Friends, we made it (almost). A year that, at times, felt like it would never end, is suddenly rushing to its close. December and its relentless Christmas countdown came as unexpected as every year, yet it feels different this time. There are no Christmas markets, dinners or parties to tell you ‘tis the season.
This year, you can get mulled wine to go, but let’s be honest: it only really tastes alright when you’re huddled together with hundreds of tipsy strangers. There are obviously no social gatherings or big holiday plans to look forward to. Which means, besides the end-of-year rush at work and the piles of ginger bread in the super market, there are only the countless “best of 2020” lists to indicate that, indeed, ‘tis the season.
Last week, especially the Spotify Wrapped lists were hard to miss on social media. I have lots of thoughts on the Spotify business model and how it exploits artists, but I’ll save that rant for another rainy day. For now, I just want to focus on one thing: Did pop culture come to save the day this year or what? How would we have coped with social distancing without our favorite podcast hosts, musicians, or writers? They were the ones who kept us company when the world shut down around us, who made us laugh, cry, and think. Who made us feel less alone.
Now, I hope that you will take a long hard look at you Spotify Top 2020 list and find a way to show your favorite artists and content creators some love (financially or otherwise) – I vow to do the same. And when it comes to authors, I heard books can make pretty great Christmas presents? Shall we take a look?
The Verve Letter Book Gift Guide
Giving other people books is risky business. Most of the books in my stack of unread books have been gifts. Given to me either because the giver enjoyed it and assumed everyone does, or because the giver simply knows I “like to read”. They were well intended gifts, but more often than not, they did not match with WHAT I like to read.
However, sometimes friends have placed a book in my hands, looked me deep in the eye, conspiratorially whispered “trust me”, and absolutely hit the spot.
As Molly Young says about gifting books in her current Read Like The Wind newsletter:
“A gifted book that hits the bull’s-eye has a higher ROI than almost anything else: Give someone the right set of bound pages and you’ve changed their life forever. If you live dangerously, the risk is worth taking.”
So for everyone who likes to live dangerously, here is an incomplete list of books I can whole-heartedly recommend to give away as well as to just give to yourself. Most of them have made an appearance in the Verve Letter over the past year, but in case you missed them, here are my favorites:
Comfort reads: We wanted them, we needed them this year
City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert
Is this my favorite book of the year? Possibly. An ode to female friendship, to unconventional lives and to following your heart's desire. Plus, it takes you on a whirlwind journey through some of the most exciting decades in New York City.
Just Like You ties with City of Girls as my favorite novel of this year. A 42-year-old white mother of two and a 22-year-old black man fall in love – a story which would lend itself to intense drama, but remains quiet and considered in the best ways. The novel is both hilarious and heartfelt, and it also happens to teach you a shit ton about Brexit without sounding patronizing.
This book got me out of a real reading rut this summer, and I promise it’ll do the same for you or anyone you give it to. It’s a real page-turner, light and funny while hitting all the big contemporary issues: race, class, gender – and what it means to be “woke”.
Exciting Times by Naoise Dolan
This is the perfect gift for every Sally Rooney fan! Naoise Dolan has been compared to Rooney not only because they’re both Irish, but because their style is very similar: Exciting Times is full of great observations on romantic relationships, it’s sharp, analytical and for lack of a better word – whipsmart. I especially loved the way Dolan explores the gap between what’s felt and what’s spoken and how we use language to try and forge our identity.
Essay Collections: Smart women reflecting on life and womanhood
Give this book to anyone with a uterus, who has been feeling a little lost this year. I think I once described Notes to Self as “the definition of unapologetic”, and I stand by it. Pine draws from very intimate and personal experiences when she explores topics like addiction, fertility, feminism and sexual violence. While displaying a fascinating level of self-reflection, she also somehow manages to keep the tone light and funny.
This is not a book you binge read within a few days. There are too many thought-provoking impulses hidden in each essay – enough to make you look upon life in a different way. It’s the perfect book to keep on your night stand and to pick up whenever modern life feels overwhelming and you just need that incredibly smart friend to help you see things clearer.
