‘Tis wintertime and therefore the time of year for snuggling up with a good book or getting cozy with your knitting and a fascinating podcast. The turn of the new year is a time of renewing, refreshing and reflecting. Your media and entertainment choices are important. And the best way to pick good stuff? Suggestions from your girl gang, of course!
The Glitter Box Book Club, online and IRL, gives us a space to talk about what we’re reading or listening to; a space to find suggestions, ask critical or moral questions, and grow together. Unlike a traditional book club, we don’t all read the same book within a set time period. Everyone can bring anything they’re reading and share what they’ve learned or what they’re musing on!
So, here we’ve compiled some of the suggestions from the first few months of our Book Club!
Want to join the conversation, or recommend something we NEED to check out? Come to our next IRL meet-up (happening early 2020), or check out our ~digital~ book club here on Facebook! Join our e-mail list or follow us on instagram to find out when we host our next meet-up in the shop.
Without further ado…
Read
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
An incredibly beautiful and informative book that shares traditional Native American wisdom alongside academic and scientific botany through the poetic prose of Kimmerer. I’ve cried multiple times reading this; tears of beauty, hope, and grief for the human condition and interaction with the natural world. If you want to learn deeply about nature and reassess your relationship to - and priorities for - mother earth, Braiding Sweetgrass is a great start!
Cinderella Liberator by Rebecca Solnit and Arthur Rackham
A contemporary retelling of the classic Cinderella tale. Sunlit enlightens the reader to the meanings and context for the characters actions, why are the evil stepsisters so mean? What have they been through that brought them to be “Evil”? Bringing critical thinking skills and empathy to this fairytale. In this way, Sonlit reveals the beauty that is alive and present in everyone. This book is for children and adults alike. A quote from the first page brought everyone at our last Book Club meeting to tears!
Essays and short stories by Miranda July
July has written a plethora of short essays and short stories. One of the book club participants took a liking to her abstract, somewhat grotesque pieces written in a feminist perspective. You can find her works published in a variety of publications, and books - many of them are on her website.
Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
An emotional book about life, death, and the human condition, with musings on a world beyond capitalist “success” and productivity as a laborer.
The Joy of Living By Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche and Eric Swanson
A book that teaches you ways to meditate and discusses what happiness is.
The Nectar of Pain by Najwa Zebian
An incredibly poignant collection of poems. If you’re grieving, in a difficult transition, or a painful end to any relationship, Zebian feels you and gives beautiful words to these waves and feelings we all experience.
Waterfalls in Oregon by Myrna L. Enamorado ~Read Local Pick~
Written and illustrated by Enamorado, this quick read takes place in New Orleans and Oregon. It is a tale of love, trauma, and lust with a touch of magic. You can find this book and her newest publication “Roses and Shaving Cream” in the Glitter Box Book Nook!
Intimations by Alexandra Kleeman
A collection of short stories, often dream-like, cerebral and sometimes unnerving, providing commentary of American culture from a womxn’s perspective, yet without judgement.
Herding Cats by Sarah Andersen
This one’s for fun! A successful illustrator known as Sarah Scribbles, Sarah Andersen uses humor to connect us in these 100% relatable comics. Recommended for anyone attempting to navigate the everyday realities of being a capital ‘a’ Adult (aka everyone).
Bust Magazine
When you don’t have the emotional energy for a book, mainstream magazines and smaller self-published items like zines are perfect. Bust Magazine was recommended as a nice glossy but with a decidedly feminist tilt.
If you want to check out some of these books, we encourage you to shop small and local! Magical moments (and deals) abound at independently owned bookstores. We have our little book nook at the Glitter Box, with a curation of zines, art books, magazines, and fiction & non fiction books by femme authors.
In addition, there are tons of bookstores with new and used books in New Orleans and across the country, Indie Bound created a page to search for ones near you! If you can’t make it out to your local bookshop, there are a few websites that source from independent bookshops across the country, like Better World Books!
If money is an issue, joining your local library is an incredible resource and is FREE! The New Orleans Public Library even has e-books you can check out! Sharing a book with a friend can be one of the most beautiful exchanges of ideas and knowledge.
Listen
To L and Back
A podcast where they rewatch and discuss The L Word in anticipation for the upcoming Netflix reboot.
The Moth
‘Regular’ folx telling their own stories. Reminding us of our beautiful differences, striking similarities, and collective wisdom. Check it out LIVE or listen through NPR’s podcasts. Cafe Istanbul in New Orleans often hosts live Moth events if you want to listen and connect in person.
Ologies
Interviews with different “ologists” from across all fields of study, from mushrooms, to hagfish, to maps, to spiderwebs, you will ALWAYS learn something, and feel amazed by the world we live in.
Watch
Reverence: A Tribute to Allison Miner
A Youtube documentary about the female co-founder of New Orleans Jazz Fest, one of the most prominent and long-standing music festivals in the country.
“Nannette” a stand-up special by Hannah Gadsby
This special is a critique of the structures of comedy, and the comedy world; highlighting, among other factors, the LGBTQ+ comedian’s perspective.
Who Does She Think She Is?
A documentary that follows 5 womxn living beyond the restrictive expectations of womxnhood - showing a few of the ways in which womxn exist and survive as artists and mothers in the male dominated art world.
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