You’ve Got the Back-to-School Blues, Part 3

Bingo cards are due Friday

Hi friends,

Welcome to September. Fall officially starts later this month, and Summer Reading Bingo cards are due on Friday. (Grab your card here and submit it here.) I’m looking forward to getting prizes out — and seeing what everyone is reading.

Last week, I had a piece come out in Vulture about a generation of romance writers, such as Ali Hazelwood, who cut their teeth writing fanfiction. It’s a dream publication for me, and I’m excited to share!

As I’ve noted before, “One of the things that most surprised me about adulthood is how that back-to-school feeling extends to grownups. Come September, the summer is over, and it’s time to focus.” Meaning, it’s time for school-related book picks.

And, now, what to read if …

You Want a Fresh Take on a Boarding School Book

Admissions by Kendra James

Early in her memoir about being the first Black legacy student at her elite boarding school, Taft, Kendra James writes that she expected her experience to be like those depicted in Harry Potter, without the evil wizards. She dreamed of forming life-long friendships with her roommates and challenging classes that would lead her to an Ivy League college and a bright future. Instead, she faced discrimination from her peers and the staff, even as Taft used her presence to prove it was a diverse, welcoming environment.

Years after graduating from Taft, James became an admissions officer, specializing in diversity recruitment for independent schools. As she walked families on tours of campuses like Taft’s, she worried she was selling a lie, after all she’d watched kids from programs like the one she was recruiting for struggle at school, not receiving the support they needed to thrive. Ultimately, she concludes, “To be Black in a New England boarding school … is to be touted for your statistical presence... and ignored everywhere else.” 

Admissions is an important addition to the boarding school canon. There are some genuinely hilarious stories about the escapades James and her friends get up to, as well depictions of false claims that they’ve stolen or cheated. If you, like me, are fascinated by anything insular and elite, add this one to your list.

You’ve Got the Oxford Blues, Specifically

Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore

I was surprised to realize I hadn’t recommended Evie Dunmore’s Bringing Down the Duke before because it’s one of my favorite historical romances of the past five years — maybe even an all-time favorite.

As the book opens, Annabelle Archer, a brilliant but destitute young woman, has earned a place in the first class of female students at Oxford University. The scholarship paying her way requires she volunteer with the National Society for Women’s Suffrage, an activity that would scandalize her family if they were to find out. Yet, while working with the suffragettes, she finds a delightful group of friends and meets Sebastian Devereux, the officious and arrogant Duke of Montgomery, who the activists need to support their cause. As Annabelle attempts to convince him of the need for women’s suffrage, the Duke begins to fall for her, even as he knows marrying a commoner will cause a scandal for the ages.

This book features a perfect mix of history, friendship and romance — it’s no wonder the series has earned praise from romance novelists and politicians alike. Bringing Down the Duke is, so far, my favorite of the series, but the fourth installment comes out in December and I can’t wait to dive in.

Cover conversation: I interviewed Rita Frangie, who designed Bringing Down the Duke’s gorgeous cover.

English Was Your Favorite Class

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

I think about the passage that gives Bird by Bird its name pretty often:

"Thirty years ago, my older brother, who was ten years old at the time, was trying to get a report on birds written that he'd had three months to write. It was due the next day. We were out at our family cabin in Bolinas, and he was at the kitchen table close to tears, surrounded by binder paper and pencils and unopened books on birds, immobilized by the hugeness of the task ahead. Then my father sat down beside him, put his arm around my brother's shoulder, and said, 'Bird by bird, buddy. Just take it bird by bird.'"

It is wonderful advice for writing — take it one paragraph, sentence or even word at a time — but also just great advice in general. When overwhelmed, I try to break things into small steps and do them bird by bird.

Bird by Bird is filled with such nuggets from New York Times bestseller Anne Lamott. She urges readers to pay close attention to the world around them, to fight perfectionist impulses and to simply start writing the project we dream of. A unique blend of memoir and writing advice, I’ve read it multiple times and find something new out whenever I pick it up. And while writers will certainly benefit from Bird by Bird, I think almost everyone will learn something from it.

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I have a guest recommendation from author Kirthana Ramisetti, who recently launched a newsletter you all should check out:

Since my newsletter is called Free Happiness, I wanted to recommend a book that was one of my most enjoyable reading experiences in recent years. As a kid, I absolutely adored The Westing Game (and still do), and I didn't realize how much I longed to re-experience the singular joys of reading that book until reading Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts by Kate Racculia.

Part mystery, part ghost story, the novel centers on Tuesday joining a city-wide treasure hunt with the hopes of winning an eccentric millionaire's fortune. Along the way, the reclusive Tuesday forms friendships and begins to move forward from a tragedy that literally haunts her. This book is The Westing Game all grown up, with a killer soundtrack and amazing pop culture references. And with fall approaching, it also makes an excellent read during spooky season.

Last reminder to submit your Bingo cards here.

I’ll be back on Thursday with a Q&A featuring author and critic Sarah Weinman.

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