Hat tip to Becca Freeman for introducing me to the term.
As an author, I receive ARCs (advanced reader copies) for new and upcoming books from publicists hoping I’ll fall in love and spread the word. Usually, these ARCS are nonfiction, but since these days my attention is on fiction, if you are a publicist or an author with a novel coming out soon you think I might love, get in touch!
