Bad Mom Books and Good Mom Bags
Plus the White Lotus diet and why Lean In was bullsh*t.
I swear I don’t always, or only read, books about complicated mothers, but I do read A LOT of books about complicated mothers, so it is apparently time for another installment of the Bad Mom Book Club!
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Paid subscribers also get to read my thoughts on chins, Dr. Becky’s privilege problem, and what happened when I weighed myself for the first time in 7 years.
Books To Read Right Now
The Float Test by
I am very, very lucky to be one of the people Lynn asks for early gut-check reads on her novels, and I adore everything she writes, but believe me when I tell you: THIS ONE IS INCREDIBLE. An absolutely absorbing story of four siblings grappling with their mother’s death (and the gun they find in her underwear drawer), as well as their own confused or failed ambitions as parents and people. This is also Lynn’s Florida book and there is no one who can better capture that place. Out today, go grab it!!!
Animal Instinct by
A divorced 40-something mom starts dating and has a sexual awakening despite it being…2020, which means her main love interest is AI. Shearn nails SO much about the weirdness of divorce, online dating post-marriage, and pandemic life. But if that all sounds too heavy, I promise, it’s also quite funny and you’ll really root for the heroine.
Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism by Sarah Wynn-Williams
An absolutely riveting memoir by a former top Facebook executive. There are mind blowing revelations about just how much Facebook has shaped elections, supported dictators and otherwise helped plunge us into the current hellscape that is global politics. But this is also, very much, a story of a mother working for a corporation where the Lean In ethos means no support for breastfeeding and bosses who demand you work and deal with their sexual harassment during your maternity leave. Also, Mark Zuckerberg is such a fragile man child, my God. (Content warning for graphic birth violence and some other explicit violence both physical and psychological.)
The Safekeep by Yael von der Wouden
already plugged this as a Butter, and a bunch of you already know but OH MY GOD THIS BOOK. My bookclub read it last month and all agreed it’s probably one of the best books we’ve ever done (and we have VERY different reading tastes!). It’s brilliantly plotted, the world building is flawless, and it explores so much about desire, the legacy of WWII, and how we conceive of home. (And the mothers are mostly off page but very important.) Now tell us: What are you reading and loving right now? Or if you need a book rec, tell us what you love to read—someone here will nail it!
PS. I always link books over to Split Rock Bookstore, my beloved local indie. If you buy a copy of FAT TALK from them, you can take 10 percent off any of these titles with the code FATTALK! (Full details here.)
Plus So Many Good Online Reads
Does White Lotus have a misogyny problem?
Also v important re: White Lotus: Why do they only ever eat fruit for breakfast? (Yes diet culture but ALSO.)
I read all about the tariffs and impending recession first thing this morning (the NYT app is NOT my friend at 6am!) and was spiraling a bit, but this roundup of big WINS from
is heartening and helpful.Repeating meals is absolutely fine. And so liberating!
Your fat has so many important jobs to do. Love this by the always excellent
!“Based on the published research, there is no good data to support the idea that women lose a clinically significant amount of muscle during the menopause transition.” This is a must read by .
is tracking all her purchases this year and the results are fascinating.Warm weather is coming. Have you assembled your Fat Starter Pack?
LOVE this easy hosting idea.
And I’m getting so much joy from your weekend protest reports.
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And One Other Good Thing
We’ve talked about them before, but I’m really in love with my Baggu bags right now. Their reusable shopping bags are truly the sturdiest and roomiest and fold up so small, I actually always remember to have one with me now when I run errands. And their medium crescent bag (which comes in two strap lengths, so fat-friendly!) is my go-to every day bag — it’s not huge but holds all my essentials, including that reusable bag and even a book and a (small) water bottle. And I just ordered the large for some upcoming travel-with-kids. I think it will be perfect for getting through airports with all of our snacks and chaos?
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Thank you for bringing up the breakfast fruit thing on the white lotus. Whenever we get free breakfasts at a hotel my kid takes this privilege very seriously and it always makes me smile. He gets my parents to have juice tastings and ranking food items all sorts of fun and how sad to miss out on that! You just got me excited for our family trip this summer.
I am rereading Hidden Figures because we're doing it for one of my book clubs. I forgot just how excellent it is (and much more nuanced than the film, which I still enjoyed but you know, Hollywood treatment).
Swimming Pretty is a fantastic history of synchronized swimming (and swimming in general). Learned lots and it's a fun story!
After finally reading The Women by Kristin Hannah I went back to one of her sources and read Home Before Morning by Lynda Van Devanter, a memoir from a nurse in Vietnam. Really compelling story. I found the book at my local library.