Friday Reads 5.15.25

Losing Voice

Hallo friends! Happy Friday.

In Oliver Burkeman’s newsletter yesterday, he opens with the following: “The concept that sits right at the heart of a sane and meaningful life, I’m increasingly convinced, is something like aliveness.”

It hit me hard, but in a good way. I’d spent the morning crying over a tree we had to cut down. She was alive. Flourishing, actually, despite being rotted, with three literal holes in her trunk from providing shelter to multiple woodpeckers and squirells over the years. She was struggling, and a good wind would definitely topple her—right into our house. I understand empirically that she needed to come down. Our neighbor lost three trees last week, and one missed our place by inches. Trees can’t withstand holes in their trunks. This is necessary. I get it.

It didn’t stop me from weeping. Druid treehugger that I am, I talked to her, laid hands on her, warned her what was coming, asked for forgiveness, told her spirit to move to another place. Ten minutes later, they were climbing her truck to remove her limbs. I couldn’t watch, but I couldn’t leave her, either. (Considering the pressure in my head, I think she left with me the moment I warned her… but that might just be the Covid talking.)

I am not great with strong emotions. They make me uncomfortable. I prefer to leave that to my characters, to allow them the room to expand and overflow on the page. They are my conduit, as it were. IT’S ONE OF US is probably the first time I really let it all out for the world to see. It was cathartic, for sure. I never thought I’d be able to tour that book. On the contrary. I was healed.

Oliver’s newsletter reminds me that emotions are completely and incontrovertibly linked to aliveness.

So instead of feeling silly that I spent the morning crying for a tree, I remind myself that this is part of being alive. That feelings are important. Understandable. Expected.

I say all the time with change comes loss. And as my friend told me last week, grief means you’ve loved something or someone enough to feel their absense. I loved that tree enough to mourn her. Mourn with her, then lose her. Happily, they left enough that we can turn some bowls from her trunk, so she’ll stay with us, even now.

Fitting perfectly with my philosophical mood… Last week I mentioned I was settling in to read RAISING HARE. To say this book is comfort food almost does it an injustice, but there it is. I was sick, miserable, had a headache and cough, and yet, was utterly transformed by Chloe’s words. This book is now my top read of 2025, and I don’t know how it can be unseated. It’s the story of a small abandoned leveret being raised by a very busy woman who wanted to respect its wildness. But it is so much more.

Here’s the thing. I closed the cover and realized I was profoundly moved. So invested in the life of this hare, actually, that I immediately sought out the author to see whether she’d updated the situation since the book was published. It hadn’t occured to me that she would have photos of the leveret on her instagram feed. The book has wonderful illustrations, but the writing brings the leveret to life so fully that I knew exactly what she looked like. I guess being sick meant my brain just wasn’t functioning, so I was shocked, amazed, and overjoyed to see actual photos and videos of this sweet hare. And then I got to fan girl all over Chloe.

Can’t recommend this one enough.

I also started LISTEN FOR THE LIE by Amy Tintera, which is brilliant so far. Brilliant enough that it helped me see a problem in my own book.

My character just didn’t have a voice. Ironically, it took me losing mine (hello laryngitis) to be able to still the world long enough to hear her crying for release. I’ve been changing the book to first person this week, and sure enough, there she is.
I don’t normally write in first. GOOD GIRLS LIE was an exception—also a book that wasn’t working that needed a POV shift. Can’t wait to see where this leads me now.

Lastly, a quick note—my paid subscribers are getting a special treat on Tuesday. If you haven’t upgraded, this is your chance. There may be a hint in the Annual Subscription model… 😇

So that’s me this week. Voiceless, but chatty.

What are you up to, and reading, this weekend? Any great recommendations for us?

---