At Skimm HQ, books = our love language. So if you need any ideas for what to get your people for V-Day (or what to treat yourself to) we got you. Just call us Cupid. Xoxo.
“Milk Fed” by Melissa Broder
For when you loved “My Year of Rest and Relaxation”...
We dairy you to read this. The author of “The Pisces” is back. Her latest follows a 24-year-old in LA who has an unhealthy obsession with her body and food—until she becomes infatuated with a young "irrefutably fat" woman who works at her favorite frozen yogurt store. Cue a deeply original story of lust, fantasy, and body acceptance. (Amazon, Bookshop)
“My Year Abroad” by Chang-rae Lee
For when you have separation anxiety from your passport…
This book will feed your travel fix. In it, a larger-than-life Chinese-American entrepreneur brings an aimless college student from NJ along on a wild trip through Asia. Some s***t goes down. Cut to a year later (the book jumps between timelines) and the college student finds himself living with a woman and her son who are in witness protection. It’s a thrilling romp that explores excess, ambition, and racial stereotypes. And will leave you wanting more. (Amazon, Bookshop)
“Think Again” by Adam Grant
For when you want a book that’ll challenge the way you do things...
We’d like to call Adam Grant to the stand. Grant, an organizational psychologist and host of one of our favorite podcasts, dives deep into our psyche to examine the power of knowing what we don’t know. The book’s filled with entertaining research and thought-provoking anecdotes à la Malcolm Gladwell. Read it now, come out better later. (Amazon, Bookshop)
"We Run the Tides” by Vendela Vida
For when you want a haunting coming-of-age story...
Run don’t walk toward “We Run the Tides.” The gorgeous novel centers on two teens from an oceanside neighborhood of San Francisco in the ‘80s (aka pre-tech boom). After a disagreement splinters their relationship, and one of them goes missing, the book turns into a gripping mystery that grapples with the growing pains of female friendship, and the loss of innocence. (Amazon, Bookshop)
“Unfinished” by Priyanka Chopra Jonas
For when “stars...they’re just like us” always intrigues you…
Get to know the real Priyanka. The actress, who wrote her memoir during quarantine, chronicles everything from her childhood in India, to the beauty competitions that changed her career, to her experiences in Bollywood and Hollywood, to her marriage to Nick Jonas, and more. It’s perfect for your book club that loves a good celeb backstory. (Amazon, Bookshop)
“Fake Accounts” by Lauren Oyler
For when you’re considering taking a break for social media…
Here’s the push you need. This novel begins the night before Donald Trump’s inauguration, when a young Brooklyn-based blogger snoops through her boyfriend’s phone thinking he might be cheating. Instead, she learns that he’s a popular online conspiracy theorist. Dun dun dun…the subversive novel becomes a commentary on online communities, authenticity, the exhaustion of performing for your followers, and so much more. (Amazon, Bookshop)
“Mike Nichols: A Life” by Mark Harris
For fans of “The Graduate”...
It’s time to meet the man who directed it. This must-read biography goes long on Nichols—the Tony, Emmy, and Oscar winner. It chronicles his transformation from a lonely outsider to Hollywood legend, covering everything from his early childhood in Berlin, to losing his father as a teen, to his friendships with Susan Sontag and Elizabeth Taylor, to his battle with depression, and so much more. Harris interviews Meryl Streep, Robert Redford, Julia Roberts, and Tom Hanks (among many other A-listers) for the book too. (Amazon, Bookshop)
“How the One-Armed Sister Sweeps Her House” by Cherie Jones
For when you’re wishing for a beach vacation right about now…
Swap out SPF for this haunting novel. Set in a fictional beach town in Barbados during the summer of 1984, the book tackles race, class, and cycles of abuse. In it, you'll follow two families after a robbery gone wrong. There’s Lala, a pregnant local hair braider who’s trapped in a violent marriage. And Mira, a rich former local who’s vacationing on the island with her British husband. The women’s lives cross and the fallout gives a devastating new meaning to pink sands and paradise. (Amazon, Bookshop)
“A Bright Ray of Darkness,” by Ethan Hawke
For when you want a new audiobook...
Treat yourself to Ethan Hawke’s new novel. He narrates his latest book, which takes on fame, and sex, and focuses on a young married actor who’s making his Broadway debut in Shakespeare’s “Henry IV” amid a massive cheating scandal. If it sounds a litttttle bit like Hawke’s real life, you’re not wrong. The coincidences make the reading that much more enjoyable. (Amazon, Bookshop)
“Gay Bar” by Jeremy Atherton Lin
For when you really miss going out…
This book will make you miss it even more. Atherton Lin’s stylish debut explores the history and cultural resonance of gay bars. In it, he embarks on a transatlantic tour of dive bars and nightclubs and drops personal stories and history lessons along the way. It’s a wistful exploration of queer life, history, liberation, and identity. And feels especially vital right now when we’re all stuck inside. (Amazon, Bookshop)
“The Office of Historical Corrections” by Danielle Evans
For when you’re looking to jazz up your book club...
Try changing up your format. “The Office of Historical Corrections” is part novella, part short story collection that takes on the complexity of race and relationships in the US. To Evans, the book’s about “apologies, or corrections, or trying to make things right.” And each story covers a new set of characters and problems. There’s one about a high-profile male artist who makes public apologies to the women he’s wronged. There’s one about a college student who becomes a viral villain after a photo of her in a Confederate flag bikini trends online. Don’t miss it. (Amazon, Bookshop)
PS: If you buy anything from this, theSkimm may get something in return. Oh, and if something’s out of stock, oops, it was there when we published. Thanks.
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