My Favorite Reads of 2021 (So Far)

July 11, 2021 Susan

Since we’re a little more than halfway through the year, I thought it was a good time to check in on my reading goals for 2021 and reflect on my favorite non-podcast reads so far. I set a goal of reading 50 books at the beginning of the year, which is significantly more than I read last year, so this is a pretty lofty goal for me. While I’m ever-so-slightly behind schedule, I credit my progress to making a habit of tracking my reads. If you’re not already using the Book Riot 2021 Reading Log (made by author and friend of the pod Tirzah Price!), I highly recommend you start now. Using this log has changed my reading habits. I seriously get really excited every time I can fill in a new line on this spreadsheet.

Without further ado, let’s get into my top non-podcast reads of 2021 (so far)!

The Bachelorette S17E5: Into the Woods

July 10, 2021 Susan & Emily

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We’re back with another week of The Bachelorette and another recap! Unfortunately Blake is back too, but we’re just going to deal with it.

PLEASE NOTE: Trigger warning for discussion of sexual assault.

Let’s get to the episode.

Album Review: Lucy Dacus' Home Video Delivers

July 4, 2021 Kelli

On June 25th, Lucy Dacus released Home Video, her third studio album. I’ve been a fan of Dacus since I heard her first single back in 2016, “I Don’t Wanna Be Funny Anymore,” a song which explores the niche yet relatable experience of being the “funny one” and how that impacts one’s sense of identity. I was so taken by that song in particular that I began following her career in earnest, and she has yet to disappoint. I was obsessed with her sophomore album, Historian—I think I’ve listened to the song “Night Shift” over 100 times at this point—and I’m also a big fan of Boygenius, the sad!queer supergroup Dacus formed with Julien Baker and Phoebe Bridgers.

Needless to say, I was fully primed to love her new album, and I’m pleased to report that it still managed to exceed my expectations. With Home Video, Dacus shifts the lens from the present to focus on her suburban Christian upbringing in Richmond, Virginia, and how those memories and romantic entanglements inform the person she’s become. It’s a crush of nostalgia, confusion, naivete and burgeoning queerness, and it’s proof that Dacus has hit her stride.

The Bachelorette S17E4: Buzz Killington

July 2, 2021 Susan & Emily

This week had departures, arrivals, truths, and dares! It had hot peppers, Lunchables, carbs, and giant ears! All of this and only one group date? How, you ask? Because ABC can make literally anything last two hours. Let’s see how the teams did this week.

YA Book Club: The Ones We're Meant to Find by Joan He

July 1, 2021 Mary & Emily

This month we read The Ones We’re Meant to Find by Joan He, a novel about sisterhood, memory, and identity. We picked this novel in part because of its gorgeous cover by Turkish artist Aykut Aydoğdu. We were drawn in by the cover but we stayed for the wild sci-fi ride. Let’s jump in.

Mary: So The Ones We’re Meant to Find is about two sisters, Cee and Kay, who desperately want to find each other. Cee woke up on an island with nothing but her wits and a dictionary robot companion to help her. She remembers almost nothing, but she does know that she has a sister named Kay that she wants–needs– to find. Kay knows that Cee loved the world outside their city in the sky, but she didn’t know just how far Cee would go to leave it. Kay teams up with someone from Cee’s past in order to find out more about her missing sister, but she’s not ready for the answers she’ll find. Joan He has one other novel, Descendant of the Crane, which I’ve never read, have you?

(Needless to say, spoilers will follow for The Ones We’re Meant to Find.)

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