Six books I purchased in the last week and why I bought them

The decision making behind six potentially superfluous purchases

I could go the rest of the year and probably all of 2025 without purchasing another book. I have so many unread books on my shelves and I also get a ton of books from the library. But just because I have unread books and an entire undiscovered universe at the library, is that really a reason not to purchase new ones?

Obviously, the answer is no.

The six books I bought in the last week

Despite my claims that I need not buy books for awhile, I’ve had a busy week of book-buying. Here is what I purchased, where, and why:

@ The Library

Does your library have a rack of used books for sale right when you walk in like mine does? It’s the best, but it also makes it hard for me not to buy new books. Last week I ended up taking home three used books for a grand total of — five dollars.

The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean

I’ve only read one book by Susan Orlean but I loved it. It was The Library Book, and it tells the story of the Los Angeles Public Library that was destroyed in a fire in 1986. It’s a beautiful celebration of books and the sacred spaces that are libraries. Given the extent to which I adored that book — both the subject matter and Orlean’s journalistic writing — I had to pick up The Orchid Thief. What sealed the deal for me was when I read this line on the back cover: “captivating tale of an amazing obsession.” I am obsessed with obsession. I love learning what makes people tick and what weird things they are fascinated by, and I cannot wait to read this true story about one man’s obsession with a rare ghost orchid and the distance he goes to find and clone one.

Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding

Bridget is the original unlikeable protagonist! Or so my agent and I decided after having an interesting but frustrating conversation about readers’ tolerance for unlikeable characters. I haven’t read this book for years, but couldn’t pass it up after that conversation, given that the protagonists in the books I write are not pretty sunshiny princesses, but rather complex, gritty women with something to say. Kind of like Bridget Jones, who some people have a love-hate relationship with. I’m eager to re-read this one with this new lens.

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

My husband and I can agree on many books, but we have vastly different reading tastes — and this book is a perfect illustration of our differences. I admire his capacity to read books that to me sound as fun as getting a root canal. But I’ve read some Bill Bryson and I know he makes everything humorous and enjoyable, and I assume the same goes for this book, even if the subject matter (the history of nearly everything?) makes my eyeballs glaze over. While this is absolutely not a book I would spend time with, I knew my husband would, so I added it to my stack.

@ The Bookstore

Magers & Quinn Booksellers in Minneapolis, MN

I have the world’s most enjoyable birthday tradition: my family and I go to dinner at my favorite Thai place in Minneapolis, then walk a couple doors down to visit my favorite book store, Magers & Quinn. It’s so simple but it’s so indulgent and wonderful, and I especially love not having to try to come up with a fun thing to do because it’s already settled. Last week after our traditional dinner, we walked to Magers & Quinn and spent a good hour perusing their expansive collection. My kids each bought several books and somehow I walked out of there with only two!

All Fours by Miranda July

Is it just me or is this all you’re hearing about and/or seeing? It’s everywhere, and I wanted to know why. My agent read it and said I would love it, which was all it took for me to go purchase it. I’m halfway through and yep! I love it! This is my first Miranda July book and I am converted. The protagonist is a 45-year-old mother who decides to drive from California to New York to visit friends, but 30 minutes after leaving her house she pulls off the highway and derails all her plans. What transpires is a confrontation with freedom and the constraints of mother- and wifehood — and a lot of other weird stuff. There are a ton of references to sex and masturbation, so if that’s not your thing, I would advise against going out and grabbing this book as quickly as I did. I trust I will have a lot more to say about this once I finish it, so stay tuned.

How Fiction Works by James Wood

I recently made the very stressful decision to switch my 75,000-word novel from first-person to third-person point of view. This is a challenge in and of itself, but with a self-imposed mid-August deadline, it’s really throwing me off-track. While discussing this change in my fiction workshop, the topic of free-indirect speech came up, and my brilliant critique partners pointed me to the book How Fiction Works. It doesn’t look like the most scintillating read, but I’ve read excerpts from it and I know it’ll be useful — if an obvious procrastination tool.

@ The Other Bookstore

On Tuesday night I visited Moon Palace Books to see Claire Lombardo (author of The Most Fun We Ever Had) and Jackie Polzin (author of Brood) in conversation. They were discussing Claire’s newest book, Same As It Ever Was. And because I am me, I purchased yet another book — but only one:

Big Swiss by Jen Beaglin

This is another book I’ve seen everywhere for quite some time. It’s about Greta, a sex therapist’s transcriptionist, who becomes seduced by a patient. The cover is off-putting and evocative, and Bustle calls it a “fantastic, weird-as-hell, super funny novel.” What sold me was “weird-as-hell.” You may notice a theme here. I am drawn to stories of women doing things a little out of the ordinary. Not to beat a dead horse, but the protagonists in the novels I write do weird stuff, too. I read books like these to learn how to do it.

Any thoughts on which one to read first?

What I’m reading: All Fours by Miranda July and Really Good, Actually by Monica Heisey.

What are you reading? Have you read any of the above books? What have you bought recently?

Love,

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