Hey y’all.
The sun is setting around 8pm and the hot girls are roller blading in droves in sports bras and biker shorts along the beach; it must be summer. It doesn’t feel like summer in LA. We’re going through June Gloom, and every morning it’s overcast and 65 degrees and I have to put on a sweater to go outside like some kind of fair-weather baby. The mildness and constant sunshine has softened me! I miss the scorching July days when you get in a hot car and it is an oven, and it feels so good you sit and sweat just for a minute. The sweet hug of humidity as you exit a 75-degree central air-conditioned house into the oppression of a 90-degree morning, your glasses instantly fogged and the sun creeping up to heat the entire city like a greenhouse.
Summer means the South. Tubing down ice-cold spring-fed rivers, the air so hot outside you’re still sweating. Boogie boarding in the bathtub-warm Gulf, the stench of hot sargasso keeping you in the water away from the shoreline. Digging into a fridge-cold watermelon after long hours in the sun, the crispy, taut feeling of a sunburn creeping on your cheeks.
I’m turning to these books this June, to get me in the mood for a summer of hiking and camping in the mountains and finally plugging in my air conditioner (no central AC here) and dreading the beginning of fire season.
Olympus, Texas by Stacey Swann
A family epic set in a small town outside Houston, Olympus, Texas manages to capture decades of family history, trauma, and small town meddlings in the events that happen over a week. Mmm I love me some intergenerational family goings-on. Text me when you find out who dies and how.
Boys of Alabama by Genevieve Hudson
Nostalgia, questioning the faith, football, immigration, witchiness - this Southern Gothic novel has everything you want in a good Southern novel, all without falling into tropes or stereotypes and with a compelling and original protagonist. Gonna whip myself up a whiskey sour and dig into this one.
Southern Lady Code by Helen Ellis
Helen Ellis will make you laugh so hard people will ask you what’s the matter in her book of essays about growing up in Alabama, moving to New York, and becoming a writer. Text me when you read the essay about the birthday party.
Miracle Creek by Angie Kim
Set in Virginia, Miracle Creek defies genres. At first glance a novel about a criminal trial, it is also about the lengths a parent will go for their child, the difficulty of raising a child with a disability, the struggles of immigrating to the US, and the nature of the truth. It’s devastating and will take your breath away.
Revival Season by Monica West
I am obsessed with charismatic preachers of mega churches, cults, culty churches, and the like; what makes these kinds of people tick? I’m hoping Revival Season fills the gap made by The Righteous Gemstones, albeit less comedic. About a famous preacher who sets off during revival season and witnesses a shocking act of violence, the novel is told from the POV of the preacher’s 15-year-old daughter. The perfect judge of character for daddy’s sins.
Low Country by J. Nicole Jones
Low Country is a memoir by the only daughter of a prominent South Carolina family who own most of the development in Myrtle Beach. Jones uses local folklore to reconcile the tumultuous history of her family and their effect on the region, and the violence and volatility that hides behind their wealthy facade. I’m going to gulp this one up while trying not to wonder if they own Pirates Cove.
Always Happy Hour by Mary Miller
Miller’s short story collection focuses on Southern women seeking understanding in the most unlikely places, women who might be seen as unlikeable but who are relatable in their lonesome and acerbic nature. I’m obsessed with Miller’s writing and each story is a strong cocktail after a long day of work.