community chat: the books that changed your life
Warning: may inspire late-night library holds and existential reflection
Your Friends & Neighbors, Apple TV+. Maybe it’s a sign of the times, but Apple TV’s newest has a decidedly “steal from the rich” energy. Jon Hamm is Coop, a former financial mogul who, finding himself unexpectedly unemployed and divorced, decides to steal from his wealthy neighbors to make ends meet. If you liked Mad Men, it feels a bit like Don Draper got dropped into 2025 and I honestly don’t hate it.
Then I Met You Honey Dew Lip Mask - the only new purchase I made from the Sephora sale was this lip balm several friends recommended to me. It’s hydrating but not sticky, and lightly exfoliating which I love.
Terrestrial History by Joe Mungo Reed. A brand new speculative fiction novel that’s perfect for Earth Month (and our current moment). Spanning four generations of the same family in their fight against the growing climate crisis, Terrestrial History tackles some of the most important questions of our time: can we innovate our way out of this, or is it more important to focus on working together with the tools and resources we already have? Are we too far gone to save the planet (and each other), or are we better set on trying to replicate life on earth somewhere else? And, more chillingly – what happens once we get wherever else we could go? TH feels like the climate change cousin to Emily St. John Mandel’s Sea of Tranquility, and I absolutely loved it.
It’s no secret that I’m a huge, lifelong reader - I regularly share what I’m reading here, have a meticulous library holds system, and often have more than one book going at a time. I not-so-secretly miss the opportunity to dissect and analyze books a la English seminar classes, which is probably why I enjoy writing this newsletter so much.
But I recently had a conversation with a friend where we were talking about *the* books. The ones that stand out as being life changing, fundamentally rewiring something about your brain, altering your perception of the world, changing how you understand yourself and everything around you. The conversation was meandering, with our winding discussion prompting a new title and its related insights.
Even weeks later, I can’t stop thinking about compiling a complete list of these “life changing” books. As a precocious reader who regularly maxed out her local library card, I am a little sad to know there are likely hundreds of books that I read and loved and simply don’t remember reading. But I enjoyed the thought exercise so much I thought it would be fun to extend the conversation to you as well - to share the books that made my list, and to hear what made yours (because y’all know I’m always looking for something new to read!).
xo,
