A major change, a Patreon, and books for times of transition
Plus upcoming LGBTQ YA books and the perfect bag for book lovers
Hey readers!
This week I have some BIG news for you. The first thing I have to share is that I have made the decision not to return to my teaching position for the 20-21 school year. The second is that I just launched a Patreon with all sorts of exclusive bookish content! Patreon is a platform where writers, podcasters, and other creators can offer extra goodies in exchange for a monthly fee, and I am SO excited about mine! Of course, the job change and the Patreon are interconnected so here’s a little bit more about these decisions and happenings.
A few weeks ago, I shared some of my frustrations with the discourse around school re-openings, and that I was struggling to determine what I wanted to do this year. After a lot (and I mean a lot) of reflection and discussion, I decided I didn’t feel safe returning to campus in any capacity, including the plan my school ultimately landed on. I’ll be honest and say that Covid isn’t the only reason I left my school. While there were so many things I loved about my six years there, I knew it wasn’t going to be my place of work forever, which perhaps made it somewhat easier for me to come to this decision.
I’m feeling many intense emotions about my choice. I’m sad that I had to leave under these circumstances, that I won’t get to say goodbye to my students, that I’m not going to be teaching my favorite lessons and books, and that I’m no longer working with my wonderful colleagues. I’m also experiencing a lot of relief and a wonderful feeling of lightness. Mostly though, I’m recognizing how incredibly lucky I am to have the privilege to make the best decision for me. I will be thinking of and rooting for all of the teachers out there who are going back into the classroom or trying to plan the best virtual learning experiences for their students.
The FictionMatters Patreon
But, readers, I am also feeling very excited! I’ve never really had a time in my life when I didn’t know what was going to come next. Even thought I have some fears and anxieties about it, I feel so fortunate to have an opportunity to explore other career possibilities and pursue my passions. That’s where the Patreon comes in! There are two things I have always wanted to do with FictionMatters that I haven’t had the time for: host a monthly book club and offer more tailored reading recommendations. The Patreon is giving me an opportunity to do both of those things with interested readers.
For $5 per month, here’s what you can expect from the FictionMatters Patreon:
If you're a reader always on the hunt for the perfect book to fit your reading mood, this is the community for you. Every month, we'll take a poll and choose a book to read and discuss together based the community's current reading mood. You can also expect frequent Patron-only book recommendations, featured readalikes of beloved books, and monthly newsletters where I rank the books I read that month and preview the new releases I’m most excited about. Plus, as a welcome to the community, I will offer new Patrons personalized book recommendations based on your responses to the Welcome Survey!
Benefits for Patrons:
Personal book recommendations upon sign-up. Patrons can fill out a Welcome Survey to tell me their favorite and least favorite books as well as their current reading mood. I’ll send you a personal recommendation email based on your taste!
Monthly book club. The monthly book club will be based on the community’s reading mood. I’ll post a poll each month and then choose a book that best matches our communal reading mood.
Private Facebook group. The Facebook group will be where our monthly book club discussions take place, but it’s also a space for sharing recommendations and chatting about our current reads.
Patron-only mood reading recommendations. I love giving mood reading recommendations in my Instagram stories, but I can never respond to everyones’ requests. Each month, I’ll send out a survey asking for Patron’s mood reading requests and then share my suggestions with the Patreon community.
Monthly reading wrap-up and preview newsletter. You already know I love writing this weekly newsletter, and it won’t change! But Patrons will also get a monthly newsletter where I rank the books I read that month and preview the next month’s upcoming releases that I’m excited about. I’ll be experimenting with what else goes in here, but probably more mood reading recommendations or readalikes for our book club pick, as well as personal updates.
Exclusive giveaways. Readers, I have too many books in my house, but sometimes managing Instagram giveaways is exhausting for me. I’ll be posting some giveaways exclusively for my patrons to help cut down on the number of entries. It’s a win-win because it means less hassle for me and a greater likelihood of winning for you!
Patreon is also a great way to support the content I’m already putting out there. This weekly newsletter and, of course, my Instagram content will remain free. But if you love these weekly emails, I would really appreciate your support. You’ll get all that extra bookish goodness for about the cost of an, albeit, fancy cup of coffee each month, and you’ll have my immense gratitude for keeping me reading and writing.
This week in books.
