summer reading list !!!!

& a pride-month-forever q&a

I watch friends sit and read for two hours at a time and it’s truly bewildering to me. I complete things in circles. Sit down and read for a moment, get a drink, read some more, let the dog out, tweeze my eyebrows, read some more. I find that summer is THE BEST time to read (in a shady spot, with three yummy beverages and the occasional cold water dip ideally) but it’s still hard to get myself to sit down and actually do it. If you have a similarly circular attention span like me or have taken a long hiatus from reading, here are some tips to get going again:

• Set a timer for 10-15 minutes, then take a break

• Choose an easier book first. Not all adult books are written at the same reading level. You can try a young adult book or a book that’s designed to be more approachable (romance or coming of age books). Finish an entry level book to get your confidence up and by all means keep reading those books if that’s what you like.

• Get through the first 75 pages of the book. If you're still not engaged or don't like the style BAIL. Respect your own reading style. There's no such thing as a book that Everyone Likes. If you don’t like it (even if everyone is saying it’s amazing) don’t read it. Or, return to it after you’ve gotten the hang of reading again.

AND because summer reading is the BEST, here are some book recommendations for those of you who are avid readers and also those who are just starting to read again (hopefully there is something in here for everyone). If you read one, plz tell me your thoughts!!!

zoe’s summer reading list

emotional reads with oceanic depths

• In the Dream House - Carmen Maria Machado

• On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous - Ocean Vuong

• My Name is Lucy Barton - Elizabeth Strout

• Night of the Living Rez - Morgan Talty

• In Love - Amy Bloom

designed to be devoured in the best way possible (books that pull you in quickly - coming of age, mystery, romance)

• Honey & Spice - Bolu Babalola

• Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow - Gabrielle Zevin

• Old Enough - Haley Jakobson

• Mistakes Were Made - Meryl Wilsner

• All This Could Be Different - Sarah Thankam Matthews

• It Girl - Ruth Ware

• City of Girls - Elizabeth Gilbert

• The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo - Taylor Jenkins Reid

• Such a Fun Age - Kiley Reid

non-fiction (mostly essays because summer is not for self help. It just isn’t. It’s for letting your soft body float in shallow waters and that’s pretty much it)

• Quietly Hostile - Samantha Irby

• Tiny Beautiful Things - Cheryl Strayed

• Girls Can Kiss Now - Jill Gutowitz

• My Grandmother’s Hands - Resmaa Menakem

• Manifest - Roxie Nafousi

writers’ favorite books (a lot of writers say that these books helped them become a good writer)

• Moby Dick - Herman Mellville

• Independent People - Halldór Laxness

• Wuthering Heights - Emily Brontë

• Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy

summer turning out to be a bummer? Reads that will take you to another world:

• Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller

• Outlander series

• The City We Became - N. K. Jemisin

Pride Month 4-ever Q&A

Pride month may be over but why stop celebrating all that this magical gay world has to offer after only one month? The queer sex ed questions and answers will continue! Questions are lightly edited for clarity. Ask any question you have about sex ed or anything at all here.

Q: I’m an introverted bi girl dating a cis man. I see other bi girls with boyfriends or husbands taking pride month by a storm, going to events and parades and all that and really working hard to carve out their sense of community. That sounds like my literal nightmare. Do you have any advice to feel like I belong in the queer community without leaving my house or hanging out with people I don’t know? Lol I recognize that I sound like a loser.

Dear introverted bi girl,

Thank you for trusting me with this question! As a queer introvert I love this question. It’s hard to feel connected with others when you’re an introvert, period. Usually, an introvert feels connected with others by hanging with a few of their close people. If you’re close people aren’t queer right now, I totally get that that can feel like an isolating experience. Here’s a non-exhaustive list of ideas:

• you’re a queer person, so the things you do are queer. Is there a way to bring a sense of celebration to the things that you’re already doing?

• read queer book

• watch queer movies

• make art

• share some of your favorite queer activities/hobbies/obsessions/books/movies with your straight loved ones

• do a summer camp activity (swimming, beading, capture the flag). Summer camp activities are gay. No further comment.

• join a social group at some point this year (take the pressure off this one month!) that’s queer and introvert friendly like a group where you focus more on an activity (bowling/knitting/writing group) and less on small talk

• take a photoshoot where you feel most like yourself and print or post those pics

• when in doubt really lean on the rainbow of it all. it really does help sometimes (monochromatic dressing, rainbow crafts, purple/pink/blue cakes)

  

  sampling of pride month crafts to embrace the rainbow of it all

Thank you for reading this and happy summer reading!!!!!

See you in August, the most romantic month of the year <3

Love,

Zoe

Tho I do look extremely stoked in this pic, I was not extremely stoked on this book