BEST OF, BURNING MAN, AND TURNING 92

LIFE OF A BOOKMAN

Bookman: 1. a person who has a love of books and especially of reading. 2. a person who is involved in the writing, publishing, or selling of books. Oh, hi that's me!!

My Top Reads of 2024: I recommended 48 books to you this year! FORTY EIGHT! Not sorry!? lolol but if I have to pick your MUST READ BOOKS, here's the ones I'm still thinking about:

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan. This slim but powerful novel matters. It's a GREAT book to fit. Oprah just recommended it for her book club (but you saw it here first early this year!!!) It examines how ordinary people can stand up to institutional wrongs.

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson. A profound meditation on faith, family and American life told through letters from a dying father to his young son. It achieves the rare feat of making spiritual and philosophical questions deeply personal and accessible. I loved it I loved it I loved it.

Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld. A sharp, contemporary look at love in the age of celebrity and double standards around gender and relationships. The writing is hilarious. The characters wonderful. And it cleverly deconstructs and updates rom-com tropes while exploring modern dating dynamics.

A Single Revolution by Shani SIlver. I loved this examination of modern singlehood that flips cultural narratives around happiness and relationships. If you've ever been asked “How are you still single” ...or if you're the one asking this of amazing women in your life...read this. It challenges the pervasive notion that being coupled is the only path to a fulfilled life.

What I'm writing: Staying with the 2024 retro, I launched DAISY to the world this year (shipping just before the new year, have you purchased yet!?!?), and wrote an entire other ghostwriting book, too. Can't stop, won't stop.

WOMEN’S STUDIES

What gets passed down becomes our history. A few for the canon: Men, Please Stop Talking About Burning Man. So many of my girlfriends have been passing around this NYTs article, regardless of their relationship status. I think because we've all had the shared experience of certain men weaponizing spiritual experiences like Burning Man on dates to establish intellectual and moral superiority. The author took these people to task, writing of her repeated encounters of men who assume she needs to be “educated” about environmental principles (despite her working in environmental policy) and enlightened about self-discovery (despite her clear critical thinking). It's so good.

PASS IT ON

Stories are heirlooms. Here's one of mine:

Every year I travel to take Professor Jimmy out for his birthday. He's 92 this year!!! It seems like just yesterday I was a college freshman at Lehigh University petitioning to get into his Seniors only PR class. It worked. And the rest has been history! I took some time this trip to ask my BFF about his wisdom on aging with joy, and here's what he shared:

Field notes for Aging: Notes from Professor Jimmy, age 92

1. Keep Your Mind Active. Staying intellectually curious is key. Challenge yourself daily, learn something new, engage with ideas that stretch your thinking. (MM note: Prof Jimmy still works at Lehigh 4 days a week!)

2. Feed Your Friendships. They ground us, challenge us, and surround us with love. And we need them to be inter generational cuz at this age, there's a thing called death. (MM note: Prof Jimmy goes to dinner with friends more times a week than I do!)

3. Stay Involved with the World. Even when it's hard. Don't become an observer of life by disappearing inward and isolating - remain a participant. The world evolves; evolve with it. Your perspective and presence matter. (MM note: some of my best conversations about politics, technology, travel, books and news every week are with Prof. Jimmy)

4. Read With Purpose. Activate your brain. Read broadly across topics. (MM note: Prof. Jimmy is always reading something AND he has gotten a copy of the New Yorker magazine every week for 72 years!!!)

5. Absolutey no smoking. And limit the drinking. (MM note: he tells me as we cheers our cocktails! He doesn't agree with my 3 criteria for lighting up a heater)

6. Steward Your Health. Not with obsession, but with intention. Stay on top of doctors appointments!!. Don't put them off. (MM note: Prof Jimmy does lotsss of physical therapy every week to stay active and independent!)

Woman on xx