This week I read…
A lot of Aspen Words submissions! The selection process is ramping up, so I didn’t finish any of my pleasure reading books. I can’t offer full reviews of these, yet, but I can say that my reading this week was varied and engaging! Here are a few of the books I discovered this week:
The New Wilderness by Diane Cook. This is a survival story and a depiction of environmental catastrophe for fans of Station Eleven and After the Flood. Amazon | Bookshop
Saint X by Alexis Schaitkin. Seemingly based on the disappearance of Natalie Holloway, this book explores wealthy tourist culture through the lens of a tragic death. Amazon | Bookshop
Dear Edward by Ana Napolitano. To me, this was reminiscent of Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch, but more hopeful and accessible. (For the record, I really loved the style and tone of The Goldfinch!) Amazon | Bookshop
The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich. Through this expansive cast of characters, Erdrich explores Native displacement and dispossession for readers of Homegoing and The Joy Luck Club. Amazon | Bookshop
The Bad Muslim Discount by Syed M. Masood. This is a satirical and irreverent story about the collision of two immigrant families in 1990s San Francisco. Amazon | Bookshop
Now I’m reading*…
Lovely War by Julie Berry. If you listened to our Novel Pairings episode on The Odyssey, you know I’m on record as being a mythology girl, meaning I was obsessed with Greek myths as a kid. So, of course, this YA historical fiction about WW2 told from the perspective of the Greek gods sounds like a book written specifically for childhood me. Other readers I respect have loved this one and it’s on the Modern Mrs. Darcy Summer Reading Guide, but the length is rather intimidating to me at the moment. Amazon | Bookshop
The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley. Foley’s newest book, The Guest List, is a bestseller and a Reese’s Book Club pick, but her debut about a murder that takes place when a group of friends get snowed-in at a remote Scottish hunting lodge sounded much more to my taste. I like a mystery told in alternating perspectives so that’s working for me, but I’m going to need Foley to establish a richer sense of place for me to fully commit. Amazon | Bookshop
The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan. This nook is loosely based on Kate and William’s love story. It’s starts at Oxford when romance-averse Bex meets the heir to the British throne, Nick. So far I’m mostly in it for the Oxford setting, but I’m hoping this could be my next fun escapist read. Amazon | Bookshop
*There’s certainly no way I’ll be finishing all of these immediately. I can tell I would really enjoy all of them, but currently I need a book that grabs me instantaneously and I’m not sure any of these will fit the bill. Stay tuned for updates on that next week!
This week Michelle read…
Three Things About Elsie by Joanna Cannon. WOW this mystery/suspense novel is the best thing I’ve read all summer! Cannon’s writing is impeccable, and I love the way she weaved together so many small mysteries that all came together in one big shock at the end. I was pulled in right from the beginning and never stopped wanting to be a part of this world. I can even see those who aren’t wild about the mystery genre loving this one. Amazon | Bookshop
Beach Read by Emily Henry. This book makes me want to read more romance. Unlike other romances I haven’t vibed with, Beach Read creates a believable love story between January and Gus. Their relationship is a slow burn and I appreciated that. I also liked the meta feeling of a romance novel about writing a romance novel! Amazon | Bookshop
The Problem That Has No Name by Betty Friedan, The Solitude of Self by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Declaration of Sentiments by Elizabeth Cady Stanton. These pieces were assigned for my summer class just in time for the 100 year anniversary of women getting the vote in America. Stanton speaks and writes so elegantly about how women’s rights are human rights and also cleverly parodies the Declaration of Independence. Friedan eloquently addresses the issue of what happens to a person when they are unfulfilled. These are important and easy documents to read, especially as we celebrate female suffrage.
Now Michelle is reading…
We Ride Upon Sticks by Quan Barry. Chelsey and Sara mentioned this book on their Novel Pairings episode with Jamise Harper and I have heard so many good things about it since! I adore historical fiction and was glad to see that this is outside of the WWII era (because I’ve read plenty of those). The story is set in Danvers, Massachusetts in the 1980s where a high school field hockey team uses the help of Salem witch ghosts to win their games. Amazon | Bookshop
By the Book by Amanda Sellet. Sara set off a small frenzy when she posted this one on Instagram so I wanted to jump on board, too. I feel like I’ll definitely relate to the main character, a high school girl who tries to look at modern life and love through the eyes of her favorite 19th-century literary heroines. Amazon | Bookshop
5 books to read in times of transition.
