Alexis' Great Idea

Chapter #01: Better late than novel.

Feeling My Shelf is a bi-weekly newsletter about books, life, and, well, life with books. Grab your favorite caffeinated beverage and get comfy. First up, recent reads.

The Honeys by Ryan Le Sala: Yes, I still read young adult books. This twisted horror story is essentially a queer, teen Midsommar. Following the unexpected death of his twin sister and desperate for answers, a gender-fluid teen attends an elite summer camp where he meets her old friends: a group of girls dubbed the Honeys, named for the beehives they maintain behind their cabin. Sounds sweet, right? No. Things were trippy and sinister from the jump. I constantly reread paragraphs, trying to piece together what exactly was happening. And when I found out, happy to say, I was not disappointed. At all.

Nightcrawling by Leila Mottley: Mottley was only 16 when she began writing what many have dubbed one of the best books of the summer, including Oprah. It follows a high school dropout who turns to sex work, desperate to take care of her immature older brother and her addict neighbor's nine-year-old son. Things go from bad to worse when she becomes entangled with a massive scandal involving the Oakland Police Department. Dark and, at times, hard to read? Yes. But somehow, the ending left me feeling a bit hopeful.

A Hundred Other Girls by Iman Hariri-Kia: On a lighter note: fans of The Devil Wears Prada will love this story, which features a similar plot line but with people of color and more emphasis on digital media. A Middle Eastern–American writer scores her "dream job"—a coveted position as assistant to a magazine's iconic editor-in-chief—only to discover that it's a nightmare. Many of us can relate.

They say that you never forget your first.

No, not that first. I'm talking about the first book that changed my life. Although I'm confident that my first orgasm came courtesy of a Scholastic Book Fair circa 2001. Hi, Mom!

I was seven and strolled starry-eyed into the fair consisting of immaculate cardboard displays. Shelves and shelves of new books lined the room—gel pens, stickers, bookmarks everywhere. A budding bookworm's Candyland, and not just because of the candy-scented erasers nobody needed, yet everybody bought. I was in heaven. And heaven got 10x sweeter the second I picked up The Baby-Sitters Club #1: Kristy's Great Idea by Ann M. Martin. 

Kristy Thomas, aka the mastermind. Fearless and sporty with an entrepreneurial spirit. She was a bit of a control freak, but she got stuff done. One hundred and seventy-six pages later, I was hooked, and I devoured every single BSC novel that followed. I felt seen. Heard. Understood. Problems that I could relate to were solved. Best of all: Tween girls making money and hanging out with their friends? Ideal scenario. I remember itching to babysit somebody's child, so I could pretend I was a club member. Now you know a book has changed your life when it has you wanting to work. 

Over the years, books have continued to have a similar effect on me. Well, no. I no longer dream of working or watching other people’s kids. But I do continuously feel seen. Heard. Understood. And also eager to share.

I struggled with launching this newsletter. If you know me in real life, then you know that I don't like sharing things. At all. But in particular, things that may be random or less than perfect. Two things that Feeling My Shelf is guaranteed to be. But nearly 22 years after first reading the BSC and feeling inspired, I figured it was time to channel my inner Kristy. Easier said than done; as someone who relates to the shy, overthinking, introverted Mary Anne, the most.

Anyways, that's my long-winded way of saying thank you! Thank you for being here, reading this, and helping celebrate a new first: my first letter. Another first I won't forget, mainly because the internet is, unfortunately (fortunately?), forever.

"How do you read so much?" The number one question I get asked, so let’s go ahead and address it in this first letter. 

Truth is: I don't know. I read a lot because the news often sucks, fictional men don't disappoint me as much, and curling up with a good book every night instead of [insert any responsible task (cleaning, cooking, etc.) that adults do] just feels right. 

Okay, Alexis, but how do you read so much? Really. Still waiting for some concrete advice. Fine. I'll spare you the overstated "read for 30 minutes every day" and leave you with these three action items instead. 

If you’re looking to read more:

1. Try a new medium. I loathe audiobooks. Some people love them. Which person are you? Find that out. If you're into them, great. Turn one on every time you walk your dog or prepare to sit in traffic. You'll have "read" more than one book in no time.

2. Don't be afraid to DNF, aka not finish a book. Life's too short to read stuff you hate. Keep the momentum going by putting down titles you don't like *immediately.* Yes, even the classics that literary snobs rave about. But one note: if you hate something (and I wish I didn't have to say this, but you'd be surprised), don't tag the author on social media and tell them. Just donate the book/return it to the library/burn it in your ex's front yard and keep it moving.

3. Switch up your genres. Read a romance! Then a thriller! Then a memoir! Then literary fiction! The only way to read more is to enjoy reading, and the only way to enjoy reading is to find what you love reading, and the only way to find that out is to read a bunch of different things.

We Are the Baby-Sitters Club: Essays and Artwork from Grown-Up Readers, edited by Marisa Crawford and Megan Milks, because I'm feeling nostalgic. After I’ll probably dive into The Most Likely Club by Elyssa Friedland and The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson. I’m particularly excited about the latter, a loose retelling of Stephen King’s Carrie that follows a biracial teenager as her Georgia high school hosts its first integrated prom.

How an author scored a book deal through TikTok. Honk for Jesus provides an uncomfortable reflection of the Black church. Serena’s magical last week. A timeline of Don’t Worry Darling’s behind-the-scenes drama that has the internet thoroughly worried entertained. Some of the most anticipated books of September. Revisiting Eve’s Bayou nearly 25 years later. And most importantly, how to help with the water crisis in Mississippi.