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We are in the last week of August, and in my mind, it’s the last week of summer. September is when I let myself pull out all of my pumpkins and fall leaf decor. BUT, we’re not there yet. This is the week that I catch up on reading, often diving into my favorite genres. And I’m a huge fan of memoir. So for this week, we’re going to be looking at some top-tier memoirs you won’t want to miss. But first, let’s jump into bookish goods and new books!
Bookish Goods
Reading Rainbow Library Tote Bag by privatecraft4u
If you or a kiddo in your life loves Reading Rainbow, this is the perfect tote for trips to the library and the bookstore. And, it comes in several different colors! $13+
New Releases
Planes Flying Over a Monster: Essays by Daniel Saldaña París, Translated by Christina Macsweeney and Philip K. Zimmerman
In this collection of ten essays, Daniel Saldaña París writes about ten different cities he’s lived in throughout the years, highlighting how he was a different person in each place. Each piece examines the many facets of the self and how we, as human beings, change across time and space.
That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America by Amanda Jones
As book banning continues to spread across the US, it’s even more vital to support the librarians pushing back. In That Librarian, Amanda Jones shares her experience facing calls for book banning at her library in Louisiana. Jones also gives an overview of book banning, outlining how book banning is a danger to free speech in America.
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
A Cup of Water Under My Bed by Daisy Hernández
Daisy Hernández’s memoir-in-essays chronicles her Cuban-Colombian upbringing as her family worked to make a home for themselves in the United States. Hernández’s life is filled with the women of her family teaching her the way to love and be loved. They teach her how to be in the world. But her tía disapproves of Hernández’s queer relationships, never accepting her partners. Full of love and loss, A Cup of Water Under My Bed is an incredible story of a woman and her love for her family.
Ordinary Girls by Jaquira Díaz
Jaquira Díaz moves with her family from Puerto Rico to Miami Beach. There, she lives a tumultuous childhood as her mother experiences mental illness. She finds refuge in her friends. Ordinary Girls is a story of resilience and coming-of-age as a queer Puerto Rican woman forced to find her own way in the world at an early age. Her prose is beautiful. It has a vibrancy to it that lingers in the mind long after you’ve finished the last page.
You can find me over on my substack Winchester Ave, over on Instagram @kdwinchester, on TikTok @kendrawinchester, or on my podcast Read Appalachia. As always, feel free to drop me a line at kendra.d.winchester@gmail.com. For even MORE bookish content, you can find my articles on Book Riot.
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