All the feelings: Because sometimes a good cry is the best relief
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
If you’re looking for a truly transformative read, look no further – you won’t be the same after reading A Little Life. I’m just going to quote the Good Reads review, because I couldn’t say it better: “Brace yourself for the most astonishing, challenging, upsetting, and profoundly moving book in many a season. An epic about love and friendship in the twenty-first century that goes into some of the darkest places fiction has ever traveled and yet somehow improbably breaks through into the light.“
I would throw this book into the hands of every millennial woman, especially the ones who enjoyed Everything I Know About Love, and just watch them devour it. It's part rom-com and part guide to dating after having experienced assault – and that, my friends, I didn't think could be woven into one truly moving story.
Turtles all the Way Down by John Green
The latest masterpiece of YA-star John Green takes you deep into the mind of a 16-year-old girl who suffers from tormenting thought spirals brought on by her O.C.D.. It's a story about teenage friendship, loss, first love and, above all, mental health. It's full of beautiful imagery and quote-worthy paragraphs.
Other: Recommendations also suitable for mum and dad
Half Broke Horses by Jeanette Walls
A great pick for everyone who is into historical biographies of groundbreaking women: Jeanette Walls tells the story of her grandmother, who was born on a ranch in the “Wild West” at the beginning of the 20th century, who lived through natural disasters, the Great Depression, and the most heartbreaking personal tragedy. Who bristled at prejudice against women, Native Americans, and anyone else who didn't fit the mold. A true inspiration.
The Sebastian Bergman Series by Michael Hjorth & Hans Rosenfeldt
I have mentioned this before: My biggest literary guilty pleasure is Scandinavian crime fiction, the darker the better. And if you’re looking for a gift for a fellow Scandicrime addict, I cannot recommend the Sebastian Bergman series enough. Authors Michael Hjorth and Hans Rosenfeldt are also the creators of the hit TV show The Bridge – and their books are just as phenomenal.
Goes without saying, but: Please consider buying your books from your local indie bookstore. At least in Germany, every store can order any book you like over night.
pop culture pleasure (which aren’t books)
⭐️ How have I waited so long to finally watch the movie Lady Bird? Before they shot Little Women, Saoirse Ronan and Greta Gerwig created this stunning coming-of-age masterpiece and I have nothing more to say than: Go watch it (you can rent it on Amazon Prime for example), and then call your mum after.
⭐️ The only podcast episode I’ll recommend this week is none other than the the last ever The High Low. So many emotions! It really feel like an era is coming to an end, like I’m losing two friends who I hung out with every Sunday morning. I’ll miss Dolly and Pandora, and will be a regular visitor of the High Low archive.
⭐️ More Dolly content: In an interview with Marie Claire, she once again spoke very wisely about dating in your 30s and, essentially, as a woman:
“The particular type of ghosting that I've seen over and over and over again, against women, relies on this idea of women making things up. Because women are intense and women want commitment more than men do. And that, at all times, will be a valid excuse card for ghosting. And actually, normally when a man ghosts, it’s either done out of boredom or fear.”
⭐️ The NYT really gave me my subscription money’s worth last week. At first, they published Meghan’s very moving essay on loss and miscarriage, quickly followed by a warm-hearted and joyful portrait of my Youtube yoga queen, Adriene Mishler.
⭐️ Lena Dunham also wrote a brilliant and at times uncomfortably honest piece for Harpers Bazaar about her struggles with fertility and finally giving up on motherhood.
🇩🇪 In der ARD Mediathek läuft noch bis Donnerstag eine preisgekrönte Doku über den “Gaza Surf Club”. Mir war gar nicht bewusst wie hoffnungs- und perspektivlos das Leben für junge Menschen in diesem gebeutelten Landstrich ist.
⭐️ Marisa Bates talked to a psychologist about why we mourn the time we lost this year – it’s called “chronophobia”.
⭐️ And finally, if this doesn’t put you in a good mood, at least for two minutes, I don’t know what will:
❤️ Before we say goodbye for today, I have one last request: I am currently ten subscribers short of my 2020 goal – do you think you can help me crush that goal? Verve Letter is and will remain free of charge (for now?), so just sharing it and spreading the word would mean so much to me.
Until next time,
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