With fall approaching, this is a time of transition for many of us. Whether we’re returning to life as usual, taking advantage of a new opportunity, or watching our loved ones enter into the next chapter of their lives, change can be difficult and bittersweet. We gathered together a few titles to help you cope with (or lean into) times of adjustment.
Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert. For Chloe’s indomitable spirit and plucky will to expand her life while staying true to herself. Amazon | Bookshop
My Ántonia by Willa Cather. For Cather’s nostalgic writing style, exquisite depictions of the changing seasons, and an overarching look at the evolution of a friendship. Amazon | Bookshop
The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self Discovery by Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile. To celebrate your strengths and discover your underlying fears and motivations. (Note: this book has a strong Christian bent to it. I am not a religious person but found it easy to still connect this to my life and beliefs.) Amazon | Bookshop
Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult. For a story about the balance between doing what’s right for you and doing what’s right for the ones you love. Amazon | Bookshop
Where to Begin by Cleo Wade. For bite-sized poems, prose, and mantras to inspire enduring hope and encourage radical change. Amazon | Bookshop
Bookish reading.
Aspen Words is hosting a panel discussion on racial equity in the publishing world. Follow this link to register for free.
I’m really into the Times’ 10 recommended books this week.
Here are 15 LGBTQ YA books coming out in the second half of 2020.
This new book about Harry and Meghan sounds like a royal watcher’s dream.
Check out these female authors whose feminist ideas were ahead of their time.
I don’t have a bullet journal, but I love this list of inspirational quotes from literature to tuck into your journal or planner.
August 29th is Independent Bookstore Day! Here are 4 socially-distant ways you can celebrate at home.
These Tom Gauld greeting cards for writers are snarky and hilarious.
Inspired by Michelle’s class, read 19 Facts About the 19th Amendment. And the Women’s Vote Centennial offers even more ways to educate ourselves about this movement.
Novel Pairings.
This Tuesday, we’re releasing our episode about The Fellowship of the Ring. Recording this was super fun and when I listened back to it while editing, I thoroughly enjoyed reliving our discussion. I think you’ll like this episode whether or not you’ve read LOTR. We talk quite a bit about the fantasy genre in general, and what we learned about our own reading tastes through this book. Plus we have some great pairings for fantasy novices and experts.
End notes.
Watching: This week I did an Olympics documentary double-header and watched The Weight of Gold (available on HBO Max) and Athlete A (available on Netflix). Both were really heavy, but illuminating of important issues facing athletes, generally, and gymnasts, specifically. Weight of Gold is about the epidemic of depression and suicidal ideation in Olympic athletes. As a former (semi-serious) figure skater, I found it relatable in some ways and shocking in others. I wish there had been a little more nuance in the overall conversation, but hearing these athletes share their stories was incredibly powerful. Athlete A is about the sexual abuse of hundreds of gymnasts by USA Gymnastics head doctor. This was incredibly disturbing, but also important as it sheds light on the systemic issues that allowed this abuse to go unchecked. It also ends on an inspiring and empowering note.
Listening: I re-listened to the Bad on Paper episode where they discuss money, investments, and negotiating a hirer salary. It’s definitely motivating as I think about what’s next for me career-wise.
Making: A list of unputdownable, stay-up-past-your-bedtime reads based on follower recommendations. I’ll post that on my Instagram and share a clickable Google Doc with my Patrons.
Loving: My new fanny pack handmade by my friend Mark (it can fit FIVE paperbacks!). Mark also produced the Novel Pairings theme music, and he sells a variety of styles of beautiful bags on his Etsy shop.
Readers, I’m excited to be on the next phase of my bookish journey with all of you. I would be happy to answer any questions you might have about my new Patreon community or this transitional period in my life. For those questions, comments, or suggestions, email fictionmattersbooks@gmail.com or respond directly to this newsletter. Michelle and I love hearing from you!
And if you enjoyed today’s newsletter, please forward it to a book-loving friend. That’s a great way to spread bookish cheer and support the newsletter!
Happy reading!
Sara
This email contains affiliate links. When you make a purchase through an affiliate link, I earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for supporting FictionMatters!