The Miro Worm and the Mysteries of Writing by Sven Birkerts

I spent weeks with this book, letting my thoughts wander on Birkerts-inspired tangents, much like he did for other writers he mentions in his essays. It cracked open my mind at a time when I was needing inspiration. Yet even with pages of notes, I couldn’t seem to shape a review. I looked back at some of my reviews for flash and short story collections, but none of those formats seemed right...

Read the full review here.

Best Adult Nonfiction Read in 2020

Tracing the Desire Line by Melissa Matthewson (2019). Very interesting, poetic memoir about self and marriage. I flagged so many beautiful, thought-provoking sections to go back to. I read this in May when the "novelty" of quarantine had worn off. I was feeling kind of isolated, combing through past relationships to figure out what I might want in the future. I read this book over several nights, soaking in a hot bath with a waterproof notepad next to me. The gorgeous language let my imagination run free so I'd have to scribble ideas to continue later in my own writing. I'm looking forward to re-reading this one in the future, in a different life situation, and see what I get from it then.

The Incredible Shrinking Woman by Athena Dixon (2020). This essay collection is amazing. You can tell Athena Dixon has a background in poetry because the language is so beautiful, while still being so raw and matter-of-fact. So many of these pieces made me feel seen and understood. I know this is a collection I'll come back to time and time again. This is one of the first books I've read as an "adult" that makes me think "Oh, so the stuff I write can find a home." Not that I'm comparing my writing to Dixon's, but it's nice to know that such exploratory, experimental formats can find a place and be appreciated by readers instead of molded into something more mainstream.

But Enough About Me by Jancee Dunn (2006). I love Jancee Dunn from Rolling Stone but somehow didn’t know about her books. I absolutely loved this one - from the (old, but still entertaining) celebrity gossip to her humorous life stories. It was kind of an escape read and made me want to read more by Dunn.

Sex Object by Jessica Valenti (2016). I love this book because it helps me realize that stuff like... “this” happens to everyone, and it doesn’t have to be rape or assault to be wrong. This book made me feel understood and empowered but also just angry. Definitely want to read more by Valenti; I love her style.

Is This Anything? by Jerry Seinfeld (2020). Seinfeld has been my favorite show forever, and I’ve seen Jerry’s standup shows a few times (in person and recorded specials). I’ve read SeinLanguage. Therefore some of the jokes in this book were repeats, but this was still one of the best books I’ve read this year. I love how they were arranged chronologically, and how you can see Seinfeld’s thought progression in a lot of the jokes (and of course over time). A lot of jokes had me laughing out loud.

Best Adult Nonfiction Read in 2019

I typically make the disclaimer that these are books I read in 2019, not necessarily books that were published in 2019. But for adult nonfiction, 4/5 books were actually published this year, and one was from 2018, so I feel pretty on top of my game right now. ALSO - please note ALL OF THESE BOOKS WERE WRITTEN BY WOMEN!!! WHOOHOO!

Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? by Caitlin Doughty (2019). I’ve loved Doughty since I read her first book, and was so excited to see she had a new one out. Her first was interesting and engaging, her second was incredibly informative, and this one is fascinating. I love that it’s written based off questions from children, and I suppose it could be read by children, but I don’t know if it’s being marketed that way. The questions are interesting, though - surely we’ve all wondered about some of them at one point or another. Doughty’s answers are well-researched but also understandable even without extensive knowledge of death science. She also displays her excellent sense of humor in pretty much every answer. I want to be her friend. Also, the illustrations are AMAZING.

Goodbye, Sweet Girl by Kelly Sundberg (2018). I read this at the perfect time in my life. When you're going through a relationship ending, reading about others experiencing the same can really make you feel like you have a support system, even if you don't, or can't be this open with others around you. (Although I would recommend this to anyone and everyone, because it's just a great book all-around.) It was recommended by a friend, and I would in turn recommend it to pretty much anyone. Sundberg is so open and honest about her relationship history, her marriage, and being a mother. Her prose is beautiful and emotional and touching. Many sections had me nodding in agreement, others had me biting my nails, and others had me weeping. A must-read.

Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come by Jessica Pan (2019). The summary of this book screamed that it was perfect for me. Spoiler alert: IT WAS. I want to be Jessica’s best friend but as a fellow shintrovert, I know we will never hang out. Twitter friendship it is. Jess takes a year to set goals to push herself out of her comfort zone and try to become an extrovert. She tells a story in front of an audience for The Moth, she takes stand up and improv classes and performs at clubs, she goes to networking events and actually networks, she speaks to strangers. It all gave me small anxiety attacks (which made me feel alive!) and also had me laughing out loud in so many sections. I loved relating so hard to this person and her year. It also reminded me of the year I pushed myself out of my comfort zone to go to grad school in DC, where I also spoke to strangers and took comedy classes. But here I am, shintrovert for life, reading as much as possible and living vicariously through those books. I have since loaned out my copy to others, and recommended the title to even more.

Southern Lady Code by Helen Ellis (2019). I liked American Housewife, but this blew it away in my mind. I loved the style of lists and “How To” articles for obscure things. I loved pretty much every essay in this book. Can’t get enough of Ellis’ style! It was a fun, entertaining, but interesting read right when I needed it. Definitely one you should check out and either read a bit at a time, or all the way through in one sitting.

Sounds Like Titanic by Jessica Chiccehitto Hindman (2019). The idea of going on tour as part of an orchestra that doesn’t actually play grabbed my attention, but Hindman’s writing made this book more than that. The whole thing seemed so surreal, but Hindman put enough personality into it where you felt like you were also trapped in this strange situation. (Literally - much of the book is written in second person, which is very immersive and interesting.) Who wouldn't pretend to play an instrument for good money?! If you like strange stories, you should check this out. And then google to find out who The Composer is, and then watch tons of his videos on YouTube and see if you can tell if the musicians are really playing or not. Don't forget to check out the CONSTANT SMILES! And also fall down the rabbit hole of Threatin, if you haven’t already.


Have you read any of these nonfiction books? What did you think of them? What nonfiction books would you recommend to me?