This is Show & Tell where I tell you some things I loved from the week and the one thing I hated, plus round up everything else going on around these parts. The first half of Show & Tell is free to all. The adoration and hateration are for paid subscribers only.

Is it just me or did a lot happen this last week? I always write these intros after I write the full newsletter, and this week I feel like I am leaving out 100 things, and yet it also feels extremely jam packed.

This Week in The Stacks

Last week certainly felt more tame, still can’t believe D’Angelo died though. Wild.

I talked influencer culture and grief with Jade Chang as we discussed her latest novel What a Time to Be Alive.

If you love book prizes, this month’s bonus episode is for you. I got to talk with Kiley Reid who is a judge for this year’s and she spilled some pretty juicy answers. Things like how they read all the books, what makes the Booker unique, and how she approached fighting for her faves in deliberations.

Books I Read This Week

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley1
You guys, I read this for The Stacks Book Club this month, I absolutely loved it. It’s the story of a young scientist who creates life. Which, sure. But it is really about what we owe each other, regret, revenge, creativity, compassion. Honestly, it is about everything. It is an allegory for everything (and nothing). It is short. There are killer scenes. Easily a new favorite book. I can’t wait to talk about it more with on the podcast on October 29th. You should read it because I am desperate for everyone’s opinions on the book2.
Fave of the week!

The Hollow Half: A Memoir of Bodies and Borders by Sarah Aziza
In 2019, Aziza was hospitalized for anorexia, during her treatment and recovery she revisited the story of her Palestinian family, namely her grandmother. A beautiful memoir that braids familial history with geopolitical policy. While the scope is large, the book always feels intimate and small. The connections between the personal/public bodies/borders were subtle and layered. The Hollow Half could’ve easily overextended itself, tipping into platitudes and cliche, but Aziza holds the reins tightly preserving a specificity needed to ground the book. Aziza is actively in