Friday Five with Abbigayle // Five Books You Should Read

Reading has been one of my favorite activities for as long as I can remember. I have always loved every part of the book reading experience. A perfect Saturday morning for me includes wandering through my local public library or independent bookstore then going home to get lost in my new finds. About a year after earning a BA in English Literature, I finally dove headfirst back into reading for pleasure, and I have been tearing through books ever since.

I make it a point to only finish books I’m actually enjoying, so narrowing down my top picks feels a lot like picking my favorite children. Below, I’ve done my best to pick five books that I not only love, but think you’ll love too.

I urge you, if you can, to source these books from your local independent bookstores, and to make it a little easier for you, I will provide an Indiebound link for each book. Indiebound is a website that uses your zip code to find independent bookstores near you that offer online and pick-up ordering. I will also link to Bookshop.org, which donates a portion of their sales to independent bookstores. Independent bookstores do incredibly important work to bring literacy, education, and art to their communities, and like most small businesses, they are struggling right now due to covid-19. And even if your local bookstore doesn’t have a book in, they will almost always order any book you request! Please consider supporting your local bookstore!

This blog post contains affiliate links, which means if you decide to purchase anything through the links I've provided, I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. Read more here.

“From The New Yorker’s beloved cultural critic comes a bold, unflinching collection of essays about self-deception, examining everything from scammer culture to reality television.”—Esquire

I’m starting the list with this book of essays, because I truly believe there’s something in it for everyone. It made me think, made me laugh, and validated some of my deepest thoughts and fears. It was strange to begin “Always Be Optimizing”, an essay set in NYC and reflecting on the phenomenon of female physical optimization while I was leaving NYC and feeling like I could see a glimpse of that optimized self I’ve always wanted to be....both a confirmation and an affront to the ideas about my worth in society that I hold dear.

If you like analytical writing, feminist theory, and cultural criticism, this is worth a read.

This novel was one of the most heartbreaking yet endowing works of art I have ever consumed. It’s one of the truest love stories I’ve ever read in literature, and I tore through it in a little over a day. I won’t try to describe it more now, instead here’s a review I wrote about it as soon as I finished it a little over a year ago:

“How can I describe this novel’s effect on me? The only way I can put it is that upon finishing it I feel absolutely drained, spent in the most satisfying yet guttural way. At times I felt sick to my stomach because the experiences these characters were going through hit so close to home. And now I’m sad that I have to leave these characters behind.”

“This feeling has all the characteristics of pain.”

If I had to pick one book of poetry everyone should read, it’s this one. Maggie Nelson perfectly captures the simultaneous mundanity and magnanimity of love, longing, and grief. I read this fresh out of breakup of a long term relationship, and I felt like Nelson had reached into my brain to write some of these lines, processing how love and grief almost always coexist peacefully together.

Don’t let the gaudy 80’s blockbuster cover and title scare you away, this quasi-YA teen horror novel tops my list for many reasons. I don’t read horror novels often, and I haven’t read a YA novel since I was in high school, but I could not put this book down (I even cried at the end!!!). This story follows two teenage best friends, Abby and Gretchen, and what happens when Gretchen starts acting a little differently. Not only is it well written and enthralling, the story portrays the nuance of female friendship in the most honest and accurate way I’ve ever seen in literature. If you want a fun and touching read, this is the book for you.

5. Afterglow by Eileen Myles

INDIEBOUND | BOOKSHOP.ORG | AMAZON

My final book on the list is by the prolific and widely renowned poet and author Eileen Myles. This book is exactly what it states: a story about the relationship between Myles and her beloved pet dog Rosie. Anyone who has ever known and loved a dog is going to be moved to tears by this incredible piece of work, and Myles’ writing is as captivating and unique as ever. If you have never encountered Myles (one of my all time favorite authors), this is a great place to start.

*To see what else I’m reading, as well as other books I’ve read and loved, follow me on Goodreads.

What Abbigayle DoesAshley Doroughbooks, friday five, eileen myles, afterglow, maggie nelson, something bright then holes, my best friends exorcism, essays, bookstores, amazonComment