I’ve always wondered what it would be like to be the only reader in my family.
Sort of how the titular Matilda in Roald Dahl’s middle grade novel is the only reader in her family. The library becomes her sanctuary away from her car salesman father and vain mother (“You chose books, I chose looks!” lol) and it’s the place she goes to feel love.
This was one of my favorite novels as a kid. I recognized what Matilda felt when she read because it was also how I felt. Except everyone around me was a reader (and very loving, ha!) Readers were literally everywhere: my parents, my childhood friends, and when I got older, both of my stepsisters. I spent huge chunks of my childhood summers plopped down in the powerful air conditioning of the Tippecanoe County Library while the art installation on the ceiling whirred to life every few minutes. Next to me was Caitlin, my reading partner in crime until we were in junior high. (Both of us read prolifically for the library’s summer challenges to win prizes like free frozen custard and Pizza Hut pizzas.)
I could relate to Matilda’s love for books and how her world expanded when she was reading. But I couldn’t relate to her isolation as a reader. Reading was something I did with the people I loved the most.

It still is! I joined Book Clerb (the name of the original book club founded in New York City) sometime in 2015 (it had been formed before me) and we stayed together until the pandemic when we were scattered outside the city for the first time. I’m in a book club with my two sisters where we host an annual 24-hour readathon, and I’m also in my Smut Club, where we only read books (the term book is used loosely here) featuring lots of adult romance and talk about their thin plots over Korean BBQ.
And then there’s this newsletter and the associated Instagram, where I connect with readers, many of them more prolific than me, on a daily basis! Reading is a hobby that’s done alone, most often in stillness, but it isn’t something I’ve ever been alone in doing. My friends and family are always discussing books we read, are almost never in agreement (lol), and make recommendations and share titles all the time.
It’s worth noting that ultimately Matilda ends up in a loving home with someone who loves reading. I hope she went on to have the experiences I have so treasured as a reader.
Today (April 10!) my twin step-sisters celebrate their birthday! Kelly and I are both still trying to limit our book buying to purge our TBR shelves (remember she’s not buying a book for a year?!)That got me wondering what the two of them were reading this year. I did a lil light stalking of their Goodreads profiles and discovered several hyped books each of them enjoyed.
Nothing gets my conversational gears going more than discussing someone’s opinion of a popular book (and Weather Talk, obviously). So if you’re on the fence about any of these titles, know they have the….
Sisterly Seal of Approval // April 10, 2025
Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City by Matthew Desmond
Kelly read Desmond’s Pulitzer Prize-winning account of eight families in Milwaukee as they attempt to keep their housing. Desmond’s humanizing take on a common plight of so many Americans highlighted all the ways the U.S. makes it more difficult for unhoused or vulnerable families to achieve stability.
“The author’s dedication to rigorous research allowed for deep human stories,” Kelly told me. “At the same time, it highlighted the greatest failure of American policy—the lack of interest in building more affordable housing.”
After decades of prolific publication, the film adaptation of Everett’s novel ERASURE brought this book into the mainstream. The novel follows Thelonious “Monk” Ellison, a once critically acclaimed writer whose current work has been rejected by almost two dozen publishers. Meanwhile, his mother is struggling with Alzheimer’s, his family is still reeling from the suicide of their patriarch, and he’s been watching the success of a debut novelist whose book We’s Lives in da Ghetto is inspired by her brief visit to Harlem relatives.
Frustrated and as a joke, Monk writes a draft called My Pafology under the pseudonym Stagg R. Leigh, and when it’s published by accident, it becomes a major success.
“The reason I liked the movie, AMERICAN FICTION, is different than the book,” Alison told me. “The movie was overly focused on the family dynamics and less on the ‘novel’ he’s writing, which I found more interesting. The book is really about a guy trying to find his way and dealing with family trauma, and the ‘novel’ is the second plot, both of which I loved.”
Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe
This was the first book we read for Sisterly Book Club this year. It was on all three of our TBRs, but we each had struggled with it for different reasons. We all agreed it was a dense read that rewarded persistence and paid off with strong, emotional resonance.
Keefe’s entry into the story begins with Jean McConnville, the single mother of a large family, who was abducted and disappeared during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. While what happened to Jean remains a throughline throughout the book, the story primarily focuses on leading members of the IRA and the English resistance in Northern Ireland. The Troubles is a somewhat niche conflict led in part by politics, government, and religion. The deliniation of neighborhoods and loyalties are still very much a part of life in Northern Ireland, and it took me a minute to have all the names and organizations. (The current political players are also really interesting!)
But this made for a great book club book. We talked through different theories and shared emotional moments that affected all of us, of which there were many. There’s so much senselessness in war, and the Troubles are no exception. Keefe follows his subject through the present day and the ending of the book was heart-wrenchingly sad.
…Can you name the best musical?
It’s well known among my friends that I’m missing whatever chip is necessary to enjoy a movie musical. Stage musical chip is in tact, but movie musical? Not so much.
It is also true that these same friends are well aware of Kelly and Alison’s near feral love for the musical in all its forms. When deciding what culture to feature for this, their birthday edition, I realized it had to come with a little song and dance.
I’m not sure it’s possible to list the best musicals of all time, but Stagedoor has done just that and compiled a list of their 100 Best. Do you agree with their selections or are they too missing a chip? Find the list here. (A note, the actual numbers are a little off, but there are 100 titles there!)
Fun fact: I’ve actually seen #1!
…The best boxed cake mixes
Wirecutter regularly sends “Best Of” newsletters, articles about the best of whatever item, heavily vetted by a team of reporters. From lip balm to bed sheets and now, boxed yellow cake mixes, I regularly find myself scrolling through the lists even if they’re not featuring items I need or am interested in.
This boxed cake mix list was a good one, though. I’ve never thought much about my favorite cake flavor in detail but the tasting notes here I found particularly fun! Bonus points that it’s a birthday newsletter this week! Find the best yellow cake mixes here.
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