Woman talking

In which I talk a lot to lots of people

I had a blast talking to Daniel Ford over at the podcast Writer’s Bone. I can’t believe how many people there are out there reading books and talking to writers and putting out podcasts that support our work. Amazing. Debutiful and Burned by Books and Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books and The Reader’s Couch—thank you! If you are a writer or a reader and you love podcasts about these things, you need to get these on your radar STAT.

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Jane Ratcliffe has the loveliest newsletter called Beyond, which is subtitled “Intimate conversations with our greatest heart-centered minds.” Jane kindly reached out to me after Joanna Rakoff recommended my book online, and I am so, so grateful—to Jane and Joanna and everyone who has talked about my book online or IRL. Jane’s list of interviews is stunning (Cheryl Strayed, Kiese Laymon, Dani Shapiro, Joanna Rakoff to name just a few), and I was amazed at the depth of her questions and the amount of space she devoted to me. Thank you, Jane! You can read my interview with Jane here, and while you’re there, subscribe to Beyond why don’tcha.

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I loved this interview with Susie Merrell that I recorded on the first night of Passover (oops!), so if you missed it, you can check out the YouTube link. Here, too, is a link to a piece I wrote about Susie and how she helped me find the thread of my book.

Rachel Léon wrote such a lovely piece about my book for the BookEnds blog. Rachel has her own wonderful newsletter called “Pub Cheerleaders,” about how to keep the faith during the long and sometimes lonely work of writing and publishing.

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MLIY was included in a roundup of April book club picks. I’m thrilled that the book was chosen by Matzah Book Soup, a Jewish Own Voices book club created by Lillianne Leight and Amanda Spivack. We will meet online on April 27 at 8PM ET. Visit Matzah Book Soup on Instagram for more information.

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Shepherd.com is a wonderful new site that collates book lists from authors. For example, you might find Brit Bennett’s list of the best novels about the complexities of being Black in America. Or Susan Scarf Merrell’s list of the best books that only get better with time. I complied a list of the best books about the pain of growing up. It’s such a fun site to browse and explore.

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I LOVED my conversation with Avery Carpenter Forrey, author of the forthcoming novel SOCIAL ENGAGEMENT (comes out May 23; preorder now!) at Elm Street Books in New Canaan. Avery is the loveliest friend and writer and our conversation was just a dream. I can’t wait to fête her when her novel comes out next month (preorder now!)!

I also loved my visit to the Waterstone community, where my in-laws live. We had a packed house and let’s just say this group all knew what an appetizing store was! I also had a chance to read the essay I wrote about my mother-in-law Annette, and I was so happy to have a chance to honor her in that way.

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Two recent reads I recommend, both nonfiction: We Were Once a Family by Roxanna Asgarian about a case you may remember from 2018 when two white women drove their SUV off the Pacific Coast Highway killing themselves and their six adopted Black children. It’s a stunning read about the failures of the foster care system in America as well as the challenges of transracial adoption. Hannah Pittard’s We Are Too Many: A Memoir (kind of) is also great. It’s about the breakup of her marriage and the dissolution of a friendship in one fell swoop. This one comes out in May and is dishy in all the right ways but also deeply smart and provocative. I always recommend books I’m reading on Instagram so follow me there if you want these recommendations in real time.

On the fiction side, I’m reading a couple of things right now and will tell you more about them next week. In the meantime, thanks to everyone who is buying, reading or recommending my book. If you have a minute, leave it a review (5-star maybe?) on Amazon! I’m trying to get to 500 reviews, and we’re close!

On the New and Noteworthy Fiction table at McNally Jackson