Slouching Towards Bethlehem, by Joan Didion

Joan Didion is a literary legend, and everything she writes is undeniably a classic. I LOVED half of the essays contained within Slouching Towards Bethlehem, but the other half was just OK. Of course with Didion, “just OK,” is still pretty fucking great. I would devour Didion’s thoughts on almost anything, but maybe the East Coaster in me just couldn’t fully appreciate this California-centric collection.

Diane Arbus: A Biography, by Patricia Bosworth

Sadly, Patricia Bosworth died recently of complications from COVID-19, but she leaves behind an impressive body of work that includes acting alongside Audrey Hepburn and biographies on Jane Fonda, Montgomery Clift, and Diane Arbus. I picked up my copy of Arbus’ biography on a whim at a thrift store but I’ve always been in love with her photography. She led a notoriously reclusive life, but Bosworth makes the most of what information she was able to gather and paints a compelling portrait of a complicated and fascinating woman.

Can You Ever Forgive Me?: Memoirs of a Literary Forger, by Lee Israel

I first heard of Lee Israel through Melissa McCarthy’s incredible turn portraying the down-and-out author in a movie based on Israel’s autobiographical account (it’s so good, seriously check it out). Israel is an intriguing woman, but the book didn’t offer much more than the movie—I don’t usually recommend watching a movie over a book, but in this case I think the former is, perhaps ironically, a better format for Israel’s unique tale (and it heavily features one of my favorite New York City bars, Julius’).

Everything I Never Told You, by Celeste Ng

Everything I Never Told You was my first book by Ng, and it was an easy, compelling read, if not a super memorable one. After a child’s body is found in the lake, her family struggles to come to terms with her death—was it accidental, or on purpose, and if so, why? Everything takes place in Ohio in the 70s, which was appealing to me, but it ultimately felt more like a melodramatic YA novel than a grand literary acheivement.

Skeleton Keys: The Secret Life of Bone, by Brian Switek

Maybe I’ve reached my saturation point with authors who do deep dives on specific medical topics, but Skeleton Keys was average, at best. Bones themselves—and most of the intricate systems contained within the human body—are fascinating and this was a short, easy introduction to the many reasons why that left me wanting more. But I absolutely love the cover design, which I still insist is a valid reason to choose one book over another.

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